Probe’s story is one steeped in family. Its journey is inseparable from the Rovelli family’s story. The family lives and breathes Probe, and so, Probe’s story began years before it officially opened for business. It began in 1954, when founder Francesco Rovelli arrived in South Africa.

After leaving post-war Italy for Eritrea, Francesco met his future wife, Graziella, and together they travelled to South Africa. Francesco made the journey in the engine room of a ship and at the age of 28, he set his feet on South African soil, felt the promise of the country and he never looked back.

Probe opened for business in downtown Newtown, Johannesburg in 1963. At the time, Newtown was a fading industrial epicentre marked by empty tram sheds and vacant buildings, but it was home to a small battery business that would become a leader in South Africa’s energy industry, the Probe Corporation.

It was in these early days that Francesco Rovelli established his habit of travelling the country working and promoting Probe.

“When I came out my mother’s womb, there was a battery next to the bed along with a starter and an alternator.” And so, the multi-generational heritage of Probe was set in motion.

Frank Rovelli joined the Probe story when he entered the world in 1965 and his devotion to the company has never waned, even now as he holds the title of acting Group CEO of the Probe Corporation. From working at Probe during his school holidays to accompanying his dad on spontaneous road trips to see customers, Frank’s involvement with Probe was always felt. So devoted was little Frank to the survival of Probe that when, at the age of four, a fire broke out across the road, he trundled over with a fire extinguisher in hand, ready to put it out.

1969 marks the establishment of Probe IMT Witbank, and has since built a reputation for providing a comprehensive range of premium products by key OEM auto electrical manufacturers for the heavy-duty automotive, mining and construction industries.

Richard Rovelli joined the Probe family nine years later in 1974 and, like his brother, grew up committed to Probe. Francesco Rovelli would spontaneously cart his sons across the Southern African region, all in the name of customer service and pioneerism. Rick fondly remembers how during one Sunday lunch, Francesco received a phone call from a customer in Namibia. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he had said and so they embarked on the 15-hour drive. The next day he stood in Namibia, the customer in awe, listening to Francesco talk about a solenoid.

It was on these trips that both Frank and Richard Rovelli got to grips with the essence of Probe: Quality solutions and devoted customer service.

1974 was a significant year in Probe’s story in that not only was it the year that Richard Rovelli was born, but it was also the year that Probe became an authorised dealer for Delco Remy. Probe has always been an advocate of high-quality products, so when it became an authorised dealer for one of the leading global providers of starters and alternators, its reputation in premium energy products was cemented in many ways.

In 1979 Probe began trading with the first sealed maintenance-free Delco freedom battery, and the business flourished. From the well-worn streets of Newtown to Port Elizabeth to Zimbabwe, Francesco Rovelli could be found proclaiming, in a thick Italian accent, that he was selling “di first-e, sealed-e, maintenance-free battery-e”. He would proudly call himself a pioneer. And he was.

Francesco Rovelli was always anti-regime and that was reflected by his business practices. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Probe consistently hired and upskilled black and coloured South Africans to become technicians, a job role reserved for white people according to the government at the time.

From the start, Francesco believed that his staff were a part of the family regardless of their colour or creed and ensured that this was reflected throughout Probe. Every now and then the smell of his delectable Italian cooking would permeate the air, and it culminated in a big pot of pasta there for everyone to enjoy. Every day, Francesco would be seated in the boardroom with his pasta and a glass of white wine and anyone was welcome to join him.

In 1984 Probe developed the Deltec label and to date enjoys the benefit of such early strategies.

A new South Africa was born in 1990 when the end of Apartheid was officially on the horizon. With this period of revival came a renewed economy in South Africa. International trade opened and mines were built up again. Probe saw the opportunity and saw the opportunity to became a leader in these fields, providing starters, alternators, and sealed maintenance-free batteries to the expanding industry. Today, mining remains one of the core industries that Probe services, benefiting from our integrated mining solutions for improved safety and productivity.

1990 also marked a noteworthy change not only in the country, but also inside Probe itself. After decades of on-the-job training with Francesco Rovelli, Frank Rovelli took over as CEO of the Probe Corporation and he has spent the past 30 years at the helm. Under Frank’s leadership, with his expertise as a CA (SA), Probe’s revenue increased 800% making it the leader in Southern African energy that it is today.

Currently, the Probe Corporation and its subsidiaries are specialised industrial equipment suppliers, providing aftermarket support for global and local brands. Our trademarked Probe ranges, including Probe batteries, ProbeAir compressors and Probenergy alternative power solutions remain market leaders for all of SADC. These successes are all credited to our insights into change, evolving markets and our burning desire to continually meet customer needs, steeped in desire to provide best quality products and services, an ideology that can be traced straight back to Francesco.

Probe IMT Kuruman was founded in 1991 by Roselt Senior, from the humble beginnings of a small garage in Hofazel and moved to Kuruman, Northern Cape in 1993. Known as Kuruman Auto, this branch provides automotive support to the mining and construction industries and exemplifies a robust success story built on trust, service and understanding market needs.

In 1994 Probe, which had been operating as Fawick until this point, officially became the Probe Corporation. Today, the name ‘Probe’ is known far and wide as the leader in energy storage. While the end of Apartheid affected the whole of South Africa, Probe was able to continue business as usual at the dawn of the new South Africa thanks to its continued unprejudiced upskilling endeavours with all staff members..

1994 was also the year Probe was appointed an AC Delco distributor, another milestone in its quest to provide premium energy storage products with excellent service to Southern Africa. As an authorised dealer for yet another leading brand, Probe continued to thrive.

Probe’s Witbank branch, now Probe IMT Witbank, opened for business in 1996. It was the second-ever BEE company partnership with Anglo American, a remarkable feat and a fitting achievement given Francesco Rovelli’s disapproving outlook on the Apartheid regime. Probe remains committed to transformation in South Africa, being BEE and Employment Equity compliant.

Although he had been working at Probe during school holidays throughout his life, Richard Rovelli officially joined the Probe workforce in 2000. After years of beneficial partnership, Probe became a silver award winner for AC Delco in 2000. Being recognised for our long-standing commitment and service excellence was a milestone many at Probe will never forget.

The new century brought with it advancements in energy storage technology that necessitated the exploration of new battery suppliers abroad. Probe, being ever-driven to anticipate and lead the changing energy landscape, realigned through strategic partnerships with suppliers to ensure that our first sealed maintenance-free battery penetrated the South African market successfully.

2002 was also the year that Probe secured its biggest deal - one that is still in effect today, a tribute to the company’s value of long-lasting relationships.

Throughout Probe’s extensive history, we have always been quick to notice change and move to fill gaps in the market with a relevant high-quality product offering. And so, Probe aligned with Autozone in 2004 to supply auto electrical products to South Africa.

2004 also marked one of the defining moments of forging a path of quality products, quality customer service, and quality installations. As a result of Francesco Rovelli’s experience in the auto-electrical space, working with Delco Remy products and the stellar team he had around him, Probe was awarded a partnership with Delco Remy. For years, Probe has been a trusted distributor of Delco Remy products and the partnership with Delco Remy, a high-quality global battery brand, set us apart.

Platinum Battery Technology Rustenburg began as a satellite office in 2005 and has since complemented its product range with a field service team, capable of installing and repairing all auto electrical components such as wiring harnesses, LED lights and battery replacements.

The Probe Corporation after many years, in 2006, moved into its Meadowdale offices in Johannesburg, where the heart of Probe continued to beat until 2024 when they moved once more.

Probe Rustenberg offices were also opened in 2006 to ensure we were able to attend to the mines within the area.

2008 officially marked the launch of Probe Cams, South Africa’s first mining collision avoidance system, in 2008. Launching our CAS products was an ultimate risk given their novelty and the economy at the time, but to date it has proven to be an incredible success and a milestone in Probe’s story. Probe IMT continues to offer these products today, enabling Southern African mines to seamlessly protect their teams, their equipment, and their infrastructure at all times.

Probe acquired its first bonded warehouse with SEKO Logistics in 2009. Today, 14 years later, we are still using the same business for our freight and warehousing, an emphasis on the value we place on building a lasting network in everything we do.

The Witbank branch experienced massive growth over 2009 and 2010 by diving into the auto-electrical space and offering the digital elements required for optimised and safe mining. Probe’s collision avoidance systems and real-time monitoring equipment have transformed the way mines operate, resulting in the success of Probe’s mining endeavours, and later IMT Mining.

After living with diabetes for 54 years and cancer for 24 years, Francesco Rovelli passed away, leaving behind his beloved family, the company he built from humble beginnings and the staff he loved so dearly. He is remembered as a deeply Italian man, bubbling with charisma, strong, proud, respectful, incredibly loving, generous, and deeply devoted to his family and his business.

In 2012, Probe merged with what is now the Probe IMT Kuruman branch in the Northern Cape to service mines in the region. Since the very start of the Probe Corporation our ethos has always been to service our customers in the most efficient way, which in this instance meant being where they are. At first, Probe employees following in the footsteps of their founder would make cross-country road trips but as the group grew so did our capacity for opening up branches across the SADC region to service all identified gaps for our customers needs.

In 2014, local South African energy storage manufacturers reached a global standard, creating premium quality products. As a long-time advocate for supporting local empowerment wherever possible, Probe naturally explored local manufacturers to integrate into its operations. Today, the Probe Corporation proudly has its own battery production operation in our warehouse in partnership with a local supplier.

Ever on the lookout for growth, the Probe Group of Companies expanded over 2017 to 2019 to Kariba Batteries. It is with these inclusions that Probe could service customers in Gerberha, Kariega and Bloemfontein.

In 2019, Probe’s mining division had grown to the point of requiring its own division and formally separated from other divisions to concentrate Probe’s efforts to service the mining industry. Alternative energy also became a significant focus for the Probe Group in 2019 as it became evident that this was the future of energy storage. The Probe Group hold steadfast, as storage specialists, to continue to be at the forefront of new and exciting developments in the constantly evolving energy landscape.

Since our founder, Francesco Rovelli, began Probe in 1963, the staff have always been integral to the company’s growth and success. We’re proud to have had staff members like Coenie, Elias, Peter and April, who have been loyal assets to the Probe Group for over 20 years. Our people, the Probe Family, have always been important to us and will always remain our greatest assets.

As such, the Probe Group survived COVID-19 without retrenchment and maintained usual business operations. As a business made by its staff, seeing COVID through unscathed, so that all of our people had job security, was a remarkable achievement, and one we feel immensely proud of.

Our founder, Francesco Rovelli as a doting grandfather, always singing funny Italian songs and playing games with the newest members of the Rovelli family would have been immensely proud to welcome the third generation of Rovelli’s to the Probe Group. In 2022, Francesca Rovelli joined the company after completing her accounting articles as our Financial manager.

Though Probe’s story has spanned generations, its very core has remained the same throughout the decades: Deliver quality energy solutions with unmatched customer service. This ethos continues to guide everything at Probe, even today.

Keeping this vision alive lead us to the acquisition of Orizen, to provide electrical forklifts and rentals, the acquisition of Sinetech Energy who joined the Probe Group of Companies as a means to meet the growing requirement for sustainable energy in South Africa, and the need for commercial energy requirements birthed our newest company, Probenergy.

Probe’s longevity has always been marked by our drive to stay ahead of the battery storage requirements of our customers, offering relevant, impactful and high-quality products to meet their needs. With the dawn of acquiring Sinetech Energy, the Probe Group of Companies started its first-ever B2C offering to the market, offering residential solar solutions to all South African homes and businesses. Empowering our nation, no matter what the grid is doing.

The Probe Group of Companies continues to supply and provide aftermarket support for leading global brands, our Probe product ranges and varied services across all of our affiliate companies. Probe’s proud heritage is testament to the diversification of our group and how we strive to empower companies, and people alike, across SADC.