process engineer

management accountant

housekeeper

finance partner

engineering manager

Tongaat Hulett

It WAS a good company to work for, but in last couple of years it is in downward spiral. Management at Mill level is disconnected from realities on floor and are rarely seen. Mid management are often inexperienced and out of their depth in the fast moving factory environment. Promotions and exceptional performance recognition are non existent. Often ideas from production personel will be hijacked and promoted as that of the more connected. Be careful who you trust and talk to, always watch your back. Be prepared to insist on your rights as a worker and know your labour laws, it will be tested. The labour union is weak, and can almost be considered incompetent in a modern industrial environment. On the positive side, many workers are highly experienced with many years of service and they are team players and the ones who keep the production up. it is easy to get along with the blue collar chaps and gals and for most part they stick together. The production shift teams are tightly knit and perform DESPITE of the challenging environment including management.

My job required me to be in the lab 50% of the time. I would conduct Analytical Test during the pilot stages of projects. Interpret results, and present an outcome with an action plan to move forward.

This role required me to be onsite at times to commsion the plants. This was an interesting opportunity however the job progression was limited. The job started to feel less challenging and I needed a change. 

The people where amazing. I developed good relationships, and I excelled at my tasks. Such that the company had awarderd me a full bursary to further my studies on a part time basis. I have made good friends who I look up to as mentors to date. 

Interestingly Tongaat Huletts became one of my key accounts at my current job. 

I believe that maintaing good relationships in business is crucial. More so in sales.

Our day scheduled work begins from 0645 hours and ends at 1615 hours Monday to Friday. The pre-shift meeting is conducted by the Foreman and Engineer on a daily basis. Standby call-outs are read. Tasks and faults (notifications raised by the Shift Process Supervisor) are allocated to individual Fitters on a daily basis. works orders are printed out for each Fitter through the SAP system and all required spares for the maintenance of machinery are ordered through our main stores. Each Fitter is allocated a section to maintain in the Factory Maintenance department. Teamwork is the foundation of solid work culture in a department. As a chargehand, I oversee that daily machine availability is maintained for the process to achieve their daily sugar production targets as well as Ethanol production targets. Ensuring that the production targets are met without much maintenance delays on equipment makes the work much more demanding and requires being proactive.

Yo!My first day at work.I never knew anyone and I had no understanding of their tea times and lunch's.The noise and rolling machinery all over.Well;What I can is I learnt a lot,like I never knew the that the process is very long before sugar is being produced.The management is good because they are all able to communicate with you like other permanent workers and they are able to make you fill at home though you are the new member.I like working with people because I easily make friendship with them.My hardest part was when I had to go work in the conveyor belts,I really freaked out and I was very scared but as time goes on I get use to it and now I am OK.The most enjoyable part is working in a place where I will work with many workers in one place,and controlling cameras including being at admin office.

although the core vision of the company was value creation for all stakeholders through an all inclusive approach to growth and development this wasn't really carried out as the stakeholders did not derive anything from the company, much more could have been done however the funding was there but the was a short sight in meeting stakeholder expectations, when more collaborative engagements should have taken place whereby the local communities benefited from major projects that were rolled out over the years.
I believe much more could have been done for the local communities that surrounded the agricultural operations.

A typical day at work would entail a 10 minute meeting with my shift personal to cover safety, plant as well as to set the objectives for the shift ahead. I would then do a plant check, follow through with plant issues if any and focus on plant optimisation and through-puts. The hardest part of my job is the people management aspect as my work place is situated in an environment that requires people to travel from far and wide to come to work as their is no local accommodation. This often results in late coming, people not coming as well as staff leaving the site due to no cover. This then leads to disciplinary action which is sometimes pain full to all parties concerned.

Exciting challenging work from day one in 1979. The opportunity for advancement and assistance/encouragement with studying allowed me to develop from an Assistant Stores Buyer at Corobrik (part of Tongaat Hulett Group) to eventually heading up Group Procurement at Tongaat Hulett Group in 2001.

Hardest part of the job but most rewarding was the part time study periods which really tested ones ability to perform.

Most enjoyable was the interaction with not only staff fro my company but also with all representatives from supplying or potential supplying companies.

Tongaat Hulett is an excellent Company to work for.
Very relaxed atmosphere - as long as the work is done.
Management are very flexible - Training and studying are encouraged by management.
Co-workers are friendly and relaxed.
The hardest part of my job is juggling the day to day tasks as being HR the demand on your attention is huge.
The most enjoyable part of my job is the interaction with the different levels of people I deal with in my job and on a personal level.

I have learned many things during my tenure at THS, but the most important thing I've learned is never to take anything personally and always stand your ground in an organisation that is multi-cultural and multi-racial.

typical day would involve solving breakdown problems, if not discussing issues and how about solving them to obtain maximum performance in out plant. learning arising problems, why and how to solve them, how the problem is solved is based on capital. i believe it best to build relationships wit you co-workers, strong relationships form strong working team and good response to problem solving. the hardest part of the job is not having proper guidance with training hence it will affect my competence in the future. the most enjoyable part of the job is being able to solve problems based on one's analysis conducted.

After safety talk would carry out inspection of tools then go into section applicable to you and carry out a plant check highlighting any abnormalities noted and cleaning where necessary.Then work according ro work orders provided for your secton from various other workgroups whilst making sure all electric motors in section are running smoothly without overheating or bearing failure.if motor overhaul required or power failure,tripping of swithgear etc occured attending to fault in such a way as to achieve mimimum downtime

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Process engineer 1 salary reported	R 550 000 per year
Management accountant 1 salary reported	R 46 000 per month
Housekeeper 1 salary reported	R 350 per day
Finance partner 1 salary reported	R 450 per hour
Engineering manager 1 salary reported	R 350 per hour

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