ON SITE
and operates the Komatsu PC350 LC
Excavator. He operates this equipment
exclusively,” says Barnard. “This
means the PC350 is the machine used
exclusively by Thomas. He even has his
name on the cab door — something he
is extremely proud of,” enthuses Barnard.
Pride in one’s work clearly goes a long
way. Barnard says that Thomas is one of
their most loyal and reliable members of
staff, and never misses a day’s work.
Challenges
Interestingly, this kind of loyalty extends
to the equipment itself, and most
operators are loath to make the change
to a new or updated piece of equipment.
This brings with it an interesting, but
very real challenge, which has to do
with the technological advancements
in plant equipment. “We find that a
lot of operators can’t cope with the
amazing innovations and technological
advancements in the industry. These
advancements turn out to be more of a
hindrance than an assistance — advanced
technology such as an on-board computer,
for instance, requires quite a lot of
training for the user, and frankly, operators
sometimes find it too complex. They are
comfortable keeping it simple and are
quite averse to change. These operators
are very capable, as well as very skilled at
their jobs, and don’t like, nor see the need
for technical changes,” explains Barnard.
“It’s definitely a challenge for us,”
he says. “For example, on the new-
generation excavators, you can set the
parameters for reach, boom lift, depth
of the trench, and so on. The problem is,
you need a skilled mechanic to operate
the computer and set the parameters.
Then, the operator will move to a
different point of reference and try to lift
the boom higher than the set parameter,
then finds that there’s an ‘error’ and
the machine ‘doesn’t work’ — which
means there’s a breakdown reported,
unnecessarily causing downtime and
ultimately costing money.
“We try as far as possible to avoid
these kinds of overwhelming or tricky
situations with our operators and try to
make the transition to new equipment as
easy as possible for them. We want to
keep everyone happy when doing their
job, because ultimately, job satisfaction
leads to productivity,” says Barnard.
Barnard adds, “Another challenge is
that typically on site, you will find some
M&D plant, and some plant from local
suppliers. Although we have all the plant
available in-house, first option is to use
a portion of local plant. If the locals don’t
www.plantonline.co.za
have the kit we’re looking for, then we’ll
use our plant available.”
Steyn says, “Whenever we need
plant equipment, we speak to the
project steering committee (PSC),
made up of councillors appointed by the
council, and the local community liaison
officer (CLO), made up of community
spokespeople. What makes this project
interesting, is that it starts in Tshwane
and crosses into Moretele in the north-
west — which means that not one, but
two local communities are involved. Each
community has their own appointed
CLO. Each CLO represents the individual
community’s needs and requirements
and therefore each needs to give
approval in all matters individually. This
means whenever we hire labour, plant
equipment, or any other items, it has to
go through the individual CLOs, the PSC,
and then out to the community. Then
only does it come back to us, once all
parties have agreed and approved the way
forward,” says Steyn.
Barnard adds, “Aside from this being
time-consuming, it can also get quite
complicated in that there is not one
external supplier who will supply five
different plant units, but five different
suppliers each supplying one piece of
equipment. The logistics itself is time-
consuming, but it’s also understandably
not very economical since you end up
paying five suppliers, and not just one.
“Stoppages do hamper production,
but we have found that the best and
quickest course of action is to involve
the CLOs and the local municipalities
immediately, who assist in solving the
problem. A stoppage can be anything
from between two to three hours at a
time, but we keep record of it,” adds
Barnard.
Despite the challenges, M&D is on
track to complete the project by mid-
2020, which will increase capacity to
ensure the delivery of services across
the water value chain and support the
‘source-to-tap’ vision. Working closely
with the municipalities, M&D will bring
efficient water service delivery to the end
consumer, communities, and industries
served by Magalies Water.
M&D considers it strategically necessary to own sufficient plant to both increase the
competitiveness of the various divisions and to ensure an accessible pool of plant to
satisfy site needs and requirements.
Two mobile Mosa welding machines for welding the pipes at their joins. There is a
mobile fleet of 18 welding machines used mainly on site.
APRIL 2019
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