Most organizations rely on standard operating procedures to firstly, ensure quality and secondly, to provide training material for new employees. When it comes to continuous improvement however, the primary reason for developing standard operating procedures is to ensure that all operators linked to the process are following the optimum process at a particular point in time. The starting point for improving operations and processes is the current “way of doing things” and without this as a reference point it would be very difficult to determine if any improvement actually occurred. This session will therefore focus on how to develop effective operating procedures.

– by Dr Karl van der Merwe

Dr. Karl van der Merwe has been a practicing Industrial Engineer since 1989. After a fifteen-year stint in the Automotive sector, he moved to an academic environment to pursue a career in teaching, research and consulting. He holds a Ph.D. in Operations Management, which was granted by Nelson Mandela University, based on research completed in the field of Lean and Six Sigma operations. He currently oversees a number of continuous improvement research projects in collaboration with industry partners and has authored several books on related topics

Assessments are important in just about everything in life and form a critical component in successful change programs. Organizations use audits to assess their current state and to determine the direction in which they are heading. However, assessments can also backfire badly if they are not used correctly. So often, organizations use audits and assessments to adopt the tools and language of lean, but they rarely internalize it. Lean Assessments need to be carefully designed to motivate actions by creating a strong expectation to improve. In addition, they should focus on behaviors and cultures, as well as operational benefits (financial, customer satisfaction etc.), otherwise they drive the wrong behaviors. This session will give you the tools needed to ensure your Lean Assessment is helpful to your organization.

– by Laverne van Wyk

Laverne van Wyk is a Director at Haldan Consulting and holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Industrial Engineering. Laverne oversees the organization and decision making and provides guidance and direction to all employees. She is also an experienced Process Engineer, which she gained largely from the automotive sector, but also extends across many other industries. For the past ten years with Haldan Consulting her passion is Lean manufacturing, especially with regard to using IT to facilitate Lean systems.

In the wake of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, the previous known scarce skill is now under threat, Human Engagement. Managing change, expectations and fears while spearheading the implementation of 4.0 initiatives poses challenging opportunities. Essential management skills like communication, Motivation and Leading becomes a tall order that is required to sensitize manpower to the changes as well as the potential impact of these changes. The goal of the session is to share some of the aspects relating to change. Both the workforce and management will be challenged with this during the implementation of Industry 4.0. Developing strategies that will identify and eradicate fear of change and provide a holistic approach to change that will support synergy and collaboration.

– by Gerald Pietersen

Gerald Pietersen has been involved in various facets of manufacturing, from operations, quality, HR to Training and Development. His background in manufacturing and HR provides him with a sound background to reflect and share experiences on the integration of the human element and production. He now manages a training company that focuses on Skills Development Solutions for manufacturing and the corporate environment.

Most people understand energy efficiency as simply utiliZing less energy to perform the same task or to do more with less energy and eliminating energy waste. What most people are not aware of is that, energy efficiency brings a variety of benefits such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; reduction of demand for energy imports and lowering costs on both household and economy-wide level. Companies across South Africa are looking for alternative energy solutions in order to mitigate load-shedding risks. While renewable energy can also help accomplish these objectives, improving energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest and the most accessible way. This session will cover insights into the work being done by the NCPC-SA, through their Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project, which promotes the use of Energy Management Systems (EnMS) and Standards in industry by raising awareness, conducting energy audits and implementing demonstration projects.

– by Faith Mkhacwa

Faith Mkhacwa is an Energy Efficiency Specialist & a Certified Renewable Energy Project Developer at NCPC. As one of the certified UNIDO experts, Faith also assists organisations with implementation of EnMS (Energy Management Systems) and ISO 50001 certification. Faith’s work has extended to other parts of Africa, where she worked with industry on different energy efficiency projects. She serves as a chairperson of the SAFEE (South African Females in Energy Efficiency) and University of Johannesburg’s PEETS (Process, Energy and Environmental Technology Station) boards. She holds MBL and Engineering (B Eng. Electrical & Electronic) degrees.