Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
Cover Story Fabrication
Retecon 4 A Match Made in Heaven 33 Great Place to Work
Tel: (011) 976 8600
Fax: (011) 394 2471 Machining Industry News
Email: neth@retecon.co.za 7 Positive Future 34 SAIW News
Web: www.retecon.co.za 35 Industry News
10 Machine Tool Survey 36 International News
Copyright
All rights reserved. No edi-
torial matter published in
“Advanced Materials Today”
may be reproduced in any form
or language without written
permission of the publishers.
While every effort is made to
ensure accurate reproduction
the editor, authors, publishers
and their employees or agents The monthly circulation is 6 034
shall not be responsible or in
any way liable for any errors,
omissions or inaccuracies Proprietor and Publisher:
PROMECH PUBLISHING DTP: Zinobia Docrat and
in the publication whether Sean Bacher
Tel: (011) 781-1401
arising from negligence or
Fax: (011) 781-1403 Disclaimer
otherwise or for any conse-
E-mail: editorial@promech.co.za Neither PROMECH Publishing
quences arising therefrom. Website: www.promech.co.za
The inclusion or exclusion of nor its endorsing bodies are
Managing Editor: responsible for the opinions
any product does not mean Susan Custers expressed by individuals.
that the publisher or editorial Editor:
board advocates or rejects its Raymond Campling Printed by:
use either generally or in any Advertising Sales: Typo Colour Printing
particular field or fields. Di Bluck Tel: (011) 402-3468
A Match Made in
Heaven
Local manufacturers deserve to get the right technical advice on manufacturing techniques that are suitable
for their applications.
T
our eye falls on the boardroom
hat’s why Hans-Peter Neth, managing wall, it’s quite striking to see the many framed let-
director of Retecon, continues to invest ters from the “who’s who” of local manufacturers
heavily in training and employing the best thanking the company for providing technical service
technical skills available in South Africa. excellence to them over the years.
With the right technical skills in place it enables DMG precision
the company to match machine tool requirements It is a common misconception that by owning argu-
to get the job done right first time. ably the world’s best range of milling and turning
“We sell the world’s most advanced and reliable machines, DMG is out of the reach of ordinary
machines with our range of DMG CNC machines, machine shops and tool rooms. We were surprised
Agie Charmilles electrical discharge machining to hear that the entry level DMG Ecoline range of
(EDM) and Trumpf sheet metal machines among milling and turning machines competes squarely
others. with American and Asian offerings.
Even with the best machinery in the world it means “The difference is in the manufacture of the machines,”
nothing without skilled people says Hans-Peter. He adds that even the entry level
DMG machine is engineered with superior frame
“In order to make sure that our clients get the most rigidity and quality components. This allows the
out of these machines we have always invested in machine to maintain tight tolerances and remain
reliable even with the heaviest usage. dynamic HSC series machines for applications where
The Ecoline machines are ideal for smaller tool high speed and precision cutting is a requirement.
rooms where high volumes of complex work are Like a Swiss watch its accuracy and tolerances are
not a requirement. A good example is the Ecoline so close that it can easily be used to manufacture
CTX510 that is currently being used on the world’s the legendary timepieces in a fraction of the time
most advanced scientific experiment, the CERN, taken by the original master-craftsmen.
where 10 000 scientists are trying to unlock the The machines make use of high speed spindles with
secrets of the “big bang” theory. Here the machine a tool rotation of up to 42 000 rpm and incorporate
is used to make parts for the massive particle ultrasonic oscillation to ensure the fastest most
accelerator and its flexibility is preferable to high precise cutting speeds. The slick tool changing
production rates. and predictive nature of the controllers give the
Real 5-axis machining Used on the world’s most advanced scientific
The accolades continue to roll-in for DMG machines experiment, the CERN
and one of the latest is The Centre of Excellence
Aerospace awarding the DMC 5-axis machining
DMG machines unmatched production speed in
centre the “Best in Class” for machining turbine
addition to precision.
parts. The DMC and DMU range of machines en-
able the highest possible productivity and produc- In the pedigree
tion rates. Hans-Peter is a perfectionist when it comes to
The range offers a num- business matters and it is no surprise that he has
ber of highlights with
advanced measuring
capabilities, excellent
balance to achieve tight
tolerances and a host
of other features that
are easily accessible
through its advanced
controls.
Powerful high-speed
spindles and solid con-
struction mean that the
machines can turn out
hundreds of machined
items without the need
to set or reset the con-
trols. The machines are
also able to maintain
tolerances of microns
under controlled climatic
conditions.
Toolmaker’s delight
Since Deckel and Maho
began making machines
more than 70 years
ago, they struck a chord
with toolmakers who re-
quired strong machines
that were capable of
fashioning precise tools
for manufacture out of
exotic materials. Deckel
Maho has since been
synonymous with the
precision craft and the
legacy lives on through
its HSC series.
Retecon’s technical ex-
perts recommend the The class leading CTX-gamma 2000tc full 5-axis turn mill
Positive Future
Fears of recession are slowly receeding and being replaced by anticipation of things getting better. While
manning our stand at Electra Mining 2010 we managed to speak to some of the well-known faces in the
manufacturing industry to get an insight of what the market ahead holds in store.
O
verall impression was that the show hardships in the industry, sales of DMG machine
was big and well attended with many tools have been less affected.
exhibitors selling goods straight off
Peter Killian of HiTech also reports that sales of the
the stand.
company’s high-end Mazak machines are normal
Although this is not unusual for an exhibition like comparable to previous years. “We are selling the
this, some of the stand-holders were somewhat same number of machines, but it is a little harder
taken aback at the volume of sales done. In some than previous years.”
instances, products that didn’t move during the
year were snatched up at the show. No bank blues
He reiterates that the vast majority of his clients
Some of the stand-holders were somewhat taken aback are unaffected by banks’ unwillingness to finance
at the volume of sales done machines as they generally self fund their purchases.
“It seems that the availability of finance has ham-
pered sales of small or less expensive machines,
Small tool and accessory suppliers were especially but this does not affect our client base.”
doing a roaring trade. And the quality of visitors was
said to be good for capital equipment purchases as WD Hearne Machine Tools is experiencing one
well, especially where deals are self-financed and of its best years according to Graeme Cooper. He
not impeded by non-willing banks. says a lot of machines were sold this year with a
highlight being the sale of more than 30 machines
Machine tool suppliers for the Ford Puma project.
Multi-million rand machine tools such as those that
were on offer at the Retecon and Hitech Machine The company’s broad product offering has stood
Tools stands have not been severely affected by it in good stead and provided many options for
the downturn in the market for the simple reason potential buyers.
that the institutions that buy these machines have Mid-range machines
not been as badly affected and have continued to Those machine tool vendors who have reported lower
finance machines from their own pockets. than expected machine sales are the ones who are
Retecon’s, Franz Studer, indicates that machine most reliant on banks to finance machines on behalf
sales are on par with previous years and that despite of their clients. This is by far the largest portion of
Lots of stock
Harp Machine Tools’ massive stand at
the show reflected a company that is
confident that the tide has turned and
that machine sales are on the up. Ac-
cording to managing director, Seamus
Thompson, the company has shown
great resilience throughout the recent
slowdown and continued to bring in
stock from all its suppliers.
“We banked on the market turning
and have kept our stock levels high to
ensure that customers find what they
need without having to wait for it to be
shipped. Our stand was designed to
show the industry our wide variety of
products and judging from the amount
of quotations we put forward, it has
been successful.”
Many of the buyers with immediate machine
requirements have turned to the second-hand
market
With its SMTCL, King Rich, Tumac,
Webster Bennett and Sahindler brands
of machines the company has tradition-
ally filled a wide range of requirements
from mills and lathes to metal form-
ing machines. The ranges are from
basic manual controlled machines to
large CNCs.
Altogether, it seems Electra Mining
was a definite success this year!
First Cut
Broaching Machines
editorial@promech.co.za
Grinding Machines
Cutting Machines
Drilling Machines
Boring Machines
Filing Machines
EDM Machines
Special Robots
Automation
Robots
Company
10 10 Advanced
Advanced Materials
Materials Today
Today Nov/Dec
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Forging Machines
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Blow Moulding Machines
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Extruders
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Injection Moulding Machines
Plastics,
Equipment
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CNC Retrofitting
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Factory Trained (Engineers/Technicians)
Materials
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Extras
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Spares & Accessories
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TodayNov/Dec
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Time Studies
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Turnkey Projects
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10 2010
Resistance Welding Machines
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Accesso-
Equipment
Welding Accessories
11 11
Brand Names
You know the brand name but you can’t remember the machine tool company who manufactures or markets
it? Start by looking below.
NTIP (Pty) Ltd was founded and established by Toolmaking Association of South Africa
(TASA).
The National objective of the NTIP is to rehabilitate the South African Tool, Die and Mould
Making (TDM) Industry and thereby contributing to a strategic growth stimulator for
Manufacturing and Technical Skills Development.
The Launch of the NTI's new Skills Development Initiative: The TDM Powered
Apprenticeship Programme.
The TDM Powered Apprenticeship Programme will be piloted in January 2011. Recruitment
started in October 2010. Companies interested in registering their candidates can apply.
T
Fax: (011) 781-1403
Email: editorial@promech.co.za his pro- TDM sector profiling and
Website: www.promech.co.za gramme benchmarking
w a s Another NTI programme gaining momen-
Managing Editor Susan Custers initially tum is the profiling and benchmarking
Editor: Raymond Campling developed as programme, where partnerships with
a standalone, UNIDO (United Nations Industry Devel-
Advertising Di Bluck
front-end pro- opment Organisation) and the Fraunhofer
Circulation Catherine Macdiva gramme to de- Institute in Germany, has produced access
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sean Bacher velop higher to advanced tools to profile and benchmark
quality entr y TDM sector companies at several levels.
Disclaimer
PROMECH Publishing does not Dirk van Dyk level students This will benefit participating companies to
take responsibility for the for the new Com- position their business against international
opinions expressed by individuals. petency based apprenticeship system to be benchmarks, enabling GAP analysis, for
launched by the NTI in January 2011. which companies can be coupled to sup-
Printed by:
Typo Colour Printing The programme is proving to be so suc- plier development programmes to bridge
Tel: (011) 402-3468/9 cessful that it will now be incorporated these competitiveness GAPS.
from 2011 as an integral part of the new The UNIDO benchmarking and supplier
TDM Powered apprenticeship. It will form development process will give local compa-
Copyright the Foundation level of the programme for nies access to projects for all state-owned
All rights reserved. No editorial entry level students that require upgrading enterprises, locally and internationally.
matter published in “TDM To- of gaps identified in the requirements for
day (Tool, Die & Mould Making)”
The Fraunhofer benchmark (Tooling sector
successful entry and completion of a com- specific) will give participating companies
may be reproduced in any form
or language without written petency based apprenticeship. access to the NTI’s supplier development,
permission of the publishers. Countrywide recruitment started in October cluster development and access assistance
While every effort is made to for a pilot student intake of 490 students mechanisms.
ensure accurate reproduction, at 12 pilot institutions in six provinces that
the editor, authors, publishers
will launch the TDM sector’s Apprenticeship
and their employees or agents The TDM Powered Programme is
shall not be responsible or in
Phase of the TDM Powered Programme. The
any way liable for any errors, NTIP office is overwhelmed with applications being tailored to the system
omissions or inaccuracies in for entry to the programme. requirements of the QCTO
the publication, whether arising
Local accreditation
from negligence or otherwise
Another exciting development under way
or for any consequences aris- Localisation project
ing therefrom. The inclusion or is the partnership under development with
Merseta and the new QCTO (Quality Coun- During a NTI project team visit to Automotive
exclusion of any product does
cil for Trades and Occupations). The TDM OEM’s, specialist toolmaking companies
not mean that the publisher or
Powered Programme is being tailored to and the Fraunhofer Intstitute in Germany,
editorial board advocates or
rejects its use either gener- the system requirements of the QCTO and the team received very positive feedback
ally or in any particular field will be one of the first pilot projects to be and keen interest in the Tooling Localisation
or fields. rolled out under the new QCTO framework. project under development by the NTI. At
The curriculum and courseware developed the Euromold Exhibition in Germany in early
as part of the TDM Powered programme December 2010, a joint NTI/DTI team will
is also being integrated into the Merseta meet with interested parties for a second
courseware development project in progress round of negotiations to set up agreements
to ensure compliance for local accreditation to start the first pilot localisation projects
of the programme. early in 2011. Watch this space”
Part 1 of 3: This is the first of 3 parts. Part 2 will be published in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue and part 3 will
be published in the Mar/Apr 2011 issue.
W
the end of the day is determined by some basic
hether you are a buyer from research and common sense.
the motor, packaging, medi-
cal industry or a converter of
35 year history
“Our company started in about 1970 with an Aus-
plastics, how do you decide
trian, Manfred Hammerle, who emigrated with many
where to purchase the tool and what per-
toolmakers from Europe to South Africa to join the
formance you can expect from it?
large corporate plastics converting companies like
Mr Mould Litemaster, TMSA, Consol Plastics etc.
One person in South Africa who has spent
years first learning the lessons and later I’ll make you any tool to support your
studying this effect, is Bevan Davies, “cheap” budget, but you pay extra for
chairman of the Toolmakers Association the down-time and repairs
of South Africa (TASA) Gauteng and a
director of the National Tooling Initiative
Bevan Davis “He saw an opportunity and was encouraged to
Programme (NTIP).
open a small tool-room in Jeppestown, Johan-
Bevan shares his experiences with “Advanced Ma- nesburg in 1975.
terials Today” in the first of a three-part series that
“In this period he met Ferdi Chauvier, a business
examines the true and hidden costs involved when
refugee from the Congo who patented and devel-
buying tooling for injection moulding machines.
oped the Kreepy Krauly soon after his arrival in SA.
This as you know revolutionised the pool cleaning
industry. We, together with the Chauvier’s, were
responsible for the design, toolmaking and produc-
tion of Kreepy Krauly for twenty five years. The
company is now American owned and most, if not
all of these tools are still running today. We have
been contacted by various production companies,
each one complimenting us on our quality tools.
Small tricky parts
“After my army training and studying irrigation
engineering design with Stewarts and Lloyds group
I moved on to the design and development of the
then revolutionary concept of micro-irrigation jets
to compete with the drip irrigation products from
Ongoing rust and repairs to cooling cores necessary Israel. After about 5 years we opened our busi-
ness in 1980 to develop new micro-irrigation water
saving ideas.
“These products and concepts are sold worldwide
and are now copied and produced in China, Israel,
US and Europe. We remain focussed on water re-
ticulation, water meter innovations and products
and today have many unique designs and patents
in this field.
“Ferdi Chauvier and myself spent many hours on
water related Kreepy Krauly and Micro Irrigation
design issues. This is when I was introduced by
Kreepy Krauly to Manfred Hammerle on tooling.
I soon learnt the difference between “cheap” and
“expensive” tools. The reality of the actual cost of
Stainless Steel insert for cooling. No rust build up or damage
“cheap” tools, downtime in production, quality is-
to cooling inserts sues, product failures and the hidden or real cost
Tight control
“This principle applies to any plastics products developed or
produced that require low cost, high volume and tight engineering
controls. Kreepy subsequently guaranteed their products for 10
years. We guaranteed our products for 3 years because of our
confidence in the quality of our tooling. At the time, this was
unheard of in the plastics industry for these products.
“Conver-Tek has subsequently developed products, designed
and built tools for the medical, motor, armaments, electronics,
lighting, packaging, water reticulation and pump industry and
has had some world first innovations, patents and recognition for
various brand name products from international companies.
“As technical designers, product developers and toolmakers
we have many times been accused of being “too expensive”
on our moulds? Some converters or clients have decided on
“cheaper” alternatives that have sadly resulted in complete
project failures of good ideas.
Convincing customers
“When and what does it take to get the customer to under-
stand that the initial and perceived “very expensive” moulds
that performed to spec were actually “dirt cheap?” As mould
makers, we should add a huge premium to the cost of the
“expensive” mould for the vast actual cost savings received by
T
he company Machine Simulation SA has agreed with TASA to give a discount of
5% on the cost of the software purchased from MSSA. The first TASA member
to take up this offer is Tugwell Engineering. They recently purchased Catia, a
fully integrated design and manufacturing solution.
At an event at Tugwell Engineering, Henk Snyman, the secretary of TASA Gauteng,
handed over the TASA membership certificates to MSSA and Tugwell Engineering. This
was the trigger for Tugwell Engineering to get the discount on the software.
Geoff Tugwell gave some background on his organisation. He said that he specialises
in blow moulding tools with a focus on the automotive industry. He has supplied major
first tier suppliers such as Faurecia with blow moulded components.
TASA is in the process of negotiating similar deals with other suppliers. Please contact
the TASA Gauteng secretary, Henk Snyman, to share and propose other suppliers to
be approached to give the same preference to TASA members.
TASA, Priscilla Smith, Tel: (012) 644 1581, Fax: 086 600 8467, Email: priscillas@tasaweb.co.za
CEO
The National Tooling Initiative Programme received a
strong boost last month with the appointment of Ash-
ley Bhugwandin as CEO of the Kwazulu Natal Tooling
Initiative (KZNTI).
A
s the newly elected
KZNTI CEO, Ashley
will be responsible for
growing the capacity
and capability of the TDM sector
in KZN, with the express objec-
tive of promoting confidence
in the area’s manufacturing
industry.
According to Ashley, the pro-
grammes he plans to institute
will be in line with the five main
intervention plans, namely TDM
sector skills & expertise develop-
ment, SMME capacity expansion,
Ashley Bhugwandin is the new BBBEE structuring, TDM sector
CEO of the Kwazulu Natal Tooling technology recapitalization,
Initiative (KZNTI) Competitiveness improvement,
Export development and PPP
governance structure development that have been identified
nationally.
National Tooling Initiative Programme, Dirk van Dyk, Tel: (012) 643
9360, Email: dirkvd@ntipweb.co.za
O
TH
R
AN
S
ES
IM
AL R
S I N DIS T
SO
CI ETY
FO
SHOW THEM YOU CARE BY MAKING A MONTHLY DONATION! SO
CI ETY F
O
E
E
TH
R
R
TH
As little as R50 a month, or whatever you can comfortably afford, can make a BIG difference in an animal’s life.
S
S
AN
AN
ES
ES
M
R
IM
AL AL
I
R
S I N DIS T S I N DIS
NAME : ______________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Advanced Materials Today Nov/Dec 2010 Advanced Materials Today September 2007 39
CORROSION
D
r Jeff Ferreira and Alex
Banach of TD Coating
Centre looked deep into
the company archives
and referenced several sources
to explain to “Advanced Materials
Today” how thin, hard coatings
have successfully been used to
combat both wear and corrosion
in South Africa.
Coatings for corrosion protection
basically fall into two categories. The
first are sacrificial coatings which
corrode relative to the base material, Figure 1: Hardness of various common carbides, nitrides
therefore protecting the underlying and coatings
material. A typical example is zinc
plating. Sacrificial coatings offer
medium to good corrosion protection. the particles are transferred to the opposing part.
In both cases, metal is removed from a part.
Barrier coating
The second class are barrier coatings of which a High hardness is very effective at combating abra-
common example is a tin plated can. In this case, sive and adhesive wear. Adhesive wear is further
tin is a corrosion resistant barrier to prevent the combated by creating non-reactive surfaces which
underlying steel from corroding. Barrier coatings resist cold welding. For example, ceramics gener-
can offer the best corrosion resistance by far. ally have a low tendency to bind to steel due to the
different electron bonding mechanisms, covalent
Ceramics generally have a low tendency to bind to steel vs metallic. Hence if a dense, hard coating can
due to the different electron bonding mechanisms be created on the surface of a part, it can provide
excellent corrosion resistance, combined with excel-
lent wear resistance.
“Wear” presents itself in many forms but of inter-
est for this article, is abrasive and adhesive wear. High temperature
Abrasive wear is analogous to rubbing a part with Many medium to high temperature engineering
sandpaper, and progressively the part is abraded coatings are ceramics, nitrides or carbides. These
away. In adhesive wear, surface contact results in ceramics exhibit the highest hardness of many
localised cold welding and either the cold weld compounds as shown in figure 1, with the carbides
particles have to be broken to allow movement, or typically being of higher hardness.
and nickel. The hardness of the surface layer may In electroless nickel, a smooth, bright nickel coating
be as hard as 72 HRc, offering very good wear (figure 9) plates out of the solution without apply-
resistance and resistance to scuffing. Prominent ing an electric current. A better contour shape is
fire-arm manufactures, for example, use this process maintained and the plating can be aged to achieve
to treat the slides and barrels (figure 5). a high hardness of up to almost 70 HRc, rivalling
One of the hardest ceramics is vanadium carbide at that of hard chrome. Electroless nickel contains
about 90 HRc. This carbide coating is applied by phosphorous which has a direct influence over
the TD process and the coating is mainly used on
tooling (figure 6) due to its extreme abrasive and
adhesive wear resistance, and very high bonding
strength. However, the TD coating can be used in
many applications requiring corrosion and wear
resistance.
the coating’s corrosion resistance and ability to age should be consulted on the part development
harden. to provide an optimised solution.
The P content has to be carefully selected to provide TD Coating Centre, Alex Benach, Tel: (011) 908 5396,
optimum properties. Also, once a critical coating thick- Fax: (011) 908 5305, Email: alex@td.co.za, Web:
ness is achieved, the corrosion resistance dramatically www.td.co.za
improves. Since the coating is a low temperature
process, the mechanical properties of the base are
not affected.
Summary
Several coatings are currently available in South Africa
to combat both wear resistance and corrosion resis-
tance. The high hardness ceramics and nitrides offer
medium to excellent corrosion resistance. Figure 6: A TD coated part
Sell Your
Body This
Holiday
“From his neck down a man is worth a
couple of dollars a day, from his neck up
he is worth anything that his brain can
produce,” - Thomas Edison.
S
o, if you have run out of business ideas and what it should be you’d likely have to sell for scrap.
need some money for the family this coming Then buyers will be looking at your basic building
holiday season then it might be an idea to blocks that can be melted down or recycled to
consider selling your body – either in its el- make something else.
ementary form or piece-by-piece. According to various Internet websites
According to various Internet you have a value of between R31,70
websites you have and millions of Rands
a value of be-
tween R31,70 According to the Web the value of your body is subject
and millions of to market fluctuations so it is advisable to check
Rands depend- the prices on the JSE before you sell yourself.
ing on the route It is said that the US Bureau of Chemistry and Soils
you choose to invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculat-
sell your earthly ing the chemical and mineral composition of the
vehicle. human body, which breaks down as follows:
Washed • 65% Oxygen
up
• 18% Carbon
Apart from
your worth • 10% Hydrogen
as a busi-
• 3% Nitrogen
ness per-
son or en- • 1.5% Calcium
gineer and
• 1% Phosphorous
the many
ideas that • 0.35% Potassium
may flow
• 0.25% Sulphur
from your
trustworthy • 0.15% Sodium
old head, you
• 0.15% Chlorine
do have a value
as either scrap or • 0.05% Magnesium
replacement parts to
• 0.0004% Iron
refurbish other human be-
ings. • 0.00004% Iodine
If you have lived-it-up and your body is not It was also discovered that our bodies contain trace
A lung is worth R814 800, a kidney R639 800 and a heart R399 000
quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, be our skin, which the Japanese invested their time
copper, aluminium, and arsenic. Together, all of and money in measuring. The method the Imperial
the above amounts to less than R10! State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for
measuring the amount of a person’s skin is to take
Fat or thin
a naked person, and to apply a thin paper to every
Unless you are into piercings or sadomasoch-
surface of his body.
istic rituals our most valuable asset is said to
After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small
pieces, and painstakingly total the person’s measurements.
Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of
fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables
in this figure being height, weight, and breast size.
Basing the skin’s value on the selling price of cowhide,
which is approximately R1.75 per square foot, the value
of an average person’s skin is about R24.50.
If we believe the wisdom of the Internet then the grand
total of your worth as scrap is about R31.70.
Spare parts
If you have lived a clean wholesome life and your organs
aren’t packing up, then you have a far higher value. Nowa-
days medical advances mean that almost every part of your
body has a value to refurbish other needy people around
the world. Even your most recognisable asset – your face
- can now be transplanted onto another patient.
According to a survey published in Wired Magazine in the
United States, when broken down into fluids, tissues and
germ fighting our bodies are worth more than R315 million.
Rather than concentrating on the price-tag on vital organs it
concentrated on rarer and more expensive commodities.
Bone marrow is the most expensive at R161 million based
on selling 1kg at R161 000 per gram. DNA can fetch R67
million and antibodies can bring R51 million. A lung is worth
R814 800, a kidney R639 800 and a heart R399 000.
The price of the parts was based on hospital and insurance
companies projected prices in the United States.
Last resort
If all else fails it is possible to sell your body to medical
science. Although not as lucrative, it will still fetch your
family a healthy sum. Apart from moral and legal issues
surrounding the sale of your own body, it is important to
point out that you won’t be able to enjoy the money yourself.
So, if you were suddenly harbouring thoughts - shelve them
for when your time truly is up.
T
alent management and development are with a mission to succeed. Times may be tough,
ongoing focus areas across the company, but our employees have demonstrated remarkable
which ensures employees are optimally resilience in supporting the future growth of the
positioned to fulfil their potential. “When company.”
things are going well economically, it is easier for Leadership development, education and mentor-
employees to feel motivated and enthusiastic. The ing are at the core of Robor’s holistic approach to
real challenge, however, is retaining talent in the transformation. Part of this approach is a middle
downturn – that’s when a committed, skilled and management development initiative entitled the
innovative team contribution is required,” says Young Leaders Forum, which identifies and encour-
Sundrie Naidoo, Group HR Executive, Robor. ages employees on that level to grow into senior
With the shortage of skills in the marketplace, the management over time.
company has found that developing existing employ- The Young Leaders Forum is currently in its third year
ees offers numerous benefits, as they already fit in and essentially offers 44 employees – the majority
with the company culture, have an understanding from previously disadvantaged backgrounds – the
of the company’s goals and vision, and are highly opportunity to experience Robor from the viewpoint
committed to a common cause. of Robor CEO, Gordon Gilmer.
All employees are given the opportunity to attend a Young leaders
breakfast with the CEO at least once a year Once nominated by senior management, the Young
Leaders attend one of two forums held annually.
Employees are shareholders Facilitated by Gilmer, the sessions expose the future
“The fact that all our employees own shares in Robor leaders to the more strategic side of Robor and
has definitely made a difference,” says Sundrie. present them with the opportunity to have a candid
“They work together more cohesively, creatively and discussion with the CEO, garnering insights into
the company’s future plans.
Recognition is another vital aspect of
Robor culture and employee engage-
ment is encouraged through monthly
innovation awards. Furthermore,
communication to the workforce is
maintained through team forums,
newsletters, quarterly feedback
sessions to all staff, biannual road
shows and a thrice yearly Robor
DVD wherein the CEO and Chairman
share pertinent information.
“In addition, all employees – from
the factory floor to the office – are
given the opportunity to attend a
breakfast with the CEO at least once
a year, where they are recognised for
their efforts and their views on the
company are canvassed,” concludes
Sundrie.
Robor, Sundrie Naidoo, Tel: (011) 971
Robor CEO, Gordon Gilmer and Group HR Executive, Sundrie Naidoo (middle) accept the company’s 1600, Email: sundrien@robor.co.za
Deloitte Best Company to Work For Award from Deloitte Board Member and Associate, Lot Ndlovu
(right) and survey Consultant, Samantha Shivuri (left)
Wishing all our readers a good break and a great New Year from the crew at Promech who pulled out all the stops for our annual
fancy-dress. The theme was “C” and Kowie arrived as Caspar the semi-friendly looking ghost. Cleopatra and Cinderella added
glamour while Surita the cricket captain is next to the construction crew. On the left, Sean - the politically incorrect cripple. A
cowboy, a chef, a colourful clown with bad eyesight and a mix of culture revved up by the cheerleader, completed the line-up.
Paper Dams short distance away from where welding takes place. Wa-
United Kingdom based Weldwide Solutions is offering water ter Soluble Paper is easy to cut and fabricators can simply
soluble paper products for customers who need to purge design their own templates to make cones or flat end dams
pipework with a dam that can be dissolved with water after that secure and seal quickly inside the pipes.
welding.
The dams can be dissolved in water after welding to remove
all traces of the dam and the water soluble adhesive paper
tape used to secure the dams inside the pipes.
Weldwide Solutions, Darren Sewell, Email: darren@weldwidesolu-
tions.com, Web: www.weldwidesolutions.com