Netram Technologies is an up and coming South African company specialising in affordable prototyping hardware, R&D and DIY electronics.
Founded in 2009 by Jared Maartens and Wesley Adams, the company started with a catalogue of only a handful of products which has grown into an online store of over 700 products, ranging from open source hardware, sensors, components and electronic starter kits to 3D printers, robotics and multi-rotor components.
Two years after its founding, Netram moved to offices in Hillcrest, around which time Garth Wood came on board as a third partner and brought further expertise to the team.
There are now two parts to the business: the online store, where prototyping electronic hardware is imported and sold to a wide audience, from hobbyists to universities to research institutes. Products can be delivered to customers anywhere in South Africa and some neighbouring African countries. Then there is the R&D section where projects on all fronts are tackled with some big clients such as Eskom, CSIR and Bletchley Park.
Netram has a strong focus on education when it comes to increasing the knowledge base of open source hardware and electronics, and the company goes out of its way to help students with projects, even at the last minute. Netram was instrumental in pioneering open source and consumer prototyping hardware in South Africa, being the first to bring in Arduino and Netduino, and later expanding its range to FEZ boards and modules, and the popular Makerbot 3D printer.
One of the company’s bigger suppliers, Sparkfun Electronics, has a large product footprint in its online store and is the forerunner of prototyping hardware in America.
Netram’s vision is to continue to bring affordable hardware into the country which is accessible to everyone, not just those with electronic backgrounds, and it plans to start producing its own boards in the near future. The company also aims to be a major player in the R&D world, offering its services and providing guidance, as well as developing systems and technology to make the public safer and more informed.
To best meet its plans for growth, the company focuses strongly on customer service, in that it strives to keep clients and customers happy, up to date and to support them as much as possible.
For more information contact Netram Technologies, +27 (0)31 765 8765, [email protected], www.netram.co.za
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