Welcome To Family Business RF Gevers

Kelvin Bland, the operations director at Vryheid-based sawmill and treatment operation RF Gevers, was taught in the old school way. “My mentor always taught me adapt to change,” he said. “I was told that at a sawmill, there are a thousand things that could go wrong in a single day.

 “We’ve adapted by being pro-technology and by always looking forward.”

RF Gevers signed on as a new Dolphin Bay customer at the end of 2025, taking its first order in February 2026. Dolphin Bay’s Mark Duckham believes the partnership signals a meeting of like minds.

“RF Gevers has an extremely good name in the market, with a reputation for impeccable quality,” he said. “They ensure that the products they send out are of an excellent standard.”

That focus on quality is supported by the company’s emphasis on technology, which includes the use of digital tools to measure and monitor key aspects of its sawmilling and timber treatment processes.

“RF Gevers has a reputation for impeccable quality, and such a good name in the market.”

“In Afrikaans they have the saying: ‘As jy meet sal jy weet.’ (‘If you measure it, you’ll know’). It’s good to have that hands-on information,” said Kelvin.

“On the cutting side, my computer has an amperage meter, which tells me if my saws are going blunt or if something goes mechanically wrong. And on the treating side, our team can now also monitor our treatment process and stock control in real-time, from anywhere, using Dolphin Bay’s Pro Treat software.

“My treatment plant manager was on holiday recently, and he was able to log into his phone and have a look at how things were going at the plant. There’s better reporting across the whole system, and that makes for a better product.”

RF Grevers is a family-owned business that has been around for generations, said Mark. It started in 1949, when Robert Gevers, aged just 21, bought his first farm, ploughed the grassland, planted black wattle, and started supplying timber to the Hlobane coal mine, east of Vryheid.

The sawmill produces structural pine and pallet material, supplying customers from Cape Town to the Limpopo. “Our own trees make up about 70% of the timber we use. We’re quite sustainable in cutting our own trees, but with the current market being so good, we have been dipping into our rotation,” said Kelvin.

He added that RF Grevers is very satisfied with Dolphin Bay’s service. “We’re very impressed with Dolphin Bay. Every time Mark comes here, he brings a positive attitude and service with a smile.

“Dolphin Bay seems to have a good team going. Everybody just seems to be happy!”

“We’re excited to have RF Gevers on board,” said Mark. “It is a real pleasure to do business with them.”

Source: Dolphin Bay