November magazine by Littlegate Publishing

November 2011 www.endeavourmagazine.com

EUROLUX - MEETING TOMORROW’S ENERGY CHALLENGES TODAY

WACO INDUSTRIES PLUGGING IN THE GAP IN THE MARKET

NO BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR ALPHATRON

BEVAN LANGLEY’S PHOTOGRAPHY

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Inspired by your success

November 2011 www.endeavourmagazine.com

EUROLUX - MEETING TOMORROW’S ENERGY CHALLENGES TODAY

NO BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR ALPHATRON

WACO INDUSTRIES PLUGGING IN THE GAP IN THE MARKET

Editor’s note

BEVAN LANGLEY’S PHOTOGRAPHY

One heart Three legends

By Daemon Sands

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Heads of Departments Editorial: Editor in Chief Daemon Sands daemon.sands@littlegatepublishing.com Research: Director of Research Don Campbell doncampbell@littlegatepublishing.com Finance: Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Studio: Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Publisher: Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com Any enquiries or subscriptions can be sent to info@littlegatepublishing.com ENDEAVOUR MAGAZINE is published by Littlegate Publishing LTD which is a Registered Company in the United Kingdom.

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Chief Editor of Endeavour Magazine

Inspired by your success

Welcome back. November is one of the more dangerous months. You enter it feeling that October should have scared you a little more, whilst enduring a strange urge to grow a moustache and the determination to become a pyrotechnic. In the western world November has the heavy reputation of having the most babies born. Hospitals even have to increase their staff numbers to accommodate for it. Birthday card sales increase by 30% and people tend to stop and wonder where the year has gone, while remember how good Valentines’ was in February. Ultimately it is a cause and effect sort of month. Here at the sparkling tower of steel and glass that is home to Littlegate Publishing, where the sun sparkles off the highly polished surfaces of our nametags and the corridors and offices are filled with the joyful laughter of happy employees and not at all with the caffeine induced keyboard rage that usually fills such establishments, we’ve seen this month produce some amazing effects off of some very well placed causes. We’ve commuted with logistics and car rental companies, NC2 and SIXT, helped save the world with the environmentally driven empire Tenesol, spread the secret of outsourcing for construction with Consolidated Performance Projects, driven with one of the most inspiring automobile manufacturers Nissan and seen the captain’s chair of the marine industry, Alphatron. In addition we’ve been re-introduced to Africa through the eyes of one of its leading adventure photographers in South Africa - Bevan Langley, increased our readership by almost a million new viewers, and I’ve had the pleasure of some long and heartfelt conversations with Donnie Rust. As regular readers will no doubt recall he and I have a history of such conversations, usually along the topics of not gluing my coffee mug to my desk and never installing auto-translate programs onto my computer. It’s okay though, I believe in the next issue we’ll be featuring the trials and tribulations of goat herders in the high Himalayans, perhaps a perfect assignment for a man of his reputation. Once again, we’ve pushed the boundaries as far as we are allowed, pulled out every stop we could find, applied every action and run every extra mile to bring you the very best. So, from the team at Endeavour Magazine, please enjoy. Kindest,

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 3

Features WACO Industries Plugging in The Gap in the Market No Bridge Too Far for Alphatron Eurolux - Meeting Tomorrow’s Energy Challenges Today An Economy Drive in a First Class Ride With SIXT NC2: Big Brands Combine to Change the Face of Trucking

16 30 36 42 46

CPP: Mixing The Outsourcing Pot

Solar Giant Tenesol Poised for South Africa Sun Power Leap

Less Is More on the Road to Success for Nissan

“The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time.” Henry Ford

Articles

Bevan Langley Photography

CEO Ducati Motor Is Keynote Speaker at METS

Chris’ Meeting

Why Ninja Assassin Could Be the Job for You

I Can’t Believe It

When Dwarves Try To Be Giants

“And no, we don’t know where it will lead. We just know there’s something much bigger than any of us here.” Steve Jobs

Bevan Langley

Images © bevanlangley.com

BEVAN LANGLEY Ever wanted to slow down time? That’s not possible, but we’ve got the next best thing. Here is the story of allround adventurer, entrepreneur and photographer Bevan Langley as he explains how he turned his passions into a career and hasn’t looked back since. Growing up in KwaZulu-Natal was probably the best thing that could have happened to me as a photographer. This small province on the east coast of South Africa has often been described as the place where you can do, see, and experience everything that Africa has to offer. The harbour city of Durban, near to where I grew up and still live today is a melting pot of concrete, industry and culture. Two hours up the coast, you arrive at the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage site, in which five separate biomes exist relatively preserved and untouched. Inland are the Battlefields, a land full of tribal and colonial history, to the west are the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains,

another World Heritage site and home to the highest peaks in Southern Africa and if you go south you’re tanning or surfing at one of the beautiful beaches of the Hibiscus and Stralitzia coasts. All these different environments make for a photographic heaven and living in this beautiful province has really groomed me as a lover of nature and photography. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Like any South African school boy I grew up outdoors and was very much into sports and physical activity, and while at university I had one major passion: Surfing. I’d go to the beach before or after lectures and if the wind was good then I’d miss them altogether. Being indoors is not something I take to well so it was very easy for me to be tempted away from the classroom and out to the wide open ocean, especially in the African winter when the conditions are perfect nearly everyday. Some time in my second year, I decided to start a tour company with the intention of taking people on surfing trips around South Africa and Mozambique. I didn’t really see a Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 7

Bevan Langley

Images © bevanlangley.com

future for me in Graphic Design, which was my major at the time, so I made the choice to set myself up to chase after something that I loved. I visited the tourism office in Durban and enquired about what was needed to set up and become a surf tour guide, to which the lady behind the desk responded: “What is surfing?” Great! I took tourism modules and courses in adventure tourism, lifesaving and surf coaching. It was a long period of wading through red tape, but before long I started making headway with all the paperwork and things started looking up for my business prospects. Meanwhile, back at university, we started doing

photography modules for our Graphic Design course, and from the very first assignment I was hooked. I had all but given up on a career in design as, at the end of the day, it just seemed to be a glorified office job; but photography offered me a chance to take my creative senses out onto the road and I could bring back images and moments that could never be recreated or captured ever again. My results were more immediate and relied on my ability to anticipate and understand what was happening in my surroundings. It seemed far more romantic than messing around with page layouts and logo designs and it meant that I had to become proficient with my camera and my awareness of my environment. Even so, the idea of being

a career photographer was never something I imagined I could do, especially since I was set on becoming a travelling surfer. In my 2nd year, things took an unexpected but pleasant turn when a real tour company approached me to do safari tours for them into Africa. It was a perfect springboard for me to get into the tourism world and the sort of job most people only dream of doing. So, with my newfound love for taking photos, I set out for what was to become a beautiful friendship between travelling and photography. Never one for conformity, those first few years on the road were some of the most memorable experiences of my life. I got to see and do some things I never would have

imagined myself doing while at the time I was armed with a small Olympus C-64 point-and-click. Ironically to this day, some of my best images have come from that rather rudimentary camera. Juggling my studies, travelling and setting up my business occupied me for most of a year after that and when I finally graduated from my Graphic Design course I thought I would head straight into the tourism field. However, after viewing my portfolio, a small advertising agency offered me a job working as an in-house photographer. Up until this point I had never even considered a job as a professional photographer. I was actually quite smitten by the idea so I decided to give it a go. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 9

Bevan Langley

I was still allowed to go away for the tour season, but this time the company I worked for offered me their studio camera gear to take along with me to get some images for their stock library. The days of the point-and-click were over! Armed with some new equipment I collected images from all over Africa: Wildlife in the big reserves, far and untouched landscapes, portraits of the faces of Africa. While I was on tour, I took advantage of the opportunities to experiment and learn the tricks on how to photograph the great outdoors, while back home at the agency I was learning studio lighting, events, corporate and product photography. It was a good balance and a good place to be in terms of learning all the disciplines of the trade.

It wasn’t too long though before I decided to take the next step towards my real dream of travelling, so I got into tourism full time. It wasn’t the most lucrative career decision and many people advised me against making a move for less pay but I had always known what I wanted and I saw no sense in hanging about, wasting time chasing money when I could be doing all the things I would be doing if I had all the money in the world anyway. And so it was that I found myself out in the field, travelling and shooting fulltime. Life in the bush was really great. The tour season was mainly in the winter months, while in the summer I was sent out on small assignments to some of the projects that my company looked after. I spent about 3 years out on the road,

moving from place to place and getting loads of photos while I went. While I loved being outdoors in nature, travelling and shooting, I could feel the ocean was calling. I was missing the feel of warm water and salt on my skin and all the joys of surfing, so one day I decided it was time to get back to the coast and try to add surfing into the mix. I started leading trips for a British company who were involved in sur f travel in South Africa and Mozambique. It was a wonder ful gig and one that I had been building up to for a ver y long time. The next 3 years were pretty much all the things I had set out to accomplish back in University and it was wonder ful to finally see the fruits of all my efforts.

While arriving at your goal is always great, I have learned a great appreciation for the journey that gets you there as well. I could never have planned many of the roads that finally got me to where I wanted to be, yet some of those experiences have been the most memorable for me. These days I’ve come in off the road a bit. I don’t spend as much time away as I once did and I’m taking on more photography projects than trips. Things change – what we want today is perhaps not what we wanted yesterday or what we’ll want tomorrow. I think the trick is to continually ask yourself if you’re happy with where you’re at, and if you’re not, you know that you have changes to make. You can’t become what you want to be if you don’t know what that is.

Images © bevanlangley.com Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 11

TRADE SHOW

METS

MARINE EQUIPMENT

2011

15-17 | NOV | AMSTERDAM | NL

CEO Ducati Motor is keynote speaker at METS METS, the world’s largest trade exhibition of equipment, materials and systems for the international marine leisure industry, is organised by Amsterdam RAI in association with the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA). The show’s target groups are yacht builders, naval architects, repair yards, distributors, dealers, wholesalers, captains, marina operators and equipment manufacturers from around the world. The SuperYacht Pavilion is the central platform for the worldwide super yacht industry and a ‘show within a show’ at METS. Italian high flier, Gabriele del Torchio, will give the renowned keynote address at the METS 2011 Breakfast Briefing to be held before the show officially opens on Tuesday 15 November. His presentation will draw on the wealth of knowledge he has gained at the helm of top companies in a broad range of industries. An economics graduate who started his career in the banking sector, Mr del Torchio subsequently headed up companies specialising in agricultural and construction machinery, cement plant design, energy, the environment, telecommunications, automotive technology and more. From 2005 to 2007 he was CEO of leading Italian luxury yacht company, Ferretti Group, and is currently president of Ducati Motor Holding SpA, the leading manufacturer of high performance sports motorcycles. The Breakfast Briefing is co-organised by ICOMIA and will be held on Tuesday 15 November (8:00 hours in the Forum of Amsterdam RAI) and will be followed by the DAME Award presentations. It will be attended, as is tradition, by METS and SuperYacht Pavilion exhibitors, press and special VIP guests but is also open, on a first come first served basis, to 25 visitors who register their interest by sending an email to visitorsmets@rai.nl, stating “Breakfast Briefing METS 2011” in the subject.

www.metstrade.com

CHRIS’ MEETING by Jim Blythe

Phil and I are engaged in a serious Google whack battle when we spot Chris heading in our direction. Chris is looking very serious. So serious that Phil decides this would be a good time to disappear and feigns an urgent business call on his Blackberry. With a sigh I close Google down to give Chris the impression of having my undivided attention. He is one of a growing number of managers who think that I report to him - four at the last count, three of whom are all of the opinion that they are managing the same project. I use the term ‘managing’ loosely as they all seem unaware of the other managers who may or may not be doing the same job as them. Still, Chris is the one that I have to work round at this moment in time. “We need to have a meeting” he says. “Oh” I reply wisely. “What about?” “The Tuesday meetings” he replies. I’m slightly thrown by this. Have I heard right? Chris wants to have a meeting about the Tuesday meetings? I decide to seek further clarity. “You want to have a meeting about the Tuesday meetings?” I say. “Yes, they’re not working” Chris responds. Now I wouldn’t know if this is true or not as I stopped bothering to attend the Tuesday meetings several weeks ago. I felt that we’d usually covered most of what needed to be said at the Monday morning meetings and that anything which got forgotten could be picked up at the Thursday afternoon meetings. Couple this with a seemingly endless stream of emails and the fact

that the project team all sit together anyway and I think we might have inter-team communication covered. I wonder if I should point this out but I’m concerned it might come across flippant and Chris, as I mentioned, is looking serious. I decide I should look serious too but it’s not something I’m all that good at. I am cursed with a face that just can’t do serious very well; I usually end up looking constipated. I decide to try anyway as the situation appears to warrant it. Chris frowns. “Are you alright?” he asks. “Yeah, yeah, fine” I say. Damn! “It’s just that you look a bit... peaky” he says. I decide I’d better bring him back to the point in hand as quickly as possible. “What’s wrong with the Tuesday meetings then?” “No one comes.” Chris says. “You must have noticed how poor attendance has been the last few weeks.” Now it’s my turn to frown. Chris hasn’t realised that I haven’t been at the Tuesday meetings for the past few weeks. He hasn’t noticed despite them being poorly attended. Not for the first time I question whether I contribute in meetings as much as I maybe should. That’s a problem for me to deal with later however. At the moment I have some lying to do. “Yes, we have been a bit thin on the ground haven’t we” I say, sympathetically. “Exactly. So I think we need to have a meeting about this and sort it out.” Chris says with the stoic belief of a man who believes that there is nothing that

can’t be solved with a meeting despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. I decide I should try to point out the potential flaw in his thinking. “You want to have a meeting about meetings that no one turns up to?” I say, by way of a gentle hint. “That’s right. That way we discuss exactly why people aren’t turning up and address their concerns so they get as much as possible out of future meetings” he explains. “Right” I say. “But aren’t you concerned that people won’t turn up to your meeting about the meetings?” Chris looks surprised. “I can’t imagine that’ll happen” he replies. “It’s important that we get this stuff talked about for the good of the project.” He looks at me as if he expects an answer. I decide against the obvious answer and instead settle for, “Well, that sounds... great”. There is a pause. More is clearly expected of me. “I’ll be there” I lie. “Great, I knew I could rely on you” Chris smiles and wanders off to look for Phil, safe in the knowledge that he has another supporter to his cause. Later that week Chris books a meeting in our diaries. No one goes. Jim Blythe is a writer, actor, director, producer, comedian and inconsiderate lover. When he isn’t moaning about his experiences in the field of business he runs Spooky Kid Productions, a platform to help new talent get in front of an audience. See more of what he does at www.spookykid.co.uk. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 13

WHY NINJA ASSASSIN COULD BE THE JOB FOR YOU by Donnie Rust

My editor keeps telling me that I should keep myself aware of what’s happening in the job market in case I ever need to find some other form of making a living that doesn’t involve writing articles in the morning and stapling his tie to the desk in the afternoon. With that in mind you may be interested to know what you’re suitable for. In fact you may be perfect for the job of: NINJA ASSASSIN, if you are currently: 1. A Timeshare Salesman: To be a timeshare salesman you need an over developed sense of self importance and a dramatically under developed sense of empathy. This will come in handy for when you’re brow-beating a couple of old age pensioners to part with their life savings to pay for a holiday home in a country they only visit once a decade that they will never enjoy or when you’re leaning on a roof gutter with the crosshairs on a target waiting for him to put down his young son because the boy might hamper the shot. Yes if you’re sufficiently lacking in conscience to be a timeshare salesman or an assassin you probably already know it. 2. A European Porn Star: quite simply, you’ve crossed so many lines in your career and have done so many things you probably didn’t anticipate doing when you first entered the job market that killing someone for money probably isn’t too much of a stretch for the imagination. 3. A Sewer Worker/Septic Tank Cleaner /Meat Grinding Machine Operator: one because anything is better than what you are up to now and you’re just waiting for someone

to throw you a bone. Two because you’ve got the perfect method of removing bodies that need to disappear and three after doing what you do for long enough there isn’t a single thing on this planet that could scare you.

4. A Debt Collector: to be an assassin you have to be cold and calculating as you walk through a house in the middle of the night passing photographs of laughing, loving families while screwing in your silencer knowing that your actions will make you rich while causing irreparable damage to the lives of everyone in those pictures, especially the one you’re there to meet. 5. A Woman: in no way am I being sexist here, but for every man who thinks he’s “it” there is a woman who knows different and while men may very well be the talkers of society women are the doers of this world. They get the job done, most men would be great at becoming assassinswe’d train hard to develop ourselves, we’d master all the latest technologies needed to kill our targets with precision and accuracy but by the time we’ve managed to psych ourselves into squeezing that trigger a woman would have already stuck our target like a gutted pig with a hairpin and left the scene of the crime to go make brunch. Donnie Rust, AKA (The Naked Busker) is one of Britain’s foremost comedy writers in the field of business, travel and adventure with over 1 million readers worldwide. His stand-up comedy is apparently hilarious too. He can be found at: www.facebook.com/donnierust.

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT by Jim Blythe crowded market place with everyone claiming to be cheaper than the brokers but that was no longer enough – they each had to be cheaper than each other. And this is where the problem starts. Suddenly every insurer wanted to tell you how much money you could save if you went with them. Right now I could save £230 on my car insurance with Admiral, £319 with Churchill or £214.16 if I used Confused.com – not bad as my insurance is less than £400 a year as it is. Direct Line and Aviva prefer instead to give you two months free cover and make a big deal of not being on price comparison websites. All well and good but aside from a couple of nods to the cover by Direct Line none of these people seem to be very keen to tell you what it is they’re actually selling you. Yes, it’s car insurance but what’s covered, what’s not and why should I chose one over the other? Ah yes, that’s right – price. The car insurance market has made itself completely about price. When the majority of customers shop for it they’re not interested in the cover, they want the cheapest. This is partly because it’s an annoying expense that many of us would rather not have but it’s reinforced by the industry itself constantly making every advert about price. And now comes the irony. Car insurance premiums make companies little to no money in the first year. If you can keep customers then you can start making a small profit as marketing and set up costs drop after the first year. But because the industry tells us to shop around for the cheapest deal each year customers do. And they switch to get the cheapest deal. And no one makes money out of it. So you have a whole industry that has set itself up to make virtually no money at all. Now they will tell you that this doesn’t matter as it makes some money and it is a good loss leader to get business into their companies for more lucrative insurance deals. They might be right. But why would you create an industry for yourself where you can’t sell your product at an appropriate mark up and then sit in darkened rooms whinging about the fact that all customers care about is price? I don’t know but car insurers do it. Ah, the 80s. A decade that bought us something as inexplicable popular as the Birdie Song bought us something as crazy as a whole industry that marketed itself out of being able to make any money but who kept doing it anyway.

Ah, the 1980’s; so long ago now. Here in the UK, we had an unpopular Tory Prime Minister, there were problems in Ireland, the public sector were striking and people rioted in the streets of London; hard to believe now isn’t it! It was a simpler time; books were made of paper, people who said iPhone simply had a poor grasp of grammar and over in America for the first time, people couldn’t believe it wasn’t butter. We’re more sophisticated now and as a result, many of us have conquered our disbelief making me wonder whether the product shouldn’t be rebranded; simply call it ‘Not Butter’. ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ is a great piece of branding and leant itself to good advertising. You know exactly what the product is (or rather isn’t), it sticks in your mind and if you buy into the idea, you’ll buy it. Not all advertising w o r k s this well and the car insurance industry is proof of this. In 1985 the industry was changed forever when Direct Line was founded selling insurance directly to the UK market. Let me explain for any youngsters that prior to this insurance was generally purchased through a Broker who would take your details, look at all the policies at their disposal and then recommend the best one for you based on the cover provided and the price. The Brokers took a percentage of the insurance premium to cover their time and expertise but the insurance companies thought it might be better if they took that money instead. And so the first large-scale direct insurer was born. Now this is where the advertising comes in because the easiest way to persuade customers to come direct to the insurer rather than use their broker is to point out that it’ll be cheaper because you don’t have to pay the brokers commission. Indeed as price is the only differentiator, this was the advertising message. In most industries you can’t do anything innovative without everyone else following suit and sure enough the car insurance industry did just that. This quickly created a

Jim Blythe is a writer, actor, director, producer, comedian and inconsiderate lover. When he isn’t moaning about his experiences in the field of business he runs Spooky Kid Productions, a platform to help new talent get in front of an audience. See more of what he does at www.spookykid.co.uk. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 15

PLUGGING IN THE GAP IN THE MARKET

WACO Industries (Prop. Voltex (PTY) Ltd) www.wacoelec.co.za +27 (11) 677 2500 Written by Martin White

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 17

WACO Industries

JULIAN LIPSON, General Manager

WACO Industries have built a powerful name and reputation in supplying companies with those parts that often go unnoticed until they are no longer available and then businesses grind to a halt. They illustrate how a strong focus on business development and investment into employees always pays off in the long run. LMG Electro Mech (PTY) LTD is a South African based manufacturing company that provide a diverse range of products to the electrical and mechanical industry. They take pride in exceeding customers’ expectations from introduction through to delivery. Specialities are designing and manufacturing special application switches. LMG’s range at present is a gold range, for milli amps and milli volts. Most popular switches are from 10 amps up to 160 amps. All designs are either panel moor base mounted. A 22mm diamiter single hole range with either lever or key operated is avalible from our gold range up to 40 amp range. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 18

LMGSA.CO.ZA

WACO Industries

w Industries is a business with a long and illustrious history, established in 1949 in South Africa as an importer of plugs and sockets for the local machinery and manufacturing industries. Under the leadership of Julian Lipson it has grown to become a leading international importer, exporter and distributor of electrical products. SOME BACKGROUND The Voltex Group is the pre-eminent distributor and supplier of electrical supplies on the African Continent to the commercial, industrial and mining sectors, winner of the 2007 National ETA award for energy saving and part of the JSE listed international services, trading and distribution company; Bidvest. In 1991 it took ownership of WACO industries which is now the primary division of the

“Being part of one of the strongest and most reputable companies in South Africa gives WACO massive support in terms of both customer confidence and financial strength.” – JULIAN LIPSON group, distributing specialist electrical lighting and power equipment across Africa. The company’s group strength has been instrumental in facilitating its growth and cementing its position as a market leader: Operating from its fully equipped warehouse and head office facility in Johannesburg, WACO Industries comprises of four main divisions each with its own distinct product range: • Lighting - Includes products such as spotlights, down lights, flood lights and energy saving lamps. • Power Products - Includes products such as plugs and sockets, switches, terminals, distribution boards & automation and control equipment. • General Products - Includes products such as tools, electrical accessories & equipment, glands, lugs and electrical tape. • Fixing & Fastenings Division - includes products such as tools, electrical accessories & equipment, glands, lugs and electrical tape. Products are distributed under agreement from WACO’s range of dedicated suppliers including some of the world’s foremost electrical manufacturers such as Philips and ABB, but also an equally important range of specialist suppliers: “Our suppliers are our

partners and fundamental to our business. The relationships are not one way, we work together.”- JULIAN LIPSON RELATIONSHIPS The domestic energy sector in South Africa has faced challenges through price increases from the state utility Eskom and with greater demands on already strained capacity caused by demands from the commercial and industrial sectors; energy efficiency has become a major factor. WACO works in close partnership with its range of suppliers to meet the needs of the market by offering a range of energy efficient and energy saving technologies for residential, commercial and domestic applications. One of the key challenges WACO faces is the rate at which technology constantly changes across the product range, especially on the lighting side of the business. For example; the CVS Metal Industries Sdn. Bhd. was incorporated in Malaysia in 1988 specializing in manufacture of Metal Enclosures. In 1998, the company launched a series of high quality industrial metal enclosures under the brand name of CVS Enclosure. Today, the company is ISO 9001 certified and the enclosures comply with requirement of IP55, 65 and 66. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 21

WACO Industries

development of LED technology has caused their efficiency and light output to rise exponentially and performance has typically doubled every 36 months since the 1960s. With LED lighting being used commercially on an ever increasing basis for regulatory compliance and energy saving reasons; there has been a shift in development away from exclusive lighting manufacturers, a fact which WACO

acknowledges: “With major electronics companies now investing significantly into research and development of new lighting technologies, the rate of technology development is moving very fast, we must invest carefully as a business as it is a fact that some technologies will be obsolete within 18 months, such is the rate of development.”- JULIAN LIPSON

“Our staff are our business. I strongly believe that people buy from people, not from computers, which is why we invest significantly in staff training and promote a culture of learning and development. As a business we promote from within which is why a great number of our staff have risen through the ranks and grown with the company.” – JULIAN LIPSON

PHILLIPS: INTERVIEW WITH

LEON CHAPMAN NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Interview by Don Campbell

For over a decade Philips have provided top of the range lighting products to WACO, following their mantra of “sense and simplicity”, providing an expansive product portfolio and developing the sort of relationship capable of riding the energy saving demands and industry challenges occurring in South Africa. It is a supply and demand industry where Philips provide the product in bulk and WACO provide a channel to the SA professional trade and wholesale market. Building relationships is all about loyalty. But loyalty in industry is a two way street and Philips and WACO have formed a balanced relationship to weather the various changes and challenges that industries across the world have felt the waves of in past years. For example, in 2010 the Soccer World Cup hosted in South Africa heralded a rapid expansion of growth across a number of industries as the nation prepared itself to host the event. With the entire world watching, Philips and WACO smoothly stepped up to the plate and providing lighting solutions to the country. Together, Philips and WACO have launched a campaign to meet South Africa’s energy crisis head on by working together on the Power Saver Set, a product that was launched in 2011. The retrofit florescent tube saves up to 30% energy costs, on standard electromagnetic fittings. The Power Saver Set has been endorsed by South African energy provider Eskom. Philips continue to pursue on going opportunities in South Africa and with WACO as its distribution partner the Philips LED product range is set to become the LED market leader in South Africa.

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 24

WACO Industries

For these reasons WACO has maintained and developed its position as a market leader through forging close and effective working relationships with its key suppliers: “We have developed a strong partnership with Philips SA allowing us to bring an extensive range of innovative and industry leading energy efficient lighting products to markets across Africa ”- JULIAN LIPSON The strength of such relationships ensures customers are offered technologies which demonstrate the highest possible efficiency whilst ensuring products remain supported for the longest possible term and present best possible value:

development. As a business we promote from within which is why a great number of our staff have risen through the ranks and grown with the company.” – JULIAN LIPSON WACO has a clear strategy for growth and development across a number of its activities including its in-house designed, developed and manufactured aircraft warning lights division which has already shown significant growth. This is a product line expected to go from strength to strength due to its many applications including the telecommunications sector, where WACO warning lights are being installed across much of MTN’s infrastructure. R Stahl are a new and important strategic partner to Waco Industries in their strategy to market the industry renowned Yodalarm electronic siren technology to clients across Africa within the mining and industrial sectors. The R Stahl brand is synonymous with quality and protection solutions for fire, safety and security hazard warning applications which are unique to the market and offered in partnership by Waco Industries.

STAFFING WACO Industries boasts a highly skilled workforce, employing nearly 300 staff and invests in specialist training and academic qualifications. Due to the vast number of industries the company serves and the numerous product applications; it has developed a significant and highly trained sales force which is core to the business’ success: “Our staff are our business. I strongly believe that people buy from people, not from computers which is why we invest significantly in staff training and promote a culture of learning and

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www.marlanvil.it Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 27

WACO Industries

The core lighting business is also As an independent, medium-sized, family-owned company, we expected to demonstrate growth produce standardised industrial plugs and sockets acc. to IEC as product lines continue to be 309 1-2 as well as plug and socket systems and distributors developed: for the global market. The export rate in excess of 50 percent “Our lighting business will also be shows: Bals products are highly valued around the world. We are developed further through adaptation at home in more than 80 countries with our products. of fittings to retrofit LED and CFL technology. We will also be working Our 175 employees, who are both dedicated and tightly very closely with our partners to offer connected to the company, have only one goal: to satisfy you, our the latest energy efficient technologies customers, one hundred percent. Each of the more than 25,000 which meet our customers’ needs.” – products that leave our assembly lines every day is subject to the JULIAN LIPSON highest quality standards. WACO Industries demonstrates a clear commitment to energy efficiency and intends to reflect this through its entire product range. of their business and set to become a significant area of The company is also working to increase its strength within growth in the future. the Power Products division through close work with its WACO Industries is an example of a business committed key technology partners to offer technologies best suited to to meeting customer requirements through expert leadership, African market conditions. outstanding skills resource, world class infrastructure and The ambitions also extend to the WACO’s international second to none supply chain management practice. The activities through development and growth of its dedicated company can be commended for its growth through careful export division. Although an African supplier, they’re not investment and developing an international presence whilst just a South African supplier. Exports are an important part remaining true to its vision and proudly South African.

A COMPANY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ITS CUSTOMERS

Quality that you can count on: for more than 50 years, Bals Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG has been the partner for secure connections. Our products prove themselves tens of thousands of times over every day, around the world and in a wide variety of applications. For Bals “Made in Germany” stands for a quality standard that guarantees the user security. Since the time the company was founded in 1957 to today, we have manufactured our products exclusively in Germany.

STANDARDISED INDUSTRIAL PLUGS AND SOCKETS COUPLERS POWER DISTRIBUTING E-MOBILITY WWW.BALS.COM Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 28

Alphatron Marine (+31) 010 453 4019 www.alphatronmarine.com Written by Ben Walker

NO BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR ALPHATRON

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 31

Alphatron Marine

designed for life @ sea JLR-21/31

Once a sometimes bewildering concoction of un-themed components, the layout of the ship’s bridge has been revolutionised by the vision and capabilities of Rotterdam engineers Alphatron Marine. Director Luuk Vroombout tells Ben Walker about his personal voyage of innovation.

cockpit. And although I pointed this out to many manufacturers around the world at the time, and suggesting they made the system into one unified concept, the response was, ‘No, No! We all have our own IDs’. “There was little evidence of innovation. The attitude was, ‘the market is good why change?’ This is typical of the marine

“All Ship Shape” may be a saying as old as the tides, but as a description of typical vessel bridge layouts it finds Luuk Vroombout, Director of Netherlands-based Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) is one of the world’s longest established Alphatron Marine unimpressed. companies in the field of marine electronics, playing an integral The bridges on the majority of new build role in the lives of seafarers, delivering reliable communication, vessels are filled with a collection of products navigation and acoustic equipment since 1915. from assorted makers in different colours and dimensions. Around them a fabricated steel or Our products set the new standard for goal-oriented work and bridge console layout indifferent to ergonomics high performance. The simplified menu structures, visual appeal and its safety and efficiency implications. and intuitive usage are of great importance on the ships bridge, a “What you have is a complete bridge working and living environment of thousands of ships officers on a layout, with everybody bringing their day-to-day basis. own piece of equipment on board with We work closely with Alphatron Marine since its foundation in 1989 its own size, dimensions and look,” – a company with innovative ideas, which JRC gladly translates into says Vroombout. “There is no integrator its current and future product range. taking care to make it like an airplane Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 32

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Alphatron Marine

environment. Traditional people don’t put too much effort into their products and publications… ‘It’s been there for fifty years so let it go.’” That was twenty-two years ago shortly before Vroombout launched Alphatron Marine. Two decades on, and if the smorgasbord assembly tradition has not disappeared, the introduction of the AlphaBridge Concept by Alphatron Marine in 2005 has changed the perception of bridge layout significantly. Inspired by the aerospace industry, Rotterdam-based Alphatron Marine has developed a compact, modular concept based on standard control panels and equipment locations. A unique click-on system means control panels and monitors are easily removable. Re-styling control panels from an assortment of manufacturers into a “common” style can be very demanding, but Alphatron Marine succeeded in an ambition that is also a mission; setting a new standard, with complete modules built and tested before shipment to a yard. In the past years Alphatron Marine has fitted over 100 vessels from fifteen to 100 meters in length, river as well as sea-going, exporting variations on the AlphaBridge Concept’ product line to shipyards around the world including Germany and Singapore – where the company has created new subsidiaries. Romania, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore are building locations adapting the AlphaBridge concept with great success. Alphatron develops, supplies, installs and services navigation, communication and AV equipment for shipping across the globe; mega yachts, dredging, commercial, inland waterways and governmental vessels. A fully auto cad supported engineering team takes care of all new building projects and day-to-day installation work in the field of navigation and communication equipment. As well as the representation of major manufacturers like JRC, Sailor and Yokogawa, Alphatron also produces a full range complementary products such as gyrocompasses, autopilots and marine instruments as well as Marine PABX and PA systems all marked under the product name Alphaline. Versatile N a v i s /A l p h a t r o n Alphapos dynamic p ositioning systems are also available. For river navigation, a full product line of rate of turn

autopilots, rate of turn indicators, shallow water echo sounders, river radars, etcetera is offered. For deep sea applications the product range includes the unique modular AlphaBridge console concept and for special applications the versatile Alphapos IVCS DP system is available. Innovation, design and advanced skills in the specialised vessel sector is the key to the future of European shipbuilding, even though ship construction may take place in other parts of the world, says Luuk Vroombout. “There is still a chance for Western shipbuilding not only to survive but to grow. In

“There’s a lack of technical people coming through because many outside still think marine work is dirty and heavy. The reality is that this has all changed, and it is now high technology work where more and more highly educated people are required. Another challenge is to get parts of the supply chain motivated to care about unified designs. This is the case in the aero industry, so why should a ship always be different? Why does a captain need days of instruction simply because he is going to another ship? “Working with small ships, I am trying to

division where we co-ordinate services in that part of the world, we have capabilities in Europe and the USA, we know our customers, and involve ourselves in those issues where they need solutions. So it is not a case of them having to buy what we make; we make what they want to buy. It’s a different world from the so-called leaders in the marine environment. “We care about these things. It’s easier to get a guy from Alphatron on board than it is to get a doctor when you’ve had a heart attack.”

“I more or less started the voyage that is bringing design into the wheelhouse, and not only because I believe design should look attractive. It is also a matter of safety; when you know, for example, that every panel and every piece of equipment has an on/off switch at the same position, or when there is just one dimmer instead of twenty five.” Luuk Vroombout, Director

China there is no flexibility whatever, and most of the time the quality is poor. With our AlphaBridge concept we make it totally pre-fabricated in our workshop so that even if he builds his ship in Thailand, China or wherever, the owner gets what he wants, confident that he will get his total bridge layout concept made in Europe. “I more or less started the voyage that is bringing design into the wheelhouse, and not only because I believe design should look attractive. It is also a matter of safety; when you know, for example, that every panel and every piece of equipment has an on/off switch at the same position, or when there is just one dimmer instead of twenty five. Slowly people are accepting this approach more and more.” Altogether more spectacular is Alphatron’s rate of annual turnover. In 2001 order intake was at ten million euro’s. With the introduction of AlphaBridge it shot up to 15 million. After a 10% recessionary dip, orders are now back on track to the 2008 peak. “So in ten years we went up from ten to fifty million euro’s worldwide and are still growing.” The marine industry - and the special vessels sector in particular - is very challenging, says Luuk Vroombout.

make then as internally similar possible, simplifying the on-board operations instead of using a vessel as a kind of lunar park for new technologies no one is asking for. Ships technology doesn’t start at the propulsion; it’s a matter of how you are managing propulsion from the wheelhouse. And it’s within the architecture of the cockpit that the decisions are taken. Technology is advancing, but I believe too much technology without knowledge is more dangerous than no technology and a knowledgeable captain.” Unsurprisingly, Alphatron Marine’s innovative thinking and quality delivery is rewarded by client loyalty. “After 20 years we still have the same customers coming back to us. We are smaller, we have a Singapore

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 35

EUROLUX - MEETING TOMORROW’S ENERGY CHALLENGES TODAY

Eurolux (PTY) Ltd www.eurolux.co.za +27 (21) 528 8400 Written by Chris Farnell

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 37

Eurolux

Company director Shaun Bouchier talks to us about the ways Eurolux is helping families and businesses meet the challenge of rising energy prices, the importance of strong business relationships and how Eurolux is working to give something back to the community. These days you can’t open a newspaper without reading about rising energy prices and the terrible consequences of climate change. Governments, businesses and even families are having to rise to the challenge to make the way we live and work more sustainable. Eurolux is one of the companies making this possible. For 20 years Eurolux has been selling and distributing energy efficient lighting to electrical wholesalers, retail chain outlets and specialised lighting stores. The company has been pivotal in bringing the latest innovations in the lighting industry to South African businesses and consumers since it was founded in 1991. Eurolux has been on the front line, importing energy efficient products such as Compact Fluorescent Lamps that produce five times as much light per watt as a standard incandescent, while using only a fifth of the electricity, or the increasingly popular LEDs that can last for up to 30,000 hours.

industry, Eurolux has fortunately only had to make minor changes to meet these new requirements.

Valued Partners As well as sourcing products designed to meet the new energy needs of Southern Africa, Eurolux has put in place a logistics network that ensures those products are readily available. “Our excellent logistics setup is one of our unique selling points,” Bouchier explains. “There are very few areas in South Africa that we can’t deliver to within 24 to 48 hours.” This is achieved with Eurolux’s own in-house couriers and the assistance of distribution

Because Eurolux specialises in imports and distribution, the company depends on strong relationships with its business partners to get its products to the general public. Potential distributors are given the chance to inspect Eurolux’s range of products at their unique lifestyle showrooms in Johannesburg and Cape Town. These showrooms have been designed to display the light fittings in their intended habitat - in people’s homes. As well as working closely with their partner stores and couriers, Eurolux is also extremely selective about where it sources its products from. Eurolux works with companies that include major European manufacturers such as ELGO Leuchten and SG Armaturen and is always on the lookout for companies whose products could find a market in South Africa. Bouchier is clear however that before signing any deals, Eurolux likes to get a good idea of just who they will be working with. Bouchier tells us, “We don’t deal with factories or manufacturers unless we’ve visited their facilities and made sure we’re not dealing with sweatshops or trading companies. We also like to see who else they are supplying. We like to work with businesses who sell to major retailers or companies like ourselves. We are always careful to align ourselves with reputable manufacturers.” Once Eurolux decides to work with a manufacturer, they stay loyal. Eurolux has long lasting relationships with many of its suppliers.

“We don’t deal with factories or manufacturers unless we’ve visited their facilities and made sure we’re not dealing with sweatshops or trading companies.” Shaun Bouchier, Company Director “It’s really been about communicating with our customers, preparing them for the potential electricity price increases and introducing them to new solutions,” says Shaun Bouchier, one of Eurolux’s team of three directors. Those solutions are needed now more than ever. Fifteen per cent of the electricity used in most homes goes towards keeping the lights on, and that number jumps to 25% for commercial buildings. South Africa has begun introducing energy efficiency requirements for lighting, aiming to help people keep their energy bills down and soften their impact on the environment. As a well known innovator in the

companies such as UTI Sun Couriers, Zultrans and MPS. “The couriers have their own fenced-off area within the dispatch section of each warehouse and they are each given a specific area of responsibility, whether it’s geographic or client based,” Bouchier says. “It works really well.”

+27 11 974 8028 Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 39

Eurolux

Eurolux products also carry the SABS stamp of approval, ensuring that all imports are in compliance with the necessary safety standards. Building for the Future No pun intended, but the future is looking bright for Eurolux. The strategies that saw the company grow its business even throughout the recession look to continue bringing Eurolux success in the years to come. While the global economy was taking a beating, Eurolux was able to thrive by expanding its product range and looking for business in new market sectors. Going forward, Eurolux is going to build on those achievements. As well as meeting the rising demand for energy efficient lighting, the company has recently started expanding into the project lighting sector. Earlier this year it introduced a project lighting range that includes high bays, pendants and downlights for commercial, retail and manufacturing environments. The move has been a natural progression for Eurolux. Project lighting is a huge part of the lighting market, but Eurolux has held off entering this sector until they were sure they could provide products of the right quality and durability. Meanwhile, Eurolux is becoming a widely recognised brand in South Africa, as Bouchier puts it “People see our name and are able to make the association of a supplier of quality, affordable lighting.” Eurolux has been able to achieve this through focused and committed customer service, as well as a dedicated marketing push. They’ve put together a dynamic marketing team and have appointed a brand manager, using a combination of television and print adverts with social media marketing. Bouchier is particularly pleased with the company’s new website. “It’s a great website, really user friendly,” Bouchier says. “Customers can browse through the product ranges, select the items they want and after selecting their specific geographic area, that enquiry will automatically be e-mailed to several local retailers, who are then afforded the opportunity to submit a quotation. With Eurolux currently expanding its distribution footprint into other parts of Africa, there are clearly some exciting things on the horizon for this company.

Giving Something Back For Eurolux success is far more than an end unto itself, and it’s obvious that Bouchier is proud of the corporate involvement schemes that the company has been involved in. Eurolux has frequently helped out with everything from schools to old age homes. Bouchier is particularly proud of Eurolux’s recent partnership with the Sophakama Primary School in Du Noon, Cape Town. At the beginning of the project, Sophakama was in desperate need of refurbishments. Eurolux came in and planted over 80 new trees on the school grounds, installed new fans and playground equipment and renovated some of the classrooms. Naturally, they also improved the school’s lighting, which involved replacing several floodlights with more modern, energy efficient alternatives. Eurolux was able to do all of this by reaching out to its top retail partners in the Western Cape, using their well-established business relationships to help the community. For Bouchier, the reasons for engaging in this project are self-evident. “We realised that we are in the fortunate position to make a difference by helping children achieve their dreams for education, in particular. To us it may seem like a small thing, planting some trees and installing new light fittings, but it can make a huge difference to people,” he says matterof-factly. “For us it was just the right thing to do. We believe it’s a privilege to be in a position where you can help those less fortunate.” As Eurolux continues to expand, it looks like they’ll soon be in a position to do even more.

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 41

SIXT Car Rental www.sixt.com +44 1246 - 220111 Written by Don Campbell

AN ECONOMY DRIVE IN A FIRST CLASS RIDE Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 43

SIXT Car Hire

by finesse with the maintenance and upkeep of the vehicles as each one is cleaned and polished and everything under the hood is tested. The more looking after that a car gets in the yard means the more safety you get with it on the road. REASONS FOR RENTING A CAR Renting a car is no longer just for business purposes. More and more families are choosing to rent a vehicle for holiday trips rather than put miles on their own cars. If you are planning a trip then consider a low cost vehicle that will give you the room you need to save the wear and tear of your

are visiting that country from abroad. Over 99 years, incredibly strong relationships have been allowed to develop and be nurtured with the top vehicle manufacturers in the world. 50% of their top range originates from German manufacturers- such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and VW. There are other vehicle ranges available including Volvo, Smart, Vauxhall, Ford, Chevrolet and Peugeot and as many of the cars are brought in on lease agreements to ensure a continuous level of quality, it illustrates the reputation SIXT enjoys with these manufacturers. SIXT understand that different

“Every company can build a strong relationship when things are going right, but it’s when something goes wrong that it’s the company’s chance to shine.” UK Managing Director Paul McLoughlin

“Listening to customers is the key to any business, giving them more than they expect is the key to keep customers coming back”. Don Campbell explores the world of rental cars with SIXT CAR RENTAL’S UK Managing Director Paul McLoughlin. Little things count for so much. Getting the big things right in business is easy because they can be seen from a comfortable distance, but getting the little things right takes time, practice and experience. SIXT Car Rental have completely immersed themselves into their customer service and this is why after 99 years they enjoy continuous growth and movement in one of the world’s most competitive industries. COMPANY FOCUS AND DRIVE SIXT was founded by Martin SIXT in Munich in 1912, and since then it has grown to employ over 3500 people across 9 countries. It also carved its reputation in stone for excellence and reliability, based on their day-to-day and customer-by-customer approach of providing economic rides in first class drives. They are the 3rd largest rental car company in the UK market with 18 locations throughout London alone.

Internationally their depots are managed by friendly, well-trained staff who all share a common goal – the simple but powerful “make SIXT number one”. As business journalists, this is a statement we hear frequently from those with little understanding or cause to achieve it because such a mission and aim cannot be accomplished by luck alone, it needs to have a formulated plan and a focussed approach: 1. Focus on growth with depots in more locations to reach more customers 2. Give the customers a first class ride for an economic price THE DIFFERENCE The customer must be pleasantly surprised by the vehicle, and there are a number of things that make SIXT vehicles stand out. It isn’t just that every one of their vehicles is thoroughly cleaned and meticulously maintained. This sort of attention can be said of any of the top industry companies, so how does SIXT differ from their competition? The service, it is always the service that creates the vital first impression. There is something communicable in a friendly smile and handshake; it’s a small but important precursor where many other rental companies fall short. A good smile creates reassurance, trust and belief. It costs nothing but is worth everything. The first impression that is given at the desk is reinforced

own car. Or treat yourselves to that indulgent convertible. Renting a car for a holiday allows you to step out of the everyday space and slip into the exciting and unfamiliar territory so synonymous with holidays, change your scenery, your schedule and your car for a few days. Special occasions need a special touch. If you’re planning an anniversary or birthday celebrations, a car rental may be just the touch you need to kick it up as notch. So often, adults find themselves trapped regularity. Sometimes an act as simple as renting a different car for the evening can be enough to shake the routine induced dullness that plagues us all from time to time. “SIXT understand that different clients want and need different things.” ETHOS OF BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS SIXT was started as and has maintained a strong structure as a family business, which has made a significant impact on how the company approach things. Wherever possible young graduates are given the opportunity to start at the ground level in the company and climb the ranks through the business. If you’re dynamic and hungry for success anything is possible, including overseas travel and promotion which, while being an attractive notion is an excellent way to create cross cultural diversity, a benefit when the people most likely to be renting a car in any country are people who

clients want and need different things. Businessmen may be more concerned with style than space so they may need a sleek sports car whereas a family travelling together would be looking for something like a people carrier with added safety features; a place for the children to sit, air bags and entertainment. Perhaps there are certain cars you want to drive out of personal preference or maybe you just like the shape of the seats in one car rather than the other and to cater for all the varying tastes of their extensive customer basis SIXT have provided a plethora of vehicles in their fleet. And while it’s rare, it is still statistically inevitable that something unexpected will happen eventually, and if it does happen while driving even a SIXT car any motorist will agree that breaking down is never expected nor does it ever happen at a convenient time. In the case of emergencies SIXT reward customer loyalty and trust by being first on the scene promptly with a replacement vehicle no matter where you find yourself. Every company can build a strong relationship when things are going right but it’s when something goes wrong that the company has the chance to shine. Forming working business relationships with other service providers ensure that the customer experience is as positive as possible for as long as possible. With partnering with Net Jets, the executive or the family can enjoy the best private jet hire with a limousine service at both ends. Networking not only is beneficial to companies but also to the customer who is the ultimate winner on service and price. AND FINALLY Even with 3500 employees, presence in 9 countries and a customer base in the millions, it may be surprising how much time is taken when dealing with the communications of the company. Customer feedback is how SIXT assess the industry movements and make long term planning and predictions for growth. There is a strong bond that SIXT protects between itself and its customers which is clearly one of the reasons for their on-going success. After all, listening to customers is the key to any business, giving them more than they expect is the key to keep customers coming back. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 45

BIG BRANDS COMBINE TO CHANGE THE FACE OF TRUCKING

NC2 +27 11 421 2129 www.nc2.com Written by Ben Walker

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 47

NC2

Front-runner NC 2 Trucks Southern Africa is the new brand star in the tough operating conditions of South Africa, a merger of two top global names that is effectively re-inventing the world of trucks. Created late last year by Caterpillar and Navistar, this unique enterprise combines truck manufacturing and transportation expertise with worldwide distribution and unparalleled front line support. Succeeding the well-established Navistar International Trucks Southern Africa, NC2 is an unprecedented merging of talent and capabilities spanning the globe, creating and supporting International and Cat trucks for new applications and economies. Its South African assets include a full assembly facility at Apex, Benoni with the capacity to assemble 350 trucks a month, and a 4 200-square-meter parts distribution centre in Midrand. NC2 leverages the potent combination of Navistar’s truck manufacturing expertise and Caterpillar’s powerful global network. Headquartered in Lisle, Ill., U.S.A., NC2 Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 48

is prioritizing high-potential markets, including South Africa, Australia, Brazil and China. And by focusing on South Africa, NC2 Global LLC is confirming its confidence in its market’s strong future, says Managing Director Paul Henning, a view endorsed by NC2 president Al Saltiel. Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 500 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 5,200 dealer locations.

NC2

“For the ultimate Horse & Trailer electrical protection”

SS “South Africa is a top priority market for us and we are committed to taking full advantage of its strong potential,” says Saltiel. “We intend to build on Cat’s and International’s proven franchises in South Africa with an expanded line-up of International and Cat trucks that address a wide array of customer needs.” NC2 operations in South Africa are grounded in the market’s long history with International trucks, as well as the strong International dealer network and track record of outstanding customer service. Initial product line-up in South Africa will continue to be led by the legendar y International 9800 series of cab over long haul tractors, including the 9800e and the 9800i 6x4. Both models are powered by the Cummins ISX

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 50

engine, rated at 298kW for the 9800e and at 355kW for the 9800i. Recently introduced in South Africa is the International WorkStar conventional truck, which replaces the International 7600. Historically the highest-selling International product outside North America, the WorkStar provides rugged power and flexibility for on-highway and limited off-highway applications. It comes with a 6-cylinder, in-line Cummins ISM engine rated at 298kW. Caterpillar Inc is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines, and for more than eighty years has been driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. Built to perform, Cat lift trucks deliver day after day, meeting the demand for reliable material handling equipment with a matching level of service. With load capacities ranging from 2,500 to 36,000 lbs. product offerings consist of electric counterbalanced cushion and pneumatic tyre lift trucks as well internal combustion cushion and pneumatic trucks. With a dedicated focus on quality, reliability and customer service, Cat Lift Trucks offers the solutions its customers come to expect. And with spacious compartments and low effort operating, Cat lift trucks set the standard for the ultimate lift truck experience. Manufactured in Houston, Texas to ISO 9001:2000 quality standards and ISO 14001:2004 environmental system standards, Cat lift trucks are designed to increase the productivity of any material handling operation. Industry-leading features such as fingertip controls, the advanced operator Presence Detection System (PDS), informative displays, and high strength mast and carriage designs are just some of the reasons why Cat lift trucks deliver time and again. And with heavy lift truck usage on multiple shifts, customers demand products that perform to the highest standard. To meet these expectations, Cat Lift Trucks provides low maintenance products and offers extended service intervals. By making it easy for customers to complete planned maintenance and minimize downtime, Cat lift trucks are designed to help the bottom line. Navistar International – which traces its roots to 1831 and the former McCormick and International Harvester companies - is a holding company whose individual

12/24 Volt Inverter, Engine cut off, Lamp monitoring, Battery management and 24/12 Volt Converters

Trailer Safety Systems

TSS has been the supplier of inverters for more than a decade now. Through building a good working relationship with companies like NC2 South Africa and Abroad, TSS developed an upgraded Inverter and Lamp Monitoring unit to detect either a single LED or Lamp failure and can cope with the latest requirements and even “Rodo Trains” with ABS or EBS brake systems. Including the latest technology in Auto backup lamp systems, engine cut off, roll over and side angle protection, with battery management for start up protection. Benefits include: • Spares Savings • No burned wiring or switches • Less down time • Improved Road safety

We would like to thank NC2 and Navistar International USA and Abroad for the continued assistance, improvements and upgrading of our inverters and lamp monitoring units, including factory standards and requirements. With cost effective and quality products, their contribution to Road Safety and Fleet, management costs is appreciated for more than a decade by many Transporters. TSS wishes NC2 all of the best for their future and progress and is proud to be one of their suppliers.

More info regarding TSS Units • Indicator single lamp monitoring on Horse & Trailer lights • Protection of the Horse Electrical switches & wiring • Auto back up for faulty tail lights on trailers • Improved road safety with trailers (Visible at all times) • Lamp alarm on buzzer on faulty circuits or lamp failures • Less traffic fines • Less down time for electrical repair on road side call outs • Less spares to stock • Easy self maintenance on trailer electrical • Manually, override faulty circuits to meet scheduled time limits • Less prone to Hi-Jacking being stranded on the road side • No flat batteries in the morning and waiting to be Jump started (Auxiliary supply switching of at 11.8 volt) • No more burned wiring and with roll over protection on 45’ side angles engine cut-out protection • All circuits Tell Tale monitoring + open and short circuit protection • Auto day time driving lamps • 24/7 Assistance

Contact Details: Alfie Smit Mobile: 082 553 6302 Office: 021 975 0470 Website: www.ts.co.za / E-mail: acsmit@ts.co.za / alfietss@gmail.com

COMBO IV TO BE RELEASED SOON WITH UPGRADED INVERTER

Saving Lives, Saving Money

NC2

units provide integrated and best-in-class transportation solutions. Based at Warrenville, Illinois, USA, it is the largest North American manufacturer of mid-range diesel engines and class 6-8 commercial trucks and buses and a provider of truck and diesel engine parts. A wholly owned subsidiary offers financing services. Through its Defense Systems Group, Navistar is also the leading producer of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for the Department of Defense, safeguarding the American war fighter.

JOST and ROCKINGER -

The JOST Group is an enterprise which since its establishment in 1952 has achieved a leading position worldwide in the manufacturing of components for commercial vehicles. It has a tradition of success based on flexibility, technical know-how, entrepreneurial action and a close relationship with its employees.

a winning combination worldwide!

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Paul Henning, Managing Director

So what does this alliance of these leading global names mean for the South African customer? On the trucking side customers continue to interact with the same dealers and people as they have in the past. And while the ramifications of the joint venture are at this stage more global than local, in the long run multiple benefits will accrue to the local market via the development of new truck products and the utilisation of Caterpillar’s experience and infrastructure. Both global and local, NC2’s corporate and operational strategy ensures that each employees is empowered to rethink the way trucks are designed, engineered, assembled, marketed and supported. The result is an inspirational people -centric company with a collaborative mindset, one that rewards resourcefulness and creativity and creates a nimble and flexible approach to servicing the needs of the South African market. NC2 vision is to bring together our parent companies’ complementary strengths and to work as one to take excellent care of our customers,” says Al Saltiel. “We’re excited to bring NC2 to South Africa, and look forward to building an even stronger relationship with its dealers and customers.” And in less than one year, the results are impressive.“We are well on target to beat both sales and dealer development, delighted how things have started, and really confident about the future,” says Marketing Manager Kim Smith. The rollout of NC2 is a very exciting development, with two very strong brands bringing together technology, expertise and dealer network infrastructure, says Paul Henning. “As NC2 pursues synergies in all these areas, it is reinventing the world of trucks. And by focusing on South Africa as a priority, we are confirming our confidence in the market’s strong future.”

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www.traccmanufacturing.co.za Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 53

Consolidated Performance Projects +27 11 618 1749 www.cpprojects.co.za

MIXING THE OUTSOURCING POT

Written by Daemon Sands

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 55

Consolidated Performance Projects

is their customer liaison policy and focuses on relationship building and surreptitiously being better on every available aspect of their day-to-day operations. PRODUCTIVE: Good results requires good actions which requires good planning. Productivity is the combination of clear, decisive planning with structured action. Whoever the client is their primary concern, along with budget and timelines, and these have become the primary watch points for CP-Projects. By maintaining high levels of productivity that can be measured and assessed, it gives the customer confidence to use them again in the future. PASSION: Nothing works without passion. Wealth, fame and fortune can drive someone to work through the twelfth hour in a day but passion is what drives them through the sixteenth and seventeenth hours. Passion is what gets you to make that last call in the day that could wait for tomorrow but doing it today because you want to get the job done right. It’s also positively contagious and often one of the first things to be appreciated by clients. In an industry as busy as project & construction management in such a booming economy as South Africa it’s often the very thing to identify standards. HONESTY: Transparency is tricky to maintain in today’s hyperconnected world but in construction cutting corners to maintain a deadline can end up costing lives. With CP Projects however this has never and will never be the case.

In 2001, while studying building as a trade, Etienne Viviers founded CONSOLIDATED PERFORMANCE PROJECTS (PTY) LTD with the aim of leading the industry. Now celebrating their tenth year of business this company has experienced continuous growth, surviving economic hurdles and enduring beyond their competition. Daemon Sands examines why.

A Construction & Project management company focussing on bespoke turnkey construction, Consolidated Performance Projects have emerged over the past ten years as one of the leading specialists in their industry, working with significant clientele and developing, one project at a time, a strong reputation for

exceeding expectations. I spoke with Etienne about his company’s main focus points. These keystone elements are what he credits his own personal success and the success of his company. These are the factors he uses to find likeminded people to work with on projects. COMPETITIVE: It’s a prerequisite of businesses of all sizes to have competitive rates. However, CP-Projects’ approach goes beyond that and it isn’t just about being better priced but being fully aware of what the competition is doing. How fast and efficiently they are completing their projects and what Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 57

Consolidated Performance Projects

It’s uncommon to find a company that possesses such a strong sense of nobility in their actions, a honourable dedication to providing the client with exactly what is needed to exceed their expectations. WHY DOES OUTSOURCING WORK? “Someone I knew had a construction project and they asked if I could suggest the right people to do the project, so I said I’d handle it.” There are several key reasons why project management is taking so many industries by storm: through outsourcing to it’s sub-contractors, service providers, strategic partners, etc. the opportunity for more businesses to be involved in projects, locked into CP-Projects firm, tried and tested management structure, and provides the chance to apply their own pool of experiences to a bespoke project. By outsourcing, you can provide the best services by selecting the best people with the best prices, smaller, highly skilled businesses are able to offer more competitive rates and these can be passed onto the client. Especially in construction where the “specialist sub-contractors” i.e. electrics, plumbing, structural steel work & engineering, glass and aluminium, roof covering, air-conditioning, sprinkler systems and design and supply of concrete slab systems, etc. all have to come together flawlessly for the end result to work,

National Glass Distribution is pleased to be associated with Ettienne Viviers and Consolidated Performance Projects. We are wholesaler and processor of Float, Mirror, Laminated, Toughened and Architectural Glass. We are also the distributor of Eagle Aluminium, Warm Edge Insulated Glass Units and Eco-Fly Retractable Insect Screens to the Glass and Aluminium industry in South Africa.

it’s crucial to have the best people who know their industries thoroughly. Whether it’s construction of an office building, renovation of shopping malls or an expansion of warehousing and showrooms project for Chinese Trucks, they are able to step back and prepare. Planning is vital to the smooth running of such an operation and this allows them to calculate total budget requirements, predict timelines and any potential pitfalls. “Clients always know what they want but do not always know how to get it, so they want to pass the project onto someone who can get it completed on time and in budget.” and they rely on people like Etienne to make it happen. Spotting issues quickly and at the start is one of his responsibilities and it takes experience and the input of his outsourced partners to bring it to the attention of the client. Ultimately it all comes down to managing people and expectations. Dealing with people every day and having the all-important hands on understanding of every aspect of the projects while not interfering with them being duly completed is how Etienne Viviers has propelled his company forward to where it is now. “The most important thing is to build relationships, with clients and partners. Success is built after relationships become grounded.” And judging by the success Consolidated Performance Projects have found over the past decade it’s clear to see that Etienne is continually hitting the nail on the head.

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All Building MAteriAlS www.SAndpit.co.zA Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 59

SOLAR GIANT TENESOL POISED FOR SOUTH AFRICA SUN POWER LEAP

Tenesol +27 21 763 5924 www.tenesol.com Written by Ben Walker

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 61

Tenesol

While South Africa has all the credentials for being a top solar power nation, implementation has been slow and sporadic. Tenesol’s Southern Africa Area Manager Thibaud Vibert tells Endeavour’s Ben Walker why this is set to change. The recent move by the South African Government inviting proposals and tenders for ‘green’ energy projects to feed the national grid is good news for leading solar players like Tenesol Manufacturing of Cape Town, makers of photovoltaic modules. “We are currently working with customers on a number of projects which might be selected in the Government’s bidding process,” says Tenesol’s Southern Africa Area Manager Thibaud Vibert. The Government initiative follows on the publication in March of the 20-year master energy Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). This anticipates energy from renewable sources making up 42% of all new electricity generation in South Africa - a big shift from the 30% assigned to renewable energy under the draft released for public comment last year. And the distinct winner for the plan is solar PV, says Frost & Sullivan Energy and Power Research Analyst Dominic Goncalves.

The Cabinet-backed IRP report allocates a staggering 8,4 00MW of solar PV to be built by 2030, rolling out 300MW a year of large-scale PV from 2012 onward. “This renders South Africa as a potential solar goldmine at a timely stage when solar PV’s two biggest markets, Spain and Germany, are currently oversaturated and floundering,” says Goncalves. Tenesol Manufacturing is the largest manufacturer and designer of photovoltaic panels in South Africa, part of the Tenesol Group, a global solar PV player headquartered in France and owned by Total. Its Cape Town plant produces a wide range of products and services from standard single PV units to complete turnkey solutions. Solar and South Africa would be a marriage made in the stars. Here is Africa’s largest and most sophisticated economy with almost year-round sunlight. Electricity demand is increasing and the supply system faltering. The South African Government says sunlight is one of the continent’s “greatest assets”. Everywhere, deference is paid to the carbon footprint issue and the virtue of sustainables. Yet despite the IRP vision, the current South Africa’s PV market is growing at a rate of only 7.6 percent, lagging

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Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 63 13/10/2011 12:13:29

Tenesol

“significantly behind global uptake levels”, according to Frost and Sullivan. Photovoltaic cells use light to generate electricity. Solar PV cells can be arranged in panels on a roof or walls and can feed electricity directly into a building, and with the latest technology can be integrated into roof tiles, with groups added together to provide increasing levels of power. These can range from small, kilowatt-sized solar panels for use in domestic households, to larger arrays functioning as separate solar power plants feeding power directly into the electricity grid. “With an average of more than 2,500 hours of sunshine every year, South Africa has the perfect climate for solar panels. Its solar radiation output is over twice that of Europe - making it one of the highest in the world - and the most readily accessible resource available,” says Vibert. Yet past and present economics have conspired to frustrate solar’s natural place in the scheme of things. Even with the hikes and sharp upward movement in price projections, electricity in South Africa remains comparatively cheap, while the upfront cost of installing PV generators, particularly where they are connected to the grid, is high in comparison. “Here as elsewhere in the world, solar electricity is still more expensive than that obtained from the utilities. This is the main disadvantage.” For the solar industry there are basically two markets; off-grid and grid-tie. Off-grid consists of small installations – ranging from 50 watts to 10kw – and at present the majority of South African photovoltaics comes from small scale offgrid end-users; homes, schools, health centres, farms and remote areas. There have been several sensitive and highprofile customers—most of the lodges in the Kruger National

Park for example, where the laying of power lines would be environmentally disruptive, are PV. “The current market take-up for householders I would say is very, very small unless we are talking about farmers or those who live in places where there is no grid connection,” says Thibaud Vibert. More recently, companies have been using PV as a marketing tool to showcase their clean energy trends, while several municipalities have been experimenting with PV for road signage, street lights and billboard illumination. “The market for the grid connected system here is very slow and very small, and for one simple reason. In South Africa you are not authorised to inject current into the grid without a license. So at the moment the market is not ready and there is no public programme for connecting houses to the grid. In Germany and Italy, feed-in tariffs on small generators have been in operation for a number of years and this has encouraged a huge growth in the domestic PV market. Now with the Government’s latest initiatives this may all change, and Tenesol South Africa is ready for the opportunity and the challenge.” Technological innovation is the main pillar of Tenesol’s competitiveness, with an R&D commitment to meet the most pressing requirements. Tenesol focuses on the areas of product quality improvement, energy saving, and effective pollution reduction it considers essential for sustainable development within its client’s industries. “Our South African plant employs 170 people, three shifts a day, five days a week. Job creation is a Government priority and we want to continue to grow, investing in people. “The main customer is the Tenesol Group and his worldwide customers, and we also have customers in South Africa, South America, the Caribbean and elsewhere. Currently 90%

of our Cape Town production is dedicated to Europe, where quality requirements and delivery expectations are among the highest in the world. We deliver to this type of quality, and so everybody in South Africa benefits.” Each year the global price of PV is declining and Thibaud Vibert envisages the time when the PV electricity price will match that of the grid price. “When, I cannot say but I believe in South Africa it will be a shorter time than in some other countries. “Tenesol is committed to South Africa. We have been here for fourteen years and grown every year at a steady rate. We have a vast knowledge and experience. When this greater market is ready we will be ready to deliver a very high quality product and service to the people of South Africa. “The environment is changing and moving in the right direction, and with the Government’s radical renewable programme, I would go as far as to say that the picture today is far better than in the past.”

“With an average of more than 2,500 hours of sunshine every year, South Africa has the perfect climate for solar panels. Its solar radiation output is over twice that of Europe - making it one of the highest in the world - and the most readily accessible resource available” Thibaud Vibert, Southern Africa Area Manager Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 65

Nissan South Africa +27 12 529 6000 www.nissan.co.za Written by Ben Walker

LESS IS MORE ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 67

Nissan

The super star topic among the quarter million visitors to October’s Johannesburg Motor Show, this is world acclaimed LEAF, Nissan’s groundbreaking, mass-market, zero emissions electric vehicle. First in a series of EV vehicles by the Japanese auto manufacturer, LEAF - top speed in excess of 220km - has already scooped the 2011 World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year. Billed as the world’s first affordable mass-market zero emissions vehicle, it beat forty new contenders launched this year to take the 2011 title, decided by a jury of fifty seven motoring journalists from twenty three European countries. And with three other electric vehicles currently in the pipeline, Leaf is just the beginning for Nissan’s ‘electrification’. But as well as Africa’s introduction to LEAF, the Joburg Show also showcased Nissan’s wide range of vehicles - all featuring advancements in low emissions technology. “We are dedicated to lowering our carbon footprint to ensure a sustainable future, and this is reflected in ongoing technological development to reduce the impact of our vehicles on the environment,” says Nissan SA’s MD Mike Whitfield. South Africa’s auto industr y is on the rebound, re-gaining some of the ground lost during the global recession. New vehicle sales figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that 2010’s new-vehicle sales jumped by almost 100,000 units, compared with sales for 2009. Producing 50,000 vehicles a year out of South Africa, Nissan holds an 8.5% domestic market share across a comprehensive range of passenger cars, light and medium commercial vehicles and recreational and specialised vehicles manufactured in South Africa or imported from sister plants across the world. Globally, Nissan Motor Co returned robust figures for August, jumping almost 24 percent to 385,112 vehicles -- its best-ever August performance. Exports surged 34 percent with global gains powered by strong demand for models such as the Altima sedan, Versa hatchback and Rogue crossover SUV. The Joburg Motor Show featured a selection of Nissan’s premier vehicles, including the sporty GT-R and 370Z,

as well as a newly-bolstered p a s s enger vehicle line-up comprising the recently introduced new Nissan Micra and the much anticipated Nissan Juke which will enter the South African market at the end of the year. Another focal point was Nissan’s extensive LCV and SUV range including the Murano, Navara, X-Gear and Qashqai. Bringing in novat ion and

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 69

Nissan

excitement to its products and services as well as cleaner more affordable cars are key elements of Nissan’s recently announced six-year midterm business plan to accelerate growth across new markets and segments. Nissan has been manufacturing from its Rosslyn plant near Pretoria since its inception in 1963, operating through two divisions, commercial - overseeing marketing and sales - and manufacturing. And Rosslyn is set to play a key role in Whitfield’s plan to increase output from 50,000 to 100,000 units a year by 2016. Targeting increased market share in South Africa and across the continent, the commercial division is working to increase brand awareness and sales through a dynamic programme of new model introductions. Meantime the Nissan SA’s best seller is the NP200 commercial three quarter tonne truck. Highly versatile and functional, this is no ordinary bakkie, the new NP200 range picking up where its predecessor left off, bringing youthful energy to the Nissan commercial vehicle range. And as with the rest of the Nissan commercial portfolio, the NP200 range offers the highest levels of reliability, durability and lowest possible levels of overall running and repair costs. Its class–leading payload (800 KG) and load box dimensions together with its fuel-efficient 1.6 litre petrol and 1.5 dCi engines put this ‘Bring It On’ bakkie way ahead of the pack. And now with air conditioning, ABS and dual airbags even on entry grade models, the Nissan NP200 range offers the highest level of safety in its class. Altogether, hardworking muscle and a smart investment. 1453TridentSteel92x138mm1011 10/21/11 2:14 PM Page 1 Africa is a key market in Nissan SA’s expansion strategy.

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With a population of 900 million it is one of the last untapped frontiers and Whitfield and his team are keen to exploit the opportunities in established and new markets. While South Africa is its biggest market, Nissan currently plays in thirtytwo of the forty four Sub Sahara countries and is market leader in Mauritius and Mozambique. Nissan SA’s 2011 target of 36 000 domestic units and a 9% market share is supported by the company’s Shift_NSA campaign - aimed at improved capacity and capability. The Rosslyn plant has introduced new systems and processes, key elements of which are top-level quality of build and investment in people at all levels from shop floor to sales. Improving the capacity and productivity of the workforce is especially crucial to building volume to anticipated levels, says Whitfield. “During last December’s shutdown we implemented a totally new production control system, bringing us in alignment with our European operations. This has enabled us to increase flexibility and reduce lead-time, a key requirement for future export production.” With South African suppliers threatened by low-cost producing countries such as China, India and Mexico, the challenge in the next few years will be to close this competitive gap. The Government’s industrialisation strategy - Industrial Policy Action Plan, supported by the Industrial Development Corporation - will be instrumental in improving supplier competitiveness and increasing the manufacturing depth of the industry in three tiers - complete and sub components and raw materials. Another challenge - in common with industry throughout South Africa - is the skills issue. Employing more than 2,500, 1,900 in the manufacturing

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division, Nissan SA sets training as a key tool for driving improvement and implementing change. Strong graduate training and apprenticeships are among its lead components, as well as a continuous programme of job-specific training in conjunction with Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK). Staff can also experience best practice in action during site visits to the Oppama plant south of Tokyo. “There is a skill shortage in South Africa and one of the challenges we face in this country is the creation of employment,” says Mike Whitfield. “We have a part to play in this, and we can only meet the aspirations of the people if we can grow our production base.” Doubling Rosslyn’s production to 100,000 units by 2016 will be another Nissan landmark on the road to change.

Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 71

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leash and let loos e w ith ou t a en be e I’v d an st ou t it Lett ing D on nie Ru “I’ve fi na lly mad e y? sa u yo at th t’s m in e! W ha that I am fr ee dom is at la st su re d dear read er s as st re t Bu t? no rely u th e cr ea m of th e yo ng w ith ou t a leash, su gi in br be l al th e ru ng and sh ta ke th es e acts into wel l and tr uly un st to t an w d u’ yo e, m u wer e crop. Inde ed, if yo ears.” th em between th e co rnfields and kiss itor Naked Busker) - Ed Donnie Rust (The

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I’m n ot on e to get ea w il l tell yo sily excit e u. Bu t I’m d a s a nyo ne who k n excit e d rig a m om ent ows m e w h t n ow a s I ago. “Coll ell e s a id to my a effe ct. I m gues,” I sa colleag u e ay have b e id, “I’m ex s ju s t en a litt le my excit em les s fo r ma cited.” O r wo rd s to ent is t hat l t h t at h I’ a n t hat. T t a in m ent h e rea s on s o excit ing ve ju s t h eard a b ou t fo r Biz-t a in m to m e? I’ll ent. W hy t r y to ex p I’ve sp ent is la B in. izt plat fo r m fo h e la s t few year s w o r k ing w it r t h em to h n ew t a le get s t ar te d a nyt hing o nt, prov id bu t u nt il n r a nyon e o ing a ow I haven u t t h er e w v it a l s tep ’t b e en aw h o’l l h elp on. W hat ar e of t I’ve h es a n n oy ing a na logy, is b e en s earching fo r, e p e o ple to t a ke t h e n ex t if t h e n ex t p su cces s. W lat fo r m a lo I ca n u s e a p ar t icu hich is w h larly ng in t h eir y Biz-t a in a ir in a to m ent is a jou r n ey to ugh ind u s m u t r c y h genuin ely - you ju s t wa n d on’t u sua n e e d e d br eat h of f r e lly m e et p a b a nd on m t to h elp. Her e, f in e o ple w h o sh a lly s om e y o rig ina l o n e ha s pro a na logy fo mu ch m o r v id e d, if I r b eing s o e m ixe d, t ca n a n n oy ing hat mu chto get risin a nd t r y s o n e e d e d s te g t a lent in m p et hing p ing s ton e f ront of p prov iding rofes siona I’ve n ot a lw a leg- up l agent s a ays b e en t nd com p a b eing I a m h e w n e ll ie s a dju s te d a . to nd f ully-ro car e er in M d ay a nd a s I r esult u nd e d hu m t h er e wa s ar ket ing. B a a t im e w h eing t h e d t im e look en I wa nte n ing arou n riven s o r t d d a o fo f a guy I a m fou nd t ha r o pp o r t u t it wa s a ll n it ies. D o , I sp ent s om e you k n ow bu t im p o s hav ing ex sible to ge w hat I fou p erien ce. t n N d a ?I ow, h ow d jo b in mar you ca n’t o you get ket ing w it wo r k in u ex p erien c h nt il you’ve o ut e in a n ind got ex p erie Now imag u s t n r ce? y t hat in e t h e en pro blem b ter t a in m e nt bu sin es u t a dd e d to s – you ha it you ca n a nd you c ve t hat s a ’t get a n a a n’t get a me g c e o n m p er fo r m er t m w is it s h io ou t a com n w it h ou t s rar ely w m a is sion n agent, e a nt to g iv to get mate s t a blish e d e t h e n ew ria l ou t f ir t a len s t s o you won’t t r y ca n s ay it’s t a br ea k a nd t h er e a n ot h er a ’s a ra ce na logy – t you r s, a nd you get t h h ey’r e ju s you get… e pict u r e. t n ot wo r k well, I ing fo r m e to d ay bu t Biz-tainm ent is

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WHEN DWARVES TRY TO BE GIANTS by Donnie Rust There is a killer in the workforce today, and its redundancy: re∙dun∙dan∙cy/ri’dandanse /Noun The state of being no longer needed or useful. In the same way the one short stilt in the circus act becomes almost as useless as the other extra short stilt in the same act when the awkwardly proportioned clown dies from tripping over (feel free to read that again). This is not a specific dig at any little businessmen in particular. Fundamentally, everyone has the ability to change but the problem today is people’s fear of changing. Changing anything requires a degree of risk; you can’t change the route you drive every day to work, even if the omnipotent Satnav insists it’ll be faster, without the potential of something happening unexpectantly and it’s the accumulation of these unexpected, unseen and rather trivial changes that causes the massive fissures in our confidence. But some people stubbornly refuse to change anything about themselves, insisting that the world, in general, change to suit them. The methodology and thinking of these individuals, unfortunately common in the driving seats of massive organizations that employ hundreds of people, before being driven into a tree, is the same: after using one method to start a business (or as some CEOs do, completely luck into it) they convince themselves that this is the only method that will keep them in that position. They fear that any change will lose them that special quality that put them there in the first place and make them redundant. It’s understandable really and here I draw your attention, dear reader, to our example: 1. A salesman possessing just the right amount of gab and not enough conscience, makes a name for himself in an industry where few people do but loses his job not through inability or being pocket sized, but rather because, in addition to his skill as a salesman he’s an obnoxious little man who suffers from an inferiority complex brought on by premature hair loss and the wearing of children sized shoes. (Remember, this is just an example)... (Not aimed at anyone in particular)…. (But I could if I wanted to… oh yes. I could.)

2. With reptilian focus he seeks out a failing business that is in desperate need of someone who can solve their problem, but they don’t just need a solutions finder or someone who can point them in the right direction. They need a hero. Someone who is talented, but down to earth, has skills and experience in leadership and is able to change and move with the times and most importantly able to lead… in essence everything this hypothetical salesman is not. 3. In their desperation they fall for his plea and the salesman approaches the problem with a mystic focus and like Jason cutting the Gordion Knot he slices away all the bad apples and happily plays the hard man who can get the job done. He crowns himself CEO (Because he can) and immediately seeks to strike fear into the hearts of his employees because in his mind that’s what big CEOs apparently do (Have I mentioned he is short? I did? … okay) 4. Now he (or she, I don’t want to appear sexist) is CEO and lauds over the envy he has caused in the eyes of his competition and the fear he has promptly installed in his remaining staff. In the animal kingdom it’s seen that this kind of fear has two auto-responses: fight or flight. And having developed a proficient God Complex he will bully and harass anyone who disagrees with him into agreement, or fire them on the spot as a warning to others. For those others who simply cannot stand being talked down to by someone who has to look up at themthey simply leave. 5. But what good is a King (villain) without loyal-hardworking minions (henchmen)? And sensing a deficit in subjects, this CEO compensates for the loss of experienced employees and calls upon people who he knows will simply abide by his orders irrespective of whether they make any sort of intellectual sense. Friends, family and even the employees of enemies are given positions of power not because they’re qualified, capable or even interested, but simply because his ego benefits

from being surrounded by nodding-heads. “A change is needed; maybe his method of climbing the corporate ladder by stepping on the faces of those beneath him should have been altered when he got to the top and found that those faces were attached to the shoulders keeping him up there.” Even after all this it’s not too late to change (Top 10 Companies That Radically Transformed Their Businesses), in the modern technological business world, things changeand we respond to that now better than ever before. Yet, there are only really two constants that should never change: 1. Look after your employees and 2. Look after your customers. The manner in which a company looks after their employees directly represents how they look after their customers. Richard Branson, a man whose businesses span a wide range of successes in areas other businessmen wouldn’t have dared dip a toe in, credits his immense and almost folklorish success to a simple philosophy of, “Find out what the customer wants and what the employee needs to give it to them,” in turn promoting consistent growth and change. But the hypothetical CEO refuses to listen or change and clings to what he knows, because progress isn’t as important to him as the fear inducing power that he wants, but wants only on his terms since in his mind he has already worked for it and he can’t understand why people aren’t able to see or care about it. In the world of business you have the smaller companies and the bigger companies, the dwarfs and the giants but

CEOs must listen to their employees, protect them and act upon what they say in a positive and constructive manner. Ill-tempered shrews make poor CEOs who lead with egocentric reactions to the smallest objection and raging delusions of grandeur. As the figure head that the employees and customers look to for inspiration what sort of example is our hypothetical CEO providing to the masses? (Something like this I’d imagine...) In my opinion companies do not rely on CEOs, they rely on employees. A CEO is only as valuable as the message that is conveyed to the employees through their actions and it is ignorance to this important change that makes CEOs often the first to become redundant. “There comes a stage in a CEO’s career when the role changes from protecting the company to protecting the staff.” Someone once said, do what you’re capable of doing today and you do it to the best of your ability and tomorrow you’ll be capable of doing more. This may not have always been the case. I don’t know, I’m immersed in the business world of today as I know it right now, in ten years I’ll probably be writing something completely different but stating exactly the same line. That is how I keep myself out of redundancy… How are you doing it? Donnie Rust, AKA (The Naked Busker) is one of Britain’s foremost comedy writers in the field of business, travel and adventure with over 1 million readers worldwide. His stand-up comedy is apparently hilarious too. He can be found at: www.facebook.com/donnierust. Endeavour Magazine • November 2011 • 75

No limits

BolideckÂŽ: all the confidence you need Any ship needs confidence out on the ocean. Moving to the right destination, running to an important task. Expectations are high and performing well is a discipline. One Bolidt fully understands. Excellent performance is never limited with functional and aesthetical BolideckÂŽ decking and flooring systems. All the confidence you need. Whether its cruise, livestock, navy or off shore. Bolidt, No limits. www.bolidt.com

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