AFRICA news
Crushing and screening specialists and southern African Metso distributor
Pilot Crushtec International recently demonstrated how it can assist
customers to increase output significantly while reducing operating costs . According to CEO Sandro Scherf , the customer — a major quarry owner with a network of operations supplying producers countrywide — had reached its maximum capacity threshold using its existing plant . By substituting the existing crusher with a new Metso HP300 static cone crusher , the quarry has been able to increases its in-spec dust production output by 50 % and its benchmark plant capacity by 40 %. The current suite of Metso equipment at an important quarry site comprises a Metso C100 jaw crusher with B feeder , a Metso CVB1845 four-deck screen , both an HP 200 and an HP 300 static cone crusher , and a CVB 1845 four-deck screen with selective flop gates .
The Zest WEG Group is innovating its empowerment initiatives by facilitating ownership of its shares by two black-owned non-profit organisations ( NPOs ) — one in the education sector and one in the micro-enterprise support sector — with the aim of creating a broader based , more sustainable ownership foundation for compliance with the new B-BBEE codes . The two NPOs , together with the company ’ s Employees Trust , now hold 51.6 % of Zest WEG Electric , the South African arm of the Zest WEG Group , with the shareholding comprising 31.68 % black female beneficiaries . “ Our Level 2 B-BBEE status is certainly one of the best , if not the only such one , in our market sector , and we believe this initiative breaks new ground for empowerment in South Africa ,” says Zest WEG Group CEO , Louis Meiring . Zest WEG Group provides a range of skills development resources to schools , universities , and the broader community , including teaching , equipment , financial aid , and infrastructure . These aim to develop local talent and capacity , bringing young learners into the business and industry .
Bell commits to greater investment in its people
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Bell Equipment Training Centre in August , Bell Equipment CEO Gary Bell made a commitment to increase the company ’ s investment in the development of its employees so that the company can continue to grow and compete internationally . At the ceremony , Gary Bell congratulated 20 employees who had completed an Operations Management Development Programme under the auspices of the Production Management Institute of South Africa ( PMI ), as well as four employees who had completed a Fundamental Management Programme ( FMP ) through the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership .
The executive manager : Manufacturing , Clive Hodgson , was the guest speaker and explained the background to the PMI Operations Management Development Programme , which Bell introduced in 2008 when the company experienced rapid growth of production volumes but found it difficult to bring in external supervisors and managers , because they lacked an understanding of the Bell culture and products .
At the same time , the company realised that it had formidable employees on the shop floor with the necessary technical abilities and product experience , but without the qualifications that would allow them to apply for supervisory and managerial positions . Thus , the PMI development programme was born , and several groups have now attended the course and progressed in their careers .
The year-long PMI course has lectures every Saturday , which can be challenging given that many supervisors would either go to class directly after coming off a third shift , or would finish their lectures and go straight onto their weekend overtime shift . “ The results have been incredible ,” said Hodgson , who pointed out that the lowest mark achieved was 64 %, and some great ideas on cost reduction were covered in the final presentations .
Bell also put four trainee supervisors through the UNISA FMP , which , aside from a single contact session with the lecturers , was done entirely via self-study , with no lectures . All four have since been appointed fully fledged supervisors .
Thanduxolo Taboshe , a supplier quality engineer based in the Bell Supplier Quality Team in Richards Bay , was named Top Student with the highest average in the class , as well as the highest average for the programme in KwaZulu-Natal . He plans to go on to the NQF6 Diploma in Operations Management and will attend PMI ’ s public classes in Durban . In recognition of his efforts , Taboshe received a bursary from PMI to the value of R35 000 , as well as a promise from Bell to cover the other costs related to the programme .
Gary Bell thanked PMI for its assistance in putting the Bell candidates through the programme , as well as the graduates for giving up their time to further their studies .
Bell Equipment
Bell Equipment held a graduation ceremony at its training centre for 24 employees who had completed either an Operations Management Development Programme or a Fundamental Management Programme .
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NOVEMBER 2017