Raising the Bar in Hygiene: A Conversation with Veronica Vivier from Nuwkem

In a world where “good enough” has quietly replaced pride in craftsmanship, Nuwkem stands firm in its belief that hygiene solutions should simply work — every time. From durable dispensers and luxurious consumables to lifetime warranties and thoughtful design, Nuwkem and its Ticra range have redefined what quality means in hygiene and facility management. Built on hands-on experience, old-fashioned values, and an uncompromising commitment to reliability, Nuwkem doesn’t just supply products — it delivers peace of mind, elevated hygiene standards, and spaces people genuinely enjoy using.

We chat with Veronica Vivier who shares her insights on quality, sustainability, innovation, and what it truly means to deliver hygiene solutions that never let you down.

How has Nuwkem helped improve hygiene standards in businesses and facilities?

From the beginning, we have believed that the person using the dispenser or who owns the dispenser should get the quality of it. I asked myself a while ago, what has happened to pride in quality? I remember a time when people were proud to say that whatever they manufactured or sold would last a lifetime, like those washing machines or tumble dryers that just worked and worked and worked. Nowadays, I feel that the pride is gone.

I feel that Nuwkem with Ticra holds that pride – we bring good old-fashioned quality to the table, and we back it. And what does good old-fashioned quality do? To answer the question above, it improves standards in any facility, if a soap dispenser just works and works, people can wash their hands, if the soap is luxurious people will want to wash their hands which increases the hygiene in a building, if an air freshener sprays every time without fail, then people enjoy spaces and it elevates the area and the perception of the establishment by employees and customers alike. This is what we have done, we have kept it real and keep on keeping it real every day, we deliver what we promise, which is hygiene solutions that work and don’t fail on you.

Can you share your impressions of the ease of use or reliability of Nuwkem products in daily operations?

We use our own products in our washrooms at work, and whenever I go into the bathroom, it smells great, the soap is working and lovely to use, the paper has the correct wet strength so that it doesn’t disintegrate in my hands, the toilet roll holder is easy to use, I can get the next roll down, or the old core out, without breaking my nails or having to tear the old core off, the sanitary bins pedal is nice and big so I can open the bin easily and the schute is also a good size so I don’t have to struggle with the bin. Everything about our products has been thought of, tested, and assessed for ease of use. These are simple things, really simple things that make a difference.

Charl Broodryk (co-founder and director) and I used to install these products ourselves and service them for the customers before we became a wholesale company, we also did adhoc work for other hygiene companies on installations and services and I can tell you from experience, installing, servicing and maintaining our products is a breeze, because we did the work ourselves, we used that experience and we knew what to look for, what we wanted in terms of quality and serviceability and we found it and put it under the Ticra label, so that everyone who sees Ticra, can know that it’s a reliable trustworthy brand.

Have the warranties and support offered by Nuwkem influenced your continued relationship with clients? If so, how?

When we start with looking at the warranties that we offer and that we are not afraid to stand by them, with some of our warranties being life time,  (we practically don’t have a repairs section because we have no repairs, our dispensers don’t break.), then look at the guarantees that we give on our consumables, the high dosing amounts on the soap, seat and hand sanitisers as well as the quality of the fragrance oils that we use, giving the user of the dispensers and the bathroom a supreme and superior experience. When you then put that back into trustworthiness of our brand, you can imagine that it has ensured that our customers trust our brand, distributors know that they can put the dispenser against the wall and it with the consumable will keep the customer happy and their reputation high, and the end user or owner of the building or facility manager knows that the bathrooms are in good hands, he/she is not going to get complaints about leaking soap or broken dispensers for example.

Recently, we had the opportunity to ask some of our distribution customers to appear in a testimonial video, and it was absolutely heartwarming. The response we got from one of the customers even went so far as to say, on camera, that if we close, they will rather close down. To the customers who have joined us and use our products as we recommend, from consumables to cleaning instructions, it seems their way of doing business has changed; they are now able to DO business, instead of driving up and down sorting out issues with dispensers that are jamming, leaking or failing. When they visit the sites where they have dispensers up, they don’t have to worry that the customer is going to complain about substandard products, they get to put a dispenser up against the wall and know it is going to work, hence we have testimonials upon testimonials of customers who love us and The Ticra brand.

Did sustainability or longevity of products influence clients’ decisions to work with Nuwkem? How important is that to their organisation?

A: When talking about sustainability, we always say we contribute through longevity: you buy once, buy well, and don’t have to replace. This is us, the most important thing is that our products are of the utmost best quality. We have had many opportunities in the past to switch to substandard products, whether because they were cheaper or more available, but we never did, because it’s not what we stand for. Nuwkem and Ticra will always be known as a quality brand, and just for the notes, we are affordable as well.

We aim to offer a premium product at a price that people can afford. This has been important to us, because it has been how we have built our brand. People used to and still do tell us that if we don’t get cheaper products, our company will fail, and then we reply, well, that’s funny, there must still be people who care about quality, because we just keep growing

Have clients noticed any measurable cost savings since switching to Nuwkem products, such as fewer replacements or lower maintenance?

Many of the customers in the testimonials have confirmed that the cost of doing business decreased after they switched to our dispensers and recommended refills. This was due to better efficiency and fewer defaults. Also, the dosing on our consumables plays a large role. For example, our 800ml Dispenser dispenses 2000 shots of soap, which works out to less than 6c per hand wash. Our seat Sanitiser is the same. Our air freshener covers 170 square meters, so you need less dispensers per washroom. Our urinal cleaner contains enzymes that help prevent or dissolve uric scale buildup, which is what usually causes buildup in urinals and leads to odours and blocked pipes that require maintenance. Our batteries last in the air freshener dispenser for up to 2 years

So, what our customers have noticed is that when they use our dispensers and the recommended refills that are compatible with them, they not only save on maintenance and repairs but also on consumables, because our refills deliver industry-leading dosing.

What is even more important than the cost savings, is the increase in positive perception from washroom users. The actual site where the dispensers are installed has an elevated appeal to customers, patrons, and employees, which in turn offers the establishment a range of new benefits, such as repeat visits, higher employee morale, lower absenteeism due to sick days, and tenant retention in office buildings and shopping centres. One study even found that customers spend more time and money in these facilities. In restaurants, apparently, except for that, patrons are more likely to return to a restaurant with trustworthy bathrooms, they also tend to spend more time and money at the restaurant, and this does not just pertain to restaurants, it’s a phenomenon across industries.

What trends in hygiene and facility management do you think will matter most over the next few years, and how can Nuwkem support those trends?

A: Smart servicing solutions, the use of the Internet of Things, is a big trend in the global hygiene arena. Although it’s not yet affordable in South Africa, we hope it will become accessible and affordable in the near future. Facilities management can benefit from real-time monitoring of all washroom dispensers, with an app that alerts you when a dispenser is empty or needs servicing. We will get there one day; it’s readily available abroad.

Sustainability is a big focus across all sectors, and we are no exception. We already offer sustainability through the durability and longevity of our dispensers, and their quality ensures you only have to buy once, reducing the consumerism of it. We are looking forward to and very excited about innovations coming in the next 5 years that will take our consumables to the next level for sustainability, so watch this space

Touchless and contactless hygiene solutions – this has been a growing trend, and we are well-equipped for it. It not only reduces pathogen spread but also improves perceived, actual, and overall cleanliness and safety in a bathroom. We offer a range of automatic, touch-free dispensers to meet this need.

Health and wellness in the workplace is an area that is getting more traction, from what I have noticed. Traditionally, washrooms were not a focus point, more of a grudge purchase, but we see a trend towards caring more about the employee and employee facilities, which is nice to see, and of course, there is no better place to come to get this need sorted than right here at Nuwkem.

Are there any additional products or services you’d like to see Nuwkem offer in the future?

Definitely, the Internet of Things would be something that we would love to be able to offer in South Africa.

Why would you recommend Nuwkem to other businesses? 

Charl Broodryk, one of our directors, always says he likes to sleep at night, and that is why we don’t sell products that don’t work. So if you are in charge of any bathroom in any building and you want peace of mind, I would recommend Nuwkem and Ticra, because, you won’t have any problems, as long as you follow our advice, you will have bathrooms that have dispensers that just work, except for the service schedule, you won’t even have to think of them. One less thing to lie awake and worry about

What advice would you give to other companies considering Nuwkem for their hygiene solutions?

Give us a call, and let us help you find the right solution.

Tell us more about the history of the company and how it became a leader in your market sector…

Well, we started in an apartment, just Veronica and Charl, with 4 hand dryers and 12 cans of insecticide in 2006. And now we have 2 branches, one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town, with just under 40 people. We do business across South Africa and in many countries in Africa. I believe we partnered with the right companies and people, that had the best solutions and products, one of them was Rubbermaid also known as Newell Rubbermaid, we came across their products and luckily they allowed us to start buying from them, little did we know that, this would end up being the backbone of our success, the quality of their solutions are unmatched, according to me, globally. All those years ago, we did not realise it, but it became the motto of our company: It has to be quality, otherwise we don’t offer it, no compromise.

Later on, as we grew, we realised we needed to expand our range to include different colours, finishes, and products such as hand dryers and paper towel dispensers. We needed to give the African market a wider variety and a reliable solution, and subsequently, Ticra was born. We started sourcing and manufacturing products of the same quality and expanded our ranges to include our plastic ranges of Pure White, Crescent Silver, and Graphite Black, our steel ranges of Velora Stainless Steel and Graphite Black steel, and our new and exciting Ember Bronze.

We used the Rubbermaid refills as the base for our products, as they have unsurpassed quality on consumables, We will not use any other consumables in our dispensers and our warranties on these dispensers are only valid if you use these Rubbermaid and Ticra approved consumables. As we did this as we expanded, with the root of the company lying in quality, we built a name, not just Ticra but Nuwkem as well. We are very well known in our industry, and now we are starting to be recognised by the retail consumers as well, thanks to the Ticra name.

We believe in service, in treating people the way we want to be treated, and in family. That’s why most of the people who work for us have been with us for years: we are a community at Nuwkem, striving to give our best every day.

Contact: Nuwkem