OUR STORY
Two contractors. One merger. One standard.
Aurelia Maintenance exists because two single-discipline maintenance contractors decided that clients shouldn't have to manage two suppliers, two schedules, and two invoices to keep one plant running. Here's how a mechanical shop and a multi-discipline millwright shop became one integrated maintenance contractor — and what that merger actually changed on the plant floor.
BEFORE THE MERGER
Two shops. Two disciplines.
Before there was an Aurelia Maintenance, there were two separate contractors, each built around one engineering discipline.
A
Packaging Maintenance — Mechanical
Founded and led by Gert Rossouw, Packaging Maintenance built its name on mechanical systems in Food & Beverage plants — the packaging lines, conveyors, and rotating equipment where an hour of downtime shows up directly on the bottom line. Gert's track record running high-end mechanical projects set the standard Aurelia's mechanical work is still held to today: measurable, KPI-driven, and built to last on the plant floor, not just on paper.
B
Ekhethelo Maintenance — Mechanical, Electrical & Instrumentation
Founded and led by Louis Rossouw, Ekhethelo Maintenance grew out of Louis's training as a millwright — a trade that, unlike a single-discipline electrician, spans mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation work on the same piece of equipment. That full-spectrum grounding, sharpened over years leading high-end Food & Beverage projects, meant Ekhethelo could already diagnose a fault once instead of passing it between specialists.
THE MERGER
Built by merger, led by experience
One mechanical discipline. One multi-discipline electrical & instrumentation practice. One integrated maintenance contractor.
Aurelia Maintenance was established through the formal merger of two independently operated maintenance providers: Packaging Maintenance, under the mechanical engineering leadership of Founder & CEO Gert Rossouw, and Ekhethelo Maintenance, under the millwright-trained, multi-discipline leadership of Managing Director Louis Rossouw. Both principals held senior operational roles within the Food and Beverage sector, managing high-value capital projects against a consistent mandate — measurable KPI improvement across uptime, output, and plant efficiency.
The merger consolidated two previously separate engineering disciplines into a single operational structure. Where Packaging Maintenance carried mechanical systems expertise and Ekhethelo Maintenance carried electrical, instrumentation, and multi-discipline millwright expertise, Aurelia Maintenance now operates both under one contract, one project team, and one point of accountability. That structural integration removes the coordination gap that typically sits between separate mechanical and electrical contractors on a plant floor, and extends into four core service lines: specialised equipment maintenance, conveyor system maintenance, project management, and site services and supplies.
Mechanical · Gert Rossouw
Packaging Maintenance
Millwright · Louis Rossouw
Ekhethelo Maintenance
Mother Company
Aurelia Maintenance
WHY WE MERGED
One contractor beats two suppliers
The case for merging was operational, not just financial.
01
No coordination gap
A fault at the boundary between mechanical and electrical work used to mean two call-outs and two invoices. One contractor, one project team, closes that gap.
02
One point of accountability
Clients get a single team responsible for the outcome on an asset, not two contractors who can each point at the other when something goes wrong.
03
Four service lines, one contract
Specialised equipment maintenance, conveyor maintenance, project management, and site services & supplies — covered under one scope of work.
FROM MERGER TO MOTHER COMPANY
Where Aurelia stands today
Four stages, one continuous team of directors and artisans.
01
Two Contractors
Packaging Maintenance and Ekhethelo Maintenance operate independently, each serving Food & Beverage plants in their own discipline.
02
The Merger
Gert and Louis combine both companies into Aurelia Maintenance, unifying mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation capability under one contract.
03
Aurelia Today
30+ directors and staff delivering specialised equipment maintenance, conveyor maintenance, project management, and site services & supplies.
04
What's Next
Growing local artisan talent and scaling coverage — without losing the hands-on standard the company was built on. See the plan →
KEEP READING
Want the full leadership story?
Meet Gert and Louis, the team behind the merger, and what they're building next.
Full leadership bios and capabilities on the About page.