profile
they use or problems they encounter to help them improve their operations. We’ re in constant contact with some of the big developers, and work very closely with a European R & D company to develop new alloys and so on. We bring in products to see how they perform in local applications and whether they are economical. It’ s a lot of trial and error on this front, and we are often not successful, but sometimes we are, and at the end of the day, what is most important to us is that we learn from the experience. However, we are more focused on relationship-driven product improvement that is very specific to our clients and their operations. We have experienced and skilled people who work with our clients to develop new products and profiles, and because we don’ t have a standard product that we sell, we can make changes requested by our customers, and this is very exciting for us.
RG: What are the most frequent questions you are asked by customers?
RC: That’ s a good question. The most commonly asked questions are commercial ones – do you have stock and what are your prices? I would say about 80 % of our customers work with the standard equipment they are given, because the products we supply are not really a major cost. It’ s only when you start liberating precious elements like gold and diamonds that the product becomes more critical, not only from a cost point of view, but also to improve processes and thus productivity. Yes, costs are important, and the moment you offer customers a more competitive price, service and stock availability, and once they have had a chance to test out the product and see how it can help to minimise costs and downtime, then they will choose to buy your product.
RG: As a small, family-run business, how are the new BEE regulations impacting your operations?
RC: The new regulations definitely have an impact on our business, but as a level 4 BEE-compliant operation, this is something that we have chosen to embrace. We have had a 35 % black shareholder for the past four years, and this has worked out well for us. The important thing is that this is the law of the land, and if we want to continue operating in the local South African market, which we do, then we must comply with the regulations.
RG: So, with your focus on training, do you have a formal training programme in place?
RC: We have made a conscience commitment to skills development within our company, and my focus over the past 24 months has been on developing our staff through a combination of courses and on-the-job training. I am a great believer in people being able to work their way up through the company, starting from the very bottom. One of our cleaning ladies, for example, has a marketing diploma, and our intention is to develop her skills in this area to the point where she can move into a marketing-related role. We currently have three of our staff undergoing training, one is studying logistics and warehousing management, one is busy with a diploma in mechanical engineering, and one is busy with a BCom degree in cost accounting.
As a company, our culture is to support training and education, and not just among our staff. We have other students that we sponsor in obtaining university qualifications, and we are also involved with community upliftment through a variety of programmes, including our partnership with The Love Trust, a South African non-profit organisation that provides vulnerable children with highquality education.
Through The Love Trust, we finance 25 children, providing for their educational needs as well as providing two meals a day. We are also associated with four Bloemfontein-based orphanages. These organisations fulfil a valuable function in South Africa and we are extremely proud of our association with them. n
Caldas Engineering
Metallurgy is critical for Caldas Engineering, and the company is constantly looking for new alloys that will increase wear life and reduce production costs.
34 _ QUARRY SA | JULY 2017