Mechanical Technology February 2015

Mechanical Technology — February 2015

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Local manufacturing and beneficiation

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hip repair company, Elgin Brown

& Hamer (EBH) Namibia, has

gained global recognition as a

ship repair yard with an exten-

sive and growing client base since being

established in 2006 and believes one of

the reasons for its success in a highly

competitive, global market is that the

company places “a heavy emphasis on

quality, service excellence and a sound

safety record”.

“EBH Namibia’s reputation is founded

on high ethical standards, sound busi-

ness practices and a client-centric

approach that enables us to better

understand external perceptions of the

issues critical to society and our business.

Our safety standards are non-negotiable

and underpin the success rate of all

our projects concluded to date,” says

Hannes Uys, chief executive officer at

EBH Namibia.

“EBH Namibia is located on a strate-

gic international shipping route along the

west coast of Africa. In order to compete

in this global industry, it is imperative to

be able to assure our clients of a world-

class service and the highest possible

standards in safety and quality,” he adds.

“The company has worked tirelessly

to achieve its ISO 9001:2008 accredita-

tion and we were very pleased when, in

November 2014, the official certification

was awarded, after just eight months.

“This achievement would not have

been possible in such a short space

of time without the perseverance and

determination of the EBH Namibia team

and our external auditors. I am proud that

the team has consistently led by example

when it comes to living the ‘ISO values’

– ultimately ensuring that we continue to

build a better company. It is now of fun-

damental importance that we ‘live’ and

practise our quality management system

across the entire organisation,” says Uys.

He explains that the internationally

recognised ISO 9001: 2008 accredita-

tion means having a sound quality man-

agement system (QMS) in place, which

translates into efficient operations and

work processes across all disciplines.

“The eight quality management

Downcomer manufacture prevents considerable losses

n exceptional performance by DCD

Venco prevented further delays on

the blast furnace N5 re-line project at

steel giant ArcelorMittal’s Newcastle Works

facility in KwaZulu-Natal when a new 45 m

long, 82 t furnace downcomer was entirely

remanufactured within 14 days.

The Newcastle Works operation is consid-

ered as the country’s top supplier of profile

products, and is rated among the lowest bil-

let cash/cost producers in the world. During

a scheduled installation project that formed

part of the furnace re-line during September

2014, the downcomer was damaged.

ArcelorMittal South Africa area project

manager, Bez Bezuidenhout, says such a

high-profile operation cannot afford any

downtime, and DCD Venco was com-

missioned to urgently fabricate a new

downcomer at Blast Furnace five within a

fortnight.

DCD Venco’s general manager, Willem

Mare, says that DCD Venco worked around

the clock to ensure that the urgent deadlines

were successfully met.

“By working closely with our sister com-

panies based in Vereeniging and Boksburg,

we were able to source all the relevant

machinery, capacity and skill sets in highly

competitive times, and I am exceptionally

proud of the teams that achieved this out-

standing result. This is proof that DCD is able

to pool resources in order to meet customer

expectations,” he concludes.

World-class on the West Coast

EBH Namibia, the ship repair specialist and a member of the South

Africa-based DCD Group, has achieved ISO 9001 certification for

quality management, placing it in an even better position to attract

global business.

Members of the EBH Namibia safety team: from left:

Cornelius Isaaks, Fillipus Shixwandu, Jonas Kavitju, Aaron

Johannes.

principles of ISO 9001 include client

focus, leadership, a systems approach

to management, continual improve-

ment and mutually beneficial supplier

relations. The benefits of a QMS within

the framework of ISO standards and

procedures are felt by both employees

and clients,” Uys says.

“The ISO 9001: 2008 certification

provides senior management with an ef-

ficient management methodology, which

clearly sets out areas of responsibility

across the organisation. It communicates

a positive message to staff and clients,

identifies and encourages more efficient

and time-saving processes, highlights

deficiencies and helps to reduce costs,

thereby providing for continuous assess-

ment and improvement.

“Benefits to the client include im-

proved quality and service, on-time de-

livery, and a ‘right the first time’ attitude.”

Uys emphasises the importance of

company-wide involvement and em-

ployee empowerment when it comes to

quality systems and entrenching a culture

of continuous improvement.

“Ensuring and maintaining the effec-

tiveness of the ISO system will depend

on ongoing employee development and

training, campaigns around quality

awareness, internal audits, management

reviews and non-conformance reports

and analyses.”

All managers are accordingly urged

to continually reference ISO policies and

procedures affecting their work functions

and, where necessary, to make revisions

towards the continual improvement of

EBH Namibia.

“Obtaining the ISO: 9001 accredita-

tion is a massive achievement for EBH

Namibia. It demonstrates that we are a

world-class organisation living our values

of client commitment and continual im-

provement. This supports our reputation

in the industry and long-term sustain-

ability, and gives our clients renewed

confidence in our service levels and

our commitment to quality and safety

through open and honest communica-

tion,” says Uys.

“This is not the ‘end of the story’,

however: it is the start of the next exciting

phase in our growth and development as

an internationally competitive maritime

service provider. Our cohesive strategies

will now ensure collective responsibility

for ongoing improvements, increased cli-

ent satisfaction and ultimately, a stronger,

better EBH Namibia for the benefit of all

stakeholders,” Uys concludes.