Design & Manufacturing News South Africa

Restonic SA names Michael Borcherds as new CEO

Michael Borcherds will succeed Mike Metz as CEO of Restonic, the largest fully integrated sleep business in South Africa.
Michael Borcherds, new Restonic CEO. Source: Supplied
Michael Borcherds, new Restonic CEO. Source: Supplied

Metz stepped down from the role on his 65th birthday on 5 August 2022. He and his father founded the company in 1981 and the business remained family-owned until it was acquired by JSE-listed Kap Industrial Holdings Limited (KAP) in 2015. “I would say the proudest day of my life was when my son, Lance, joined the business as the third generation Metz, and helped me grow it to where it is today,” said Mike Metz.

Restonic is among the most vertically integrated sleep product manufacturers in Southern Africa, producing almost all bedding raw material inputs.

The company stated that Metz will continue with Restonic in a full-time advisory capacity and that Michael Borcherds will succeed him in the role of CEO as part of a structured succession process.

Groomed for leadership

“Michael Borcherds and myself go way, way back. He and his family have a great relationship with us. He’s been with our family for many years and he’s a true soldier in this business,” said Metz.

Borcherds has been intimately involved with Restonic, having spent 20 years with the company, including 11 years as sales and marketing director, before branching out on his own, acquiring Support-A-Paedic (SAP) in 2013.

Within a period of five years (between 2013 and 2017), he grew SAP into a significant business, which led to its acquisition by Kap in 2017. Through this, Borcherds re-joined Restonic, and has been a critical member of the leadership team, being groomed to take the helm. Restonic stated that Borcherds is a proven entrepreneur and has in-depth knowledge of both the furniture and bedding markets.

“We look forward to what the future holds under Michael’s leadership, along with the rest of our management team. Restonic remains close to my heart, so I will be staying on in an advisory capacity and have committed to assisting with the completion of a number of key projects currently underway. I also look forward to being able to spend more time connecting with our retail partners,” said Metz.

Borcherds commented, “I’m thankful to the Metz family and to Mike for the strong foundations they have created and I look forward to implementing the strategy we have developed for the continued growth of Restonic. I’m confident that we will build on the legacy they have created to deliver good returns to our shareholders and to offer market-leading products and service to our retail partners and their customers.”

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