Cover Story: Invincible Valves

Company culture shouldn’t add stress, but should alleviate work-related stress; it should sustain employee enthusiasm and passion and enhance the company’s productivity.”

company culture intrinsic to success Invincible Valves – Invincible Valves – company culture intrinsic to success

From the desk of Pam du Plessis, MD of Invincible Valves

Company culture guides discretionary behaviour and picks up where the employee code finishes off. This is the glue that keeps the company together. Culture tells us how to respond to an extraordinary request, it tells us whether to risk telling our leaders about new ideas, and whether to raise or hide problems in the workplace. Our employees make hundreds of decisions on behalf of the organisation during a single workday – the company culture will guide them in making good, solid decisions.

Culture tells us what to do and how to behave when the CEO isn’t in the room, just like integrity does when you continue doing the right thing, especially when no one is looking. The workplace should not be a place that your employees dread; instead they should be excited and enthusiastic to be at work every day. Ideally, you want to have a situation where your employees have a hard time leaving work because they enjoy the challenges, their co-workers, the atmosphere and the company’s contribution to the economy. Company culture shouldn’t add stress, but should alleviate work-related stress; it should sustain employee enthusiasm and passion and enhance the company’s productivity.

Culture should be used as a useful tool when it comes to recruiting and finding talented people to fit your mix and enhance overall performance. The company’s culture will determine the boundaries that you allow your employees to operate within. Consistency in a company culture is vital At Invincible Valves, we use our culture to always engage in a transparent fashion and allow a certain amount of freedom, which gives our employees the peace of mind that they are always trusted to do their best without having someone looking over their shoulder all the time. We play our cards openly from the very first meeting and we follow through right to the end. Consistency in a company culture is vital. This makes it easier for employees to make decisions; they know and understand the culture and can therefore make informed decisions based on past experience.

Our culture extends far beyond the employee’s job title. It includes social responsibility, skills development and personal development. We never employ people just because they apply for the job; instead we look at the person and their scope for growth before making them an offer. If we can’t see the potential for further growth, then we are not going to make the offer. The reason for this is because we are committed to uplifting people in a safe and caring environment, which is within our business culture. It also means that our employees are open to training in multi-skilled disciplines because of our transparency and honesty from day one. They are also more committed to working as a team and assisting in other areas of the business when necessary.

Social responsibility At Invincible Valves we offer many out-of-our scope opportunities to our employees, including personal health care, charitable events within our local community and much more. Twice a year we sponsor Tuberculosis x-rays free of charge for all our employees, along with an annual HIV/Aids screening, which is always followed up with a day of educational talks and demonstrations. We feel that it is our duty to provide these opportunities for the benefit of our employees and their loved ones. We also encourage our employees to share their newfound knowledge with others in their communities.

We partner with a number of organisations and get involved in uplifting schools in South Africa. Our employees are always ready to assist. Recently we had a team of 10 employees assist in painting a farm school, and working with several other companies we managed to complete the task in just a couple of hours, changing the learning experience for more than 1 000 students every day. We helped to create an environment that these children can be proud to call their school; where through donations, they now have access to more sporting equipment and educational material. Knowledge and skills transfer Knowledge and skills transfer are of utmost importance at Invincible Valves and our company culture is evidence of this.

We created the Inval Training Centre for this reason; a space within our factory that is conducive to learning and sharing. The Inval Training Centre hosts several ongoing and adhoc education programmes throughout the year.

Shaping your culture is more than half done when you hire your team.” ~ Jessica Herrin, founder of Stella & Dot

The Centre houses our own library which promotes reading on every level. We offer a full learn-to-read programme and invite employees to take out books to read at home or during their lunch break. We also encourage our employees to learn to drive and offer textbooks for learners and drivers license tests. The library also offers current publications that promote industry awareness and insight into current affairs.

The adhoc external training programmes for our employees are run in groups of six. This means that if we only have two employees on the programme we then offer the same training to four community members, giving them an opportunity to brush up their skills or to learn a new skill. This this is just one of the ways we try to uplift and give back to our immediate community.

Another training opportunity at Invincible Valves includes our partnership with a local trade school and a technical high school. We make use of these facilities to train our employees, along with other unemployed candidates; we also source talent through these two institutions. This has proven to be beneficial in the past with qualified artisans as well as learnership candidates and have enhanced our manufacturing and reconditioning area of our company. It gives us great joy to see our employees develop their skill set and grow as individuals. The moral of the story is that if your employees are happy and feel valued, respected and considered in all aspects of their work, you will see a whole new level of commitment and success. We attribute our business success to the success of our employees; the fact that they consider our esteemed customers to be their own esteemed customers; the fact that they think before they act or react – and always in a positive manner.

Social responsibility values The mining industry can be considered as one of the most competitive and hard-fought markets for suppliers of equipment and components. Achieving success in

There’s no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated.” ~ Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group

this industry requires dedication and long-term, lasting relationships, which in many cases can run into decades of business partnerships.

Economic conditions play a role in the supply chain, and mine operators are hard pressed to maintain the balance between economies of scale and product quality. One of the most important attributes for any company doing business with the mining industry, or any industry for that matter, is its ability to provide total solutions to suit their clients’ needs.

One such company is Invincible Valves, established 37 years ago and based on these sound principles. Its successful track record throughout the industry has earned it an enviable reputation amongst its clients and stakeholders.

Invincible Valves is a respected distributor and the largest stockist in Africa of a comprehensive range of locally manufactured and imported valves and accessories for the mining, petro-chemical, power generation, water and sanitation and general industries. The company also offers full reconditioning facilities for valves, and a rubber lining division that meets the most stringent specifications for lining pipes, tanks, valves and any other specialised requirements.

‘We have built this company on old fashioned family values without losing sight of good corporate governance.

Our personnel are well trained and are put through regular programmes to enhance their business skills. Even the accounts personnel are given product training so that they can relate better to the products, the names of which they only see on paper,’ explains Pam du Plessis, Managing Director. ‘We also offer our staff empowerment opportunities by working in small teams with a team leader to co-ordinate daily activities. This business model gives us the opportunity to reward achievements within the company.’

Pam’s passion for people and education has prompted her to establish an education facility as a part of Invincible Valves’ social development programme. The Centre will be inaugurated by the Mayor of Ekurhuleni once completed.

‘Here, learners and staff members can be taught life skills as well as introduced to the world of business. We also have an intern programme that gives disadvantaged scholars an opportunity to gain hands-on experience within the company, at the same time earning a wage. A number of technical schools and colleges have embraced this initiative and we have offered scholarships to both girls and boys, creating equal opportunities for both genders within our industry,’ she adds.

Accolades and awards Pam du Plessis is regarded as somewhat of a human dynamo in this male-dominated industry and has achieved numerous accolades and awards as a businesswoman. The innovative approach that she has developed as a business model for the company has proved to be the core value of her success.

Among her various awards, Pam travelled to Fort Lauderdale in the USA, to receive an award as part of the 2017 Enterprising Woman of The Year Awards ceremony, an annual tribute to the world’s top women entrepreneurs. The Enterprising Woman of the Year is widely considered one of the most prestigious recognition programmes for women business owners. To win, nominees must demonstrate that they have fast-growth businesses, mentor or actively support other women and girls involved in entrepreneurship, and stand out as leaders in their communities. Many of the honourees also stand as leaders of key organisations that support the growth of women’s entrepreneurship.

Award winners are recognised in seven categories and recipients represent an amazing group of woman entrepreneurs from across Africa, the USA, Europe, UK and Canada.

In 2019, Pam was recognised and awarded as Africa’s Most Influential Businesswoman in the Engineering Sector. With 76 finalists throughout Africa, this is no small feat! It is also inspirational to know that there are many more successful women working in the sector across the African continent.

In November 2019, Pam was honoured with the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) award in New Delhi, India. This is yet another achievement proving that her love for the company, the brand and the culture is present in her everyday activities. Mentoring young entrepreneurs, adding value to her local community and enhancing her employees’ lives is exceedingly high on her agenda. n

Invincible Valves W www.invalve.co.za