South African Business 2016 edition

FOCUS Champions of

FOCUS Champions of change Five dynamic ladies from Columbus Stainless (Pty) Ltd shared their insight into the recent changes in transformation and empowerment mandated by our progressive government. We currently provide free space on site (as well as other benefi ts) for qualifying benefi ciaries. The free benefi ts include supplying water and electricity, training and payment of licences for forklifts and hysters, provision of PPE, cleaning material and transport. The businesses that benefi t include laundry operations, logistical services, employee assistance services, stores operations and kiosk services. The aim is to free up profi ts for the entities with which they are able to expand their businesses. A big hurdle for businesses is to get suppliers that provide the correct type of goods and services on their approved vendor list, which is why we launched a Local Preferential Procurement Database, through the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce, to get all black local suppliers in the Steve Tshwete municipal area registered on a centralised database. Left to right: Nocwaka Ntshangase, Verina Roach, Charmain Kritzinger, Kutala Bizana and Carlien van der Merwe. South Africa’s new BBBEE Codes aim to focus government and corporate spending on local suppliers, in so doing creating opportunities for companies across the supply chain. Columbus Stainless is proud of the success realised through their many training programmes, designed to empower and provide women with the necessary skills for our country and for the economic liberation of our female employees. Charmain Kritzinger, Purchasing Manager Columbus Stainless has identifi ed several initiatives to ensure our supplier network and other enterprises will benefi t from the value adding process of its operations. Kutala Bizana, General Manager, Legal and Transformation Compliance with BBBEE is one of the pillars of Columbus’ corporate strategy and this vision and strategy is translated into detailed objectives, measures and targets that link directly to individual KPI’s throughout the company. It is in our country’s long-term national interest that a broad-based, diverse pool of skills is developed to unleash the potential within all South Africans. Columbus undertakes to continually redress the inequalities present in its employee base with regards to race, gender and disability, and, through its on-going commitment to BBBEE compliance, to accelerate the representation at Management level through structured skills development programmes as well as the injection of talent. To remain a leader in the stainless steel sector, we have to facilitate, create and retain skills to help create technically qualifi ed professionals SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2016 46

with a high level of skills and experience. In order to promote Supplier and Enterprise Development, Columbus believes in promoting black-owned enterprises and, as a result, we are committed to the development of these enterprises. The company also supports the Chamber and the Mpumalanga Stainless Initiative (MSI), which is a facility to assist emerging entrepreneurs to establish sustainable businesses in the stainless steel industry. Columbus acknowledges Socio-Economic Development (SED) as an important component of its corporate citizenship and have taken a developmental and transformational approach to initiatives linked to the upliftment of SA’s black youth, especially in terms of education. Verina Roach, Strategist Columbus Stainless is the only producer of stainless steel flat products in Africa, and the largest in the southern hemisphere. We export over 70% of our production, yet we still produce 85% of all stainless steel fl at products used in South Africa. Our company has the great advantage of having an existing modern production facility worth over R2.5-billion. The investments have been made in increasing and improving our production facilities to meet the ever-growing demand for stainless steel. We confer a great advantage to local customers as we can deliver quickly, deftly and regularly, minimising any risk for our customers associated with fl uctuations in foreign exchange rates and raw materials prices. Its close proximity to its domestic customers also enables the company to deliver excellent technical support Being part of the Acerinox Group – widely seen as one of the most cost effective stainless steel producers in the world, this allows Columbus access to the Acerinox global sales network. The Acerinox Group further allows Columbus to take part in the Group’s strategic program, the Excellence Plan, where technical and other expertise is shared among the group companies. From a cost perspective, Columbus loses much of the advantage it gains by its proximity to raw FOCUS materials, to the above-infl ation increases in the cost of electricity,transport, gas and labour that it has suffered over the past few years. Nocwaka Ntshangase, Senior Local Sales Manager, Commercial Department Columbus Stainless is optimistic about the development of the downstream stainless steel industry, although the contraction of the local manufacturing sector – partly due to infl ationary increases and cheap imports – does present us with a challenge. We support government intervention as means of supporting the industry, for example through dti programmes such as Product Designation. We also support development through initiatives such as the Mpumalanga Stainless Steel Cluster and the Mpumalanga Stainless Initiative. These have been created in order to establish independent, sustainable businesses as a result of training and developing emerging individuals who are from a previously disadvantaged background. Carlien van der Merwe, Human Resources Development Manager Traditionally the manufacturing industry is a male dominated area of work, however this landscape is slowly but surely changing through active skills development of women. We have followed a strategy of developing women so that they can enter our business in various fi elds and levels. Over the course of the past eight years, Columbus Stainless has accelerated the development of women in the fi elds of Fitter and Turner, Millwright, Electrician, Fitters and Instrumentation Mechanician, Plant Operators, Industrial Engineers, Analytical Chemistry, Finance, Human Resources, Logistics and Metallurgy. Columbus Stainless is proud of the success of our training programmes. These programmes empower and provide women with skills that are necessary for our country and the economic liberation of our female employees. 47 SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2016