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THOS BEGBIE

Standing the test of time

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Culture for

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Thos Begbie & Co has withstood numerous changes in the African manufacturing industry and continues to evolve with the times Writer: Phoebe Calver | Project Manager: Kane Weller

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o stranger to adversity own. The remaining 30 percent and in the 129 years since the South African equity is owned by Company was Eugene Rossouw, Edwin Dreyer and the established by Thomas Thos Begbie Share Trust. Begbie in Johannesburg, On the whole, the Company has Thos Begbie & Co remains a constant stayed true to its core as a foundry and in the African manufacturing industry. engineering business, however, in the With an illustrious history in the 1960s it moved into a niche market industry, numerous changes have been with the development of South African made since its beginnings as a foundry Steel Plants and the beneficiation of and engineering business. Prior to the minerals using large smelters. outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 it “Today we are recognised as was a notable supplier of equipment a global leader in the supply of to the mining industry, during, it was water-cooled cast and fabricated taken over by the Transvaal Republic components to the pyro-metallurgical Government and used to produce industry worldwide, and exports from weapons for the Boer military. the plant in Middelburg make up a “An explosion in the plant in 1901 significant portion of the business,” brought an end to the weapon continues Groenwald. manufacturing operations; it was suspected that saboteurs were Significant investments responsible for the explosion,” “The Company has an integrated plant explains Joubert Groenewald, that is focused on the manufacture of Managing Director of Thos Begbie the component from drawings all the & Co. “The business was forced to way through to the final shipment of relocate to Middelburg at the end the completed products, while also of the war, and though it initially providing specialist fabrication and struggled as its main market had machining services to the local changed, the development of industries.” mining in the region soon Becoming a recognised provided opportunities.” producer of waterThe Company cooled components, remained in the with a particular focus family until 1926 on the components when it was sold to manufactured out the Anglo American of high conductivity Corporation Limited, copper, has driven which proceeded to sell the need for stringent it on to one of its first quality control, employees, Idris Rosser inspection and testing “Today we are 20 years later. protocols within the recognised as a global business. In the years that followed Thos Begbie In order to maintain leader in the supply experienced exponential the high standards, of water-cooled levels of restructuring significant investments cast and fabricated have therefore taken until its ownership changed in 2008; a UK components to the place within the private equity group foundry, with particular pyro-metallurgical formed Thos Begbie focus on moulding industry Limited acquired 70 sand continuous percent of the equity mixers, a new high worldwide...” which it continues to speed induction copper

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DEKRA INDUSTRIAL RSA (PTY) LTD

EKRA has been in a working partnership with Thos Begbie for the past 25 years. We have specifically engineered techniques and equipment for traditional and advanced NDT. DEKRA has a full Asset Integrity Management division, which offers the following services: Metallographic Surface Replications, Material Testing Laboratories (Reef & Middelburg), Fitness for Service (FFS) confirmations, Condition and Life Assessment, SPICA creep stain monitoring. The goal is to perform comprehensive materials investigations and testing that will support our customers to efficiently manage the material safety and integrity of their plants and components.

www.dekrasa.com Significant investments in upgraded machinery are made each year

melting furnace, a sand reclamation and recovery plant, and a sophisticated computerised cast metal simulation computer system. “Significant investments in highly skilled personnel have also been made, and to this end a management change has also been brought about by the owners with the appointment of a young team of Directors which will lead the Company,” affirms Groenewald. “The team has gone through a planned management development programme in order to facilitate the preparation needed for the challenges and future growth prospects the business has identified.”

A policy of opportunities

With the business facilitated in a small town, when vacancies arise Thos Begbie advertise locally and where possible will recruit from the local pool of available personnel. “We have promoted a policy of opportunities for employee children,

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The team has gone through a planned management development programme in order to facilitate the preparation needed for the challenges and future growth prospects the business has identified

and this has provided us with a stable and committed workforce. We are proud to say that we currently have a fourth generation employee working at the plant,” Groenewald adds. “The employee’s great grandfather, grandfather and father have all retired from the Company over the years.” Retention of a committed workforce is vital to the success of any company, a factor which Thos Begbie is very aware of, having run an apprenticeship programme for many years which has a specific focus on providing the required training to develop the technical skills needed to thrive in the business. “We work closely with the Mpumalanga Tooling Initiative and the Middelburg FET College, where together with other local businesses, we are providing the students with practical training as part of their curriculum,” explains Groenewald. “When the students qualify, this provides us with an excellent feeder

Stringent quality control is carried out throughout each process

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Bringing innovative products to fruition

opportunity into the Company.” As members of the South African Foundry Institute, Thos Begbie & Co is able to provide continuous development of the skills required for success at many levels through its foundry training facility, combined with an excellent programme of lectures and presentations. Continuing with the theme of progression throughout the Company, retention of staff in key positions is facilitated by giving positions of authority and responsibility with agreement on outcomes to incentivise them in the concept of them ‘running their own business’.

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Worldwide recognition

Our manufacturing ability has attained worldwide respect, and we believe that this is our key differentiator from our local counterparts

Thos Begbie & Co has worked hard to achieve a business model which is largely customer-led, its primary focus subsequently being on improving equipment performance for its customers and ensuring that continuous improvement does not incur any costs for the customers. “Our manufacturing ability has attained worldwide respect, and we believe that this is our key differentiator from our local counterparts,” Groenewald adds. “The Company’s international footprint covers every major smelting operation and we continue to strive

An international footprint derives from these facilities

for recognition as our customers’ preferred supplier for watercooled equipment for their operations.” While aiming for continued success in the field of watercooled equipment, the Company is partnering with a number of specialist peers to ensure that its base business remains stable and continues to thrive as it enters other markets. “We currently hold a patent jointly with SAVEWAY of Germany, on a piece of technology where fibre optic sensors are cast into the copper equipment, enabling the operations to

Numerous global partnerships contribute to the end product

continuously monitor the equipment performance and the conditions within the furnace.” Alongside partnering with SAVEWAY, it has also obtained a partnership with Vaal University

Technology (VUT) and is in the process of developing 3D printing moulds and cores for the foundry. It is anticipated that exciting developments such as these will allow the Company to produce castings for both industries and businesses which at present it doesn’t have the capabilities to supply. “We are moving into very exciting times and it is my hope that in the next few years the initiatives we are currently working on will have been brought to fruition, bringing continued growth and success,” concludes Groenewald.

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Thos Begbie & Co (Pty) Ltd Cnr. Tswelopele Street & Hendrina Road Middleburg Industrial (N11) 1050 Republic of South Africa T: +27 13 246 9100 www.thosbegbie.com