Transnet Commemorative Issue

TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING, SALT RIVER

delivering freight reliably

COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE

Then &

NOW

150 YEARS OF

EXCELLENCE

1870 The Transnet Rail Engineering Salt River plant in 1870, with Table Mountain in the background (top) and, just over 100 years later, in 1979 (bottom), its expansion clearly visible.

1979

contents FOREWORDS 2 3

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MOVING WITH CHANGE Richard Vallihu, CE: TRE A FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH Collin Pillay, Centre Manager: TRE Salt River and National Business Manager: Rotating Machines INTO THE FUTURE Why Salt River is so crucial to TRE

OUR LEGACY 6

A PROUD HERITAGE Looking back over 150 years of history

OUR BUSINESS 13 14 16 18 20

A 1987 painting by David Hall Green of the famous Class 26 "Red Devil", a 1950s steam locomotive that was extensively modernised at Salt River in the 1980s.

THE LEAN MACHINE Lean Six Sigma KEEPING TRAINS ON TRACK Coaches ROLLING ALONG Rolling Stock Equipment KEEP YOUR MOTOR RUNNING Rotating Machines THE WHEEL DEAL Wheels

OUR SUPPORT SERVICES 22

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25 Published on behalf of Transnet Rail Engineering, a division of Transnet SOC Limited by Mikateko Media, 19 Bree Street, Cape Town 8001; PO Box 872, Green Point 8051; Telephone 021 417 1111

OUR COMMITMENTS 26 28 30

Disclaimer Published by Mikateko Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.

While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information, neither the editor, publisher nor Mikateko Media can be held liable for any inaccuracies, injury or damages that may arise.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Projects BACK FROM THE DRAWING BOARD Product Development THE BUYING GAME Procurement UP TO SCRATCH Quality THE FINISHING TOUCH Auxiliary ON THE MOVE Centralised Auxiliary Logistics CONNECTING THE DOTS Enterprise Information Management Services THE HUMAN TOUCH Human Capital

KEEPING TRANSNET EMPLOYEES SAFE The 7 Golden Safety Actions SCHOOL OF PRIDE The TRE School of Engineering HOPE ARRIVES BY RAIL Social Investment Projects

OUR PEOPLE 32 36 40

The Class 25 condensing steam locomotive, an engineering first for the Salt River Mechanical Workshop, was seen off on its maiden voyage by staff in the 1950s.

TEAM PLAYERS Colleagues share their stories HEAVY METAL HEROES Long-service awards THE WAY WE DO THINGS The Transnet Culture Charter

The largest penguin rescue in the world took place at Salt River's Shop 12 in June 2000.

FOREWORD

Moving with change The Salt River facility will continue to lead the pack through the next century, just as it has done for the past 150 years, says Richard Vallihu, Chief Executive: Transnet Rail Engineering.

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outh Africa’s railway can trace its history back to October 1845, when the Cape of Good Hope Western Railway Society was formed in London with the express purpose of building the first railway line in Southern Africa.

Although the Cape turned the first sod for a line between Cape Town and Wellington in March 1859, it opened only in 1862 – which meant that Natal pipped the Cape Colony at the finish line, claiming the region’s first railway line when it opened a rail link between Durban and Harbour Point in June 1860. But the Cape steamed ahead, with The Wynberg Railway Company established in 1861, and a new line between Cape Town and Wynberg brought into service in December 1864.

The Salt River plant – the workshop built to service this line – opened its doors for business in 1862. Remarkably, the original Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE) plant has endured the various stages of transformation that have taken place over the years – and is still flourishing. We have introduced new technology, changing the way we do our work each day for the better. But the essence of the work has never changed. As they always have, our employees continue to serve our customers to their complete satisfaction.

Major, ongoing capital investment in staff development, intellectual property and the world’s best technology is elevating Salt River to new heights as we embrace a prosperous and successful future. New products and services keep pace with a demanding, constantly developing industry, while colleagues are encouraged and uplifted to reach their maximum potential.

The Salt River facility will continue to lead the pack through the next century, just as it has done for the past 150 years.

It is

TRANSNET TRE COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE • 2012

against this background, and with a sense of great pride and honour, that I want to congratulate all our employees under the leadership of Collin Pillay for contributing immensely to the Western Cape economy.

The internationally acclaimed Phelophepa Health Train is among Salt River’s flagship manufacturing offerings. Other products include Metrorail coaches and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s policing coaches, which were used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Salt River coach business refurbishes, upgrades and repairs approximately 100 coaches annually.

Salt River boasts a dynamic and diverse team that is making a huge contribution to TRE. Our workshops are currently preparing for new growth and we are confident that Salt River will reach even greater heights.

Our overall strategy at TRE is hinged on supporting Transnet in its mandate to lower the costs of doing business in South Africa – and, more importantly, to support Transnet Freight Rail in its pursuit of volume growth.

The maintenance depots continue to focus on improving operational efficiencies by concentrating on availability and reliability of rolling stock, particularly for key freight corridors. The manufacturing and overhaul activities are geared to provide Transnet Freight Rail with additional capacity through new and refurbished locomotives and wagons.

Internally we continue to focus on improving operational efficiencies and providing a safe working environment through the implementation of Lean Six Sigma principles, safety and environmental initiatives. We will continue to forge and strengthen partnerships with original equipment manufacturers with the aim of enhancing existing skills and creating new market opportunities.

At Transnet Rail Engineering we have undergone a number of changes and successfully met various challenges over the years. Our legacy is as rich and colourful as the history of the Rainbow Nation itself.

Congratulations to the Salt River plant for its pioneering engineering!

FOREWORD

A foundation for growth Collin Pillay, Centre Manager: TRE Salt River, believes the plant has the people and the passion to become the pride of Transnet Rail Engineering.

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his 150-year milestone is an indication of Transnet Rail Engineering’s determination to keep the Salt River plant going despite many challenges over the years.

The unsung heroes of the plant are those colleagues who have worked here for four decades or more and seen the transition from the old steam days. They laid the foundations, and created opportunities for us to grow and improve.

Highlights include Salt River’s biggest project: supporting the longest train in the world! The locomotives for the iron-ore train on the Sishento-Saldanha line are serviced only at Salt River, and we can be really proud of our excellent record. More recently, the completion of Phelophepa 2 on behalf of Transnet Foundation’s Health Portfolio was an exciting project, especially as we know how much outlying communities rely on medical care from our “Train of Hope”.

We have invested more than R300 million over the past six years in upgrading the plant’s buildings and improving technology. Then we also looked at how the team fitted together, analysing how we can become more efficient and compete with the best in the world.

We constantly engage and compare ourselves with international industry counterparts, and we’re proud of our progress. But it’s an ongoing process, and we are hoping to initiate more programmes to make us even leaner and more progressive. For instance, our School of Engineering is doing a great job of training a new generation of electrical and diesel fitters, vehicle builders and welders. They are working ahead to keep in line with increasing capacity on the iron-ore line.

In the end, it’s our people that make us proud. Everyone, from general workers to senior management, is passionate and dedicated. We believe that our new management style has encouraged everyone to look at their potential and grow their experience, making their job even more rewarding.

The results of this added personal and professional value are being felt throughout the plant.

Our vision for the future is to grow this plant and bring it back to its glory days of employing more than 5 000 people.

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FOREW0RD

Into the future Transnet Rail Engineering’s Salt River plant is crucial to the overall development of the division’s business. We find out why.

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alt River is a key player in South Africa’s – and Africa’s – railway industry. The plant is central to the world-class maintenance facilities that support the growth of the Sishen-to-Saldanha iron-ore export corridor, as well as the growth of the general freight business in the Western Cape.

The strategically placed Salt River plant provides the Wagon Maintenance and Locomotive Maintenance businesses with pivotal support to ensure that all maintenance work is carried out quickly and efficiently, without compromising on rigorous international standards. The plant’s management team collaborates closely with these businesses. Together they leverage their core competencies to ensure excellent quality, reliability and innovation, making Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE) the leading African supplier to the railway industry.

The iron-ore corridor is now the largest business in the Western Cape that these teams support. Since 2007 the gross volumes traversing this corridor have increased by 63%. The first phase of the growth will reach its peak in 2013 and level out when the corridor delivers 60.7 million tons per annum. Once the decision is taken on the next expansion phase, it is expected that the corridor will deliver approximately

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82 million tons per annum. TRE is gearing up in anticipation of this growth, and will ensure that its factories and maintenance facilities are constantly upgraded to meet the increased demands of this business.

HOW HAS THE SALT RIVER PLANT MET THE VARIOUS CHALLENGES IT HAS FACED? Salt River has had to adapt to an everchanging maintenance environment, and – more importantly – provide proactive and dynamic business support and resources.

Particular focus has gone into identifying and sourcing the correct skills, developing the current skills, and acquiring the correct capital equipment and infrastructure.

Simultaneously, leadership development, teamwork and good employee relationships have remained key.

The centres of excellence in Salt River have proven their ability to meet the high demand for reliable components to service the growth in both general freight and ironore export transport.

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE WAGON MAINTENANCE BUSINESS? Our aim is to supply our clients with new wagons that meet their quality, cost and time requirements – and that’s over and above maintaining our constantly increasing

FOREWORD fleet so it meets the highest standards of availability and reliability. The iron-ore line wagon fleet reached 6 168 wagons at the end of March 2012, hence the focus on skills sourcing and continual development.

WHICH PROJECTS CAN SALT RIVER BE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF? The introduction of the 15E electrical locomotive onto the iron-ore line was a major achievement. We went from antiquated to brand-new technology, and did so with a very small “bathtub curve”. We successfully developed skills in finding root causes of failure, brought in the proper execution of maintenance plans and increased our understanding of new train-operations technology – all of which was aided by the School of Engineering.

All repairs are done in Salt River, and the plant is gearing up for demand for 15 new locomotive components. Coming in later this year is the 43 GE diesel locomotive. It was built in Koedoespoort, but will be serviced and repaired in Salt River.

This expansion comes from the need to be able to shift 82 million tons of iron ore per year on the Sishen-to-Saldanha line when the second expansion phase comes into effect in a few years’ time – up from the 56 million tons we transport today. New train lines also need to be built to service new mines.

Locomotives have a lifespan of 40 years, so our experienced staff have to be able to service both the old locomotives as well as the highly technical new ones.

HOW DO WE INTEGRATE OLD SKILLS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY? We rely on the School of Engineering to train the right people. At the moment we need an additional 40 artisans – so forward planning is essential. Salt River finds the right people, teaches them to repair the trains and prepares them for the arrival of new locomotives. We have a vision of expansion, and we’re always refining our project planning.

It’s a symbiotic process. We can’t survive without them and they can’t survive without us. Salt River’s business units and support services are “enablers”.

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE LOCOMOTIVES BUSINESS? To become the world’s best. We are the benchmark in terms of old technology on the iron-ore line, but we’re always learning and setting new standards. Our objective is to set the global standard in heavy-haul locomotive and wagon reliability and availability. To achieve that we’ll have to develop ourselves, but we’ll also need the help of Salt River’s Support Services. We’re analysing our strengths and weaknesses and comparing ourselves with international developing businesses such as BHP Australia and CRD Brazil.

Transnet Freight Rail is spending billions on expanding its network – and as it grows, we grow. Every locomotive is worth R43 million, so every hour it stands still needing repairs costs the company R200 000. That’s why Salt River’s speed and accuracy are critical to the success of the business as a whole.

We’re always learning and setting new standards. Our objective is to set the global standard in heavy-haul locomotive and wagon reliability.

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ABOVE LEFT: The old boiler room, since demolished. ABOVE RIGHT: Found outside Shop 12 in 1959, this old cannon barrel was excavated and cleaned by the machine workshop. Apprentice carpenters in Shop 11 made the carriage from old sleepers. IN BACKGROUND: Less than 90 years ago, nearly half of Salt River's terrain was submerged in a large tidal lagoon formed by the Salt and Liesbeek rivers between Paarden Island (a real island, popular with horse owners for the quality of its grass) and Woodstock beach. This late 19th-century map of Table Bay clearly shows the Salt River Works located on the banks of the lagoon. When a post-Depression, rapidly expanding railway system necessitated the expansion of the plant, a bold plan to reclaim the lagoon was put in action. It was part of a larger scheme to increase the size of Cape Town by reclaiming nearly a kilometre of the sea, starting from the beach front, which ran next to the Castle and the Grand Parade. Using sand transported from Fish Hoek to fill low-lying areas, Salt River by 1935 had reclaimed enough land to construct several new shops, and within years Paarden Island became part of the mainland.

1862 Blackie, the steam locomotive that hauled the first train in the Cape, now graces the main concourse of Cape Town Station.

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1886 Workers pose with a new officers' coach under construction.

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1901 Salt River Station, looking in the direction of Woodstock.

OUR LEGACY

A proud The Salt River Engineering Works have been at the heart of South Africa's rail transport network since 1862, when the original workshops were built to maintain rolling stock on the Cape's first railway line.

s one of the oldest, if not the oldest, mechanical engineering facilities in South Africa, Transnet Rail Engineering Salt River can this year proudly look back on a remarkable 150-year history. It's a history that has not only successfully served the development and diverse activities of railway transport in South Africa, but has also played a leading role in the country’s technological development.

Central to Salt River’s success is its people. Its collection of the finest craftsmen, best engineering brains, highly skilled technicians, talented draughtsmen and hard-working unskilled labourers has, over the years, expressed levels of ingenuity, dedication, loyalty and sheer hard work matched by very few organisations. Despite their sometimes humble backgrounds, they all shared the pride of being part of a tightly knit community that worked

1909 The original Sawmill at Salt River, built alongside the suburban railway line.

hard, played hard and many times achieved the seemingly impossible.

Working conditions were often far from ideal, with outdated equipment in poorly designed shops that were sometimes more than 100 years old, but this never stopped the Salt River plant from finding solutions to new challenges, meeting its deadlines and delivering world-class products.

Salt River’s history mirrors that of South Africa, with periods of rapid growth and expansion slowed by economic depressions and political developments that required it to adapt to changed circumstances and find ways to meet new challenges. And to its credit, it always succeeded, emerging stronger and better equipped to fulfil its obligations.

With TRE Salt River currently going through another rebuilding phase, it's a good time to take inspiration from those that came before in order to build on their proud legacy.

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1915 This early photograph shows the Carpenter Shop on the right, and the four gables of the Coach Shop in the distance.

Staff pose with one of eight 4.7inch field guns built at Salt River during World War I for use by South African Forces in German South West Africa.

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THE EARLY DAYS In 1853, a group of British financiers formed the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company, and in March 1859 construction of the first railway line in South Africa started in what is now Woodstock, reaching Wellington in November 1863.

The Salt River Works were created in 1862 to maintain imported rolling stock for this line. The earliest plan of the workshops, dated 1869, shows they covered an area of 2 000m2 and comprised Engine Erecting, Blacksmith, Machine, Carriage and Paint Shops.

In 1873 the Cape Government took over the company and established the Cape Government Railways. Driven by the discovery of diamonds and gold, the railway network expanded rapidly, reaching Worcester in 1876 and Kimberley in 1885. Expansion at Salt River kept pace with the increased activity. By 1881 the works area had grown to 5 000m2, and now included a Springsmith Shop, a Foundry and a Woodworking Shop. In 1886 a 60-ton Traverser, which remained in use for the next century, was provided. New Engine Erecting, Machine, Carriage and Wagon Shops were added doubling the workshop floor area to nearly 10 000m2.

In 1890 the line reached Bloemfontein and in 1892 the first train from Cape Town arrived in Johannesburg, bringing with it a dramatic increase in rail traffic – and maintenance work for Salt River.

Following the union of South Africa in 1910, all the railways in the country were

1927 Inside view of the old Machine Shop. Note the mixture of line shafts and independent motor drives on machines.

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brought together in the state-owned South African Railways and Harbours (SAR&H). During this time, the addition of a new Millwright Shop, a Surgery, a new Canteen building and a new Wagon Erection Shop saw Salt River’s total floor space grow to nearly 30 000m2, and its staff complement increase to 980.

BOOM YEARS Expansion slowed down during World War I, but received a boost in the post-war years. By 1924 an additional Sawmill had been built and the Carriage Shop had been enlarged. New Fettling, Boiler, Pattern, Springsmith, Brass Finishing, Erecting, White Metallers and Dressing Shops, and a new Power House were also added, bringing the total floor area to 50 000m2, excluding the 15 000m2 Stores Department. The Salt River Works were now spread out over an area of 80 acres and employed 2 139 workers.

Despite the slowdowns brought about by the depressions in the 1920s and 1930s and the two world wars, the South African economy flourished. The Salt River Works played a vital role in ensuring the efficient transport both of foreign-exchange-earning minerals from inland mines to coastal ports, and of infrastructure and equipment to the rapidly growing inland industrial centres.

GROWING NEEDS Salt River, however, had run out of space.

With no more land available for future expansions, work started on reclaiming

1932 Workers survey the damage to the old Millwright Shop following a devastating fire.

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ABOVE, TOP: A 1st Class suburban side-door carriage under construction in the early 1940s.

ABOVE, MIDDLE: One of 25 all-teak mainline balcony-type saloons built at the Salt River Coach Shop, Coach 396 remained in service for 47 years and covered an estimated 27 million kilometres. Like most of the 518 mainline saloons and suburban coaches built at Salt River until wooden passenger stock came to an end in 1950, it was built from imported Burmese teak, and varnished to a high gloss to enhance the beauty and warmth of the wood.

ABOVE, BOTTOM: Sporting activities have been popular with Salt River’s staff for many generations, and numerous teams contested inter-shop and inter-departmental shields and trophies in sports as diverse as soccer, rugby, cricket, boxing, snooker, softball, basketball, angling, cycling and jukskei. The oldest trophy, for soccer, dates back to 1904.

1934 The first imported vestibule-type mainline passenger coach being assembled with the aid of a steam crane.

OUR LEGACY BELOW LEFT: Following the 1973 Suez Canal oil crisis, SAR&H decided to look at ways of extending steam operations. A 25NC locomotive was sent to Salt River to be fitted with a gas-producer combustion system that would reduce coal and water consumption, and improve power output. Locomotive number 3450 entered service in February 1981 as the new Class 26 “Red Devil”. Despite numerous record-breaking runs, it confirmed that what SAR&H really needed was more powerful diesel and electric locomotives that could power longer, air-braked trains – and for this reason the project was cancelled.

BELOW RIGHT, TOP: Timing clocks were introduced in 1913 but were met with resistance. Work hours had to be strictly adhered to and entrance gates were locked just two minutes after the starting hooter. Latecomers had to wait 30 minutes before the gates were opened again and, as employees were paid by the hour, this made a substantial dent in their pockets. BELOW RIGHT, BOTTOM: a horizontal bandsaw used for breaking out lengths of wood from cured logs.

the land from the Salt River lagoon, situated between the Works and Paarden Island (then a real island). By 1935 the reclamation of the land that now houses the Wagon Yard was completed.

A fire on Christmas Eve 1932, which destroyed the Millwright, Coppersmith and Tinsmith Shops, also created the opportunity to rearrange various departments to improve efficiency.

The end of World War II brought

1942 A detachment of the Railways and Harbours Brigade marching down Adderley Street in one of the frequent displays of preparedness during World War II.

another economic boom. Between 1946 and 1953, SAR&H acquired 659 new passenger coaches, while 21 342 new goods wagons grew the fleet to 83 725 units. During the same period, the locomotive fleet grew to 2 958 units.

To meet this demand, a new 2 000m2 Wagon Shop was built in 1946. New Machine and Wheel Shops added a further 12 000m2 in 1951. A new Boiler Shop and Coach Lifting Shop erected in 1957

1946

brought the total workshop floor area to 95 000m2, with a further 28 000m2 covered by Store buildings.

A MOVE TO PORTS AND PRIVATISATION During the 1960s there was a decline in Salt River’s output, following investment in new workshops to build modern rolling stock and electric units at Koedoespoort and Bloemfontein. However, this slack allowed Salt River to become more

1950

The new Wagon Shop under construction.

The concrete air-raid shelter (left) was one of many built at the outbreak of World War II.

A locomotive boiler being lagged in the Boiler Shop. The asbestos blankets were replaced by fibreglass in the 1950s to protect workers’ health.

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involved in the maintenance of port equipment such as cranes and mechanical craft, and, following the completion of the Ben Schoeman Dock, the introduction and maintenance of specialised equipment to handle cargo containerisation. It also played a vital role in keeping the Port of Cape Town operating at peak efficiency during the 1973 Suez Canal oil crisis.

During the late 1970s the government concluded that the SAR&H’s efficiency could be further improved if it evolved

1965 The Coach Shop was the first unit to be awarded a shield for Half Million Hours worked without injury.

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from a state-owned corporation towards privatisation. This led to the creation in 1981 of the South African Transport Services (SATS), a state business enterprise restructured into units and divisions, with a strong emphasis on localised management.

During the following decade, SATS identified and established core businesses, and discontinued some services inherited from the Union era.

In 1989 the “Legal Succession to the

1970 Balancing an electric unit blower fan rotor after maintenance and repairs in the Tinsmith Shop.

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1974 The Sturrock Graving Dock, maintained by the Salt River works, dwarfs two stern trawlers in for maintenance.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: One of the many highlights of the Salt River Mechanical Workshop was the creation of the Class 25 condensing steam locomotive for the Touws River to De Aar line in the late 1950s. These unique locomotives condensed their own steam into reusable water, thereby reducing water consumption by 90%, and thus solving the problem of the severe water shortage along this important line. In the picture above, workers and management pose with the very first Class 25 condensing locomotive built at Salt River. On the right, a Class 25 condensing locomotive leaves the Mechanical Shop after undergoing maintenance.

1979 Aerial view of the Salt River works.

OUR LEGACY

South African Transport Services Act” transformed SATS from a government department into a public company and, on 1 April 1990, the new public company, Transnet Limited, was registered. With the South African Government as its sole shareholder, it consisted of eight divisions – Spoornet, the Ports Authority, Port Operations, Freight Dynamics, Petronet, Metrorail, Propnet and Transtel – as well as a number of related and support businesses.

DEREGULATION BLUES However, transport deregulation led to a sharp decline in the railway industry, as uncontrolled competition allowed road freight to take over rail’s main freight activities. This led to the closure of many branch lines, and the cancellation of uneconomic passenger and freight services, and rail infrastructure and operating equipment

1980 Salt River works is awarded its first five-star rating by the National Occupational Safety Association.

was left to deteriorate to the point that more than 30% of the rail system became inoperative.

This, together with the restructuring under Transnet, hit the Salt River Works very hard. Most of the high-tech and lucrative locomotive overhaul, repair and upgrade business was given to the more modern Koedoespoort and Bloemfontein engineering facilities, resulting in the closure of a number of shops at Salt River and massive staff reductions: by the turn of the 20th century, head count had dropped to as low as 400.

Salt River refused to lie down, and by demonstrating its engineering excellence and world-class craftsmanship in the refurbishment of all types of passenger coaches and rolling stock, it reinvented itself as TRE’s Coach Business home, manufacturing Metrorail and Shozoloza Meyl coaches.

1981 Erection of the new Blacksmith Shop.

A NEW PASSION The R300 milllion investment in infrastructure improvements in recent years has reignited the passion for railway engineering at Salt River. It has recently completed a second, upgraded version of the Phelophepa Health Train, while repairing and refurbishing some 100 coaches annually. It also services the world’s longest train, Transnet Freight Rail’s heavy-haul iron-ore train operating between Sishen and Saldanha Bay. The School of Rail Engineering based at TRE Salt River last year trained 194 students to become vehicle builders, electrical and diesel fitters, and welders.

Now it is preparing itself for significant growth following the recent announcement of PRASA’s accelerated Rolling Stock Programme, which aims to refurbish some 3 860 coaches by 2015 as part of its turnaround strategy. A return to Salt River’s glory days may well be just around the corner.

1982 The new, modern Cafeteria was welcomed by Salt River’s staff.

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OUR LEGACY

CELEBRATING VICTORY IN EUROPE

The Railways and Harbours Brigade detachment marches down Adderley Street (left) in the Liberty Cavalcade of 1944, which celebrated the end of World War II in Europe. Women war workers from the Welding and Machine Shops rode on wagons as part of the parade (above).

FROM MAKING TRAINS TO RESCUING BIRDS “Shortly after the iron-ore carrier MV Treasure sunk in Table Bay on 23 June 2000, oil slicks began to drift towards Robben and Dassen islands, both significant breeding grounds for African penguins. The oil affected 40 000 birds (41% of the world’s population) – and they were dying. The event precipitated the largest wildlife rescue effort of any species in the world. Salt River was approached by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and asked if it could make Shop 12 available for the rescue effort. We cleared out 21 846m2 and filled in the pits to make ready for army trucks that arrived with enough sand to make the penguins feel at home. We then erected porta-pools and our local tarpaulin business supplied enough tarps to create outside swimming pools to house the penguins once they were cleaned. Penguin experts flew in from all over the world to train and manage 12 500 volunteers, who worked for two months to rehabilitate the 16 000 penguins sent here. It was chaotic! We needed about five tons of pilchards a day to feed so many birds. An amazing 90% of the rescued penguins were released. A book called The Great Penguin Rescue: 40 000 Penguins, a Devastating Oil Spill, and the Inspiring Story of the World’s Largest Animal Rescue (Simon & Schuster, 2010) has been written by Dyan DeNapoli, who flew from the US to help with the rescue.”

– CHRISTO MAYS, ASSET MANAGER: TRE SALT RIVER

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Scan the QR code to watch the rescue.

OUR BUSINESS

While they celebrate 150 years of history, colleagues at TRE’s Salt River plant are already looking at ways to make the next 150 even more successful.

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tep into the office of Christo Mays, Asset Manager: TRE Salt River, and you’ll find an old parchment-type paper near his desk.

“I inherited it from the guys before me,” says Christo, “as they did from the guys before them. It’s the plan for the entire plant. The paper has gone yellow, but the plant is still recognisable. The names of the buildings have changed, but they’re all still in the same locations.”

That sense of celebrating history while embracing change pervades the Salt River plant. And while business managers have a century and a half of history to look back on, their focus is on looking forward – driven by a game-changing programme that was introduced just three years ago.

IMPROVING EFFICIENCY “The Lean Six Sigma programme has played a significant part in TRE being where it is today,” says Faizel Williams, National Lean Manager: Auxilliary. “Last year, TRE saved in excess of R187 million within a financial year – and Salt River alone saved about R30 million.”

Lean Six Sigma is a business-management tool that identifies and removes wastage and inefficiency in specific areas of the business. “One of the ways it works is by running Continuous Improvement Projects, where we identify areas of the business that are not efficient,” Faizel explains.

“For example, in one of our business units a supplier had agreed to give us a 2.5% discount if we paid within 30 days. But our payment process wasn’t structured that way – so every month we were losing discounts of more than R400 000. That’s more than R4 million a year we could have been saving. So without adding any resources, just by making our process more efficient, we managed to reduce spending significantly.”

This is the fourth year that TRE has been running the Lean Six Sigma programme, and the results are starting to show.

“The first two years were mainly about training people and getting them to understand how it works,” says Faizel. “The financial savings only came through last year. We’ve now started to see some real returns on investment.”

TAPPING INTO NEW MARKETS “It has definitely made an impact on the bottom line,” says Andree Dookoo, Local Business Manager: Finance.

“Lean is a culture, and mindsets don’t change overnight. But we’re in it for the long run, and in the long term we’ll definitely recoup our costs and start seeing improved returns.”

Faizel agrees – and he points to last year’s R187million saving and an improved bottom line as proof of the programme’s success.

“Thanks to Lean Six Sigma we are now able to produce things a lot quicker, meaning we can sell those products to the market for a bit less, and so compete with other companies and start tapping into their markets as well, which we were not able to do in the past. That automatically means the business is growing significantly. Even though South Africa has gone through a recession recently, Transnet grew, and Lean Six Sigma played a big part in that growth.”

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KAGISO MOKOENA ACTING LOCAL BUSINESS MANAGER: COACHES

The Coaches business unit is made up of a staff of 319, overseen by six managers who report directly to Kagiso. “That’s a lot of people!” he says. “But I’m motivated by seeing them all being happy at work. That helps me to get my own work done, and to remind myself that I must also do my part.”

Kagiso has been with the company since 2005 and, although he works with coaches every day, he still smiles when he sees those yellow and grey Metrorail coaches zipping through the station near the plant at Salt River. “Just seeing the people who use those trains reminds me that I’m doing something to help our local communities.

And that pushes me to come here to the plant and say: ‘Let’s build some more coaches!’”

MORE ...

For more information on the Coaches business, contact Kagiso Mokoena, Acting Local Business Manager: Coaches, on 021 507 2360 or kagiso. mokoena@transnet.net

OUR BUSINESS: COACHES

Keeping trains

Whether you’re on a suburban passenger train, a country-crossing mainline train or even a life-saving Health Train, the Coaches business unit is responsible for getting you moving.

e say “rail engineering”, you think “trains”. We say “trains”, and the mental picture that comes into your mind is what the team at TRE calls “coaches”. And if you’re one of the tens of thousands of Metrorail commuters who travel by rail between any of Cape Town’s 109 stations every day, then you probably don’t know where that train – or coach – comes from.

“Those trains come from right here in Salt River,” says Kagiso Mokoena, Acting Local Business Manager: Coaches. “A lot of people don’t know that; I guess they think the trains come from China or somewhere, but the truth is, when you stop at Salt River station, you’re actually not very far from the yard where those passenger coaches are built!”

KEEPING THE CITY MOVING “There is a very close relationship between Cape Metrorail and us,” says Kagiso. “Metrorail depends on us to make

on track sure that the availability of their units is on track. If we don’t supply them on time, Metrorail can’t transport all those people out there. If anything goes wrong with a coach – for example, if a motor dies – then it will come back to us and we need to produce a quick turnaround so that they can send that train back to traffic. It’s all about making more coaches available.

In some cases, we’ll refurbish the coach to make it like new, and in other cases, we’ll take one of the old coaches that are not being used and we’ll turn that into a new coach.”

The Coaches business workshops at Salt River – all of which have ISO 9001 certification – take care of refurbishing, upgrading and repairing approximately 100 coaches every year. Refurbishment includes a variety of services, ranging from those applied to the Phelophepa Health Train or to the South African Police Services coaches that were used during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, through to inter-city and suburban passenger coaches. The Coaches business also provides general overhauls, upgrades, conversions and rebuilding of motor and trailer coaches in various door configurations for PRASA, Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl.

“In the Shosholoza Meyl, you have the Premier Class, Tourist Class, and so on – and we deal with all those trains here,” says Kagiso. “We don’t really do much maintenance on the Shosholoza Meyl – the depots take care of that – but if there’s major work to be done, then they’ll bring the coach to our plant.

“We also do the Phelophepa coaches here,” Kagiso adds. “We recently completed the second train set for the Health Train – it went to traffic in March.”

Other clients for the Coaches business include the Eastern Cape government’s Kei Rail, and the division is now looking to expand its business into the rest of the southern African market.

LINKS IN THE CHAIN Like so many of all the business units at TRE’s Salt River plant, the Coaches unit relies on its stablemates to keep its production flowing smoothly. The unit is supplied with components by the Rolling Stock Equipment unit, which provides bogies (or undercarriages) for all coaches. The Rotating Machine business unit then supplies traction motors and components, while the Wheels business unit supplies the wheels. That interconnectedness helps to drive the success of the Coaches unit.

The Coaches unit currently has capacity to produce one full Metrorail train set – consisting of two motor coaches and six plain trailers – every month, resulting in annual production of 11 Metrorail train sets and a potential financial turnover of R340 million. The plant has capacity to accommodate an increase in production at any moment.

As far as mainline business goes, the Coaches unit is equipped to produce two Shosholoza Meyl train sets a year, with potential turnover of R90 million, and one Phelophepa train set, at a turnover of R82 million.

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To the best of my knowledge, Shop 10, or Bay 21 as we all know it, is the longest TRE workshop in the country, measuring about 550 metres.

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n railways language, “Rolling Stock” refers to all the vehicles that move on the railway line. That’s a very broad brush – so it’s no surprise, then, that the company’s Rolling Stock Equipment operation (RSE) has had to be divided up into four separate units (based in Bloemfontein, Durban and Koedoespoort). And it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise either to learn that this part of the business has seen phenomenal growth over the years.

“RSE Salt River started in 2002 as part of the Rotating Machines business,” says Coenraad Cronje, Local Business Manager: RSE. “Back then, we had just 23 people on the operational side of the business and a budget of about R7 million. The plan was that we would

COENRAAD CRONJE

LOCAL BUSINESS MANAGER: RSE 16

get the business to a level of R15 million in three years. We reached that target in about nine months!”

That growth prompted the company to split the RSE section from the Rotating Machines section, with RSE operating as a profit centre. “RSE Salt River has grown from a R75-million budget in 2002 to a R102-million business in 2010,” says Coenraad, “and that’s excluding the depots in Uitenhage and in Swartkops, which both fall under RSE Salt River. For 2012/13, our budget will increase again, mainly due to new components that we are going to refurbish. This will also result in an increase in staff from our current team of 72 to about 96 employees.”

Pay a visit to this division and you’ll see telltale signs of that growth – and of TRE Salt River’s fabled history. The business

Coenraad lives and breathes the railways. After qualifying as an artisan in 1981, he worked as a Design Draughtsman in what was then the PP&S (Plant Plan and Supply) Drawing Office in Pretoria. His career then took him to the busy West Coast harbour town of Saldanha, where he worked on the iron-ore line. In 2002, he

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was initially based in the old Bogie Shop area, but space shortages meant a move to Shop 10 – and then another move to the building next door. “To the best of my knowledge, Shop 10, or Bay 21 as we all know it, is the longest TRE workshop in the country, measuring about 550 metres,” says Coenraad. “For years Bay 21 was a woodwork shop, where lumber was cut into sheets and dried in the ovens.

Those ovens are now ablution facilities for our colleagues!”

moved to Salt River and took up the position of Operational Manager, before becoming Local Business Manager: Rotating Machines. He has been Local Business Manager: Rolling Stock Equipment since 2008. He’s seen his division grow over the years. “We started the Rotating Machines business with 23 operational people, and RSE and RM were

one entity. Now RM in Salt River has about 120 people and RSE has 72.”

MORE ...

For more information on the RSE business, contact Coenraad Cronje, Local Business Manager: RSE, on 021 507 2661 or coenraad. cronje@transnet.net

OUR BUSINESS: ROLLING STOCK EQUIPMENT

Rolling along

TRE Salt River’s Rolling Stock Equipment section has seen plenty of growth over the years – and it’s gearing up for even more.

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ALBERT KIRKWOOD

LOCAL BUSINESS MANAGER: ROTATING MACHINES If you’re a client, you know that Albert’s on your side. “I started out in locomotives, with my apprenticeship, and I used to be Transnet’s customer,” he says. “Back then I was buying product from them, and now I’m here perfecting those products.

So I’ve seen both sides.”

So, after more than two decades in the business, does he love his job?

“Most definitely,” he says.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t have been here for 22 years! There’s never a dull moment. I’ve experienced everything. What I love about working here is the ability of the staff to change their mindset. Look, this is a big company, and in big companies there’s normally a big resistance to change. But if you put a challenge in front of the people here, they’ll rise to meet it – every time.”

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For more information on the Rotating Machines business, contact Albert Kirkwood, Local Business Manager: RM, on 021 507 2143 or albert. kirkwood@transnet.net

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In 2007, the Salt River depot rewrote the history books – and the railengineering textbooks – by repairing 197 motors in the space of just three weeks.

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OUR BUSINESS: ROTATING MACHINES

The Rotating Machines unit takes care of the very heart of what Transnet Rail Engineering is all about: the motors that drive our locomotives – and our business.

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f Rail Engineering is the heart of Transnet’s business (and you’ll find few at the Salt River plant who’ll disagree with that statement), then Rotating Machines is what keeps that heart pumping. “Very simply, a rotating machine is a motor,” explains Albert Kirkwood, Local Business Manager: Rotating Machines. “And by that I mean any kind of motor that has an armature and a coil system. Basically, what we build and fix here in our workshops is the part of the machine that makes the train go.”

Of course, the team in the Rotating Machines unit doesn’t only build and fix motors. The extensive range of products offered by the company’s national Rotating Machines businesses includes the refurbishment and upgrading of traction motors of AC, DC and dieselelectric locomotives; the manufacturing and refurbishment of motor field coils;

refurbishment of locomotive blowers and domestic motors, compressors and exhausters for locomotives and motor coaches, and arc chutes for locomotive and motor coach switch gear… the list goes on and on.

THE NONSTOP SHOP “Our workshops at the Salt River plant are divided into five sections,” says Albert. “Those are stripping, traction build, coil, armature and auxiliary, which basically covers all the work that falls outside traction motors.” At the risk of sounding technical, the motors that Albert’s team deals with include the diesel locos’ A13s, A6s and 764s; the 6E type from class 6E electric motors; and Metrorail’s electric motor coaches’ 5M2A type. Salt River serves as the central traction motor repair shop for TRE’s western region.

“Let me give you an idea of what that means,” says Albert. “At present, the longest railway line in the Western Cape is the Sishen-to-Saldanha line.” He’s right: at 861km, that line is the key transport link between the Northern Cape’s ironore mines and the sea port. “On that line we have approximately 120 diesel locos running,” Albert continues. “That means an average of 120 GE Class 34 locos, multiplied by six” – each Class 24 dieselelectric locomotive being equipped with six GE 761 or A13 traction motors – “and you get 686 motors running on that line. Now each of those locomotives is overhauled by my team at Salt River.

We’re the only ones in South Africa who work on those motors.” That figure is all

the more impressive when you consider that the GE traction motors weigh about 2.2 tons each – and that Salt River’s Rotating Machines division has a staff complement of just 148 people.

PROUD HERITAGE Mind you, the Rotating Machines team has a proud heritage of hard work to live up to. In 2007, the Salt River depot rewrote the history books – and the railengineering textbooks – by repairing 197 motors in the space of just three weeks.

In June 2007, a series of locomotive failures meant that, instead of receiving its standard load of 40 to 50 motors a month from around South Africa, the Salt River depot received 18 motors a day from Saldanha alone.

“When we were told by Transnet’s former COO, Louis van Niekerk, what our workflow was going to be, and that the time was non-negotiable, we simply did whatever it took to make it work,” Nazlie Tobias, Salt River’s former Local Business Manager: Rotating Machines, said at the time. Today, Albert refers to the episode affectionately as “that Saldanha fiasco” (smiling as he does, like someone who lived – and learned – through it all), and he uses it as an example of the unit’s ability to think on its feet and react quickly when faced with a challenge.

“The Lean Six Sigma system has certainly helped us,” he adds, citing the business tool that underpins TRE’s operations. It’s great, and it’s brought a new mentality to the floor of being smarter in how we work. I agree 200 per cent with its principles.”

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THE

wheel

deal

LUVUYO RULASHE LOCAL BUSINESS MANAGER: WHEELS

Originally from Port Elizabeth, Luvuyo has been with the company for six years. “I started out in the Wagons business in Uitenhage, then moved to Saldanha, and now I’m at Salt River,” he says. “I’ve been with the Wheels business for the past three years, and here I learn new things every day.”

Luvuyo loves the challenges that the Wheels business throws at him. “There’s something new every day,” he says, “but we face those challenges and try to find solutions as we go along.”

Luvuyo’s Wheels team is made up of 110 people in total. “We have a staff complement of about 25 people at our workshop in Saldanha,” he explains, “and at Salt River we’re a team of 85.”

MORE ...

For more information on the Wheels business, contact Luvuyo Rulashe, Local Business Manager: Wheels, on 021 507 2712 or luvuyo.rulashe @transnet.net

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Obviously, without our wheels none of the trains would work.

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OUR BUSINESS: WHEELS

TRE’s Wagons and Coaches businesses owe a quiet word of thanks to the team working in the Wheels workshop. After all, without wheels, the company’s business couldn’t keep rolling forward.

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f course, every business unit at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Salt River plant thinks that it is the most important. And while it’s true that every business unit is, in its own way, key to the overall business, the team in Wheels probably has a stronger case than most. Why? Well, you try running a train without wheels!

“Obviously, without our wheels none of the trains would work,” laughs Luvuyo Rulashe, Local Business Manager: Wheels. “But on a business level, what we keep reminding ourselves in the Wheels unit is that if we cannot support our Wagons or Locomotives businesses, then the ability of those businesses to move tonnage will be compromised and their targets won’t be met. So yes, I’d say ours is a very important business unit!”

The Salt River Wheels workshop is one of seven TRE facilities located across South Africa, all of which are ISO 9001:2001 certified and all of which comply with the standards laid down by the American Association of Railroads.

The Wheel business is equipped with the latest technology, including wheelprofiling portal lathes and laser-beam measuring equipment to ensure that

the wheels it produces are perfectly fitted to the country's 1 067mm rail gauge.

“We provide the wheels for locomotives, wagons and mainline passenger coaches,” says Luvuyo. “Our role is to make sure that those wheels are in good shape, and make sure that those wagons and locomotives are always available to move tonnages.”

The Wheels business is able to refurbish old wheels and assemble new wheels – but, in keeping with the wastagefree culture of Lean Six Sigma, about 95% of the wheels are refurbished and the remaining 5% are built new. The refurbishment activities include wheel re-profiling; the machining of axles, centres and tyres; and the fitting of wheel bearings, driving gears and motor-suspension tubes.

The Salt River workshop – which is complemented by the facility at Saldanha – services internal clients such as TRE’s own Coaches, Wagons and Locos businesses, as well as external clients like the PRASA subsidiary Metrorail.

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SUPPORT SERVICES

Taking care of business As in any major plant, maintenance and management play a vital role in the smooth running of TRE Salt River. And that’s where Projects comes in.

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For more on the Projects unit, contact Roger Lawrence, Local Business Manager: Projects, on 021 507 2268 or roger.lawrence @transnet.net

ust because TRE’s Salt River plant is 150 years old doesn’t mean it should look 150 years old. There’s an ongoing need for maintenance around the plant – whether that’s the machinery in the workshop or the actual workshops themselves. Just ask Roger Lawrence, Local Business Manager: Projects, whose unit oversees all maintenance and development projects at Salt River, as well as at outlying depots such as Bellville and Saldanha.

“It’s our job to ensure that any investment in capital achieves maximum returns, and achieves the strategic business objectives of TRE,” Roger says. “So we support the various businesses in their infrastructure planning, and we ensure that those projects are delivered according to the needs of that particular business.”

Any capital project that is budgeted at more than R150 000 is registered with Roger’s team,

The Product Development team keeps TRE’s equipment on the leading edge of design excellence.

E

very piece of equipment produced at TRE Salt River – whether it’s a coach, a wheel or a traction motor – starts out as an idea in somebody’s head. It’s the job of the Product Development team to transform that idea into a useable end product. But that’s just the start of it.

“Product Development is quite broad,” says Abel Sibiya, Local Business Manager: Products, “but basically we do the design and development of all rolling stock. We’re looking at the jigs and fixtures and all the layouts that are done within the plant – so that’s any equipment that needs to be redesigned, recalculated or remodelled.

We’ll configure the equipment, issue the new drawings and configurations, document it all, and then compile the

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who will then take care of the budgeting, planning and execution of the project.

Walk around the Salt River plant and you’ll get a good picture of the work they do. And if you ask Roger to name a few of the bigger projects his unit has handled over the years, he will – in the typically focused manner of a project manager – only tell you about the project he’s working on right now.

“We’re currently in the process of what you might call a 10-year programme,” he says. “We’re renovating all the workshops, we’re managing the acquisition of new machinery and new production equipment, we’re overseeing the design of the new workshops, training centres and the office environment… I’d say we’re in about year five right now. There are buildings here that were really dilapidated, and they have been renovated and transformed into something that’s completely new and world-class.”

Back from the drawing board

manuals required for training the staff on Engineering, we also certify new welders. how to use the equipment.”

The second division is Design and Working together with the various Development. “That’s where we do all the business units, the eight-person Product modelling of new equipment,” says Abel, Development team will identify any pointing out the team’s 3D computer component or piece of equipment – no design software. “In the old days it was matter how big or how small – that needs done using paper and pencil,” he smiles. to be redesigned, and then “We still have the old come up with a workable drawing boards and when solution and replacement. new students come in, we’ll Product Development has give them exercises to two divisions. “One takes complete on the boards care of welding inspection,” so they understand how explains Abel. “Wherever the equipment works welding is done, we control and how to redesign it.”

For more on Product the documents and ensure After 150 years on the Development, contact the operators follow the cutting edge of product Abel Sibiya, Local correct procedure. Together development, some things Business Manager: Product Development, with TRE’s School of never change…

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on 021 507 2683 or abel.sibiya@ transnet.net

SUPPORT SERVICES

The buying game At the centre of all our various business units lies the Procurement department, which controls the division’s purse strings.

I

t's a big word, but “procurement” basically means “buying”.

Or, in the words of Heena Ranchod, Local Business Manager: Procurement, “the Procurement unit has been set up to acquire goods and services – and in this regard, goods are materials that are required for the various businesses within TRE.” So what’s on their shopping list? Anything and everything.

“Typically, if we go, for example, to the Coaches business, we are buying windows for them, door gear mechanisms, steel plates, nuts... Every single thing, from bolts to For more on the wipers, that Procurement unit, goes into what contact Heena Ranchod, Local Business Manager: we make here Procurement, on 021 at the Salt 507 2902 or heena.

River plant,” ranchod@transnet.net says Heena.

Because they control the proverbial purse strings for TRE’s Salt River and Bellville plants, Heena and her lean team of 14 find themselves at the centre of all the various business units. “We speak to everyone,” she says, “from Auxiliary to Quality to the guys who work down in Wheels, Coaches, Rolling Stock Equipment, Rotating Machines... How the process works is this: the business unit will put in a request, the purchase will go through my team, and we will procure that particular part for them. The buyers, who report directly to me, will then place the order.”

Procurement has always been part of TRE’s business, whether it was centralised or decentralised to the various regions (as it is now). The biggest change to the business came recently, when the department was ISO 35 certified.

“ISO has improved our processes by putting them under documented control,” Heena explains. “So when goods are received, they are delivered directly to our stores. From there our Quality department does a quality check on the materials that have been delivered, and if the supplier has not delivered according to our requirements, Quality will notify us, we will notify the supplier, and we will do a return of goods and ask them to bring the correct material.”

“Buying”? Sure. But, as Heena illustrates, the most important part of the Procurement department’s job is to ensure that what they buy is up to TRE’s high standards of excellence.

Up to

scratch The Quality unit ensures that everything we make meets the highest standards.

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ohn Boshoff doesn’t have an easy job. As Local Business Manager: Quality, he and his 16-person team are tasked with making sure that everything that’s built at TRE’s Salt River plant is made to customer requirements, Transnet business requirements and to the requirements of the stringent international ISO 9001 quality standards.

“Everything that’s built in the plant has a checklist and inspection documentation,” says John, pointing to a system that covers products dating back five – and in many cases 10 – years. “Each coach, for example, has a file number, so if something happens with that coach in six months or a year’s time, we can pull the file and trace each step of the product’s construction.

“Our main responsibility is to ensure the quality of the various products,” says John, “and by that I mean our coaches, wheels, motors, under-frames, everything.

And we check it all, right from the beginning. So, for example, when a coach comes in, we’re involved in the pre-examination. Then we have holding points during the processing phase; we’re there when it’s stripped, checking all the motors and components and so on; when it’s refitted, we’re involved in all the documentation; and we hold weekly meetings to chart progress with the customer. Then at the end of the day we’re involved in the final inspection when the product is handed over to the customer.”

And the customers – and the external auditors – are very happy with what they’re getting. Most of the plant’s products are built for the heavy-haul Sishen-toSaldanha line. Says John, “In the past, you might have a motor failure reported once every week or two, but these day we get maybe one report every two or three weeks, and they’re not serious problems.”

For more on the Quality unit, contact John Boshoff, Local Business Manager: Quality, on 021 507 2858 or john.boshoff @transnet.net

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SUPPORT SERVICES

On the move Need to move a wheel – or a motor, or a brake – from one depot to another?

CAL is the solution … for the time being.

The Auxiliary unit provides the final step in the production process … but what a step that is!

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fter Product Development has drawn up the design, the Coaches and Rolling Stock teams have built the products, and the Wheels and Rotating Machines teams have fitted their components, you’re left with an almost-finished product. The business unit that takes it that final step, from almost-finished to finished, is the Auxiliary unit. “We do the finishing touches and the rounding off, and make sure the products look smart,” says Neville Solomons, Local Business Manager: Auxiliary. His team is made up of 60 people across the western region (including Port Elizabeth, East London, Uitenhage, Kimberley, Worcester and Lime Acres), with 15 of them based at the plant in Salt River.

To understand the importance of the Auxiliary team’s work, you have to understand the full extent For more on the of what they do.

Auxiliary unit, contact Neville Solomons, Local Neville runs off a Business Manager: quick list: “We do Auxiliary, on 021 all the upholstery 507 2643 or neville. solomons@transnet.net. for the mainline coaches, including Shosholoza Meyl Premier Class, Kei Rail and the Phelophepa Health Train. We do sitters, sleepers, repairs. We’re responsible for the distribution, repairs and washing of the tarpaulins that cover the carriages transporting maize and other foodstuffs. We do gear case seals for the Rolling Stock business, which we put into the wheel crater to lubricate the wheel to prevent oil spillages. We do what we call gummies for the Coaches business, which are the rubber diaphragms that prevent metal hitting against metal when two coaches come together. For Rotating Machines we’ll sometimes do coil covers so that the coils they build for the locomotives aren’t exposed to dust.” The list goes on and on.

And as Neville rattles off the jobs his team takes care of – even down to small details like the leather belts that keep medicine bottles secure and in place on the Phelophepa Health Train – it quickly becomes clear that the Auxiliary unit is what makes the difference between a good product and a great product.

TRE Salt River’s long history of great products owes a lot to this dedicated business unit, which steps in at the end to apply that final finishing touch.

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o keep a complex business like TRE running, you need a finely tuned distribution solution.

At the Salt River plant, that solution is spelled C-A-L. “It stands for Centralised Auxiliary Logistics’,” says Morné Botha, Local Business Manager: CAL, “and basically it means the logistics and transportation of components.”

Morné and his centralised team handle all the transportation of components nationally. “So that’s your wheels, your traction motors … even envelopes! If you need a component – so that takes out locomotives, wagons and coaches – to be moved between any of TRE’s various depots around the country, we’ll handle that.”

The CAL service has been operating for about three years, and was established to meet the immediate need of controlling the complexities of internal distribution.

Morné uses this example to illustrate how it works: Let’s say you’re in Saldanha and you need a locomotive brake switch from Koedoespoort. “To move that component via rail is going to take some time, and you need your locomotive to go back into service as soon as possible.

What we’ll do is either fly it to you overnight or do a same-day delivery by road. But by having us handle this, it helps the company to be more efficient in our transport costs. In the past our business units would just phone contractors from outside companies, but now they have to work through CAL.” This is in line with the Lean Six Sigma culture of reducing costs and boosting efficiency – but Morné is the first to admit it’s not a long-term solution. “Part of Transnet’s strategy is not to move things on road, which is what we’re currently doing,” he says. “Items that have longer lead times are moved via rail, but the emergency stuff we’ll move by road. Now the company wants eventually to move over completely to rail transport, so we know that we’re not part of the long-term strategy.”

As long as they’re there, though, CAL will continue to move products quickly, cheaply and efficiently.

For more on the CAL unit, contact Morné Botha, Local Business Manager: CAL, on 021 507 2123 or morne. botha@transnet.net.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Connecting the dots

For a snapshot of how our business has evolved, look no further than the hi-tech EIMS unit.

I

f you were to sketch out a plan of TRE’s business units and to electrify our system – but the first PCs were still the old then link each of them by drawing a spider’s web of lines, ones, which didn’t have an operating system on a hard drive those interconnecting lines would represent the EIMS – like we have today. You had to boot it up using one of those or Enterprise Information Management Services – unit. old stiffy discs!”

It manages and monitors every aspect of the business, From that single computer, the business has now grown from Payroll and Human Capital to e-mails, shared files to 457 PC users in the Western region alone. “It’s gone from and videoconferencing. The EIMS unit allows the business dumb terminals to PC terminals and SAP,” Neil says, referring to run detailed production-control systems, to the German Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte which let colleagues know which resources (Systems Applications and Products) software are required, what needs to be acquired and that provides a common corporate database for where it needs to go. the company’s computer users to interact with Neil Norton, Local Business Manager: EIMS, one another. SAP was implemented in 2000 – has been with the company for 42 years now “prior to that we had an American system called – and he’s spent the past 25 of those working in MCBA, or Mini Computer Business Application,” information technology. He remembers the day Neil recalls – and it now allows the EIMS unit to For more on when Salt River’s first computer was installed. keep track of the business. the EIMS unit, “It was in the pattern shop, where I worked,” “Electronic data is so powerful,” says Neil. “It’s contact Neil Norton, Local Business Neil says. “They had the old Kardex system that really the integration of all the different business Manager: EIMS, on was based on a piece of card, and everything units within our environment, and we can now do it 021 507 2408 or was done manually. Later we installed PCs all just sitting at our desktops.” neil.norton@ transnet.net

Team talk

The Human Capital unit takes care of the company’s biggest asset: its people.

P

iet Herbst has seen some changes over the years.

“When I started, there were more than 2 000 people at Salt River,” he says. “I’ve heard that in the past there were as many as 5 000.

These days we have about 1 400 working for TRE in the western region, with about 900 based at Salt River.”

As Employee Relations Manager, Piet takes a special interest in the

people who work at the Salt River plant.

He’s been with the company for just over three decades now – and he’s found that kind of long-term service, while perhaps rare in other industries, is fairly common in TRE. “It’s been like this for all the years I’ve been here,” he says. “People tend to stay here, and retire here.”

And while the plant’s staff complement isn’t as big as it used to be, Piet says that it’s growing once again: “I think the Lean Six Sigma programme is a part of that, because we’re always looking for places where we can cut costs in order to increase our investment in other areas.”

Ask Piet what Human Capital’s core business is and he’ll point to those two magic words. “The company sees human beings as its capital, and our task is to look after that investment. So we take care of their social wellbeing, their human relationships and, wherever they need personal help, we will either

help them or refer them to people who can. Our main functions are looking after compensation, organisational development, recruitment, employee relations and so on.”

Looking back at the plant’s 150year history, Bongiwe Mhlaluka, Local Business Manager: Human Resources, believes the biggest change is the number of growth opportunities staff now have. “In the past only certain people were allowed to grow. Today there are lots of opportunities for everybody.”

For more on the Human Capital unit, contact Bongiwe Mhlaluka, Local Business Manager: Human Capital, on 021 507 2826 or bongiwe.mhlaluka@ transnet.net

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Keeping Transnet employees safe VICKY GELDENHUYS RISK MANAGER

Vicky Geldenhuys has been living the 7 Golden Safety Actions at Transnet for 32 years. “I started working for Transnet in 1980 as an apprentice,” he says, “and then I went to the workshop as an artisan, then to the drawing office, then the assets office and finally to risk management. With 16 years as risk manager and 32 years at the plant, I have a good understanding of how everything works.

It’s been an interesting time to work here – when I started, the plant had a National Occupational Safety Accredited Award.

Now we’re on track to being five-star rated again.

“The best thing about my job is the unexpected: I cannot plan a day; things change in seconds. One thing I’ve learnt about this job is not to panic. You need to stay calm to handle a situation. If you come in with a negative mindset, you’re in trouble – you need to think on your feet and put things in place to help the business achieve its targets. At the end of the day, I’m supporting everyone else in their roles. That gives me a huge amount of satisfaction.”

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For more information on the 7 Golden Safety Actions, contact Vicky Geldenhuys, Risk Manager, on 021 507 2685 or vicky.geldenhuys @transnet.net

The 7 Golden Safety Actions were created to keep Transnet colleagues safe at all times – but have also been inspiring them to live the promise for the past 150 years.

SAFETY

A

t the TRE Salt River plant, everyone understands that a good Loss Control Programme is inseparable from productivity and efficiency, and essential for motivation.

Because the work force is so diverse – trained in about 20 different trades in the field of mechanical engineering – there is a wide spectrum of design and potential hazards, which means management and supervisors have a huge responsibility to their colleagues.

Risk Manager Vicky Geldenhuys has seen a great improvement in work procedures, and in the attitude of his colleagues towards work. “I believe in continual improvement,” he says. “Any information that can improve the system means we can make the place safer for all the people who work here.”

He’s also positive about the future at Salt River. “We’re on track to get back to a five-star grading from the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) this year – for the whole Western Cape region. This year we’re halfway through the audit and standing at 92.24% – we need 91%.” Vicky is quick to point out that he’s not the only person responsible for these fantastic figures. “Although I’m the manager of the safety department, it’s not one person’s job – everyone has a part to play and one person can’t do it alone. If everyone works together, we will succeed. The most important thing is teamwork – there’s no two ways about it.”

WHAT IS A NOSA AUDIT? An annual examination of the risk-management system of a company and how it complies with the national standard.

This audit measures specific safety, health and environmental factors as well as any incidents that have occurred. The result of this audit is given as a NOSA star grading.

TRANSNET’S 7 GOLDEN SAFETY ACTIONS AFTER A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH, TRANSNET SAFETY EXPERTS HAVE COME UP WITH SEVEN PRACTICAL ACTIONS TO PREVENT INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS: “I rest well and work safely.”

“I take responsibility for myself and my team and I don’t blame others.”

“If I don’t understand and if I have a problem, I speak up and say so.”

“No matter what my level, I contribute to improving safety.”

“I know the standard operating procedures and safety rules, follow them and don’t take shortcuts.”

“I will not perform unsafe work and put myself and others in danger.”

“I always prepare, check and report unsafe acts and conditions.”

How do Transnet colleagues live the 7 Golden Safety Actions?

Respect: At the Salt River plant, colleagues know that the Golden Safety Actions are put in place to keep them safe, healthy and happy at work: it’s a matter of respect for other colleagues.

Responsibility: At Salt River, each colleague takes responsibility for his or her own actions, and doesn’t blame others for small mistakes.

Teamwork: One of the key Golden Safety Actions that the Salt River plant values is working together to ensure the work environment is as safe as possible for everyone, no matter what their role.

Taking care: Salt River colleagues know that it’s important to report any unsafe conditions they see, and that accidents can be prevented if the cause is caught in time.

In this way, Salt River lives the promise of the 7 Golden Safety Actions.

WHAT IS THE NOSCAR AWARD? The NOSCAR (National Occupational Safety Accredited Award) is the ultimate safety award in South Africa. When Transnet Salt River received the award in 1989, it was the first time the South African Transport Services had received a NOSCAR. It is an exclusive award that recognises consistent accident-prevention efforts by large industries.

HEROES OF THE SAFETY DEPARTMENT Swakkie van Zyl was the kingpin of the safety department as Risk Manager. Safety was his outright passion and – together with the Mechanical Engineer, John Boonzaaier – he was the driving force behind the 13 years of five-star ratings. “John and Swakkie were an amazing team,” recalls Vicky.

ACHIEVEMENTS The Salt River plant has always been committed to improving working conditions, educating colleagues and reducing production loss.

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SUCCESSIVE LOUBSER SAFETY AWARDS

NOSA audit in 1990

96%

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School of pride Acknowledged as a centre of excellence, the School of Engineering at TRE Salt River keeps the company on track for success.

S

edick van der Schyff has reason to be proud. Since this quietly spoken man took up the position of Regional Capacity Building Manager at TRE Salt River six years ago, the Salt River School of Engineering has grown from a single classroom to a thriving campus where 176 students, 21 Section 28 apprentices and 12 university students are being prepared for the future. TRE

also opened a School of Engineering in Saldanha recently. Founded in 1957, the Transnet School of Engineering provides technical and engineering training at seven campuses throughout the country, on the premise that enhanced technical and engineering competencies are key to sustaining the Transnet growth strategy. Its vision is to be a global leader in providing core competencies in the engineering industry, and at Salt River that vision comes to life.

Training is offered to welders, millwrights, electricians, sheet-metal

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workers, turner machinists and liftingmachine operators, as well as the vehicle builders and wagon fitters who will keep Transnet rolling into the future. The goal is to train 3 000 students by 2014 – 300 of those at Salt River, where Sedick proudly leads a tour of the campus, pointing out plans for expansion. A disused warehouse is destined to become a classroom. A section of barren land that links the two main training areas is set to be transformed into a green oasis where students will be able to relax between classes.

Accident-free for 15 years, and with a 95% pass rate, the Salt River campus has been named the best school of engineering in the country. There is plenty of evidence of its success – an entire wall is covered with framed certificates detailing the accomplishments of its students; another bears evidence of the qualifications held by training staff who occupy a modern open-plan office expressive of a new Transnet culture. Sedick is deeply committed to the principles of the Transnet Culture Charter and its values underpin the running of the school.

There’s a great deal more to be proud of.

The school is ISO-listed, and has maintained a five-star NOSA grading for the past four years. It is accredited to conduct trade tests in both the electrical and mechanical trades, meaning its students no longer have to travel to Olifantsfontein in Pretoria. But still, there is work to be done. Safety remains a top-of-mind challenge, communication must improve, and there are new targets to meet in the number of female students recruited for careers in engineering. At the Salt River School of Engineering, there is always something more to strive for.

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

SEDICK VAN DER SCHYFF

REGIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING MANAGER

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For more information contact Sedick van der Schyff on 021 507 2845 or sedick. vanderschyff@transnet.net

Don’t ask Sedick van der Schyff to operate a spot welder or drive a forklift. Salt River’s Regional Capacity Building Manager is neither an artisan nor an engineer – with a Master’s degree in Adult Learning and Global Change, what sets him apart is that he is both an educator and a student.

Qualifications in chemistry and accounting testify to his passion for learning, and he has first-hand knowledge of how a student can go from failure to

success. The father of three recalls how he came close to abandoning his accounting studies when he initially failed every subject. Taking a more positive approach saw him being named top student in his second year, and eventually passing his courses with distinction.

It’s an invaluable lesson about tenacity and about “giving yourself a chance” that he’s now able to share with Salt River School of Engineering’s 176 students.

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ALBERT VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

PHELOPHEPA PROJECT MANAGER Being involved with the Phelophepa project is “a privilege”, says Project Manager Albert van der Westhuizen, who worked closely with Apie Marais and Marius Stander to construct the second “train of good, clean health”.

“It’s about more than making profit – it is about adding value in a different way,” he explains.

Around 130 TRE Salt River employees worked for 20 months to complete Phelophepa 2, a R85 million project. Over the next nine months the team will upgrade Phelophepa 1 to the same standard.

Watching the health train at work “moved us to tears – but in a positive way. We saw people arrive who’d been suffering from poor eyesight, and leave grateful and smiling. It is experiences like these that motivate us to walk that extra mile with a smile,” says Albert. .

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For more information on the Phelophepa Project, contact Albert van der Westhuizen, Phelophepa Project Manager, on 021 507 2619 or albert. vanderwesthuizen@transnet.net

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Hope

arrives by rail TRE Salt River recently sent-off a technological marvel called Phelophepa 2, and will soon give a makeover to a very special 18-year-old: Phelophepa 1.

F

or nine months every year, the Phelophepa Primary Health Care Train carries hope and healing to places whose names you seldom hear: Swartkops, Acornhoek, Letsetele… These small towns in remote areas have a single lifeline running through them – the railway line. And on those occasions when a white train is seen approaching in the distance, the people who live here don’t have to read the red letters

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along the side to know that the Phelophepa is on the way. Its 18 coaches arrive in town to spread its message of good, clean health – and deliver a host of services. These range from prescription lenses for a child who is struggling to see the blackboard at school to a free screening for glaucoma; from a dental filling to a lesson about brushing and flossing.

Then there are also Pap smears and prostate checks in the Roche-sponsored Health Clinic, and solution-focused counselling in the

SOCIAL INVESTMENT

Computer lab for Bardale High School Bardale, near Emfuleni on the Cape Flats, has more than 640 learners. “It opened in 2008 with about 400 learners and there is now a dire need for additional facilities,” says Roger Lawrence, Local Business Manager: Projects, who discovered that the school has only a few prefabricated classrooms and no computer facilities or admin support. “We contacted the Department of Education, who facilitated our involvement,” says Roger, who projectmanaged the construction of two 6m by 3m containers that were joined together and converted into a computer lab, complete with 23 computers donated by TRE Salt River. They also donated three computers to administration staff. “The lab is equipped with air conditioning, white boards, a data projector to enable the e-learning curriculum and good security.”

Very little parental support is possible in this community, and so the new lab has been a welcome addition to the school.

Psychology Clinic, where stories of trauma and violence, unemployment and Aids are heard with an empathetic ear.

The older members of the community may recall the time when the Phelophepa was the Eye Train – three repurposed railway coaches fitted with optometry equipment on a nine-month journey to diagnose eye disease, dispense spectacles and change lives. That was in 1993. The train was renamed Phelophepa – the train of good, clean health – the following year, and these days carries five clinics and a pharmacy, reaching 250 000 individuals on every nine-month journey. But the communities still know it by the name they gave it 18 years ago – The Miracle Train.

Miracle or the result of effort and dedication, another Phelophepa has just

rolled out of TRE Salt River. Phelophepa 2 is “a marvel of modern technology on rail,” says Transnet Foundation’s Dr Lynette Coetzee. “The high-level technology available on Phelophepa 2 will equip the Transnet Foundation to enhance the quality of health care to rural communities, while simultaneously adding more value to the training experience of participating students,” she says.

“In addition, a mobile health unit sponsored by the Swiss Friends of Phelophepa will visit schools, geriatric groups and farms to provide general health, diabetes and cancer screening, and education.”

And it doesn’t stop there. TRE Salt River will now start upgrading Phelophepa 1 to the same level.

A brick classroom for Hopefield Primary School and the community Hopefield Primary is more than 100 years old and is situated up the West Coast in the town of Hopefield. “When we discovered that the parents only managed to build the foundations for a computer classroom, we again worked in collaboration with the Department of Education to become involved in the completion of the project,” says Roger.

“The community wanted the building to serve two purposes: it should be used to teach computer literacy to the children during the day, and then serve as a community centre for adult learning in the evenings. TRE funded the project and we have now built a brick construction, and the Department of Education is providing the computer equipment.

We are also doing the furniture, fittings and air conditioning. We wanted as much community involvement in the construction as possible, as there are skilled but unemployed people in the area.

So we’ve provided the community with some employment, and they are doing the construction.” Roger is also working with the principal and governing body on project management, and overseeing progress during his visits to the school.

A staff member from Salt River goes up every week for a site visit and the classroom was opened on 9 March this year. “At Salt River, we regularly drive initiatives like this for the Western Region CSI projects,” explains Roger. “The CSI team at Salt River is also co-sponsoring a container library for Elandsbaai and several other projects are currently in the assessment phase.”

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TEAM PLAYERS As Salt River celebrates its past and looks forward to the future, colleagues share special memories and experiences.

“I enjoy teaching people to do the job properly and sharing my knowledge.”

THOBIGUNYA MPALALA, SENIOR OPERATOR: AUXILIARY

DUWAYNE ADAMS, STUDENT OF THE YEAR: TRAINEE MACHINIST

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MALCOLM LOUW, LOGISTICS CHASER: WHEELS

sa “When I wa take ther used to boy my mo y morning ery Saturda v e n w to to me yed. My I really enjo h ic h w , in a told on the tr at Salt River, L A C in s rk wo g. I’m in my uncle, who f Engineerin o l o o ch S e g with me about th njoy workin e I d n a r a e y al ers.” third and fin t-metal work e e sh d e fi li the qua ON, CURT APLO E YEAR: OF TH STUDENT AL HEET-MET TRAINEE S KER WOR

“I am a trimmer and I work on th e sewing machines, makin g the upholstery for the Shosholo za Meyl and Phel ophepa seats. My mothe r taught me to se w when I was a young girl and I was appoin ted because I am the only lady here! I wanted to do the heavy work but they se nt me to be tuto red by Jeremiah Cronje, or ‘Boetie ’ as he’s known. He ’s been here 46 years and our workshop is peac eful because he always plays music.”

MILEKA MAXEN GANA, OPERATOR: AU XILIARY

“I’ve always wanted to be a fitter and turner, so that’s how I got to be here. My uncle is also a turner machinist and he inspired me. So the year before last I started with tool making and then I applied to the School of Engineering because I wanted the apprenticeship. I get the practical experience here and tutoring is of a high standard.”

“I started with the old SAR&H on 26 October 1970. My first tool was a broom. Once I mastered it, I was given the opportunity to study further, and qualified as a turner and machinist. I’ve been working in the wheel shop for 42 years, for which I’m grateful. Over this time I’ve met some good people and lost some good ones. Every day is a new challenge and quite demanding. Trains cannot run without wheels – soos hulle sê ‘die wiele moet draai!’”

Runner of 13 Comrades, John tells us how it was: “Fr om 1991 to 2000 our Transnet Ath letics Clubs went by tra in to Durban for the Comrad es Marathon. About 80 athletes left Cape Town for Joh annesburg, stopping at various stations to pick up oth er runners. In Jo’burg we joined all the clubs from the oth er provinces and went together in one train to Durban or Pietermaritzburg. Ab out 450 men and women took part. Transnet sponsored us and I completed 13 maratho ns from 1987 to 1999.

Today, the Salt River netball and soccer teams are active too. Th ey recently took part in the Nationa l TRE tournament in Blo emfontein on 29 October 2011. Ou r Salt River netball team came third overall and the soc cer team came first.”

JOHN BOSHOFF, LOCA L BUSINESS MANAGER: QUALITY

Memories of steam

the White Train, The private lounge on of 1947, and r Tou l ya Ro the for built . redecorated in 1975

The White Train’s be autiful communal lou nge car in Coach 51, refurb ished in 1975.

r.

-type dinning ca An early balcony

VOX POPS

Karen Damon, Acting National Customer Services Manager: Coaches, fondly recalls her experiences aboard vintage train safaris.

“I am one of the fortunate few who have had the rare privilege of reliving a bygone era by travelling on board our very own steam-hauled vintage safari train, previously operated by the Union Limited Steam Rail Tours for Transnet Heritage Foundation. For 10 years I worked for the Foundation in various positions: first as a train hostess, then Finance Supervisor, Train Manager and, finally, running the Marketing Department.

“Very little comes close to being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking and comforting click-clack of a train. And being able to do photo stops and run-pasts at the top of the Outeniqua mountains while the steam locomotive rushes past at full speed is very special.

“Ironically, the very coaches we lived in on our spectacular two-week safari tours to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and our six-day tours to the Garden Route were refurbished, maintained and housed in Salt River, where I work today.

“Trains were never a passion for me, yet they get under your skin so deeply that, even when seated in my office today, I immediately recognise the distinct sound a steam locomotive makes as it runs past on the main line. Fond memories of the leather interiors of the wood-panelled coaches, with their four-berth compartments, kitchen cars and dining cars, come flooding back.

“I truly miss the days of leaning out the window with the wind rushing past, smoke bellowing out of the locomotive, and marvelling at the beauty of our countryside, with spectacular sea on one side and mountains towering on the other. Waking up to work was a pleasure I looked forward to daily.

“Today I find myself on the other end of the spectrum. I no longer travel on the trains, but am involved in building, refurbishing and repairing some grand old dames. And as I walk through coaches with our prospective clients and overseas visitors, fond memories bring an instant smile to “Very little comes close to my face. being lulled to sleep by “On many occasions the gentle rocking and I find myself reliving comforting click-clack of the tales with my a train. And being able colleagues, who to do photo stops and may have built run-pasts at the top of them, but haven’t the Outeniqua mountains been lucky enough while the steam to live aboard!”

locomotive rushes past at full speed is very special.”

“The friendships I have made with my fellow colleagues are the best part of my experience here. Also meaningful was the time when the older, dedicated workers became artisans through the Article 28 development programme. It is so good to see people who had been disadvantaged for a long time really achieving their potential through our company. I am very proud that we have these programmes and systems to develop the next generation.”

HARDLY “OLLIE” VAN NOORDWYK, ACTING OPERATIONS MANAGER: WHEELS

velling crane lowers a An overhead electric tra er-frame onto the bogies. completed wagon und

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TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE • 2012

ing at “I started work I was a ears ago. , Transnet 26 y sporting tools n a tr – r e rk o f thing. general w try, that kind o ainly n e rp ca h it w helping rking m ss worker, wo ce ed ro p a I’m y Toda ple have mov o e p y n a m , e ike m et is in steelwork. L els in the company. Transn v le t aff and up to differen improve its st to g in k o lo s y alwa at.”

I appreciate th NGXEKEZA, NDIPHIWE M ACHES CO OPERATOR:

“I enjoy working with my team – we have a lot of people from different backgrounds all working together. Our specific task is to strip the frames of the coaches so that they’re clean when the rebuilding process starts.

I’m a senior technical worker now – I have learned a lot of skills in my 25 years of working with Transnet.”

SKUVETHI NGWANDU, FINAL CUT AND MECHANICAL WORKER: COACHES

“I’ve been here 32 years , so I also work ed on steam. I’ve no w just finished working on the new h ealth train, Ph elophepa 2.

Staff live on th e train for nin e months so it needs cabins, kitchens and even televisio plus everythin ns, g for the med ical clinic in th coaches. It’s a e ll done here. It ’s exciting. You do it for the co mmunity.”

SYBRAND “S PARKY” ALBE RTS, SPECIALIST ARTISAN: COACHES

VOX POPS

“I’ve been here since I left sch ool at 16.

I started in September 1965 , just over 46 years ago. I started by pushi ng wagons and assisting artisans. I’m very fon d of the original steam loco handbooks, the historical steam maintenance book for shedd ing and running repairs, and the old SAR list of technology and other terms, which I’ve kept all these years.”

FANIE MARAIS, SUPERINTENDENT: COACHES

“I grew up on a farm so I know how to work hard. The way I see it – if you have respect for me, I have respect for you. I like everything about my job, I can’t complain: you must be happy when you come to work, otherwise it won’t be a good day.

I’m the first guy here in the morning. I catch the train to work and then I switch on the lights and switch off the alarm – I’m here before 6am. My brother works at the docks, at Transnet Port Terminals, but I like it here.”

“The way the Sa lt River plant looks these days is very different to how it looked when I started w orking here in 1987. The buildin gs have changed, and it’s been renovate d and painted. Th are fans in all the ere workshops now . Transnet has also develop ed new trains – they keep changing as new systems come in to play, and as a technica l worker I’ve bee n able to see that up close.”

FUNDILE M TECHNICAL W VULA, ORKER: COACHES

“I started working ago, but at Transnet 26 years it was before: it’s better now than d and easier things are modernise gy. It makes me feel because of technolo e nning because I mad good to see trains ru sure to ked. It gives me plea or w els he w e th re su had ow that we’ve never kn d an g in ov m in tra see a bearing. a train moved out of any complaints that what I do.”

That’s my job – that’s E, MEKINTOSH METELS EL HE W : BEARINGS

ANDRIES MAART, SENIOR TECHNICAL WORKER: COACHES

A furnace man with long steel tongs draws a heated section of steel out of an oil-fired furna ce.

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Heavy metal heroes

Memories of Salt River in the old days came flooding back at a gathering of long-service veterans.

MATTHYS NIEUWOUDT (44 YEARS), GORDON SMILTNEEK (44 YEARS), ROBERT HARRIS (44 YEARS) AND FANIE MARAIS (46.5 YEARS).

“Ons is nie sommer fitters but steam fitters,” said Matthys, “and we all worked on the Red Devil.” “It was quite a ceremony when we finished – even the minister was here,” said Fanie, who retires in May and has a priceless collection of old steam manuals and logbooks in his office. Gordon remembered late-night trial trips on steam engines near Bloemfontein, when they would get up to speeds of 70 miles per hour (113km), but stop along the way to watch the movie playing at a drive-in near the line. But Robert Harris finally spilled the beans on one steam-train prank at Salt River. “Late one day the fireman had dropped the fire but there was still pressure in the boiler. We set off and got down as far as the gate near the running shed, but we didn’t have enough pressure to get her back, so we just left her there. In the morning, nobody could work out how the loco had got out of the shed!”

the foundry.

Welding parts in

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Workers repair an electric locomotive.

TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE • 2012

NEIL NORTON (42 YEARS).

Currently with EIMS (see page 29), Neil had just spent his week installing the networks on the new Phelophepa 2 train. He has memories of meeting another long-service hero, Shorty Hawes, 54 years ago. “I’ve known Shorty since we sang together in the church choir at St Martin’s in Bergvliet, and we went to school together. There are angelic photos of us!” He also remembers the day the Pattern Shop burnt down. He was driving over Plattekloof Hill on his way back from Bellville and noticed the smoke. “By the time I got here it was gone. My time spent working with the pattern makers was my happiest because of the camaraderie. I was also involved in making the pattern for the bronze plaques for the National Monuments Council heritage buildings. Once cast in brass, they were sent to the Plating Shop (where Shorty was a supervisor) for polishing and bronzing. At one stage we made plastic replicas to safeguard against theft. The bronze plaques were put in safekeeping, and the replicas were put on display.”

mith’s shop. mer in the blacks The steam ham

LONG SERVICE

EDMUND “STOMPIE” NIEWOUDT (ALMOST 46 YEARS), ELLIS TAYLOR (40 YEARS), GEORGE BASSON (40 YEARS) AND IRVIN “SHORTY” HAWES (41 YEARS).

George remembers working on the White Train, originally used by the Royal Family on their 1947 state visit, and for the historic summit meeting on the Rhodesian crisis that took place on Victoria Falls Bridge between Prime Minister BJ Vorster and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda in 1975. “Shorty” was at electroplating until that department closed and then went into Coaches as a procurement officer. “He’s the Englishman and I’m the Boertjie,” says Stompie, who started in Bloemfontein and came to Salt River in 1986.

He also joined Coaches when Shop 12 closed.

THOBIGUNYA MPALALA (31 YEARS).

“I’ve been working in Auxiliary since 1981 and I can now say I know how to repair canvas. When I first started it was challenging because I hadn’t yet learned the skills – and we worked on the floor.

Now we have tables and that has made things a lot easier. I made a contribution to the Phelophepa health trains, which was interesting. When I wake up every day, I know I’m coming to work to invest in my power – and at the end of the month I’m going to get a reward. It’s important to love what you do to produce good results. Sometimes when I’m on the train, I’ll hear somebody say, ‘Oh, those seats look nice,’ and I’ll just keep quiet, knowing that I’m the one who did it.

That gives me a lot of satisfaction.”

We put a steam crane into gear while the crane driver was making a cup of tea. When he came back, it was gone. He found it in Woodstock!

MELIBODI PEYI (30 YEARS).

“Before I worked at Transnet, I was in Rustenberg at a mine.

If I’d carried on working there, I could have been killed. But since joining Transnet, I’ve worked under very good conditions.

The situation is safe, my salary has improved, and my life is better because of the company benefits. I’m very grateful for the experience and the skills I’ve gained – welding, drilling and carpentry. People come to me to learn these skills now!”

STANLEY HANSEN (ALMOST 40 YEARS), JOHAN KOTZE (44 YEARS), MALCOLM LOUW (42 YEARS), GLEN HARRIS (39 YEARS) AND RAYMOND LANGMANN (42 YEARS).

These five men worked together in Wheels in “very time-driven and intense jobs. If you make one slip, you waste money and your life is on the line. Plus, if Metro stands, the whole country stands,” says Malcolm, who is still working. “They should issue us with stress balls!” Stanley, about to retire, was a senior foreman in ultrasonics, always checking for cracks in material, and Glen was the business manager. They all remember when the Malaysian coaches came through the wheel shop. “They had a narrower gauge than ours, causing problems in getting the wheels around the shop. It required some creative thinking!”

Malcolm’s highlight was being given the opportunity to complete his apprenticeship through evening classes when he was almost 50 years old. “I couldn’t have achieved it without Glen, who was my manager.” They also recall the penguin rescue effort in Shop 12. “It was chaos,” said Johan. “A few escaped and we found them waddling down the line.”

HAMILTON NGQWEMLA (35 YEARS).

“If there’s one thing I’ll remember from the 35 years I’ve worked at Transnet, it’s that I’ve been able to show I’m capable. I’ve been able to develop myself.

Both my brothers also work at Transnet – one as a driver, one in the workshop – but I started working here first. I’m about to retire from Coaches, and I would like to see lots of changes and developments happening within Transnet, so that the company continues to grow.”

ROBERT “BOB” RITTMANN (44 YEARS), JACK VAN NIEKERK (31 YEARS) AND TREVOR SMORENBURG (35 YEARS).

Bob and Trevor worked together in Production Control. “If it wasn’t for Bob I don’t think I would have made it,” says Trevor. “In those days there were more than 4 000 people here. Shop 12 was busy. Seven [Robert reckons eight] new wagons were made a day and 12 repairs were done a day.” Bob says being a blacksmith, boilermaker, engine fitter or cartwright was no fun. “They were all working with hot, riveted metal. Just imagine the frightful noise!” Jack, who started in the navy as a marine engineer and joined in 1982 as a supervisor, also remembers a man Trevor calls Tarzan. “Eddie Arnott was his name and he was 386 pounds (175kg). When foreigners visited the plant he would let out a Tarzan call and give them such a fright.”

VERNON POTTER (41 YEARS) AND DESMOND MOSTERT (44 YEARS).

Desmond, today in Human Capital, describes how he thought he was too short to be employed in the workshops so went for a job as a clerk in finance instead, but eventually worked for Vernon Potter’s father in Human Capital. Vernon is passionate about steam and has preserved all the old steam loco drawing books at the drawing office.

MNCEDISI BOLA (35 YEARS).

“Back in 1976, when I first started working for Transnet, we had to do all the work of stripping and rebuilding the coaches by hand. It would take hours and hours, but now machines have made thinks much easier and more efficient. Even when I retire, I’ll remember the time management took us all to Sea Point for a staff party – to have fun and enjoy ourselves.”

WANTU MLONYENI (30 YEARS).

“A lot of positive changes have happened at Transnet in the past 30 years. Many people from disadvantaged backgrounds have been given jobs. I’ve managed to buy myself a house so I can stay with my family – it gives me a lot of pride that my time at Transnet has turned into something I own and love.”

LONG-SERVICE AWARDS: 30 years: Everhardus Smith, William de Vos, Andries Vermeulen, Christoffel Carstens, André

Muller, Theodor Jacobs, Sichotho Sikritsi, Mncedisi Ludonga, Petrus Havenga, Redman Ketye, Mlungiselezi Madyosi, Allan Hollander, André Marais, Melibodi Peyi , Thobigunya Mpalala, Jacobus Geldenhuys, Deon de Wet, Clive Ball, Dirk Geldenhuys, Hilton Marx, Dirk Eygelaar, Dirk Bodkin, Izak Mcdonald, Xozumthi Wili, Johan Joubert, Eugene Afrika, Andries van Eyssen, Chris Hasse, Jan Kammies, Edna Bester, Julie van der Poll, Maruis Cronje, Dawid de Beer, Lindile Lubisi, Heinrich Marais, Jacobus Mostert, Markus Greef, Gcinumzi Kwakwari, Heinrich Nortje, Jan van Greunen, Johannes du Toit, George Tekana, James Pietersen, Jimmy Danster, Leon van der Bank, Sameul Beukes, Petrus Conradie, David Strydom, Carl Wise, John Trim, Anne-Marie Durrbaum, Wantu Mlonyeni, Gerrit Matthee, King Qabaka. 35 years: Rudolph Olivier, Hamiliton Ngqwemla, Alan Visser, Glenn Solomon, Dino Zanello, Gideon du Plessis, Mncedisi Bola,

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LONG SERVICE

Workers at Salt River were served by this ex-World War I ambulance, pictured in 1925 (left), and later by this converted Kombi (right).

ALAN “TUBBY” THIART (45 YEARS) AND KARL “BUCKLES” TOERIEN (44 YEARS).

Tubby did train lighting and Buckles worked in “lifting road” doing coach lifting. Together they got up to no good wiring colleagues’ chairs together and cranking up the voltage.

And one morning they put a steam crane into gear while the crane driver was making a cup of tea (it took a while for the steam to get going). By the time he returned, the crane was gone. It was found way down the line in Woodstock! Buckles came to work by steam train. “That was in the 60s, when it took two hours to get here from the Strand. I tell you one thing though, ‘Steamer’ was never late – it was right on time.” And both agreed that there are plenty of ghosts around. “Shop 12 is now closed. I heard they’re going to refurbish it but I’m not sure about working there again! That was the shop where you worked the hardest, especially on rivets.

All the stripping was done by hand. It was very noisy.”

MNCEDISI LUDONGA (31 YEARS).

“I’ve always worked with spare parts, with machines. Safety has improved a lot over the years, everyone takes the necessary precautions now and we wear face masks whenever we’re working.

What will I remember about my job here? Being treated well and having good managers.”

Eric Wise, Mario Pepe, Peter Wilson, Frederick van As Duplessis, Stephen Kleyn, Gabriel le Roux, Anthony Couthino, Albertus van Zyl, Mogammad MacPherson, Damon Jaftha, Willem Schonken, Ockert Agenberg, Jan Harmse, Bonakele Nqalathi, Steven Prinsloo, Leslie Jantjies, Johan Groenewald, Jan Groenewald, Hendrik Kotze, Robert Delport, Marius Wolfaard, Jefhta Alberts, Robert Frieslaar, Barend Havenga, Jakob Bains, Jan Vas. 40 years: Wilhelm Hoon, Schalk Smit, George Basson, Johannes van Zyl, Jacobus Wessels, Gabriel Stoumann, Ellis Taylor, Lional Lloyd, Hendrik de Wet Vorster, Daniel Smit, Johan Olivier, Piet Koopman, Stanley Woods, Hermanus Bester, Alexander Stramrood, Dennis Jurgens, Johannes Havenga, Casper van der Westhuizen, Wilhelm Cronje, Michiel Venter, Christiaan Geldenhuys, Frans James, Denis Fry, Kevin Watson. 45 years: Bartholmeus Lombard, Ostenwald Witte, Phillipus Otto, Hendrik Kleynhans, Willem Nigrini, Edmund Nieuwoudt.

2012 • TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE

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ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The way we do things When Transnet embarked on the journey to a winning culture, its Culture Charter made sure its employees were along for the ride.

MAKAYA MGAYI

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: TRE SALT RIVER Makaya Mgayi’s office is easy to find, the building easily identified by the bright green handprint that symbolises the Transnet Culture Charter. It isn’t her own handprint but it might as well be, because she identifies passionately with the symbol, and the actions and values it represents.

Makaya worked in the fields of social investment and human resources before joining Transnet in 2007 and finding her niche in the relatively new discipline of organisational development.

Her passion for the Culture Charter saw her rise swiftly from cadet to manager, a position that empowers her to do what she truly believes in: adding value to people’s lives. “My gift lies in encouraging people,” she says. The Culture Charter is “a worthwhile journey”, she believes. “It’s who we are.”

A

t Transnet, rebranding means more than just redesigning the logo. It’s a multi-layered process that embraces the types of behaviour that have been shown to make companies successful – and in Transnet’s case it involved asking more than 40 000 employees in all five operating divisions to help shape the company’s new “winning” culture.

When a new corporate identity was unveiled in 2007 to mark Transnet’s structural transformation from a diversified group to a focused and integrated company, the journey towards cultural transformation was already underway. A year-long process of employee engagement around Transnet values and the actions that express them culminated in the Culture Charter, which identifies seven principles Transnet employees must

MORE ...

For more information on the Culture Charter, contact Makaya Mgayi, Organisational Development Manager: TRE Salt River, on 021 507 2102 or makaya.mgayi@transnet.net

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Salt River employees were invited to attend the Culture Charter's launch celebrations in their traditional cultural dress. The result was a colourful display of costumes!

TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE • 2012

uphold in order for the company’s strategic objectives to be met.

In August 2008, more than 30 000 employees participated in the launch of the Culture Charter, whose principles were communicated by way of the popular Masihambe song. Masihambe means “let’s move together” and encapsulates the Transnet philosophy of “One Company, One Vision”. But those responsible for transformation at Transnet knew that launching the charter was just the departure – and that it was “living the charter” that would effect real change.

Living the charter means scoring the charter every year, an event that involves the largest possible number of employees evaluating how well their team “lives” each action in the charter. Culture Charter “ambassadors” called Champions and Super Champions drive participation in the scoring process. The results of each year’s scoring determine which areas require intervention and help to establish the focus areas for the following year.

TRANSNET’S CULTURE CHARTER • We have a safety mindset.

• We have good communication.

• We are empowered to perform in our jobs.

• We treat each other with dignity and respect.

• We recognise and reward good work.

• We deliver on our promises.

• We are business-focused.

At Transnet Rail Engineering we have undergone a number of changes and successfully met various challenges over the years. Our legacy is as rich and colourful as the history of the Rainbow Nation itself.

Congratulations to Salt River plant for its pioneering engineering! ~ Richard Vallihu, CHIEF EXECUTIVE: TrE