Manufacturing Circle
| by Austin Gamble
A South African Template
I recently had the pleasure of visiting two filter manufacturing plants in KwaZulu Natal. The factories, one
in Pietermaritzburg and the other in Durban, are the two main filter plants of G.U.D. Holdings (Pty) Ltd,
and are a wonderful example of the manufacturing ingenuity that has been the hallmark of South African
companies for decades.
G
.U.D. has been
And I need to differentiate
manufacturing and
between home grown
distributing original
manufacturing companies,
equipment and aftermarket
and those manufacturing
automotive filters in Southern
entities that are actually
Africa for 65 years, and its
subsidiaries of overseas
GUD and Fram brands are
conglomerates, and who
the dominant filter brands
rely almost entirely on what
in South Africa. But a little
their overseas bosses allow
known fact is that over
them to manufacture for
30% of G.U.D.’s production
domestic consumption, or
is exported to developed
allow them to manufacture
countries that demand the
for export.
highest quality. I could go
G.U.D. is of the home
into great detail about the
grown variety, and it is their
quality standards at G.U.D.,
attitude that sets them
the emphasis on research
apart from so many other
and development, the state of
home grown manufacturers.
the art laboratories dedicated
Their attitude is a proudly
to quality assurance, the
South African approach,
➲ Red Shuttleworth, CEO of G.U.D. Holdings (Pty) Ltd, is extremely
numerous supplier awards
passionate about his company and its history. Here he compares the
with a big emphasis on the
from vehicle manufacturers
difference between the GUD Filters 2013/2014 product catalogue,
development of people,
and the aftermarket, and the
and the 1952 catalogue
and self-sufficiency in
many enterprise development
product development and
and corporate social
manufacture.
investment initiatives, but what I really
The interaction that I had with the many
want to focus on is what G.U.D. means
Secondly, it is about taking the fight
levels of sta ff was proof that this can-do
in the greater scheme of things.
offshore, and storming the ramparts
attitude has permeated down from top
overseas, which G.U.D. is now doing,
And the greater scheme of things is
management to the factory floor, and this
despite great odds.
the parlous state of South Africa’s
is what it as all about, creating a team
manufacturing industry, and how
There is no magic formula about all this.
culture.
companies can learn from the G.U.D.
It is just the approach that is different to
And this can-do attitude and team culture
model, because the management
so many other manufacturing companies
translates into action of the proactive
of G.U.D. are showing the way. It’s
in South Africa.
kind. No hand wringing about the strength
firstly all about a laser type focus on
of the Rand, nor blaming all and sundry
protecting your domestic turf, and
for everything from the Rinderpest to the
G.U.D. has done this effectively for
➲ The employees at
the manufacturing
latest flu epidemic.
quite a few years now.
plants are
It is all out action, and promoting the
continually exhorted
company, the product, the people, and
to keep the work
areas clean.
the country.
Signs such as these
are all over, asking
whether you are
INONO (clean and
A great South African company
tidy) or INUKU (dirty
and a great template for others
and messy)
to follow.
| words in action
70
april 2014