Enabling the economy through training by Young and Enterprising

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Enabling the economy through training Improvement and training are part of the DNA of the Durban plant of Transnet Engineering.

Trainee Balindile Makonya is hard at work at Transnet’s School of Engineering in Durban.

en in blue overalls playing outdoor chess is not what most people would associate with Transnet, and certainly not with the old ‘Railways and Harbours’. Nor a man with a bright yellow and red safety vest swot-

KWAZULU-NATAL Business 2013/14

ting up in the company library during lunch break, but these are among the strongest images that I took away from a recent visit to the Durban plant of Transnet Engineering, writes KwaZulu-Natal Business senior writer John Young. The chess that I saw being played next to the canteen, and the diligent book reading, told me that this was a place where improvement is part of the DNA of the place, where study is promoted and rewarded. The gleaming new machinery was impressive, and the highly skilled staff working on the machines also made a big impression, but for me the signs of educational improvement were even more noteworthy. The plant’s School of Engineering is training a new generation of artisans. If my day had started with an interview with Centre Manager Sugen Govender I wouldn’t have been so surprised because he is very obviously a man who believes in life-long learning. Sugen worked his way from artisan to national manager of several divisions of Transnet, and he is now at the head of the company’s vital Business

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An example of the ‘Adopt-aSpot’ initiative.

and Product Development unit. Says Sugen, ‘I have a passion for people from a spiritual point of view; to help people realise their full potential. You mustn’t become selfish because you are sitting somewhere of significance... you must be a catalyst for them to move up.’ Amanda Khumalo, communications officer for the region, is a typical example of staff moving upwards. After a spell as a secretary elsewhere and armed with a marketing diploma from Varsity College, Amanda worked as personal assistant to the centre manager for two years before starting work in communications. ‘It is rewarding being able to meet people and communicate company strategy to people and back to head office,’ says Amanda. ‘I am doing my honours in marketing now, and Transnet is supporting me,’ she contin-

ues. She believes there are a lot of opportunities for women in the company. Workshop meeting areas (Letsemas) are used across the company for detailed report-backs and planning sessions every day on issues such as safety, targets and housekeeping. These teams are given scores in a range of categories, and they are rewarded accordingly. Each team is asked to Adopt-a-Spot that they then beautify. Sugen goes on regular walkabouts and it’s not always about positive reinforcement. ‘We also take pictures and fine businesses if it’s dirty. Just this morning, we went around the plant looking for attention to detail, where the grass is not cut. If someone visits, they will soon get an idea: Are they going south, or are they on top of their game?’ Safety is always a big concern in a large industrial enterprise with dangerous machinery. Sugen doesn’t believe that there is such a thing as a ‘good’ safety record. He prefers ‘satisfactory’. ‘What you want,’ he says, ‘is no injuries, no near misses. You want to strive for zero. We do have that in some areas, but I want a much better safety culture among the workmen of this plant. The guys on the floor sometimes don’t understand, because they do it all the time. It becomes a routine, and then you drop your guard and you get hurt.’ But over and above the targets and the safety concerns, there is a palpable sense that workers at this plant are treated as much more than wage units. Sugen is rightly proud of a smart gym and the canteen that stands in an attractive and shady garden in the middle of the complex. The library is free (‘But if you lose a book you pay for it’) and the gym members’ fees make it self-sustainable. Sugen sees these things as ‘integral parts of a big industrial facility such as this’. Free Internet is offered to workers to study or do research. ‘We need to create a culture of learning,’ says the man who himself did two degrees part-time. The emphasis on learning at Transnet Engineering Durban is part of a broader philosophy. As Sugen puts it, ‘There is a great shortage of skills in the country. Everything relates to how we relate to the individual. And then we need to relate as a team that is enabling the organisation. And in that way we are ultimately enabling the economy.’