Bidvoice - Bidvest
Transcription
Bidvoice - Bidvest
Bidvoice QUARTERLY magazine for BIDVEST people issue 2013 CE’s message Clean sweep Choice of holiday destinations Rhino news Get on your bike Competition CONTENTS AND EDITORIAL features 04 Clean sweep Welcome readers In South Africa we have just started to feel the chill in the late mornings and early evenings, but we do have the most magnificent winter sunshine. Of course our UK colleagues have emerged from their winter and are now 12 enjoying some champagne days! This really just serves to remind us that the year is racing ahead with yearend no longer a distant thought. Good luck to everyone involved in the year end reporting as we know how stressful and time-consuming this can be. Packaging on a new level I get really excited when I hear about the innovative and creative initiatives that our businesses are doing. Our cover story on the Bidvest Laundry group is incredible. Congratulations to Hans and his team for some really out of the box 28 Food safety thinking which has revolutionised the way they do business. And lets all get behind the 2013 Bidvest Unity Walk taking place in four cities. An incredible Proudly Bidvest initiative and certainly unrivalled in terms of corporate events in South Africa. Its always exciting to meet new managing directors and every good wish to Paulette McGhee as she takes up the reigns at Budget (page 24). Please remember that Bidvoice is our window on our Bidvest world and let us know what your businesses are doing and what our Proudly Bidvest people are 35 achieving. Kind regards Junette Supporting greenABLE 60 Improving literacy Junette Davidson – Bidvoice editor and Bidvest communications manager Kate Cunningham – Sustainability co-ordinator Noelene Gounden – Administrative assistant Send contributions to: Junette Davidson, The editor, Bidvoice, The Bidvest Group Limited PO Box 87274, Houghton 2041, South Africa Tel: +27 (11) 772 8700 } Fax: +27 (11) 772 8970 E-mail: [email protected] 2013 deadline dates for copy to editor } Issue 3 2013: end June } Issue 4 2013: end September regulars 01 02 03 04 06 Highlights Our group Message from Brian Joffe Cover story Our group Bidvoice is published quarterly by The Bidvest Group Limited for the people of Bidvest companies worldwide. Its mission is to communicate the news and growth of the Group, to inform about Bidvest companies, their services and products. 10 56 58 64 69 Group panorama Our people Reaching out Rest and relaxation Winning streak No responsibility will be accepted for any statement made or opinion expressed in the publication. Consequently, nobody connected with the publication including directors, employees or editorial team will be held liable for any opinion, loss or damage sustained by a reader as a result of an action or reliance upon any statement or opinion expressed. © Bidvest 2013 This magazine is copyright under the Berne Convention. In terms of the South African Copyright Act No. 98 of 1978, no part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission of the publisher and, if applicable, the author. Design and layout: Bastion Graphics } Printers: Blesston Printers, a Proudly Bidvest company. bidvoice issue 2 2013 highlights highlights Bidvest Unity Walk 2013 Bidvest Unity Walk 2013 – August 18 2013 – see page 6 for more info. Bidvest Ethics Line We are committed to conducting healthy business practices which support our company values of respect, honesty, integrity and accountability, ensuring a stable employment environment and the ongoing success of Bidvest. Compliance with the Bidvest Code of Ethics is mandatory at all levels of the organisation. Directors and senior management are committed to being role models of this code for the Group. All employees should always measure their behaviour in terms of the spirit of the code, as well as against the practical guidelines. As evidence of the Group’s commitment to this code, a free and anonymous ‘Fraud & Ethics’ line is available to all Bidvest Bidvest Middle East Bidvest Middle East – welcomes stakeholders. With the support of all, we aim to encourage an open and transparent workplace, promoting a culture of reporting wrongdoing. The toll-free telephone number is 0800-506090 (All approaches to this line are confidential.) Aktaes Holdings Turkey – see page 48 for more info. Investment Analysts Society of South Africa (IAS) First woman MD at Budget A new managing director is in the driving seat at Budget Rent a Car, the vehicle rental arm of Bidvest Bidvest takes top honours in their sector of the IAS Excellence in Financial Reporting and Travel and Aviation – Paulette Communications Awards. McGhee. See page 24. bidvoice issue 2 2013 1 our group The Bidvest executive development programme Wicus Maritz, managing director, Rotolabel, was one of the delegates to attend the first ever Bidvest executive development programme (EDP) which was coordinated by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Wicus gave us his perspective of this programme; “The topics covered were contemporary, relevant, and included a wide range of interesting areas. The lecturers were clearly experts in their particular fields; they were engaging and interesting and managed to convey their knowledge and expertise in a fun way. The action learning coaches are an integral component of this course, as the teams need somebody as a sounding board for ideas, structure and direction. The various activities were appropriately timed throughout the programme and certainly facilitated team building. The business simulation although stressful at times was certainly interesting and a lot of fun. Social networking via LinkedIn was a positive exercise and one can certainly see the value of this if used appropriately. I’m now an avid Twitter follower and follow a variety of people and organisations; from Pamela Anderson to Richard Branson! “The action learning project (ALP) topics were very interesting and relevant. The divergent/convergent process of an ALP is very useful in everyday working life. The project again demonstrated the power of teamwork and how individuals with different backgrounds and strengths can come together to create something bigger than the individual. The importance of planning, role clarification, building on each team member’s strength and having a team leader were highlighted. “The leadership assessment was an amazing exercise and is something that every leader should do. Holding the mirror up to see how you are doing as a leader is both sobering and satisfactory. “The EDP overall was a great experience and counts as one of my career developmental highlights. This programme is a great opportunity for senior managers, it is pitched at the right level, the balance is good and the ALP project is a great way to learn. The networking with other Bidvest executives and GIBS staff and faculty was fantastic and the overall learning experience – both from a personal and professional point-of-view – was great”. Kevin Swan, managing director, Lufil Packaging, also highlighted some of the outcomes of the programme. “Networking within the Group was a fantastic opportunity with many contacts made with the other divisions which will certainly pay dividends in the future. Most of us were used to directing down or reporting up 2 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Back from left: Wicus Maritz, Rotolabel; Phillip Clough, McCarthy VW/Audi; Kevin Swan, Lufil Packaging; Louis Roux, Steiner. Second row from left: Rob White, Bidvest Prestige Cleaning Services; Gavin Bell, Bidvest Hospitality; Neil Wolno, Bidvest Insurance; Mark Steyn, Bidvest Freight; Jackie Goodwin, Bidvest Port Operations; Craig Turnbull, Bidvest Industrial: Corporate Office; Van der Walt Steyn, Konica Minolta; Craig Taylor, BidTrack. Third row from left: Dani Kaplan, G.Fox & Co; Denny Poovan, Afcom; Neil Capazorio, Bidvest Bank; Alan Duncan, McCarthy; Gary Bloch, Bidvest Bank; Stephen Smith, Bidvest Panalpina Logistics; Mojaki Finger, Bidvest Paperplus. Front from left: Mpumi Madisa, Bidvest Prestige Group; Lesley-Ann Adams, GIBS; Endria White, Waltons; Riette Ackermann, GIBS; Nosi Mbongwa, Bidvest Freight. A couple of the people above have left Bidvest/changed divisions but this is information as at March 2013 when they completed the EDP. and we have not previously really had an opportunity to interact with our Bidvest peers. “The programme gave us all a better awareness of self and the influence we have on others. It was fantastic to observe the growth and change in people during the programme. None of us had previously spent this much time analysing our thoughts and actions with psychologists. Definitely a different experience! “I found the strategic thinking and business model innovation the most thought provoking lecture of all; while the immersion into Hillbrow, Alexandra township and Diepsloot was good for all and opened our eyes to new opportunities. “Teamwork in the action learning projects (ALP) was vital to getting through the volume of work and even during this interaction a leader was necessary to keep everything – and everyone – on track! ALP developed thinking but most specifically the ability to test ideas before going too far. Some key learnings from our team can be encapsulated as follows: Innovation is a process and time must be dedicated to working through scenarios, reading, researching and planning. Methodology of a step by step process and testing is the key to developing new ideas for a mature industry. Develop effective teams, with an understanding that we need to investigate, dissect and implement information to grow and develop our business. Don`t be afraid to venture into the unknown. The first ideas proposed are seldom the best and that a process of discussion, testing and development is crucial. A team with different areas of expertise is also important in the functioning and outcome of the ALP. CE’S MESSAGE Leading by doing is the Bidvest way Letting performance do the talking has a lot to be said for it and quietly getting on with the job is part of the Bidvest culture. But there are times when it makes sense to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished. Many of the businesses in the Bidvest family are industry leaders. They deliver services to world-class standards. Look at the application of direct mobile ordering systems and other ecommerce innovations at our leading foodservice operations. In many respects they set the industry standard in their national markets. And what about the efficiency levels and throughput achieved at the dockside by our Bidvest Freight teams? Leaders provide new solutions. Followers do things the same old way. Their capacity to move South African exports and imports constitutes a Leaders anticipate market shifts. Followers fall victim to market shifts. national asset. In many instances, our leadership in specific sectors enables us to help We also see sector-leading innovation at the Bidvest Laundry group – successes showcased in the current edition of Bidvoice. Our laundries are regional leaders in the application of heat exchanger and continual batch wash technology and the installation of variable speed drives. Without getting too technical, this boils down to big savings on heat, steam, water and coal. Foodservice, freight and laundry innovations are just three examples of leadership. Bidvest has many more. The positive environmental impact of operational efficiency should not be our customers do things better at less cost. This gives us a competitive advantage over service providers whose market offering is more of the same. Leadership that bestows an image benefit is all well and good. Leadership that bestows a commercial benefit is so much better. We lead by doing. Being boastful will never be the Bidvest way. But we should not shy away from our status as leaders. We’ve earned it. We can take pride in it. And we can take advantage of it by cementing long-term relationships with customers. One show of Bidvest pride is just around the corner … our Unity walk under-estimated, but in the commercial world we should also focus on how taking place in four cities; Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Port leadership can help build our business. Elizabeth. I’d like to encourage teams from divisions in and around the city What do our customers want? to step out with pride. There’s every chance you’ll be walking in the steps of Depending on the industry, they may want Bidvest to provide fresh some industry leaders. But you might not know it as they so rarely talk produce, copper cable or office cleaning. On top, the customer expects good about it. quality, value for money and high levels of reliability and efficiency. But they are also in the market for something else … new ideas. Brian Joffe bidvoice issue 2 2013 3 cover story Clean sweep as our laundries save on heat, water and coal Coming out in the wash involves a new order of magnitude at the Bidvest Laundry group, with up to 380 000 pieces a day going through our laundries. That adds up to 138,7 million laundered pieces a year. Coming clean every day requires 660 000 litres of water at a major operation such as the Johannesburg factory. Multiply that across the nationally represented group and annual consumption leaps to 1 626 371 kilolitres (enough to fill about 41 000 swimming pools). The electricity bill is also substantial. In 2012, the business used more than 8 million kWh while national coal consumption topped 15 000 tonnes. Big numbers imply big opportunities for savings in energy and water. The challenge was highlighted in 2010 when sustainability data revealed that our laundries accounted for 6% of all Bidvest carbon emissions worldwide. “Since then we’ve been on a mission to reduce our carbon footprint and achieve savings in water, heat, electricity and coal,” says Hans Hunick, managing director of the Laundry group. In the process they have positioned themselves as southern African leaders in the use of heat exchanger and continual batch wash (CBW) technology and the deployment of power-saving variable speed drives (VSDs). Gains have been driven by substantial investment, resulting in big savings, not only in water but heat. Quality laundry operations demand a constant supply of water heated to a minimum of 80˚C by a primary heat source (in the case of our laundry group, cycle, the hot water was dumped into the drains. Heat was literally allowed to drain away. “This was clearly wasteful and one of the first areas we looked at when pursuing savings,” says Hans. The installation of heat exchangers or aquatherm to convert water into steam. Condensate returned to the boiler, together with increased pre-wash water temperatures from the transferred to incoming fresh, cold water. Previously, aquatherms, means the boilers do not have to work incoming water at an ambient temperature of 20˚C so hard, thereby reducing coal consumption. had to be heated another 60˚C to reach optimum temperature. Now, heat transferred from the flow of hot outgoing drain water pushes the temperature of incoming 9 to 10 bar pressure. Traditionally, after the washing water up to about 50˚C. bidvoice issue 2 2013 pressure lead to a large reduction of energy required systems enables heat from outgoing drain water to be steam from a coal-fired boiler) pumped at a constant 4 Increased efficiencies and constant temperatures achieved as a result of reduced fluctuations in steam A further benefit is that the factory’s boilers maintain constant pressure to the finishing our group equipment, helping to give a consistent, high-quality conveyor costs about R5,5 million. Nine have been finish to the customer’s linen. installed in recent years. Boilers that once achieved 7 tonnes of steam per tonne of coal consumed now achieve 8,2 tonnes Other efforts include the use of boreholes at the Spartan and Mogwase branches to reduce the Long-term efficiencies are substantial, however. pressure on municipal water. Energy-efficient light Water usage differs according to material type. bulbs have also been fitted at the group’s factories. of steam per tonne of coal used. This is considered For instance, 20% more cotton items can be loaded Skylights have been installed at a number of branches optimum. per batch versus synthetics. Overall water usage has to ensure that lights are used only when necessary. Eight aquatherms are operational. Another two fallen from 25 to 28 litres per kilogram in a washer This has greatly reduced the dependency on artificial installations are imminent. Experience to date shows extractor (the traditional washing method) to 10 to lighting during normal shifts. that each aquatherm saves between 300 and 14 litres in a CBW. 500 kWh per day plus a coal saving of approximately 700kg a day. What’s more, less steam is required. Cape Town New advances in tunnel-wash technology promise to reducwe water usage even further. The team at Bidvest Laundry group takes a operations that used 5,2 tonnes of steam per hour holistic approach and dovetails numerous initiatives today use 4,08 tonnes. into a comprehensive strategy for achieving ongoing VSDs are fitted to most of the newer equipment installed in the branches. Equipment such as Milnor carbon emission savings. The business employs 2 700 people and runs a A re-use and recycle philosophy permeates the business. Drivers collect garment hangers wherever possible and recover the plastic wrapping that protects items for delivery to hotels and hospitals. Says Hans Hunick: “The Bidvest Laundry group has emerged as our industry’s energy efficiency leader. This achievement was not driven only by new washer extractors, multi-roll ironers and other items of fleet of 115 trucks that consume 910 409 litres of investment but the buy-in of all our people. They take machinery use only as much electricity as is needed diesel and 218 409 litres of petrol a year. pride in all aspects of performance, including our for a specific task. Previously, motors ran at one For the last three years, the satellite-linked efforts to contain our carbon footprint. standard speed. Now, speed is aligned with needs. In Bidvest Tracker fleet management system has some instances this slashes the revs by as much as been in operation. Violations of good driving Africa’s most eco-friendly laundry business. We plan 50%, perhaps from 5000 rpm to 2500 rpm. practice (primarily related to speeding, braking and to give an industry lead through the early adoption of unauthorised stops) are down from 650 a day to 50, green washing technology. Operations director Collin Field explains: “This slowdown in line with demand translates into resulting in longer tyre life, greater fuel efficiency and significant electricity savings over time.” improved driver discipline. At the group’s high-volume commercial laundries, “Our next goal is to position ourselves as South “We have monitored the overseas development of green-wash systems that reduce the use of Fuel savings of up to 2 000 litres a month are phosphates and chemicals. Ours is a low-margin further investment has been made in tunnel washers being achieved at the Spartan branch alone, says business and this technology will add to our costs. (also known as continual batch washers or CBWs). Collin Field. But someone has to break ranks and give a lead. Initial capital expense is high. A CBW with incline Bidvest Laundry group will do just that.” bidvoice issue 2 2013 5 our group Bidvest Unity Sunday August 18 2013 The inaugural Bidvest Unity walk in 2011 took place in Johannesburg. In 2012 the Bidvest Unity Walk was extended to include people in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. This year we are excited to confirm that the walk will take place in four cities with Port Elizabeth employees and their families having their very own walk as well! Bidvest employees will walk in support of QASA (quadriplegic association of South Africa), which strives to protect and promote the interests of people with mobility impairments. The turn-out for the walk In 2012 was phenomenal, with 10 358 employees and 25 246 guests in Johannesburg (35 604); 3 063 employees and 5 630 guests in Durban (8 693) and 2 318 employees and 3 834 guests in Cape Town (6 152). The grand total was the staggering number of 15 739 employees and 34 760 guests (50 499). There are over 80 000 employees in South Africa and holding the event in four cities should ensure an enormous turnout on August 18 2013. Join us for a fun-filled day with loads of entertainment; food, refreshments and secure kiddies area at each venue. There will be great give-aways and even the grand prize of a car; one per city! "The Unity Walk is the perfect platform for the people of Bidvest to come together and reflect on the strength and values of the Group and at the same time have a great day out." Neil Jankelowitz, managing director, MSCSports Details of the Walk: Bidvest companies will once again appoint team leaders to co-ordinate each company’s online entry. Venues to be confirmed: Johannesburg – Durban – Cape Town – Port Elizabeth Time: to be announced The Bidvest Unity Walk in aid of QASA makes a tangible difference to people who cannot walk! 6 bidvoice issue 2 2013 our group Walk 2013 bidvoice issue 2 2013 7 our group Intellectual property Bidvest’s most valuable asset Did you know that one of Bidvest’s most valuable assets is its intellectual property (IP). These assets are of enormous commercial value to Bidvest and a significant amount of money is spent annually developing, protecting, maintaining and enforcing these IP rights in each of the jurisdictions in which Bidvest operates around the world. What is IP? IP refers to intangible assets that are that the necessary searches can be conducted to products of the mind, including trade marks (for ensure that the use of the new trade mark will not example, brands, logos and slogans/pay-off lines), infringe any third party’s existing trade mark rights copyright, patents, registered designs, domain as well as the new trade mark is appropriately names, trade secrets and know-how. registered. It is extremely important to ensure that all of Bidvest’s IP is registered – it is far easier and Bidvest has recently appointed ENS, Africa’s largest law firm, to manage its worldwide IP less costly to enforce registered IP than it is to portfolio. The IP department at ENS is headed up enforce unregistered IP. You are able to assist management to actively by Gaelyn Scott. Gaelyn and her team of specialist IP lawyers, who actively engage with the Group’s police and enforce its IP rights. The following head office and each of the Group’s divisions to instances of infringement of the Bidvest Group’s IP ensure that this significant asset is adequately assets should be reported: protected. Whilst Gaelyn is a litigation/enforcement use of any Bidvest brand name, logo, slogan, specialist, the team dedicated to the management product packaging, or the like, or anything of the Bidvest IP portfolio includes: Vicky Stilwell that is similar to any of the above, including on websites and in social media; (domain names and South African trade mark any advertisement that is disparaging to matters), Ilse du Plessis (international trade mark matters), Rowan Forster (patents and designs) and accordingly have an enormous commercial Bidvest, or which misleads the public in and Chris Bull (commercial/transactional IP). value. The value of Bidvest’s IP, as well as its any way or contains unsubstantiated claims Each of these lawyers has a team of lawyers and significant reputation, can be seriously diminished experienced paralegals that have a comprehensive if third parties are permitted to use its IP without working knowledge of Bidvest’s businesses and IP authorisation and it is therefore vital that this IP requirements and work in their specialist fields to is proactively protected, monitored, policed and ensure that the portfolio is managed effectively. enforced. Bidvest’s brands, logos and slogans serve If you develop a new trade mark or product, contrary to Bidvest’s rights; or use by a former employee of Bidvest of any IP developed by or at Bidvest. If you have any questions relating to IP, or if you would like to arrange for ENS to provide to distinguish Bidvest’s products and services whether it be a brand name, product, pay-off line complimentary IP training to your team on any from those of its competitors. They also serve as or logo, you must bring this to the attention of your aspects of IP, please contact your division’s financial indicators of Bidvest’s quality products and services division’s financial director before it is launched, so director. 8 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA Alicia Castleman. Ilse du Plessis. Rachel Sikwane. Rowan Forster. Gaelyn Scott. Vicky Stilwell. Kirsten Dinnes. Chris Bull. bidvoice issue 2 2013 9 GROUP PANORAMA Charles Singer the legend hangs up his hat To most people, Crown National is synonymous with Charles Singer, CEO of Bidfood Ingredients and a legend in the industry. Charles recently retired after an illustrious career more recent years, as CEO of Bidfood Ingredients. with Bidvest spanning more than two decades. He has no equal when it came to analysing financial Affectionately called “Charlie” by all who know information and operational performance. him, Charles is an astute businessman with a Charles has relentlessly followed his dream for CA qualification. An old-fashioned salesman at the Group to be the best in order to stay ahead heart, he is known for his inimitable, humble and of its competitors. He has often commented that unpretentious manner. “everything happens for a reason”. Herein lies the After starting his career in Oudtshoorn in the value system Charles embraced and made his own. tobacco and ostrich feather industry, Charles moved His energy and zest for life know no bounds and his to Johannesburg and in 1985 was appointed insatiable desire to be enthusiastic in all endeavours director of National Spice. He became the managing is a trait that all who know him admire. director of Crown National at the time of its inception Charles has always been acutely aware of the under the Bidvest umbrella. fact that he could not spend as much time with his Through his dedication to the business and wife, Jacqui, and his daughter, Lana, as he would will to succeed, it did not take Charles long to get have liked to during his career. He is now ready to commitment from management and staff. make up for the long hours spent away from home Charles is an extremely practical and hardworking and enjoy quality time with his family. He is a proud leader. He has contributed greatly to the success of the business, which grew grandfather and this will certainly add to the enjoyment of some well-deserved tremendously over the years that he was at the helm of Crown National and, in time off. New CEO for Bidvest Baltics Congratulations to Ramunas Makutenas, who has been promoted from commercial director to CEO of Bidvest Baltics. Ramunas Makutenas (right) joined a company called Orgevita in 1996 and became one of its main shareholders. In 1999 Orgevita was sold to Nowaco and in 2011 Bidvest bought the company. Ramunas is very experienced and will continue the transition into a full line foodservice provider. He will be supported by current chief executive, Sigitas Ramanauskas, who has twelve years’ experience with Bidvest Baltics. Ramunas has a wife and two teenage children. He enjoys sport, especially basketball and badminton. 10 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA Marine insurance or James Bond movie? Being lowered onto the deck of a ship on a helicopter winch line or flying into a remote village to meet with the chief are all in a day’s work for P&I Associates managing director, Alan Reid (above). are steering ships, I will have work’ as the majority of shipping casualties are a result of human error. “When a major shipping casualty occurs in our “A meeting was set up and due to the remoteness of the area, I flew in by helicopter with a representative of SAMSA and an interpreter. After region, a fast reaction time is imperative. Evidence lengthy negotiations and a reasonable quantity of must be gathered to ascertain the cause of the Pondo beer, an agreement was reached that the incident and thus ensure that the insurer and the wreck would be made safe but otherwise left in assured’s position are fully protected. There is also situ. Part of the agreement was that we would give a need to liaise with the major role players, which the chief a ride back to his house in the helicopter. “One can seldom say life is dull as the diversity of the may include the port authorities or the South African So we took off and, with the chief wearing a radio marine industry is full of surprises and often keeps you Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA). Feedback of headset, he gave instructions to the interpreter who on the go 24/7,” explains Alan. accurate information to our principals is essential duly told the pilot where we had to go. Just another for them to assess the risk and their exposure in an day in the office.” P&I Associates is the Southern Africa commercial representative of virtually all of the insurers who handle the liabilities of ship owners and operators. The incident.” Getting to a casualty can sometimes be difficult P&I Associates is able to handle most matters inhouse with a specialist staff complement of insurance is known as Protection and Indemnity and and you cannot have a fear of heights, says Alan, who ex-mariners, maritime lawyers, marine surveyors is an extremely complex insurance. In a nutshell it is on many occasions has to be lowered onto a ship by and claims handlers. Alan is a master mariner and the third-party liability insurance, that covers anything a helicopter. “On one occasion I had to negotiate with a ex-ship’s captain. His speciality is the investigation ship can do to another person or thing. Pondoland village chief to allow the wreck of a cargo of marine casualties and, in his 27 years at vessel to remain on what used to be called the Transkei P&I Associates, he has handled over 20 major cargo carried on a ship, oil or other pollution, damage coast. The vessel had grounded near Port Grosvenor incidents. to property, damage to another vessel, crew and and could not be re-floated. Usually, the Department passenger claims including sickness and injury, wreck of Environment would liaise with SAMSA and give accept the often anti-social hours that shipping removal and liabilities in respect of stowaways. permission for a wreck to remain if it was considered brings and when there is a major shipping problem that the removal of the wreck would cause more everyone willingly takes part no matter the time of of vessels calling at ports in Southern Africa and damage to the environment. In this case they were day. A day in the office can quickly change to a crisis transiting our coastline, coupled with our winter powerless as the vessel was in a rural area not falling on a ship or even flying off somewhere at very short weather, there is generally always something on the under any municipality. The final decision would rest notice. “I keep a bag of clothing and my passport go. I have been known to say ‘as long as humans with chief Gebuza. readily available at all times,” remarks Alan. The scope of P&I cover extends from damage to Says Alan, “Bearing in mind the vast number In addition to requiring unique skills, P&I staff bidvoice issue 2 2013 11 GROUP PANORAMA Packaging on a new level With a new name, a new factory and accreditations pending, the future is looking bright for Bidvest SteriPic & Promo Sachets. SteriPic was formed in 1997 and was acquired by Bidvest in 2005 as part of Hotel Amenities Suppliers (HAS). Under the HAS umbrella, after a Bidvest restructuring exercise two years ago, the division is going on its own as Bidvest SteriPic & Promo Sachets. It falls under Bidvest Rentals and Products. SteriPic is known for supplying sterilised and gamma-irradiated branded toothpicks nationally, as well as flavoured toothpicks and a wooden cutlery range. Bidvest SteriPic & Promo Sachets supplies cutlery packs customised to clients’ requirements. These packs are supplied mostly to airlines and catering companies, canteens and wholesalers nationwide. “Bidvest SteriPic & Promo Sachets also packs promotional sachets for cosmetic companies. Our facility has the capacity to manufacture all types of sachets including magazine spec sachets,” says Nathan Taitz, managing director. “We manufacture a wide range of refresher towels, supplying branded products for restaurants and airlines or marketing campaigns for corporate companies. We offer individually wrapped wipes, such as mosquito wipes, suntan wipes and antiseptic wipes. All our toothpicks and refresher towels are both Halaal and Beth Din (Kosher) certified.” The company has implemented integrated systems to meet with all industry requirements, legal requirements as well as international standards (ISO). The first two phases of the integrated SHEQ and product safety implementation plan have been successfully completed and Phase 3 is now in progress, to ensure compliance with relevant standards and policy documents. A new factory has been built and additional machinery acquired at the Isando premises. The company is also in the process of acquiring the following certification: ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), which is a business management standard SANS 22716 (SABS) Cosmetics – Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – Guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practices “For all our customers to get the quality product and service as promised, we have internal systems that we follow and we ensure that we conduct our business according to safety, health, environment, quality and product safety standards. Bidvest SteriPic & Promo Sachets has systems in place to ensure that all applicable national, provincial, municipal SHEQ and Product Safety legislation and regulations, as well as international, local standards and customer requirements are complied with. We strive to motivate, educate and train employees at all levels to assume personal ownership and understand that the SHEQ and Product Safety requirement is everybody’s responsibility. We have environmental objectives and continually promote responsible or sustainable use of resources while minimising environmental pollution and discharge of waste materials,” Nathan concludes. 12 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA A new partnership The UAE’s leading foodservice distributer, Horeca Trade, has announced a strategic partnership with RoundMenu (www.roundmenu.com), the UAE’s number one dining promotions app. With more than 1 500 customers across the UAE, ranging from hotels and restaurants to cafes and caterers, Horeca Trade prides itself on delivering a premium distribution service to the region’s foodservice channel. Now in its tenth year of operation, Horeca is more focused than ever on adding value to partners in terms of helping to bolster business and by delivering the highest quality food and services. RoundMenu offers discounts on an annual basis, with no limit on how many times a diner can use the discount at each restaurant. With discounts of up to 40% of each booking, it has already helped to drive customer loyalty for more than 300 restaurants across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with more than 5 000 bookings (25 000 diners) since inception in June 2012. With all bookings made via the website or app and confirmations sent via SMS, the service is extremely convenient and accessible for consumers. CEO of Horeca Trade, Hisham Al Jamil, commented on the partnership: “At Horeca Trade our number one priority is quality. We invest heavily in people, products, services, systems and marketing, to ensure that our customers get the very best value in what we offer. “The agreement between Horeca Trade and RoundMenu will bring added value to our partners, as it will help them to physically drive and increase their loyal customer following,” he says. Ali Sinaei from RoundMenu added: “Horeca Trade is the ideal partner for us. Known for setting the industry standard when it comes to food quality, this partnership means that by working together we can really help to impact the footfall and loyalty of the diners. How to use RoundMenu: To book through RoundMenu simply visit: www.roundmenu.com; or download the RoundMenu application, which is free and available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones. Each booking is charged AED5 and is added to your mobile telephone bill. You’ve arrived with Parker SCC’s Parker Pens competition gave consumers a chance to win a trip to the United Kingdom to the value of R50 000. Creating consumer awareness and promoting the sale of products sold in carded format, the competition ran from December 2012 to February 2013. The results of the campaign have been excellent and the winner has been drawn and notified. bidvoice issue 2 2013 13 GROUP PANORAMA Choice of holiday destinations Top local – cape town Top SADC – Victoria Falls 14 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Top international – mauritius Top european – italy GROUP PANORAMA Cape Town remains a firm favourite among South Africans travelling domestically, while Mauritius took top position in international destinations during the 2012/2013 holiday season. South Africans continue to travel in large numbers, says Harvey World Travel managing director Rosemary Moss (left). “While continued economic and exchange rate pressure impact volume, indications are that travellers compensate financial pressure against value destinations and shorter travel periods.” In a sample of 100 000 bookings between January 2012 and January 2013, the average time spent travelling was between three and 10 days. “Value destinations will continue to drive consumption during 2013,” she says, “and holiday duration will continue along the time-spent trend of last year.” South African destinations were ranked: Cape Town (30%), Durban and surrounds (22%), the Garden Route (17%), the Cape winelands (11%), game lodges (10%) and Johannesburg (8%). In the SADC region, Victoria Falls, Zambia and Namibia rank ahead of other destinations. Provincial travel shows the Western Cape as the most popular, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng. Internationally Mauritius (24%) leads the way with Thailand on its heels (23%), followed by Europe, the United States and the Maldives. “Italy (7%) topped the charts in terms of European destinations followed by Greece (5%), Ireland (3%) and France (3%),” says Rosemary. In the United States, family holidays seem to trump all else with Orlando (Disneyworld) well ahead of New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which occupy second, third and fourth positions, respectively. “Miami, as a hub for Caribbean cruising, settles in at fifth most popular US destination.” Rosemary says that the exchange rate will influence decision making significantly in 2013. “Value will continue to be the main driver with destinations like Zanzibar expected to increase in popularity this year in tandem with all-inclusive, resort-type packages.” Domestically, Cape Town should maintain its pole position but Durban is a destination being rediscovered. “The KwaZulu-Natal coast represents fantastic value and Durban central has made a positive turnaround. Its proximity to Gauteng also makes it ideal for driving holidays.” Rosemary expects Durban and Cape Town to be on a par in terms of popularity by 2015. While the numbers quoted are based solely on Harvey World Travel managed travel, Rosemary says it is a good indicator of the entire industry. Top value 2013 – zanzibar bidvoice issue 2 2013 15 GROUP PANORAMA Ahead of the competition Konica Minolta South Africa has retained its title as the number one supplier of multifunctional printers (MFPs) in Southern Africa, holding more than a 20 percent share of the market in 2012. This is according to an industry sales survey by market data specialist infoSource. Total market share grew from 18.9 percent in 2011 to 20.3 percent in 2012 and the share of the colour market grew from 22.2 percent to an incredible 25.3 percent. The share of the black and white market was also up from 17.7 percent to 18.4 percent. Marianna Gdanis (right), business unit manager at KMSA, explains that these increases are due to the sophisticated bizhub devices that provide the best value for money for medium-to-large businesses in Southern Africa. “The ability to provide quality products suitable for a variety of customer needs, from lowvolume to high-volume, has reinforced bizhub’s strong legacy and brand reputation in the market. “Our company’s relentless dedication to innovation makes our brand stand out. We are the first manufacturer to offer biometric authentication on MFPs and the bizhub Extended Solution Technology enables integration of KMSA devices with a range of software applications to help automate and streamline workflow and control costs,” says Marianna. Earlier this year Konica Minolta Business Technologies won Buyers Laboratory LLC’s (BLI’s) most coveted award, A3 MFP Line-of-the-Year Award, for the third consecutive year. “In the 26-year history of the award, KMSA is one of only two brands to win the award three years in a row and is the only brand to do so in the past decade,” adds Marianna. “We are extremely pleased with these results and have high regard for the effort and hard work of all employees. Today’s printer market is a neck-and-neck race, so holding on to the title as the number one supplier of MFPs is a major accomplishment,” she concludes. Waltons KZN wins award All the award winners together with the Toyota International Board. Waltons KZN was the proud winner of the coveted Toyota SA supplier award for services and consumables. Toyota is one of Waltons KZN’s largest accounts and is sought after by competitors. At the prestigious event, Toyota’s main suppliers had the opportunity to hear about Toyota’s envisaged plans for the future directly from the Japanese directors from Tokyo. 16 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Dan Chiorboli, KZN sales and marketing manager receiving the award from Dr Johan van Zyl, CEO Toyota Africa. GROUP PANORAMA Continued support for the rhino cause Konica Minolta South Africa recently handed over R285 600 to the World Wide Fund South Africa for rhino conservation work, bringing the total donated for the first half of this financial year to more than R560 000. played a large role in sustaining RhODIS, which in turn contributed compelling Last year, 668 rhinos were lost due to illegal killings in South Africa, an alarming become increasingly sophisticated. WWF-SA will be supporting enhanced increase on the previous year’s 448 animals killed for their horns. In response communication and collaboration between law enforcement agencies to enable to this dramatic increase, WWF-SA launched a new national programme in them to act proactively and arrest and prosecute with the greatest impact.” September 2012 to strengthen rhino conservation efforts. Ongoing support for the Africa-wide rhino database using rhino horn DNA evidence to more than 400 rhino poaching cases and impacted on the length of sentences handed down. Dr Jo Shaw, rhino coordinator of WWF-SA, says: “There is no single solution to the poaching crisis and a range of related activities is needed across the illegal chain. Criminal syndicates involved in illegal rhino horn trade have Says Alan Griffith, MD of KMSA: “We are delighted that the relationship with WWF-SA has played a role in broadening the RhODIS reach within South Africa analysis (RhODIS) contributes to forensic investigations at the scene of the crime as well as introducing the system into Kenya, where a large percentage of the and for court evidence to greatly strengthen prosecution cases. Funds donated critically endangered East African black rhino population resides.” by KMSA are used to assist project partners in achieving the programme’s Alan continues: “KMSA is serious about assisting in the preservation of the strategic goals, including the critical further development of RhODIS by the majestic rhino and looks forward to a sustained relationship with WWF-SA. The University of Pretoria’s Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. aim is to produce and distribute 600 forensic kits for up to five Africa rhino range According to WWF-SA, KMSA’s substantial financial contribution in 2012 states this year.” bidvoice issue 2 2013 17 GROUP PANORAMA An excellent result Jayvashni Devlall was one of 56 delegates at the Bidvest Academy in 2012. She took her place in the Bidvest Office team comprising Edmund Jacobs, Konica Minolta Johannesburg; Sheldon Thyssen, Konica Minolta Cape Town and Stefanie Crookes, Cecil Nurse Johannesburg. During the nine-month academy, Jayvashni conscientiously applied herself in both individual and group projects. The main group project was a team presentation to Brian Joffe and other board executives. Says Jayvashni, “It was an honour to represent Waltons at the academy. I had an amazing experience working with such great and talented people. Thank you to my project team and thank you Bidvest.” Jayvashni scored an ‘excellent’ in her individual assessment. Her team presentation ranked ‘very good’ and she received the secondhighest score for presentation, structure and delivery. Well done, Jayvashni, you did us proud. From left: Brian Joffe, Jayvashni Devlall, Ivan Keshwar and Lindsay Ralphs. Cecil Nurse launches new ad campaign Look out for the new Cecil Nurse ad campaign, which has a unique human element, with the introduction of stereotypical characters that everyone can relate to. The One To Watch, that attractive young female who you probably should avoid; the Up-And-Comer, that sneaky young brilliant exec who is secretly yet desperately after the big boss’ chair; and the Perfect Fit, those two employees who take a little too much time chatting at the water cooler or spend a little too long at each other’s desks. The furniture is woven into the story and the ads give a charming human angle to the business of office furniture, with each story linking back to the benefits of Cecil Nurse. 18 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA Customer day at Waltons Bloemfontein Waltons Bloemfontein hosted an open day in January to showcase its new premises and facilities on offer. Attended by 600 clients, the day was an overwhelming success. The event included the launch of the HP Elite pad and introduction of the HP Planet recycling programme. There was an overwhelming response by suppliers to participate in the exhibition, with the following suppliers exhibiting: HP, Intel, Pentel, Warstreet, Parrot, Silveray, Fellowes, Kolok, Bantex, Mondi, Rainbow Carpet Protector, Pilot, Rexel, Henkel, Max Frank, Sharp, Bic SA and Little Logbook. Advertising of the event included an email campaign to all clients, printed advertisements in the local newspaper and radio coverage at the premises by OFM on the day. Lucky draw prizes, sponsored by suppliers, included HP Elite books, an Apple iPad, a Weber braai and HP4625 printers. Hein Faber (second from left) and team. bidvoice issue 2 2013 19 GROUP PANORAMA New name, identity and future for Bidvest Afcom A name change, eye-catching new branding and a revitalised approach to business have left Bidvest Afcom poised to strengthen its leadership of innovative end-of-line packaging and fastening solutions. From March 1, the company founded around a To celebrate the change, it also gave all employees century ago as African Commerce Developing branded golf shirts. Company (Afcom) has been re-named Bidvest Under licence to leading world-known companies, Afcom and is displaying a refreshed new logo and Bidvest Afcom manufactures and distributes branded pay-off line. products including strapping and strapping systems, In a clean and precise representation of the company’s focus, the logo embodies a circular design element as the ‘o’ of Afcom to illustrate the business promise: keeping it all together. Acquired by Bidvest almost 25 years ago – it was the Group’s second acquisition after Chipkins – the collated nails, staples and other fasteners, selfsucceed, we need to improve continually.” About a year ago, the company began identifying adhesive tape and taping machines, ink-jet marking and coding systems, self-adhesive labels, stretch areas in the business that needed improvement and film and machines, shrink film, pallet netting, hot-melt projects that it could initiate to bring advances. equipment, twine, protective packaging, as well as Many of these projects – in manufacturing, powder-actuated tools, power tools, gas technology company leads the manufacture, distribution and procurement, sales, operational structures and provisioning of packaging and fastening solutions and disciplines in the company – have now begun and are services for commerce, mining and agriculture. being rolled out. All are designed to impact positively Paslode, Senco, Rapid, Ramset, Spit, Marsh, Siat, on the business and ensure that employees become Sellotape, Tesa and Vertex. As managing director Cliff Rostowsky points out, advancements in technology and marketplace changes spurred management to address the company’s own need for change. more efficient, productive and successful. “The Bidvest brand is associated with enormous systems and consumables for the construction industry. Brand names include Signode, Strapex, Itipack, “Everyone at Bidvest Afcom is excited by our new look and refreshed approach, and we are confident it success and, with a modernised, upgraded logo will inevitably impact positively on our sales (increasing “It’s our vision to be Africa’s leading provider that better represents what we stand for, it will help our activity levels, improving service and helping of innovative end-of-line packaging and fastening us leverage the value of incorporating Bidvest in our us to close more deals), manufacturing (improving solutions by offering real answers to customers’ name,” Cliff says. our efficiencies and reducing scrap), distribution, business challenges. “For the South African industrial sector and much of the world’s, times are tough. If we expect to 20 bidvoice issue 2 2013 In coming months, Bidvest Afcom will upgrade warehousing and logistics (for better route planning, all its external signage and vehicle branding to carry saving unnecessary expenditure, safeguarding our the new logo and name. stock and reducing stock write-offs etc.), technical GROUP PANORAMA New FD joins Bidvest Bank team Our colleagues over at Bidvest Bank have a new financial director. He’s Thinus Liebenberg, a chartered accountant who holds a bachelor of accounting science degree with honours. service (exceeding customer expectations, which in many instances is our biggest differentiator from our competitors) and administration (saving on unnecessary expenditure and managing our assets better etc.). “Our re-branding is a clear indication that we are headed for the next level. By taking things up a notch, we’re uplifting Bidvest Afcom to present a fresh, innovative and progressive company to our customers,” says Cliff. A message from the Managing Director On top of that he has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services. Thinus entered the banking industry in 1990 at Volkskas Internal Audit. He is a former CFO of Absa Business Markets and prior to that he was CFO of Absa Business Bank. At Absa, Thinus held senior executive finance positions in Corporate & Business and Retail banking. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Investment Analyst Society of Southern Africa. Welcome to the Group, Thinus! Thank you for visiting the Afcom website. We’ve created this website to give you an overview of our company and the products we offer to commerce and industry, mining and agriculture. With knowledge spanning over 80 years, we pride ourselves in providing the very best solutions to our customers. Our customers drive our business strategies. We remain flexible and adaptable by striving to understand our customers’ needs. As a proud member of Bidvest, our entrepreneurial culture and empowered people take personal ownership of their businesses and activities and the authority and responsibility to act and adapt to an ever-changing environment. By creating pride and commitment in individual and team, we inspire them to build a new future for themselves and a better tomorrow for everyone concerned. We pride ourselves in our relationships with our principals, to whom we manufacture under licence, sourcing the best from around the globe in order to provide our customers with the latest technology and products as well as global best practices. And we’re constantly improving our services and products in order to stay ahead in the market. You can find out more about these products by clicking on the products page. We invite you to contact us at any one of our branches, head office or via e-mail. All our company details can be found on the contact us facility. Your feedback and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Once again, thank you for visiting our website. Cliff Rostowsky bidvoice issue 2 2013 21 GROUP PANORAMA A ‘painless’ move Relocating offices is seldom a carefree event. For Bidvest Procurement, the ‘moving experience’ was not just painless but pleasant. Back from left: Derek Kinnear, MD and Ravi Govender, director. Front from left: Mpumi Manana, Prestige; Ilze Rossouw, new financial manager; Samira Ramjathan, procurement administrator and Brad Cline. Procurement expertise and a commitment to Similarly, Prestige Cleaners’ Frank Twana’s – Bidvest Foodservice Multitemp answered its ‘buying Bidvest’ enabled the company to enlist the ‘scope of work’, a weekly hands-on involvement, needs for crockery, cutlery and glassware and dry expertise of Bidvest Magnum, Prestige, Puréau, covered most things from recommendations on groceries. Execuflora, Bidvest Steiner, Waltons, Cecil Nurse, flooring and its cleaning to the most suitable dish- Bidvest Foodservice Multitemp, Konica Minolta and washing liquid. Lithotech, to move hassle-free one floor down in its Rosebank headquarters. Waltons’ Elna du Plessis and Juan Reynecke Puréau’s Thabo Selepe opened an account for the company and recommended the number of cold-water fountains needed and bottles to arranged Waltons’ sponsorship of a boardroom be filled monthly, without interruption to the For the five years since its inception, Bidvest table and chairs, and put Bidvest Procurement in service enjoyed previously. Procurement’s office needs were met by Bidvest touch with the right people to provide other office companies with whom it shared accommodation needs. Execuflora’s Michelle Hinde supplied the pots and planters to suit the office configuration and – mymarket.com and Bidtravel – until the move Through Mary-Jean Salamousas, Cecil Nurse obliged it to set up its own infrastructure of new sponsored the furniture needed to ensure visitors’ Steiner’s Caren Martinis analysed pest control accounts and contracts. comfort, and sourced seating and office screens, needs. Through Lithotech’s Paul Ecroignard new desks and modesty boards. business cards were printed for the five-person “It was an eye-opener for us,” says Brad Cline. It began with security. In the new space, Bidvest Konica Minolta’s Gillian Schniederman ensured a fortnightly check on the flowers in them. Bidvest Procurement team. Magnum’s Joe Bettoni and Anil Manilall assessed recognised the company’s needs for a large the need for alarms, sensors, doorbells and the like, printer, identified the options available and gave her encourage Group companies to buy Bidvest. provided the equipment and installed it within four recommendations. We’re pleased we could practise what we hours, all before the move. “They even connected the doorbell at the previous offices to ring in the new premises,” Brad adds. 22 bidvoice issue 2 2013 As the move left the company without use of Says Brad: “Day to day, we earnestly preach and prove that Bidvest companies, cutlery and crockery – essential in a business whatever their requirements, need seldom look where daily meetings with suppliers are numerous beyond the Group to satisfy them.” GROUP PANORAMA Contacts Juan Reynecke Furniture specialist: Waltons Modderfontein Tel: +27 11 457 4300 • Cell: +27 82 888 8488 Email: [email protected] Endria White Office furniture director: Waltons Tel: +27 11 226 1340 • Cell +27 82 894 8313 Email: [email protected] Elna du Plessis Bidvest and national contracts manager Tel: +27 11 620 4271 • Cell: +27 82 895 4271 Email: [email protected] Mary-Jean Salamousas Cecil Nurse: Senior sales consultant Tel: +27 11 345 1500 • Cell: +27 82 347 0915 Cultivate contentment When you’re a “have-not”, it is very easy to resent the “haves”. But if you’re not happy with what you have now, chances are you won’t be happy when you get the new car, the better job, the bigger house, or whatever it is that you want and you won’t be happy for long either. Email: [email protected] Frank Twana Operational manager: Prestige In our society it is difficult to be happy with what you have as you are always faced with what you don’t have, such as a better job, bigger house, fancier car or leaner body. However, more Tel: +27 11 794 6262 • Cell: +27 82 6468135 is never enough and as soon as you get what you want, you realise that it didn’t make you as Email: [email protected] happy as you thought it would and you start looking for something else to fill the gap. Thabo Selepe dissatisfaction makes us feel resentful and negative. While we focus on what we don’t have, we A mindset of “I will be happier as soon as…” only leads to discontent. Constant Venture sales consultant: Puréau Tel: +27 11 792 4410 • Cell: +27 72 650 4033 Email: [email protected] fail to appreciate what we do have and much of life slips through our fingers. So how do you achieve contentment and inner peace? The first step is to realise that contentment does not come from the outside – it comes from within. No new car, job, house Michelle Hinde or phone will make you happy. If you depend on external items to fill the gap, the satisfaction General manager: Execuflora will be short-lived and you will be right back where you started. Once you let go of the notion Tel: +27 11 025 9933 • Cell: +27 79 491 7788 that you need possessions to be happy, you can start working on the things that will give you a Email: [email protected] Joe Bettoni feeling of lasting contentment. Want what you have. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, be grateful for what you Bidvest Magnum do have. Each night before you go to bed, make a list of everything that you are grateful Tel: +27 11 5554949 • Cell: +27 82 552 8233 for. Once you start, you’ll find that you have more to be thankful for than you realised. Anil Manilall Project manager Tel: +27 11 555 4949 • Cell: +27 83 789 2327 Email: [email protected] Don’t compare. There will always be someone who has more money, a better job, a bigger house or more talent. Celebrate the things that make you unique and don’t compare yourself to others. Accept yourself. Nobody is perfect or has everything they want or need. The sooner you accept your limitations and shortcomings the happier you will be. However, it doesn’t mean Gillian Schniederman Konica Minolta MSA Tel: +27 11 661 9000 Email: [email protected] Caren Martinis Bidvest Steiner Tel: +27 430 8600 • Cell: +27 82 572 4822 Paul Ecroignard Lithotech Tel: + 27 11 706 6751 Email: [email protected] you can’t work towards your goals or try to improve your weaknesses. Appreciate the things that money can’t buy. The best things in life are free, so nurture your relationships with friends and family and take care of your health. Find your passion. Life without passion is very boring and very little fills the void like doing what you love to do. Develop inner focus. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, divert your attention inward. You can do this with meditation, strength training, yoga or pilates. Give. Nothing makes you feel better about what you have than giving to someone who has less. Negative emotions such as resentment and jealousy are not good for your mind, body or soul. Working towards contentment will not only improve your state of mind and mood, but it will also enhance your immune system. Andries Mlalazi Bidvest Foodservice Multitemp Gauteng Tel: +27 11 553 9331 Email: [email protected] Courtesy of ICAS bidvoice issue 2 2013 23 GROUP PANORAMA Paulette takes Over the past 22 years Paulette has held a series of senior positions at Budget, moving from head office accountant to financial director to operations director and on up to MD. It’s a big job. Seven hundred people work for Budget at 125 locations across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Paulette’s also responsible for the Door2Door chauffeur service, Budget coach division and the van rental business. Bidvoice asked what brought her to Budget and what drives her ... Bidvoice: What big changes have you seen since then? Paulette: “The industry was highly Paulette: “Proudly Bidvest in today’s world competitive then but is even more so now, means a shareholder with a lot of financial with industry vanity winning over sanity. muscle. We purchase a lot of vehicles so having There is a need for a more mature approach a strong parent is extremely helpful. Vehicle to price recovery. rental to other Group companies also assists “The other big change for us involved ownership. McCarthy bought Budget in 1992 and, of course, McCarthy was acquired by Bidvest in 2004. Since then, Budget has been transferred into the Travel and Aviation division. “The Bidvest culture makes a huge difference Bidvoice: What attracted you to Budget and car rental? as your business is free to realise its potential Paulette: “I previously worked for a major shoulder. No one prescribes to you. It’s up to corporate in the manufacturing sector. I was you to deliver the results. It’s very open, highly looking to make faster progress in my career. competitive and a very exciting environment to That motivated me and I applied for a job at work in.” Budget. “That was in 1992. By 1996 I had been appointed financial director and took a place on Budget’s board. I was just 29. Budget gave me the platform for personal growth I’d been looking for.” Bidvoice: Does the Group connection create marketplace advantage? volumes and the Proudly Bidvest positioning gives customers more confidence. “We have to achieve results like every other business in the Group. “We retain strong relationships with our old friends at McCarthy and dispose of a lot of our vehicles to them, which is a huge benefit.” in its own way. No one looks over your Bidvoice: What excites you about the industry in general? Paulette: “You work at the crossroads of four different industries. Money is needed to buy and operate a fleet of cars, which means you work in financial services. You are also involved in the automotive industry and the corporate environment. Simultaneously, you are part of the travel sector. “This means four different dynamics affect your decisionmaking every day. No two days are the same. Our work may be hectic, but it’s never boring.” A new managing director is in the driving seat at Budget Rent a Car, the vehicle rental arm of Bidvest Travel and Aviation. She’s Paulette McGhee and she takes over following the retirement of Ray Booth. 24 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA the wheel Bidvoice: Just how hectic can the pace be? Paulette: “We are a service business and it is vital that we create the right rental experience for our customers to return to us. We are measured at every customer touch-point. However, service levels can’t be measured in a procedure manual because you can’t cover every contingency. “We’ve had situations where staff have lent ahead of the tournament huge compliance get the job done. They work long hours and demands were placed on us. constantly find new ways to add value. “We had to increase fleet size and step up cars if they have to. That’s how committed they experience, only for visitor inflows to fall way are, but they also have fun. The spirit here is below expectations.” tremendous. Bidvoice: What about industry high points? on when he visited our offices on his Group “It was the first thing Brian Joffe picked up Paulette: “Despite disappointing volumes, the out their own cellphone chargers because World Cup turned out to be hugely inspirational. clients have forgotten theirs. One staff member The entire industry rose to the challenge. even offered to put up a customer for the night Across the travel business we worked as one because a mistake had been made with the to ensure the best possible service showcasing hotel bookings and there was no place to stay. Africa in a positive light. “We’re highly visible and always under “They will bring in their spouses to clean the training to ensure the best possible visitor “I have travelled extensively and can say tour of Bidvest companies. At the end, he said we are a happy business and a happy business is a successful business. That was a huge compliment. We try to live up to it.” Bidvoice: What about the future at Budget? Paulette: “We are the third-largest player in scrutiny. Recently, our D2D and chauffeur that our service quality is streets ahead of our industry. We don’t necessarily want to be operation took Parliament to the people when the standards found overseas and we rose the biggest in the business. We want to be the parliamentarians went on a tour of Mpumalanga. to extra heights for the World Cup. You got best. “Service standards – for any of our customers – must never slip. goose-bumps when it all came together and we realised we’d made it happen.” is supposed to inspire the people, but here the “We have a massive asset base and an extensive fleet to manage. We handle a significant number of insurance claims, which must be carefully controlled. Our people check out tens of thousands of cars a month. “The pace never lets up.” “Our staff are highly motivated and totally committed to their work. In business, the leader Bidvoice: What about your own team at Budget? people inspire me. It’s humbling to be part of such a wonderful team.” Paulette: “Our people are incredible. Ask and they deliver. They will move mountains to Bidvoice: Have there been any major disappointments in your industry career? Paulette: “From an industry stand-point, the FIFA World Cup was a non-event. Nothing like the projected volumes were achieved. Yet bidvoice issue 2 2013 25 GROUP PANORAMA In pursuit of passion If there is a gap in your life that nothing seems to fill, following your dream could do just that. Courtesy of ICAS As adults, we rarely experience that all-consuming something you want to be doing? As you find passion which ignited our imaginations and made out what you enjoy, write it down and note our toes curl with delight. Lost in a reality of paying why it is important to you. bills, meeting expectations and never-ending to-do Get to know yourself. What do you label lists, we leave our dreams behind. yourself as (mother, student, accountant) and Most of us who have compromised our passion what are the other parts of you? What would somewhere along the way are left with a void. At you do if money were not an issue? What did some point we start wondering whether growing up you dream of being when you were young? and making sensible and stable plans were worth What do you love about yourself? What would the sacrifices that we made. Stuck in a rut, we you regret not doing? What is stopping you resign ourselves to a life of going through from doing that? the motions and settle for finding passion Get busy. Once you’ve identified what fills you someday. with delight, take steps to explore it further. We hate to break it to you, but “someday” Take care not to get ahead of yourself, as this isn’t on the calendar. is a huge passion killer. Don’t worry about Whether your passion is saving the rain forests, getting your book published before you’ve sailing the seven seas or writing a novel, engaging written it. Take one step at a time. in the activities that make your pulse race and your heart sing will enhance every aspect of your life. Of course, reality will still be there. You will still need to go to work, clean the house, do the grocery Here is how you invite passion back into your life: disconnect us from our feelings. When you shopping and drive the children around. You may are comfortably numb, it is impossible to be also not be able to change careers immediately, Make some me time. You need to make time passionate about anything. By focusing on move to another country, or make other life- for self-discovery. This means taking care of your yourself, you’ll restore the connection between changing decisions. You will have to consider how needs for a change. Slow down, take care of your head and your heart, thereby regaining following your dream affects those around you. your body and mind and look inward. Let others the ability to feel. While it’s important not to lose sight of reality, be know that you will be less available to attend to Explore your environment to find out what sure to make time for what completes you. It is not their needs, try to leave work at a decent hour satisfies your soul. Think about the people selfish. It is necessary. By living your joy you are not and turn off the television for a while. you are most drawn to, have the most respect only living a fulfilling life, but also giving your best Make the connection. Our busy lives for or those you are jealous of. Are they doing self to those around you. 26 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA IVS recharges its values At IVS, we are passionate about providing an efficient logistics service to our customers while also respecting the environment and the impact we may have on the lives of our fellow South Africans. Our new set of re-charged values was communicated to our employees in a number of ways to ensure buy- Safety is a key issue in our environment. Less than happy and healthy. Our low staff turnover reflects this, rest operate on sites that are often uncomfortable and as does the number of people receiving long-service challenging – especially during the hot summers in awards annually. Ensuring we have regular interaction KZN and the cold winters in Gauteng. with our people is key to our success. We have a The Bidvest sustainability programme ensures that that ensures regular including employee safety. Performance against these communication with KPIs is reported back to Bidvest quarterly. all staff. On-site clinics at our two coastal terminals provide occupational health services, primary health We will operate a sustainable company awareness and access to anti-retroviral Our company must generate sustainable returns medication to ensure that those affected that are acceptable to our shareholders but with with HIV are well cared for. Together with the the least possible impact on the environment. awareness training provided by our training service Our aim is to exceed our customers’ expectations, vibrant strategy in place specific key performance indicators (KPIs) are in place, in and include: We strive to deliver outstanding customer We believe we have a workforce that is generally 20% of our people work in an office environment. The Right: Loading our customer products. department, our clinic staff continually engage with our staff to encourage them to seek assistance if they need it. while respecting our customers and their opinions. We strive to achieve excellence We strive for excellence in all areas of our business We will respect and empower our people We will treat each other with dignity and respect. We will implement the correct systems and training to ensure that we are effective and safe at work. Our values highlight the need to focus our efforts on what is critical to us, namely our people, our customers and the financial and environmental sustainability of our business. Above: Colour coding of hoses to prevent contamination. Above right: 100% concrete bunds Bay and environmental programme. Right: This is IVS. Below: Team IVS behind you all the way. bidvoice issue 2 2013 27 GROUP PANORAMA Food safety Be the change you want to see Food safety is a global requirement to ensure efficient trade in food products. Food safety is a “basic human right” and a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation and storage of food in ways to prevent foodborne illness. www.thefoodsafetynetwork.co.za The seven worst food safety errors: What not to do in your Food business in 2013 of product labels and declaration of ingredients as Food Safety Management System well as product religious status has highlighted the Don’t neglect to train your staff adequately. prevalence of “food fraud” and requires the food Food safety and basic food hygiene must industry to take a long, hard look at the systems and be both understood and implemented at all standards in place for ensuring supply chain integrity levels within an organisation to ensure that from “farm to fork”. procedures are followed and implemented, instilling a culture of food safety. Don’t leave matters in the hands of your dramatically over the past few years, attributed to suppliers. Suppliers need to be able to give the availability of information, improved regulations proof of well implemented and maintained and consumer legislation together with the advent of food safety systems that are documented and social media in terms of sharing information. audited. It is up to the suppliers to maintain Basic food safety education is no longer a mystery their products and procedures. Standards to most consumers but rather a right in terms of have to be met. Systems need to be in place making decisions about which product to purchase to ensure suppliers are doing what they are and consume based on the information supplied on supposed to. Site visits to verify the information packaging as well as how the product is stored and will assist you to determine the validity of the handled in the food chain. Since the beginning of 2013, we have seen an bidvoice issue 2 2013 Please go to the following website for instances of poor service and product quality: Avoid seven costly errors when it comes to your of food safety and integrity issues has improved 28 with poor service or product quality. Recent global food scandals relating to the integrity The consumer’s knowledge and understanding Compiled by Jane Russill and Noelene Gounden Consumers are becoming more aware of their rights and are more outspoken in their unhappiness systems’ effectiveness. Don’t rely on corrective action only. “Fail to plan increase in the number of product recalls and causes and you plan to fail.” Plan to build a proper of foodborne illness outbreaks including: preventative maintenance schedule to ensure Contaminated ground beef (mince) that everything is addressed regularly, with a Horse meat in burgers Raw milk contamination Fresh produce contamination Numerous products recalled for undeclared budget and a plan. Don’t believe that audit results are the Holy Grail. Systems and facilities should always be ready and stand up to an unannounced allergens and mislabelling of nutritional audit on any day of the week. information Comply with the rules and GROUP PANORAMA Our stand on food safety Bidvest Foodservice companies have implemented HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) or ISO 22 000 regulations in order to produce food safe for human consumption. Don’t rely on rules and procedures instead of building a food safety culture in your company. Systems have to be in place but remember that every policy and procedure has to be implemented by a human being. That is where the risk factor comes in. The majority of foodborne diseases are as a result of poor personal hygiene or staff behaviour. No matter how sophisticated the safety systems and policies are, the user has to understand the importance of doing the correct things correctly. Invest in the staff’s food safety culture so that they can make the company the best and safest it can be. Management leads by example!! Don’t have policies and procedures that are not reflected in the implementation of the system. Your Food Safety Management system is not just a paper exercise. Don’t attempt to navigate through 2013 without a communication plan. Food safety doesn’t just happen. It needs to be communicated clearly to staff and those involved. It is the result of careful planning and implementation. Communication of food safety should be not only internal but also (International Standard for Food Safety) food safety systems. All food distribution operations comply with good distribution practice standards, which are a prerequisite for food safety in this sector. Bidvest Foodservice has implemented stringent supplier quality assurance standards, ensuring that all packaged goods and ingredients are supplied by reputable suppliers who have invested in food safety systems. Suppliers are selected for their conformity to the standard Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Periodically supplier products and specifications are validated by external, certified laboratory checks for ingredients declarations and / or microbiological values, to ensure that the product being received meets the formal standards of supply. Food safety is a defined business risk and requires a focused approach in terms of balancing the requirements of customers in terms of product quality and price, while continually ensuring product safety. Ongoing consumer awareness and education is a valueadded offering from Bidvest Foodservice to ensure that our valued customers are knowledgeable and well equipped with accurate product information to maintain the integrity of products throughout the supply chain. external including suppliers and service providers that perform critical tasks on-site, ensuring a multi-disciplinary approach to instilling a culture of food safety within the organisation. bidvoice issue 2 2013 29 GROUP PANORAMA Staff pictured in front of the new Bidvest Steiner building in Kathu, northern Cape. From left: Paul Mackay, Elton van Louw, Christopher Sias, Dan Motswenyane, Mary Metswe, Patrick Moleleki, Frederick Koopman, Florence Mkenku and Shane de Souza. G.Fox in Gaberone. Bidvest Steiner moves into Northern Cape and Gaborone Bidvest Steiner continues its Southern African private organisations in both Kathu and Gaborone ensure quality service within a 150 kilometre radius. expansion with the opening of a new branch in the by providing access to cutting-edge health and Aside from the depot manager, Bidvest Steiner has bustling northern Cape town of Kathu, as well as hygiene services, consumables and related committed itself to appointing staff from the local forming a strategic retail partnership with G.Fox in products.” community in order to further boost and support Gaborone, Botswana. G.Fox is a leading supplier “The northern Cape is one of South Africa’s of industrial supplies and the most comprehensive most stable and promising regions with enormous With excellent growth experienced over the range of personal protective equipment. scope for economic growth. Kathu, in particular, is past two years and with a vision of even further The G.Fox partnership with Bidvest Steiner local economic growth. perfectly-located between Upington and Vryburg development, Bidvest Steiner is now in a position is especially interesting as the latter has an which means it’s an ideal choice for the province’s to increase its presence in the province. This established presence in Botswana’s capital city newest Bidvest Steiner presence,” said Louwtjie new depot will offer clients the full complement which will open up new opportunities for G.Fox. Bruwer, Bidvest Steiner general manager in of hygiene services. The product profile includes Kimberley. hygiene rental equipment, deep cleaning and According to Alan Fainman, managing director of Bidvest Steiner, “We aim to make a meaningful contribution to the productivity of public and The new depot will be managed on a daily basis by local resident Shane de Souza. He will also SSC – Stabilo pays for wedding An amazing party worth R25 000 was the prize in the back-to-school competition run by Stabilo. Supported by on-pack stickers on selected products as well as leaflets, posters and promotional stands, the back-toschool campaign was a great success. The winner, Madelein Meiring, will be celebrating her marriage in style in August. 30 bidvoice issue 2 2013 pest control as well as trading sales of hygiene consumables. GROUP PANORAMA Most popular award for third year running Bidvest Lithuania, a division of Bidvest . Baltics, has won the Populiariausia Preke award for the third time in a row with its NOWACO-hake 1 000g product. Service director for consumer right protection organisation, Feliksas Petrauska and commercial director, Ramunas Makutenas. Ramunas Makutenas, commercial director and Raimonda Malisauskiene, key accounts manager represented Bidvest Lithuania at the awards ceremony. Considering the competition in retail is becoming tougher and private labels are taking a bigger market share, winning this award is an excellent . achievement. The Populiariausia Preke award sticker will be used on products for the next twelve months. General director of Maxima LT, Arturas Zimnickas, – Maxima LT is the biggest retail chain in Lithuania and the Baltics and at the same time our biggest client and key accounts manager, Raimonda Malisauskiene. Key accounts manager, Raimonda Malisauskiene and commercial director, Ramunas Makutenas. The sticker which we can put on our product for the next 12 months. HRG Rennies Travel on the move The HRG Rennies Travel Menlyn branch recently moved to the very impressive podium building located in Pretoria East. According to Bronwyn Philipps, MD, “This building establishes itself as a landmark and suitably represents the HRG Rennies Travel brand promise of Expect More.” The premises are located on the corner of Ingesol and Lois Streets, directly opposite the popular Menlyn shopping mall. Although smaller in size than the previous premises, the office has a feel of professionalism and at the same time is more personal as the staff work closer together, allowing for better and more collaborative communication. When asked what they like most about the new location, staff were quick to point out the magnificent views. During the day they overlook the entire Pretoria East area and at night the entire building lights up, quite a spectacular sight. bidvoice issue 2 2013 31 group panorama Training future chefs A group of 20 enthusiastic entrepreneurs attended a six-month training programme organised by The Whisk! Bidvest Foodservice Catering Enterprise Development Academy, in association with the South African Chefs’ Association and the HTA School of Culinary Art. The objective of the programme is to train business owners who operate in the foodservice market, in areas such as catering, cooking skills, theory and small business skills. This is the third year of successful graduates in the programme, which includes practical training experience at the Centre for Culinary Excellence and theory with HTA. The graduates visited Bidvest Foodservice head office where they received product training from suppliers and information on Bidvest Foodservice’s Private Label range. In addition they were introduced to www.bfs247.co.za, the company’s online ordering system. They went on a tour of the Bidvest Foodservice multi-temp Gauteng warehouse, where the processes and operations of the warehouse were explained. Each Whisk candidate has been assigned to a Bidvest Foodservice branch to assist with purchasing and supporting their business growth. The marketing department is taking the graduates under its wing and will be facilitating a workshop to help them develop their business skills. This interactive workshop helps them define their target market and refine their offering, so that they end up attracting the right type of customer for the catering service they offer. The creative team will help them develop their own unique company identity and they will leave the workshop with a new logo, which will be applied to a full spectrum of business documents, such as letterheads, business cards, invoices, quote sheets and brochures. The team will also help them to establish a web presence. The Whisk initiative has given the candidates new tools and skills to ensure the success of their established catering businesses. Pics: The Whisk Bidvest Foodservice Catering Enterprise Development Academy graduates 32 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA Customer extravaganza BFS Mpumalanga served up a memorable customer extravaganza showcasing its understanding of the food and beverage industry. The customer open day included a fun-filled exhibition geared to sharing Bidvest’s passion for food, novelty, good pricing, 24-hour on-line ordering, excellent service and reliable solution selling to its clientele. Attended by principal decision-makers across every spectrum of the industry, it was a golden opportunity for faceto-face product promotion, relationship forging and customer supplier interaction. This year’s road show attracted 30 exhibition stalls displayed within a large hall at Ingwenyama Lodge and attracted 120 quality calls, all visitors with purchasing authority. The atmosphere was one of professional edutainment where customers tasted and tested the products and suppliers demonstrated their goods. The sales and buying teams were present to accompany customers through the maze of gastronomic delights. Among the exhibitors were Coca-Cola with a superb fantasy stand, BFS 247, Chateau Gateaux, BCE, our own Private Label (Cooking with and Packing with), Rich’s, Tiger Brands, Nestlé, Lancewood, UBR and many more. Well done, BFS Mpumalanga. Everybody looks forward to another customer extravaganza next year. bidvoice issue 2 2013 33 GROUP PANORAMA Bidvest Australia social responsibility progress Since it began its national greenhouse emissions reporting initiative in 2010, Bidvest Australia has a baseline against which to measure progress in responsible carbon emission control. While it is expected that this level will increase as Bidvest continues to expand, the aim is to minimise emissions growth. What are we doing to ensure that our world will be in environment, reducing the datacentre footprint and energy-efficient installations reduce the overall impact associated energy consumption. Older, less efficient of this expansion. In late 2010, Bidvest embarked on hardware has also been replaced. a joint exercise with the NSW State Government to Data centre: In July 2012 Bidvest relocated its core find ways of reducing electricity consumption in the infrastructure to a new state-of-the-art data centre industry. As a result, a number of initiatives have been facility, motivated in part by its sustainability rating. The identified that have the potential to reduce the amount data centre received the 2012 WSP national award of electricity used. A number of warehouses have for “Best sustainable development – new buildings”, benefited from replacing their high-voltage electric recognising sustainability practices that reduce a lights with low-voltage, energy-efficient lighting. project’s eco footprint over the entire lifecycle. Water: Despite the current trend of wetter weather, Printed documents strategy: All reports are Australia remains a dry continent and Bidvest downloadable in electronic format. Bidvest IT has Australia continues to provide water-saving features rolled out a tool to the sales representatives, giving in its businesses through the introduction of Water good shape for future generations? Efficiency Management Plans. New truck-washing facilities that use rainwater E-commerce: Our range of e-commerce collected in tanks, replacing options enables customers and employees to old-style cisterns with dual reduce paperwork and increase efficiency. flush systems and the use BidvestDirect, our online of trigger hoses are a few ordering website, enables initiatives being implemented Foodservice customers to on an on-going basis. access information, place Fuel: Fuel consumption is orders, make payments targetted, with greater use of and cost their menus. more effective routing systems BidvestDirect also has a being implemented. Many smartphone application, business units are reviewing which enables customers their delivery schedules and to place their orders from encouraging customers to their phones. place larger and less frequent BidTrack is an internal application used to input, orders and introduce cut-off track and perform branch and national trend analyses access to all marketing brochures in electronic format, schedules to minimise the impact of extra deliveries. for electricity, water, diesel and biofuel usage. reducing the requirement to print and distribute hard Trucks: Bidvest Australia continues its fleet One common IT platform: Bidvest Australia has copies. The IT department continues to promote replacement programme through the purchase of a common IT platform enabling greater transparency double-sided or booklet printing where possible to more efficient delivery vehicles, resulting in reduced and efficiency within the group and eliminating reduce paper usage. fuel usage and increased noise abatement. A new paperwork. Video conferencing strategy: Bidvest Australia green fleet using hybrid Fuso Eco-Hybrid 4X2 IT Initiatives: The IT department continues to use uses video conferencing at 70% of its branches. FE84BEV trucks is being phased in. These trucks will the Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan This technology provides a sustainable alternative to be branded with a new green logo to emphasise its 2010-2015 as a framework for its environmental travel and makes real savings in time, travel costs and environmental benefits. initiatives. carbon emissions. Recycling: Bidvest Australia’s recycling PC/laptop strategy: Older PC hardware is Zero e-waste and packaging waste to landfill: programme is active and recycled volumes are on replaced with energy-efficient PCs or laptops and Bidvest Australia re-uses packaging materials and sells the increase. power consumption is monitored. secondhand IT equipment which has been re-used. Partnering with industry: Bidvest Australia Server strategy: Within the last 12 months Electricity and power: While growth through continues its programme of partnering with 27 physical servers have been moved into a virtualised acquisition means an increase in electricity usage, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. 34 bidvoice issue 2 2013 GROUP PANORAMA Supporting greenABLE IVS has entered into an agreement with greenABLE to fund the employment and ABET training for five historically disadvantaged individuals with disabilities. greenABLE is a non-profit organisation that creates employment and skills development opportunities for people with disabilities, who in turn provide a meaningful contribution to the environment. It is the first facility in Africa to find a cost-effective solution for printer cartridge waste. Although all parts of cartridges can be recycled, they are generally disposed of in landfill sites, which impacts negatively on the environment. Thanks to greenABLE, the printer cartridges are dismantled and the individual parts are recycled. The recycled materials are sold and the proceeds go to the project. IVS is proud to be associated with this project. bidvoice issue 2 2013 35 GROUP PANORAMA Puréau Fresh Water Company is committed to deliver greener products and services, with initiatives contributing enormously to the reduction of its carbon footprint. Commitment to reduce, recycle and reuse The refrigerant gas used to cool water in all the Puréau Key impact areas: system to improve further waste-water recovery units is R134A, which is environmentally friendly and Natural resources (energy and materials) by up to 25%. conforms with government requirements. Puréau Human capital (involvement and sensitivity) supplies recyclable disposable cups which are Manufacturing products (waste minimisation) Eco solutions: available in plastic and/or paper. It has a low carbon Financial (impacts equal to dividends) Puréau continually researches innovations in footprint due to a national structure, unlike the mineral Compliance (safe disposal and reporting) water industry which has to supply water across the country. Puréau has purification plants in its own branches, friendly products. Social upliftment – our priorities: Avoidance – avoid the consumption of enabling a reduction in delivery vehicle emissions and resources and energy sources and avoid the carbon emissions. generation of waste types. Re-use and recover – recover as much materials The primary objectives of Puréau’s sustainability strategy are: Align all identified targets with those of the Bidvest sustainability plan. line with sustainability and environmentally and equipment for re-use as possible. Recycle – find suppliers who will use nonreusable materials in recycling processes. Safe disposal – isolate all non-reusable or Plastic bottles: Plastic water bottles, commonly known as PET, are still a safe packaging option and are 100% recyclable. Petco, the PET plastics industry body responsible for recycling, has campaigned toward responsible recycling of PET bottles in South Africa. In 2011, over 1.4 billion bottles were recycled across South Africa, equating to Identify and exploit business opportunities that recyclable materials as priority waste and source four million bottles per day. Petco achieved an will arise from pursuing environmentally sound suppliers who recollect their waste products and annual rate of 46% of post-consumer beverage and sustainable business practices. practise safe disposal ethics. recycling in 2012. The target is 50% by 2015. Pursue carbon neutral business in the short term 36 Simply put, the recycling of PET reduces its and position ourselves as an international carbon Waste-water recovery: credit trader in the long term. Puréau has upgraded its reverse osmosis bidvoice issue 2 2013 carbon footprint by some 25%. Plastics don’t litter – people do. GROUP PANORAMA New keys for Bidvest Automotive A lot of work has gone into repositioning, re-organising and refocusing McCarthy and it has borne fruit quicker than expected, says CEO Steve Keys, who joined Bidvest last year. “Our results speak for themselves. We represent great brands, we have good locations and we have great people. It is a matter of unlocking the potential of those combined assets,” he says. The restructuring of McCarthy involved collapsing and decentralising the structure to form six autonomous operating divisions. “The result is that they are relishing their new independent operating style, which is after all the Bidvest way. Entrepreneurship has to be shown in the individual business units. A highly centralised structure is inhibiting and restricts operational agility.” The next step is to return McCarthy to its rightful place of industry leader, as it was 20 years ago, says Steve. This involves satisfying shareholders, customers, motor manufacturers and staff. “We have pleased our shareholders by moving from fourth place to first place in one year. But this business is not only about the shareholder. It is like walking a tightrope – shareholders one side, original equipment manufacturers on the other and 250 000 employed by importers of vehicles, where all dealers meet to outline their strategies. side, customers in front and staff behind. You need component manufacturers and after-market “People buy cars from people so the people aspect a balance to have a sustainable business that will suppliers and service providers. “McCarthy sells of the business is crucial. We have to engage people deliver results for extended periods of time,” approximately 7% of new vehicles in South Africa to produce results.” explains Steve. equating to roughly one in 14 cars. If you include Challenges facing the motor industry are fuel price increases, increased carbon taxes and the effect of the exchange rate on new vehicle pricing. Steve Steve’s vision is for Bidvest Automotive to Government and car rental, it is one in 12. We employ become the leading profit generator within the approximately 5 800 people at 120 outlets.” next five years. It is currently number three. McCarthy recently launched a new mobile app that “The changing of the guard has seen us accumulate explains that the motor manufacturers have domestic enables users to buy a car, book a service, obtain a new team with fresh thinking and new ideas,” production facilities with export programmes in place a traffic report and even find their cars. The Bidvest he says. that mitigate the weak Rand. The fully imported cars Automotive initiative will be rolled out together with Steve is married to Fiona and they have three sons. are under more pressure. McCarthy recently exited a loyalty programme to the existing customer base He enjoys playing golf and fishing, as well as watching from the Peugeot, Citrôen and Volvo franchises, as and is available free of charge when you service or rugby and cricket. His philosophy on life comes from capital had not performed for some time. buy a car. his late father. “My father died when I was very young The South African motor industry is a formidable Internally, Steve is on a quest to engage the people but he left a legacy of saying there are only two things employer with approximately 33 000 employees of McCarthy through a blog and roadshows to the you take to the grave with you – your name and your working at seven vehicle manufacturing plants regions. He has also introduced a dealer conference word and I try to live by that.” bidvoice issue 2 2013 37 GROUP PANORAMA BluePepper goes green There are immediate benefits to a business running BidvestDirect e-commerce systems. Increased sales volumes, 24-hour access, better customer product visibility and greater productivity are just a few. But there are other greener issues that BidvestDirect can contribute to our environment. Save the trees BidvestDirect retains financial documents online for a period of two years, saving on printing. A customer can retrieve invoices, statements, credit notes and orders online, including orders that were not originally captured through BidvestDirect. When you add to this the tens of thousands of electronic EDI orders processed through the system, there is a huge environmental saving. On the move The new smartphone app gives our customers “Bidvest on the move”. You do not have to make a special trip to the office to place an urgent order after hours. You can view your order history from your mobile without having to carry printed copies. The point of no return Product returns caused by incorrect ordering are a real source of inefficiency within our business. They lead to duplicate handling, wasteful unnecessary trips, damage to products and a great amount of wasted time and money. Analysis of customer returns against customers ordering online through BidvestDirect has shown that the number of returns has fallen to a third or less of previous levels. This represents a huge saving to the environment and our business. So get your customers online and save the planet (for further information please email [email protected]). bizhub makes waves Cape Town-based commercial printer, Salty Print, has upgraded its Konica Minolta bizhub PRO C6501 digital machine to a new Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C7000. “The cost-effective digital press is well suited to Salty Print’s operations and customers, especially because the device’s superb image quality rivals offset printing,” says Leon Minnie, product manager at Konica Minolta South Africa. According to Stephen Bardwell, operations manager at Salty Print, the upgrade is the result of an aggressive modernisation strategy conceived by the company’s board to meet future challenges facing the printing industry. “The C7000 joins other new arrivals at Salty Print, namely cutting and scoring equipment as well as perfect binding and laminating equipment,” says Stephen. “With the bizhub C7000 and our new finishing equipment, we have cut production time dramatically. At Salty Print we are excited about the future of the print industry in South Africa. We From left: Steve Bardwell, CEO; Talkmore Gwanyanya, digital print manager and Stephen Bardwell, production manager. 38 bidvoice issue 2 2013 look forward to the opportunities that our web-to-print e-commerce solution, together with our bizhub presses offer, targeting printing for other printers, as well as wholesale and retail customers.” GROUP PANORAMA Leitz range scores top marks After acquiring the distribution rights for Leitz workspace products in July last year, SSC entered Leitz into the market with great vigour, generating substantial coverage for the brand and recording phenomenal sales over the back-to-school period. The Leitz WOW, iLAM, Complete, ImpressBIND and Bebop ranges are now available at Waltons, ensuring that they will assist consumers in getting the job well done, too. New accessories with new technology The Leitz Complete range of accessories enhances the use of iPhones and iPads, which continue to create a demand for sophisticated accessories. SSC will be expanding the Leitz Complete range to include portable mini speakers, bluetooth stereo speakers, 3-in-1 chargers for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, as well as Samsung Galaxy accessories. bizhub client wins award Seriti Printing, a Konica Minolta South Africa client, has been given the top award for digital printing by Printing SA, formerly known as the Printing Industries Federation of South Africa (PIFSA). The digital print job that garnered the award was printed on a KMSA bizhub PRO C6500 digital production device. According to Avril Swart, digital printing manager at Seriti Printing, the Pretoriabased production house has owned the machine for five years and is especially impressed by the consistent quality that it delivers. “We are proud of our digital award, which now hangs alongside our litho awards. The bizhub PRO C6500 has made a huge impact on the flexibility of our business, the cost of a job and the superb and reliable output of each digital print run.” bidvoice issue 2 2013 39 GROUP PANORAMA Diamonds are forever For the sixth consecutive year, Bidvest Panalpina Logistics has achieved a diamond award in the Professional Management Review Africa survey on freight forwarders. PMR conducted an independent survey with 150 respondents comprising logistics, operations and warehouse managers. BPL scored 4.11 out of a possible 5.00. Questions included: ability to offer alternative transport solutions; BEE rating; electronic access to data; overall relationship with agents; predictability of delivery; problem solving; reliability; quality of overseas forwarding services and more. The survey was conducted to set benchmarks and acknowledge employees. BPL is thrilled at the achievement which is indicative of its ongoing determination to execute supply chain offerings reliably and creatively. For further information about Bidvest Panalpina Logistics, please go to www.bpl.za.com. Receiving the diamond award from PMR (left to right): Ezelda Botha, general manager supply chain; Maria du Preez, airfreight and supply chain director and Siyabonga Ndaba, general manager operations. Gold and silver awards for 3663 3663 is pleased to announce product awards in the BPEX Foodservice pork product of the year 2013 competition, including gold and silver for two of its frozen own brand products. Nicky Dixey, Own Brand manager for 3663, commented: “We understand how important quality is to our customers. Both products use pork sourced from British farms, embracing the trend for British produce as well as using more affordable cuts of meat. These products have already received endorsement from the Craft Guild of Chefs, demonstrating the great quality of our own brand products. 3663 barbecue British pulled pork with jalapenos. “We were over the moon to receive three gold awards from BPEX last year for our Whites sausage range. To receive further awards now on our pork products confirms that the reassurance of quality is reflected across the range.” BPEX Foodservice trade manager, Tony Goodger, said: “We were incredibly impressed with the standard of entries this year. The variation in product entries shows that, as well as being a firm favourite with diners, pork is an incredibly versatile meat. I congratulate 3663 on its achievements in what was a tough competition.” 40 bidvoice issue 2 2013 3663 slow cooked British pork belly with apricot and thyme. GROUP PANORAMA Celeb chef demonstration Staff and customers of 3663 attended a chef master class held by Unilever Food Solutions on February 26 2013. Mouth-watering food was prepared by renowned Recipe for pumpkin soup celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White, the face of the Serves 8/10 portions Knorr Bouillon range in the UK. The main focus was to demonstrate the use of convenience products in Ingredients both commercial and domestic kitchens. 2kg diced pumpkin, approximate ¾ inch cubes Jill Holland, client director at 3663 said, “To 1.2L fresh carrot juice witness his wizardry in the kitchen was something 50g Knorr chicken or vegetable bouillon we will not forget. He was charming and chatted 100ml double cream to everyone about his experiences and gave 50g grated Parmesan advice to chefs on how to make their menus work better. Marco made a delicious mushroom risotto followed by pumpkin soup, which were both truly Method delectable.” Gently sweat the diced pumpkin in olive oil for approximately 15 minutes with the lid on. Frederick Forster, head chef at the Boundary restaurant in Shoreditch, London and winner of 2011 national chef of the year, attended the event and Add 1.2 litres of fresh carrot juice and 50g commented, “I had the opportunity to ask how and why Marco uses Knorr Bouillon. He responded that we live of Knorr chicken or vegetable bouillon. Bring in the real world and need to use ingredients we can rely on and that make our lives easier. He commented to the boil and simmer for eight minutes. that it does not matter how you achieve the flavour you want, just as long as you achieve it. He reiterated Add 100ml double cream and 50g grated the need for consistency from suppliers and how using Knorr Bouillon gives him this consistency without Parmesan. exception.” Cook for a further two minutes. Liquidise. Peter Bolger, national account manager for Unilever Food Solutions explained, “It was great to get the team at 3663 and their customers along to this event. Marco is a fantastic ambassador for both Knorr Bouillon and Tips the industry itself and is always happy to share his experiences and advice.” Sprinkle with Parmesan or pepper and croutons. About Marco If using a small pumpkin increase the volume Marco is known as the ‘enfant terrible’ in the UK of carrot juice by 300ml, as they don’t have the restaurant scene and the Godfather of modern same water content. cooking. Having left school before matriculating, he decided to train as a chef starting in the kitchen at the Hotel St George, North Yorkshire. He arrived in London at the age of 16, beginning his classical training as a commis under Albert and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche. At the age of 33, Marco was the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. From left: Rebecca O’Keefe, national accounts manager, Hotels; Marco Pierre White, chef; Jill Holland, client director, 3663. bidvoice issue 2 2013 41 GROUP PANORama PE premier lounge restyled Commuters stopping at Port Elizabeth Airport’s Bidvest premier lounge in the next few months can look forward to a restyled, modern lounge. In a countrywide initiative to upgrade and introduce individual looks to each of the Bidvest premier lounges, the PE lounge will boast artwork reminiscent of its Garden Route setting and will have a colour scheme of muted beiges, blues and browns. A much bigger structural change will incorporate a new entrance and reception area. “This structural change will make use of a new glass staircase that the Airports Company of South Africa intends to build in the departure hall. Explains Gavin Bell, Bidvest premier lounge MD, “With the construction of the new staircase, our guests will be able to head for the boarding gates and ascend the staircase right to our lounge.” Gavin believes the new staircase will have a huge impact on PE Airport from a design perspective and will make it far more convenient for guests to access the premier lounge. The lounge will continue to offer guests the four hallmarks for which the premier lounge has become known: a peaceful, comfortable and clean environment; complimentary newspapers and WiFi connectivity; friendly, efficient service; and a delicious selection of complimentary snacks and beverages. It is hoped that guests will be able to enjoy the airport’s new staircase and the lounge’s stylish new offering by mid-year. Top: Bidvest premier lounge – George entrance, and above: the interior. 3663 named UK Superbrand 3663 is delighted to announce that it has been chosen as one of the UK’s strongest brands and listed in the 2013 Superbrands annual publication, which is produced every year to give an insight into the work of some of Britain’s much-loved brands. 3663 is the only foodservice company listed amongst some of the nation’s favourite brands, including British Airways, Heinz, Manchester United, McDonalds, Rolls Royce and many more. Superbrands UK carried out research to identify the UK’s To be defined as a Superbrand your business needs to have the finest strongest brands, drawing on a wide range of sources, from sector reports to reputation in its field and offer its customers significant advantages over its blogs and public nominations. From the thousands of companies considered, a competitors. This is a great accolade for 3663. Superbrand shortlist is created. 42 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Visit www.superbrands.uk.com/3663 to view the case study. GROUP PANORAMA A walk in the park No cleaning event is too large or too small for the Pretoria region of Prestige. Managing a water table and cleaning up at the McCarthy halfmarathon event in Queenswood Pretoria was handled with ease by the enthusiastic team. Over the years, the Pretoria Prestige team has shown great involvement in this event by assisting with refreshments and cleaning. At exactly 06:00 on February 2 2013, the gun went off and runners and walkers started to pound the tarmac. After 20 minutes, the first of the fast runners reached the six kilometre mark and Pretoria Prestige staff handed out water sachets and Coke at a fast rate. After the three-hour race the sweeper vehicle approached and, as usual, Prestige Pretoria wasted no time in demonstrating its special cleaning abilities and in a jiffy the task was complete. After five hours, the morning of fun was over and Prestige supporters left the event with great pride in their contribution to making the event a huge success. Front from left: Granny Bobodo, Ansamari Hurn, Johanna Masonganyi, Corine Goss, Elizabeth Baloyi and Sara Nxumalo. Back from left: Robert Maphumulo, Marko Heymann, Johannes Kekana, Herman Fourie, Stephen Coetzee, Enoch Malapi and Tyler Jones. Taking no chances Ammonia is used in the frozen and chilled storage areas at Bidvest Foodservice Multi-Temp’s Western Cape premises. This is a very effective means of keeping products at minus 30 degrees celsius. Ammonia training from left: Peter McInulty, Shaun de Klerk, Rodney Vos, Bradley Hendriks and Edmundo Williams from Coca Cola Canners. Although every precaution is taken to ensure that the plants are well maintained, it is important to always have a competent team on site, in case of an ammonia leak. As a result, a three-day training course was held for the response team and included the use of breathing apparatus, extensive theory on ammonia plant processes and some interesting rescue operations. The members of the team were dressed up in chemical suits and breathing apparatus before venturing into the plant. As an added simulation of an ammonia leak, a plastic bag was placed over their heads to give the same visual effect of moving through an area that has been saturated with ammonia. The response team comprises Peter McInulty, Shaun de Klerk and Rodney Vos. Two visitors from PenBev also took part in the training. bidvoice issue 2 2013 43 GROUP PANORAMA New premises Bidvest Foodservices Canberra officially opened and began distributing from new premises on Monday November 19 2012. This comes after 34 years at the original site, initially under the name Cold Seas and then Bidvest Australia from September 1998. The new premises boast a freezer with 1440 pallet spaces, up from 944, and a similar number in the dry area. The new chiller comprises a 336 pallet space area, up from 250. Well done to the team who worked through the weekend to move stock and office equipment from the old warehouse to the new distribution centre. The mammoth job was completed in time for the Sunday afternoon picking team to commence. Shuttle service added When Booysendal mine approached Prestige with a cleaning contract, Polokwane general manager Clint Montgomery was informed that the contract had to include transport for 47 employees working at the site. The urgent procurement of two Mercedes Benz Sprinter buses began. The vehicles had to be purchased and fitted with seating and safety features. Signage had to be applied, Bidtrack units fitted and drivers assessed, employed and trained. The buses were purchased from McCarthy Kunene, who did a spectacular job of organising the additional work that needed to be implemented on the vehicles. A month later, the vehicles were delivered and began operating on April 8 2013. 44 bidvoice issue 2 2013 From left: Vincent Malepe, David Mathipa, Clint Montgomery, Sam Moyana, Jan Moloko and Simon Mbatha. GROUP PANORAMA Voltex engages with great success During February 2013 Voltex launched a nationwide campaign called “Engage”. For the campaign, Voltex collaborated with 30 preferred suppliers to deliver a direct connection between suppliers and customers. The Voltex Engage campaign offers prizes up to the value of R1 million. Customers can win by joining as a gold, silver or platinum member. Every effort is made to improve Voltex’s customer service experience and, with social media channels, the company can now be more involved with customers and suppliers. Voltex doubles up The Engage launch has been so successful that Voltex is expanding Voltex KZN: Ivan Govender, Durban branch manager, and a lucky draw prize winner at a customer evening in KZN. the campaign by doubling up on product specials, prizes and events. According to the company, customer satisfaction is as important as its suppliers. Voltex wants to have a live connection with customers. Staying connected means it can improve customer service. Over the last two months Voltex has been obtaining valuable input from customers via survey forms, as well as social media channels. This information has been carefully analysed in order to understand customers better. The Voltex loyalty card Customers can now benefit from the Voltex loyalty card and win great prizes by collecting “I Buy @ Voltex” stickers with each purchase. Voltex Polokwane breakfast run with Voltex Lighting: Billy van Niekerk, Elsie Kruger, Natally Mullet, Jan van Niewenhuizen, Simon Seshibe, Jan van Wyk and Amos Mogatlan. Feedback Voltex has been receiving a constant stream of positive feedback. Social media platforms have buzzed with feedback from customers and updates on events. With almost 3 000 page impressions in only one week, Voltex’s facebook page became a platform for sharing pictures and success stories of breakfast runs and in-store promotions. The majority of facebook followers are from South Africa, while other countries include Zimbabwe, Turkey and the UK. The company’s twitter page enjoyed similar success. Stanley Green, managing director of Voltex, said: “There are big changes happening in the electrical industry and with Voltex’s new social media platforms, facebook, twitter and YouTube, it is now possible to engage directly with our customers on a whole new level.” For more information on Voltex or to locate your nearest branch, visit www.voltex.co.za or call +27 11 879 2000. Voltex Cape Town: Thomas de Wet giving a customer a complimentary boerewors roll during a breakfast run. bidvoice issue 2 2013 45 GROUP PANORAMA Front from left: Thembeka Mnweba, Buela Nyovane and Ntombikho Tukela. Middle from left: Nwabisa Masango, Mavis Singama, Nomvyo Cesiko, Nombolelo Soshononda, Michelle Mbekwa and Nolisendise Xakata. Back: Dale Stander, supervisor and Chandré Fortune. From left: Mogamat Jones, pumper truck assistant; Dale Stander, janitor supervisor and Zondi Lisa, supervisor: portable toilet services. Convenience at Cape Epic This year’s ABSA Cape Epic saw 1 260 mountain bike enthusiasts cycling between various towns in the Boland from March 17 – 24 2013. The event started at Meerendal Wine Estate followed by overnight stops in Citrusdal, Tulbagh, Wellington and Stellenbosch, before the final event at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West. Prestige Toilet Hire Cape Coastal ensured that the riders, crew and public had the convenience of clean, portable toilets by supplying 100 portable toilets at every overnight stop. The toilets were moved to the next stop after each overnight stay without any hitch or delay. The toilets were cleaned and maintained at all times by a seasoned team of janitors from Prestige Cleaning Services. The operations team, under the leadership of Arnold Arendse, provided excellent service to the Cape Epic. This is the eighth year that Prestige Toilet Hire has serviced this event and here’s hoping it gets voted again as the best service provider. Affordable and stylish The new Yamaha Mio scooter is now available from Yamaha dealers nationwide at the incredible price of R8 995. The Mio offers excellent stability and has a modern, urban design. Its exceptionally low seat height gives even novice riders the feeling of real confidence. With its four stroke engine that makes a litre last longer, automatic v-belt transmission, electric start and a price tag of R8 995, the Mio introduces legendary Yamaha quality to students. The Mio uses modern, proven technology that makes it one of the most affordable scooters on the road today. For reliability and easy maintenance, simple wet-sump lubrication is used. The air-cooling system helps keep engine temperatures under control for maximum efficiency and longer engine life. Ultra rugged, ultra reliable and ultra economical, this stylish commuter scooter is affordable for everyone and makes going places fun, even travelling to work or school. 46 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Yamaha Mio – available in red, blue, black and white. GROUP PANORAMA Breast cancer scores The One Day International between Pakistan and South Africa on March 17 2013 was a huge success with over R500 000 raised for PinkDrive. Left: The boys in Pink and below: the stadium. For every six hit during the match into the Momentum family area, Momentum donated R10 000 to PinkDrive. Bidvest also committed to donating R1 000 to PinkDrive every time the ball hit the boundary rope. These funds will have a huge impact on PinkDrive’s ability to reach communities throughout South Africa and save thousands of lives. Spectators and staff took the theme to heart, dressing to impress in pink. Volunteers sprayed their hair bright pink and the PinkDrive’s Shop4Cancer helped spectators to brand themselves in pink. Says Noelene Kotschan, founder and CEO of PinkDrive, “We would like to thank Bidvest, Momentum, Cricket SA, the Pakistani and South African Cricket teams, as well as all the people who donated money and made the day such a success. Thank you also to PWC, Hirsch, Konica Minolta, Castle Lager, GM and Megapro for their contributions. “The awareness that we brought to Momentum ODI helped our breast cancer cause enormously. I had the utmost faith in this campaign and the generosity of all who attended was clearly evident.” Western Cape open day Bidvest Foodservice multi-temp Western Cape held open days for customers at the branch in Cape Town during March 2013. The aim was to walk customers through the multi-temperature facility to show them operating practices, the focus on health and safety and the full service solution that Bidvest Customers sampling the Bidvest Foodservice Private Label products. Foodservice multi-temp can offer. It was also an opportunity for the internal sales teams to build their relationships with customers by personally educating them about suppliers and their products. Suppliers who participated put up impressive stands showcasing new products. The Bidvest Foodservice private label team was there to interact with customers and offer tastings of the great new lines that have been launched under the Cooking with…, Packing with…, Southern Seas and Seafrost brands over recent months. bidvoice issue 2 2013 47 GROUP PANORAMA Aktaes employees. Major Turkish acquisition Bidvest Middle East is pleased to announce that it has acquired a majority stake in Aktaes Holdings, a high-end food and beverage distributor in Turkey. Aktaes is the exclusive foodservice distributor in Turkey for prestige brands such as San Pellegrino, Perrier, Contrex, Illy Coffee and Lambweston. Bidvest Middle East plans to develop complementary brands and share best practice between Aktaes and existing businesses in the United Arab Emirates (Horeca Trade) and Saudi Arabia (Al Diyafa). The company is based in Istanbul and the managing director is Nedim Makzume. The business started in 2004 and Aktaes Holdings was founded in 2011. In 2012 the company had a turnover of 12.5 million Turkish lire (TL) with an operational profit of 1.4 million TL. The turnover for next year is expected to be 22 million TL. Bidvest Middle East extends a warm welcome to our 37 new Turkish associates. 48 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Managing director, Nedim Makzume. GROUP PANORAMA Adding technology The Bidvest footprint gives us more than recognition as a advice on breast health and breast selfexamination techniques. PinkDrive has already provided 4 464 free business powerhouse, it gives us mammograms and 41 759 clinical breast an opportunity to put back into our examinations. It has educated in excess of country and our communities. 51 600 women on the importance of breast health. In conjunction with Bidvest’s continued Konica Minolta Medical SA is taking the support of this initiative, our involvement will opportunity to join the PinkDrive initiative. enable the PinkDrive mobile units to be fully “PinkDrive is one of South Africa’s foremost equipped with medical equipment that is breast cancer community carers,” explains digitally compatible. This includes installing Chrizelle van der Westhuizen of KMMSA. the RamSoft PACS system that enables “Pink Drive is centred on breast health and immediate reporting from wherever the the premise that ‘early detection saves lives’. mobile units are currently operating. It is a perfect fit for KMMSA, a company “KMMSA is the sole distributor of this that is introducing cutting-edge technology state-of-the-art software. Being able to make into the medical imaging market. Pink Drive it accessible to all South Africans as a part of is an organisation that can benefit from our our commitment to PinkDrive is a source of technology as well as our support.” immense pride,” adds Chrizelle. “Our vision PinkDrive provides free mobile breast and the vision of partners like Dr Ritz, Vertec cancer screening, as well as education for and RamSoft is to use our knowledge, our underprivileged patients through three mobile technology and our resources to give all educational units. The teams travel through South Africans the education and support semi-urban and urban areas around South they need for upliftment. Our motto is ‘the Africa to give disadvantaged communities business of medical’, but our passion is the access to information, physical examinations, people of our wonderful country.” Driving the mammo message home, from left: Madeleen Herbst, mammographer; Chrizelle van der Westhuizen, product manager KMMSA; Ivone Domingues, assistant to MD of KMMSA and Abigail Mhlanga, administrator PinkDrive attend the mammography screening at Konica Minolta South Africa head office on December 2012. Ontime acts on sustainability The launch of a new environmental project from to protect the environment for future generations. Ontime Automotive embeds greater levels of As the fuel consumed by our vehicles is the main sustainability into the company’s core operations contributor to our emissions, this is a key area for Team CO2 will investigate and recommend Team CO2. Once implemented, SAFED will help us improvements that have a positive impact on significantly improve fuel efficiency. As an established carbon emissions, fuel use, water and waste, both leader in the British Rescue and Recovery market on and off the road. One of Team CO2’s first initiatives is an in-house and in operating Europe’s largest enclosed fleet towards attaining their driver certificate of professional of specialist transporters, we are committed to training course on Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving competence, an EU directive which requires all drivers maintaining and growing our fleets in the most (SAFED). Due to be pilot tested shortly, the course to undertake 35 hours of training every five years sustainable way by investing in the least polluting covers theoretical and practical elements and will be for their CPC. Ontime is also developing a new fuel technologies and vehicles as well as ensuring that we taken by all drivers of the company. By promoting data system to monitor the success of the training are driving them efficiently.” advanced driving skills, SAFED ensures that fuel through fuel usage and as a tool for rewarding best is used efficiently, resulting in reduced emissions. improvements. Modules include the correct use of a vehicle’s gears as well as safe driving speeds and distances. Drivers can add time spent in SAFED training Justin Brinklow, managing director of Ontime Ontime’s Team CO2 will also turn its attention to resource management and the development of employee engagement activities focused on Automotive comments, “Team CO2 embodies our encouraging improved sustainable practices across commitment to reduce our carbon footprint in striving all of its operational sites. bidvoice issue 2 2013 49 group panorama Dealer of the year McCarthy Commercial Alrode has been recognised by UD Trucks with the following awards for the 2012: Fernando de Sousa Winner: Dealer of the year (large category) Rajesh Basdeo Service manager (winner) Andre Roos Parts manager (winner) Stuart Penning Sales manager (runner-up) Sharmilla Pillay Parts administrator (winner) Sharda Seejiram Warranty administrator (runner-up) Kyle Buys Workshop foreman (runner-up) Rose Robinson Financial manager (runner-up) Special acknowledgements go to Peter English, Leonard Herman, Rose Robinson, Pieter Brits, Felicity Oelofse, Fred Pretorius and UD Trucks dealer support staff for the support and guidance throughout the years. From left: Sharmilla Pillay; Fernando de Sousa; Rajesh Basdeo; Andre Roos; Kyle Buys and Stuart Penning. Front: Sharda Seejiram. Digital classrooms A pilot project designed to teach effectively and improve assist teachers to keep up the quality of learning in our schools, as well as inspire our with the latest international teachers to greater heights.” He trends in education has thanked ORT SA and Bidvest been launched by ORT SA, on behalf of the district and the Gauteng Education Department with the financial backing for keeping up to date with of Bidvest. the latest trends in education, especially in regard to ICT. Thirty-three Alexandra primary The teachers will also receive school teachers received laptops from ORT SA/Bidvest Alexandra ICT (Information Communication Technology) at a function at ORT House in Houghton, From left: Mr Solomon Mawela, Principal, Gordon Primary School, Alexandra; Mr Raymond Martin, District Director Johannesburg East District; Ms Ariellah Rosenberg, head of Educator Empowerment Department at ORT SA; Ms Princess Dube, Ms Sizwe Mahlambi, teachers from Gordon Primary School and Ms Jane Horner, Educator Empowerment, ORT SA. Johannesburg. Schools were also invited to send a member of both their school management team and ICT committee to the function. intensive computer training at the ORT SA IT Academy. ORT SA is a well-known, educational non-profit organisation. Ariellah Rosenberg, head of Educator Empowerment Department at ORT SA, says that through this project the digital divide that exists between District director from the Johannesburg east district, Raymond Martin, different schools both locally and internationally will be closed, thus ensuring addressed the teachers. “We must be able to speak in a language children that these teachers will have the latest technological tools necessary for best- understand and keep up with the times. ORT SA has made it possible for us to practice teaching. 50 bidvoice issue 1 2013 group panorama Equipment fit for a king The Belling Hospitality training centre is the latest addition in the redevelopment project funded by the Prince Charles Trust. Paul Knight, managing director of 3663 Catering Equipment, attended the official opening on April 3 2013. The new training facility at Dumfries House, Scotland, features an on-site restaurant seating up to 120 people and a state-of-the-art training kitchen, which was expertly designed and installed by 3663 Catering Equipment. The aim is to give students practical hospitality training and will be the new home to the Prince’s Trust – Get into Hospitality programme, which has been in Top left: State-of-the-art kitchen facilities from Hospitality Design by 3663. Above: Prince Charles talks to students preparing canapés for the event. partnership with Dumfries House for the past 18 months. The programme is for local 16 to 24 year-olds, many of whom left school A graduate of the programme who now works full-time at Dumfries House credited the scheme with turning her life around. “My life is completely different without qualifications. It teaches them kitchen skills and front-of-house etiquette from how it was a year ago. I had no money, no job and no career so it really has before finding them work placements. had a massive impact on me,” she said. Paul Knight commented, “We are delighted to have made such a big Paul continued, “We hope the centre will continue to make a positive contribution contribution to the facility, which will allow young people to learn new skills and to the community, provide young people with new and life-changing experiences progress within the hospitality industry.” and give them the skills they need to achieve success within the industry.” Audi Centurion wins two awards From left: Ryan Searle, general manager Audi SA; Joel Stransky and Ferdi Preller, new vehicle sales manager Audi Centre Centurion. Congratulations to Audi Centurion who achieved second place in Audi SA’s dealer of the year award. The annual silver arrow awards function From left: Mike Glendinning, VW Group South Africa sales and marketing director; Stefan Hamberger, Audi AG director: region overseas, Africa and the Middle East; Memory Burger, dealer principal Audi Centre Centurion; Cameron van der Burgh, Olympic gold medallist and Ryan Searle, general manager Audi SA. was held on April 12 2013 in Johannesburg. This is the second year in a row that Audi Centurion has achieved second place, confirming its high level of standing in South Africa. Ferdinand Preller was awarded the new vehicle sales manager of the year award. bidvoice issue 1 2013 51 group panorama Expanding African presence City Hall in Maputo, Mozambique. important and growing market for corporate travel. In partnership with CWT, we will be handling the business travel needs Tofo beach, Mozambique. Carlson Wagonlit Travel is expanding its African presence to Mozambique through a partnership with TopAtlântico Mozambique, a subsidiary of the Portuguese travel management group, Espírito Santo Viagens. of Mozambican-based companies, as well as those of overseas companies with investments or facilities in Mozambique.” CWT has the largest corporate travel management network across Africa, with an operational presence in over 40 countries and a broad portfolio of international clients. “Mozambique is the newest addition to the CWT network and is a key TopAtlântico has provided travel management expertise to corporate travellers in country for our energy services clients,” commented Richard Saunders, senior Portugal since 2002 and in Angola since 2006. Based in Lisbon, the company is director of CWT Global Partners Network for Europe, Middle East and Africa. a leading travel agency with over 600 employees. “We are excited by this new partnership and, for the first time, customers in Helder Alves, vice president TopAtlântico commented, “Mozambique is an Mozambique can enjoy our portfolio of global tools and customised services.” SACD Durban lends a helping hand Over the past few years SACD has supported The Mother of Peace children’s home near Illovo, Durban. The home supports needy and orphaned children, providing a place to stay, food and education. On March 19 2013 SACD received recognition as a top donor for the third year in a row from the Durban Community Chest. This organisation ensures, at no costs to the donors or recipients, that the donated funds are used legally and appropriately to benefit those in need. 52 bidvoice issue 2 2013 group panorama Success of the Madiba notes By now, everybody has had the opportunity to experience the new South African currency notes, reflecting the face of beloved former President Nelson Mandela. Launched in November 2012, the notes are of global standard and boast superior and innovative security features, such as a watermark image of Madiba, embossed lines on the side of the notes and spark colour-changing ink. Preparation for the release of the notes was a monumental task, requiring a changeover of software in ATMs, note-counting machines, slot machines, notevalidators and note-sorters. Software at thousands of locations across South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia had to be upgraded. Neal Dowds from Global Payment Technologies confirms that the transition process went well. “As with any big project there were a couple of teething problems, but in general the project was delivered within budget and deadline for all GPT customers, including most of the major banks”, he says. A challenge was that the sample money is printed at one printer but multivendors are used to cope with volumes. This results in slight variations in ink quality, print shift and size. If the print is a fraction skew it will adversely affect the up that they are falsified. Higher-end technology will perform ultraviolet checks as well technology, which could lead to a high rejection rate of notes. as metal thread detection and infrared detection to better identify counterfeit notes. A further challenge is that different notes will deteriorate at different levels and at a The success of the project was enhanced by the fact that the national roll out different pace in different areas. It is therefore necessary to wait until there are notes was implemented regionally. According to Neals, “All the banks in each area worked at different stages of deterioration before launching a second phase of the software together and technicians only had to be deployed to a specific area once. Further upgrades. work will be required when the old notes are recalled, which may occur as early as While it is comforting to know that it will be more difficult to produce counterfeit the end of 2013.” notes, there are already some counterfeit notes in circulation. “Any changeover of a “The result of the project was that we got closer to our clients”, says Neals. “It gave money system will leave a gap for fraudsters,” warns Neal, “especially in rural areas GPT the opportunity to prove that we can meet deadlines. Good communication, where shop owners have not been trained on the look and feel of authentic notes.” regular meetings and transparency were the main ingredients of successful project The counterfeit notes are not of very good quality, but older technology may not pick management.” SSC CANSA shavathon Above and below: Shaun Attwell. SSC employees participated in the 10th annual CANSA shavathon on March 1 2013 and to show their support, they shaved or coloured their hair. Those reluctant to do either paid a bail-out fee. Thank you to the SSC employees for supporting this event. Above: Trevor Girnun. Below: Sabelo Zulu. bidvoice issue 2 2013 53 GROUP PANORAMA Fire protection … not Hollywood style Martin Turner, elciem It’s not every fire protection training session that starts with a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster, but this was the introduction to three training workshops held recently at Bidvest. The scene from The Matrix was part of a montage of similar clips from the movies showing fire sprinkler systems doing impossible things. The reality is more mundane; sprinklers are not operated by smoke, they do not all go off at once, they reputation and, most importantly, protect Bidvest’s people and their livelihoods. As with all plant and equipment, effective management and maintenance is needed to ensure it remains effective and reliable. This was the key message delivered to the 60 delegates from more than 20 Bidvest businesses across South Africa who attended the workshops. The delegates learned that in buildings adequately protected by sprinklers: 99% of fires were controlled by sprinklers alone 89% of fires involved up to three sprinklers operating 67% of fires involved only one sprinkler operating On average, fire control is achieved within two minutes The fire service will apply up to 90% more water to achieve control can’t be activated by a switch on the wall and you A case study was shown from a real Bidvest probably do need to be Arnold Schwarzenegger to warehouse facility that experienced a fire. Internal hit three in three shots with a pistol. CCTV footage showed the fire being controlled After dispelling the myths, the workshops in less than two-and-a-half minutes by a single concentrated on the real world. Fire sprinklers sprinkler head, preventing a total loss estimated protect Bidvest assets and, in doing so, help at over R320m. Instead damage was minimal and maintain supply to customers, protect brands and operations resumed the following morning. 54 bidvoice issue 2 2013 The workshops covered a variety of topics: Sprinkler system basics Impairment management Management of in-rack sprinklers Maintenance by third parties User tests and inspections Management of change Although the emphasis was on what to do, some examples of Above and below: Martin Turner demonstrating equipment at Johannesburg. what not to do caused some amusement. This included a video of an unfortunate warehouse operative who attempted his own “brute force” repair after hitting a sprinkler pipe with a fork lift truck; a cautionary tale for anyone with a fear of waterfalls. The workshop covered how to deal with such an incident and avoid significant damage or downtime. A particularly popular element was the practical demonstration, where the delegates were shown first-hand how a sprinkler system and its water supplies are arranged and how to carry out and record weekly tests on the equipment. At two of the sessions a sprinkler contractor from Fire Control Systems was present to add extra insight from an installer’s perspective. Delegates clearly found the workshop enjoyable and valuable. The course scored an average feedback rating of 9.7 out of 10. Delegates believe that the course was extremely useful and a number of people intend disseminating the course material within their businesses. The workshops were presented by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) and led by Martin Turner, a risk engineering consultant from MSI’s strategic partner, elciem. MSI insures most of Bidvest’s assets worldwide and the two companies enjoy a long and mutually supportive relationship. Risk engineering is central to MSI’s proposition and involves the evaluation, quantification and cost-effective reduction of Above and below: Martin Turner demonstrating equipment at Durban. property and business interruption risk. The programme includes site surveys of key Bidvest asset locations as well as other risk management activity. The risk engineering programme had identified Bidvest’s significant investment in fire protection and also a learning opportunity for those Bidvest employees responsible for ongoing management and maintenance. In partnership with Ken Bowden of JLT SA, Bidvest’s insurance brokers, the idea of running these workshops was enthusiastically received by the businesses. Insurance and risk management seminars are valuable but tend to be focused on financial issues and attended by people with these responsibilities. These practical workshops added a new dimension by focusing on site-level loss prevention and being tailored specifically for people who help manage and maintain Bidvest assets on a daily basis. Ken commented, “There is no doubt that the risk engineering programme helps control Bidvest’s overall cost of risk, strengthens Bidvest’s relationship with insurers and enables insurers to quote confidently on the Bidvest insurance programme. These workshops are an excellent way of spreading good practice to help build upon successes to date.” The workshops were made possible by the hosts, who were Waltons at Pencil Park (Johannesburg) and Riverhorse Road (Durban) and Lithotech Sales at Bahrain Drive (Cape Town). Group photo at Durban. bidvoice issue 2 2013 55 OUR PEOPLE SSC news New appointments Exceptional employees SSC welcomed the following new employees: Wynand Muller At a customer awards ceremony acknowledging outstanding achievers, two employees from SSC received special DC logistics manager recognition. Maritza van As was awarded sales supporter of the year 2012. Her win was a unanimous consensus of all SRS’s regional managers, who agreed that she had gone beyond the call of duty, particularly in her professionalism during the SSC/SRS BTS project. Rachel Meyer received the admin supporter of the year award in recognition of the outstanding level of service she delivers on the orders side. Rachel Meyer and Maritza van As. Farewell Lindiwe Mchunu Silveray Statmark Company recently bade farewell Johannesburg branch accounts division to Toni Harman (left), who has retired after 13 years with SSC and a total of 23 years with Bidvest. Jimmy Millinger (right) has retired after an incredible 48 years with SSC. SSC wishes them both well with their future endeavours. We are sure that the next chapters of their lives will be just as successful as the last. New Durban branch Avinesh Ramkelawan Mobeni DC has relocated to Durban and is now a stand-alone branch. With 2 650 square metre warehouse space, reduced expenses and improved efficiencies, the team will ensure that this branch is able to move forward with confidence and achieve a meaningful contribution in the future. We welcome DC finance department credit controller Ronel Cronje who will oversee the accounts department. SSC Pretoria welcomes three new members Kabhir Maniram Key accounts Paul Jonker – warehouse manager 56 bidvoice issue 2 2013 Cindy Bradford – THRASS sales Chriselda Mohamed – sales OUR PEOPLE Industry recognition Bidvest Australia At the Foodservice Suppliers Association dinner in Sydney in May 2012, three of our branches won industry recognition for their professionalism and Flaming hot launch for Emerald Valley service. Congratulations to Manuel, Michael, David and the entire teams in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. You have excelled and we are proud of your achievement and industry recognition. A flaming beef-tasting event was held in Brisbane on May 21 to launch Bidvest Australia’s premium brand, Emerald Valley, A delectable six-course menu showcasing the premium Emerald Valley beef cut range was enjoyed by more than 200 chefs from the Brisbane area, in the rolling hills of the Indooroopilly Golf Club. Fire twirlers provided fascinating entertainment as guests arrived, added to the flaming theme of the event. Bidvest Canberra – accepted by Paul Moore. Kylie Basile, Adam James, Yvonne Lucas, Jordan Zropf and Greg Smith. Bidvest Perth – accepted by Peter Crowe. Dymo sponsors PA of the Year The annual PA of the Year® award presentation took place on Secretaries’ Day in September 2012 at a glamorous lunch at Avianto in Johannesburg. The event is run by the Professional Association for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (PAFSA) and Dymo was a proud sponsor. JD group’s Teri Wells received the prestigious title of South Africa’s PA of the Year 2012. Teri said that she was both elated and humbled to receive this recognition, firstly for being nominated by her boss and then for the honour of the title. Congratulations to Teri and all of the finalists for their achievements. Teri Wells (right) receives PA of the year award. bidvoice issue 2 2013 57 OUR PEOPLE From left: Dave Estment and Jason Hartman with sponsored Yamaha 1200 Super Ténéré adventure bikes and Yamaha gear compressed. Yamaha supports Rock ’n Ride Rhino An epic conservation project that entails a 10 000 kilometre motorcycle adventure around Southern Africa aims to raise R20 million towards combatting rhino poaching. The Rock ’n Ride 4 Rhino project began in April and of our rhinos, there are many lesser-known but Wild Imaging Trust team, TV networks, live-stream will continue until September 2013. It epitomises equally threatened species. Together, our three broadcasts, newspapers and magazines, as well as freedom, adventure and fun with motorcycling organisations form a holistic approach towards through social media platforms. “We aim to ignite the and rock ’n roll, while stimulating a national conservation and humanitarian projects.” hearts and minds of our current and future thought culture of conservation. Funds raised go towards Yamaha Southern Africa is a headline sponsor extensive equipment, manpower, resources and and has provided motorcycles and music equipment communication channels to effectively combat the for the tour. Interactive school presentations by poaching scourge. Jason, Dave and Damien will form the backbone exceptional platform for raising local and international The project was started by Jason Hartman (2009 of the RNR4R tour, reaching over 70 000 scholars awareness for rhino and other endangered species, SA Idol and founding director of Men of the Trees SA) and engaging them in the philanthropy challenge, supporting Southern African tourism and promoting and Dave Estment (ex-professional superbike racer, as well as blogging and song-writing competitions. our heritage and culture. The project is sponsored by professional wildlife photographer and videographer A percentage of funds raised by the scholars will Yamaha Southern Africa, Primedia Outdoor, Legacy and founding trustee of the Wild Imaging Trust) in be given back to support local outreach projects Lifestyle, Octagon Chartered Accountants, Vox partnership with Damien Mander (former Australian selected by the schools. Telecom, Action Cameras SA, Sniper Africa, Bandit Army Special Operations sniper and founding director of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation). The organisations aim to unite people and Jason will perform at schools and venues to generate additional interest and enthusiasm. Events will take place en route to support and highlight leaders and unite them in tackling the environmental problems that we face”, said Dave. The various elements of the project make it an Signs, Enduro World, Ballz Online Radio, Twenty Six Degrees South and The Copy Shop. For more information about Rock ’n Ride 4 Rhino, enable them to tackle tough environmental and existing conservation efforts and mass rides and gigs please visit www.rnr4r.org, follow on Facebook: social problems. “Our goal is to create a culture will be organised through Yamaha’s dealer network RocknRide4Rhino and Twitter: @rocknride4rhino, of conservation for the entire population by raising across Southern Africa. Adventure bikers and wildlife email [email protected] or contact Emma van Wyk awareness that everything is interconnected and the enthusiasts will be invited to join in Botswana and on +27 72 052 9233 or Naomi Estment on collapse of one species can lead to the collapse of an Namibia as well as at the Hoedspruit base of the +27 83 307 7694. For more information on the entire ecosystem,” said Jason. International Anti-Poaching Foundation. three collaborating organisations visit www.iapf.org, Damien added, “In addition to the brutal slaughter 58 bidvoice issue 2 2013 The entire adventure will be captured by the www.wildimaging.org and www.menofthetrees.org reaching out Who is Project Rhino KZN? As a result of the ever-increasing numbers of white and black rhinos being poached in South Africa, the need to pool resources and coordinate activities has resulted in KwaZulu-Natal’s leading conservation agencies joining forces with provincial game reserves to fasttrack urgently needed anti-poaching and conservation interventions. to identify priority rhino protection needs for KZN and is working together to fulfil them. If you would like to help protect South Africa’s rhinos, all you have to do is continue purchasing products from Crown’s centenary range of products. For more information on the Project Rhino KZN initiative visit www. projectrhinokzn.org. Winners of the Project Rhino KZN competition First prize: R100 000 in cash plus a video shoot Launched on World Rhino Day September for the Kom Braai TV Series – Freshers 22 2012 this association of like-minded organisations, collectively known as Project Rhino KZN, allows for over-arching coordination of rhino conservation interventions aimed at eliminating rhino poaching and Meatpackers of the Western Cape. Freshers Meat Packers – Simon Parker of Freshers Meat Packers receives his prize of R100 000. From left: Dawid Muller, marketing executive for Crown National; John Morris, MD Crown Foods group; Peter Nordejee, general manager Crown National Western Cape. Freshers Meat Packers will also have their butchery featured on the TV series Kom Braai. securing the rhino populations in KZN. The members of Project Rhino KZN also recognise that the work in conserving and protecting rhinos from poaching is symbolic of the threat faced by all wildlife. Second prize: A weekend away for two to Thanda private game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal – Retail: Pack n Spice of Brits, Gauteng Consumer: Nayalan Jones of Kibler Park in Johannesburg. The poaching of rhino is indicative of the larger environmental crisis that Third prize: South Africa is facing. A Crown National spice voucher to the value of R1 000 each to 100 winners. With over 300 years of collective experience, Project Rhino KZN has been able Check out www.crownnational.co.za for details. Giving back over R85 000 In February this year Crown National Northern Region’s sales and marketing teams handed over a cheque for R85 000 to Project Rhino KZN. Crown National joined forces with Project Rhino KZN in June last year in a bid to give back to the community and join in the fight to save South Africa’s rhinos. A centenary range of products was produced in celebration of Crown National’s 100th birthday and to help raise funds for the charity. By donating a portion from the sale of every centenary product, Crown hoped to raise enough money to make a significant difference in the fight against rhino poaching. Dawid Muller, marketing executive at Crown National, said that the project was Crown’s way of giving something back to the community and supporting a cause very close to the hearts of all South Africans. “We will be continuing with this initiative for a further 12 months.” Sheelagh Antrobus of the African Conservation Trust heads the project. “We are so excited about this donation. It allows us to continue the work that we are doing in the plight to fight rhino poaching.” Consumers should look out for the centenary range of meat products in their local supermarkets and butcheries nationwide. “The boerewors, biltong and dry wors seasonings were specially formulated from the best spices and ingredients as a celebration of flavour,” said Dawid. Sheelagh Antrobus from the African Conservation Trust receives a cheque from Dawid Muller, marketing executive for Crown National. bidvoice issue 2 2013 59 REACHING OUT Horizon View Primary School bizbook corner. Improving literacy International research indicates that one way to improve literacy and academic performance of learners is for schools to have well-stocked libraries. At present only eight percent of schools in South Africa have a functional library as neither the schools nor the Educational Department have the R2,5 million set-up fee. Konica Minolta South Africa took the initiative last year by converting a light commercial vehicle into a mobile library, providing children who did not have access Horizon View Primary School mobile library. to books in their schools and communities with the Specifically designed for ground phase learners, junior phase playground. “We then put books on opportunity to improve their literacy skills. The fully this is where reading abilities begin. We wanted to the shelves and posters on the walls. We furnished kitted Mercedes Benz Sprinter was entrusted to The establish a special space, away from the normal the corners with tables, chairs, carpets and pillows. Edu-Care Foundation. This non-profit organisation classroom environment, where the children could CDs, DVDs, paint and puzzles were also supplied – assists children in the foundation phase to improve sit or lie on carpets and pillows and listen to a story basically everything needed to help,” says Laetitia. their reading ability through its READ (respect, being told, or simply leaf through the pages of a education, attitude and discipline) initiative. book, ultimately aiding their ability to read,” officially handed over to the schools’ administrators explains Laetitia. to manage, while the staff of KMSA were on hand to “The mobile library services the Gauteng area, from the West Rand to the East Rand and even a school “We branded our bizbook corners with a logo Upon completion, each bizbook corner was read stories to the children. in Hammanskraal,” says Laetitia Coetzer, special in our bizhub colours and a wise inquisitive looking projects manager at KMSA. “The initiative has been owl. Interest from teachers and educators was from the use of the mobile library. Currently the so successful that we have been inundated with overwhelming. The recipients of the first bizbook mobile library services grade four to grade seven, requests from schools lacking a functional library, or corners are Joshua Naude Primary School in but the grade R to grade three learners are still with no library at all. Roodepoort, Unified Public School in Maraisburg and learning how to read and need special attention and Horizon View Primary School in Roodepoort. books, hence the evolution of bizbook corners,” “We knew we had to do more so, together with Daleen Havenga, founder of The Edu- The first step was to clean-up, renovate and paint “The bizbook corners are a natural progression explains Laetitia. “We are delighted that KMSA Care Foundation, we came up with the idea of the spaces. Horizon View did not have a usable is dedicated to finding solutions to South Africa’s reintroducing the age-old concept of reading corners. space, so KMSA erected a Wendy house in the literacy problem.” 60 bidvoice issue 2 2013 REACHING OUT Beating Cancer Although wonderful advancements have been made in medicine and research, cancer remains one of the biggest health issues globally, affecting millions of people around the world. It is a disease that comes in many forms and knows no race, gender or age. that the reason behind this is to remind everyone that cancer neither slumbers nor sleeps. “Every year we try to get more people involved and make our participation bigger than the year before in order to raise money. Bidvest Steiner had a significant presence at the track and camped out overnight, along with the other teams. It was a fantastic festivallike atmosphere all in aid of a good cause,” she said. The Cancer Association of SA (Cansa) is driving the message that the disease can be beaten, but constantly needs funds for its awareness campaigns. Annette Combrinck (right) receives a much-needed cash injection from Bidvest Steiner regional representatives Ina Prinsloo (right) and Francois Smit at the recent Cansa Relay for Life event held in Potchefstroom. cancer survivor myself, the relay and its message are Potchefstroom recently played host to the 6th annual Cansa Relay For Life at the NWU PUK She added that the Relay for Life is not just another team-building event for employees, but helps to drive cancer awareness within participating organisations. Regular participation very close to my heart.” The annual relay is described as a fun, overnight means that more employees will have a better understanding of cancer, its prevention and treatment. Joolplaas. Said Ina Prinsloo, branch administrator team event, which is volunteer driven and community at Bidvest Steiner Potchefstroom, “For the past four owned. Teams of 10 to 15 people commit to having years, Bidvest Steiner has entered a team in the relay, at least one team member walking around the wonderful to witness. We raised R10 000 for Cansa helping to raise money for this wonderful cause. As a track at all times for a total of 12 hours. Ina says and aim to do even better next year,” she concluded. “The camaraderie that was experienced was Reach for a Dream Bidvest Afcom has pledged R210 000 to the Reach for a Dream Foundation and will be involving employees from various part of the country in the foundation’s efforts to fulfil the dreams of children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Cliff Rostowsky, managing director, presenting Thabang Mthembu 17 years, with his Dream laptop. Reach for a Dream Pretoria: Back from left: Bidvest Afcom staff: Nathalie van Wyk, Morné de Lange, Hadley Naik, Rinus Steyl, Frans Kekana and Therese Bezuidenhout. Front from left: Erica Rettenbager, 13 years, Palesa Kgama, 16 years, Shean Smith, 15 years and Siyabonga Ndlela, 18 years. They all suffer from Spina Bifida. Picture taken on top of Hartebeespoort Cable Car station where they were treated to the ride of their dreams. The pledge will be paid in three instalments as part of the company’s corporate social commitment, particularly to disadvantaged children. The company has also participated in the Bidvest Rally to Read project to improve education for rural schoolchildren. From left: Eileen and Monique van der Merwe; our dream child, Jessica January; Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, from 3 Talk and Jaco van der Merwe, Bidvest Afcom Cape Town. From left: Katherine January; Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu – 3 Talk; Jessica January (our beautiful dreamer) and Linzie January. bidvoice issue 2 2013 61 reaching out Growing great Kiwi kids On Sunday March 10 2013, a group of 130 enthusiastic Bidvest staff and their families, together with some members of the Foundation for Youth Development team, tackled the Ports of Auckland Round the Bays. The 8.4km run is one of the world’s largest fun runs with an estimated 70 000 participants. It was a great opportunity to show Bidvest’s support of FYD, a leading New Zealand child and youth charity. Bidvest New Zealand has been a proud supporter of FYD’s Project K programme since 2008 and the relationship continues to go from strength to strength. Marion Short, FYD CEO says, “A key component of FYD’s programmes is challenging participants to change their perceptions of what they think they can achieve, which makes this community-based fitness challenge a perfect fit.” Project K is a 14 month programme for 14 to 15 year olds who lack self-confidence, or who have other factors holding back their development. The programme builds selfconfidence, teaches essential life skills like goal-setting and team work and promotes good health and a positive attitude. A big thank you goes out to all at Bidvest New Zealand. Your support assists FYD in bringing the Project K programme to more young people in New Zealand. For more information on FYD or the Project K programme please visit www.fyd.org.nz. Right: Marion Short (FYD CEO) with the winner of the under-10 category – Keanu Struckmann. A touch of pink at the world’s most beautiful marathon A touch of pink enhanced the beauty of the Old Mutual Two Oceans marathon in Cape Town with the presence of PinkDrive, thanks to Bidvest. The Bidvest Proudly Pink PinkDrive stand was buzzing with fun activities during the expo held from March 27 to 29 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The team sold pink items through Shop4Cancer, shared stories with runners, signed them up to be pink runners and gave them a Bidvest Proudly Pink goodie bag with all they needed to go pink. A total of 45 pink runners ran for the cause. Kate Grant, PinkDrive’s marketing assistant, says, “Thank you to all our pink runners for your continued support. Your contributions will help us continue to do what we do best – help those in need.” 62 bidvoice issue 2 2013 reaching out Taking proactive steps KMSA has been supporting South Africa’s national greening and food gardening social enterprise, Food & Trees for Africa, for five years. The recent planting of 2 013 trees at impoverished schools in the Polokwane and Kimberley regions brings the total of trees donated by KMSA to 17 678 and illustrates its commitment to taking proactive steps against global warming. “Before the indigenous and fruit trees were planted, the school children were educated on the importance of proper ground preparation, planting techniques and aftercare. This will ensure that the trees will flourish and will be enjoyed for generations to come, says KMSA’s Polokwane branch manager, Morné Etchell. Kimberley Boys’ High School. From left: Jean-Claude Esterhuizen; Mr Graham Steele, Headmaster; Gerhard Kruger, Kimberley branch manager; Molebogeng Mmonwa and Recline Bendow. “This complements the schools’ own teachings on nature and sustainability. The trees become the responsibility of the school but we remain involved with the schools and the community,” adds Gerhard Kruger, Kimberley branch manager. Adds Morné, “The primary purpose of the trees is to provide shade for the school children during the hot summer months, but they also beautify the school and its surroundings. This has been linked to improved academic performance, according to a 2010 study entitled “Student performance and high school landscapes: Examining the links.” The partnership with FTFA began in 2008 when KMSA contributed 4 100 trees to Orange Farm, a large informal settlement near Johannesburg. The success of the project and the need to offset more carbon dioxide emissions led to KMSA’s commitment to plant trees throughout South Africa. From left: Chantall Robinson, Salvation Mojela and Joseph Mathobela from Polokwane branch with FTFA Ecopreneur – Edwin Makushu So far 11 000 trees have been distributed through FTFA’s Trees for Homes initiative, which is a registered carbon offset programme under the Carbon Protocol of South Africa. The remaining 6 678 trees have been distributed through the Trees for All initiative. By taking travel, electricity and paper usage into account, the FTFA online carbon calculator provides a high level estimation of a company’s annual carbon footprint as well as the number of trees it will take to absorb that amount of carbon. Alan Griffith, KMSA MD, says the initiative has been so successful that the company reached carbon neutral status last year. In addition to absorbing carbon dioxide, one of the most important greenhouse gases, these trees provide many other environmental and social benefits such as preventing water runoff and erosion, settling the dust, providing shade and shelter, lessening noise and beautifying neighbourhoods. From left: Morné Etchell, Salvation Mojela, Joseph Mathobela and Chantall Robinson all from Polokwane branch. bidvoice issue 2 2013 63 rest and relaxation Nine ways to beat the midday slump Courtesy of ICAS If you’re like most of us, you hit a spot in the afternoon when your energy dips, your concentration lags, and you don’t see how you can keep your eyes open until the end of the workday. But your biological slowdown does not have to have an impact on your productivity. Here are ten ways to fight afternoon drowsiness. You’re fighting your daily battle: midday drowsiness. Your head is getting heavy and your eyelids even heavier. The only thing you can think of at the moment is a nap. You are seriously considering curling up under your desk and getting some shut- meeting, a sip of water will help you regain your and increase your oxygen intake. Stretching will eye. If only it weren’t an open-plan office! focus. get the kinks out of your neck and shoulders and According to experts, the reason we feel sleepy Spice up the afternoon with variety. Routine increase your blood circulation. in the afternoon is because our body’s circadian tasks can lead to boredom, which can rhythm, or our natural clock, slows down during ultimately lead to increased drowsiness. lunch break, at least go for a short stroll. Get the midday. They add that the feelings of tiredness and Experts suggest varying your daily routine blood flowing to increase your metabolic rate and lethargy are enhanced due to lack of sleep from when you notice that you are becoming the night before, or a lunch that was high in fat or fatigued and unproductive. If it’s impossible calories. to change tasks you may want to consider The Spanish siesta makes sense now, doesn’t taking a five-minute break away from your it? But if luxurious downtime in the afternoon is desk so that you can return to it feeling not an option, here is how you can beat the midday refreshed. slump: Get a caffeine kick. You could try a quick cuppa decrease drowsiness. Splash your face with cold water: Try splashing a little cold water on your face and you might banish your lethargy. Laugh a little: Nothing perks you up like a little laughter. Joke with your colleagues around the Eat lunch (and not at your desk!): Skipping water cooler (you need water anyway), read jokes lunch can cause a slump that affects your on the internet or listen to your favourite comedian or cola drink. According to experts it’s a safe, productivity and concentration. You don’t need effective way to wake yourself up, especially to have a heavy meal, but make sure you eat Open a window: Working in a cooler environment if you’re not dependent on it to function. They something. Ideally your snack should combine keeps you alert. Warm surroundings evoke the note, however, that those who have several carbohydrates, protein and a little fat (like a low- physical sensations and mental images of sleep. cups of coffee per day can become immune fat yogurt or hummus with half a pita) as it helps If your colleagues are shivering, close the window to its effect and they suggest limiting your wake you up by providing a boost in blood and remove your jacket after lunch and avoid afternoon intake to one cup of coffee. Any more, sugar. Avoid high-sugar snacks, like candy bars. wearing a sweater, turtleneck or heavy polo shirt. and you could have trouble falling asleep at They will give you a quick lift, but it’ll lead to an night. even quicker crash, and you’ll be more tired Drink water. Be sure to drink water constantly. It helps you stay hydrated, curbs unhealthy 64 Move: If you can’t make the gym during your than you were in the first place! Take a short break: Stand up and stretch. Shake on tape or CD. When you feel an energy dip coming on, do something. Beating the midday slump will make you feel more productive, less tired and happier. You will snacking and keeps you from getting drowsy. your feet unobtrusively and flex your fingers. be able to make the most of your working day, avoid If you feel yourself nodding off during a boring Sit back and breathe deeply to relax yourself working overtime and relax in the evenings. bidvoice issue 2 2013 rest and relaxation Get on your bike! ‘Get on yer bike …..’ Dean Shekleton is urging all country, which has the expertise to facilitate the Bidvest employees. He’d like to see many more smooth running of a cycling club. people in the saddle and pedalling. As a member of the Bidvest Automotive group An annual subscription fee of R1 000 for each member (valid from January 1 2013 to (BAG) cycling club tasked with encouraging more December 31 2013) buys: participation in the sport, Dean says cycling enables A set of BAG cycling club kit riders to: Registration with Cycling South Africa (CSA) Spend the day out with family in a safe, and Central Gauteng Cycling (CGC) controlled environment, sometimes in beautiful Payment of CSA and CGC annual licence fees places you didn’t even know existed. Access to regular organised social rides Network with other members and make new friends. Meet other staff members, including upper management. “You never know, it could be career enhancing,” he adds. Keep fit, which will help you train for the 94.7, Access to quarterly social events Post-race support at selected Gauteng races all riders must have a CSA licence and, in Gauteng, Exclusive deals on bikes and gear through a CGC licence, the BAG club administration team Complete Cyclist applicable licence fees are covered by the annual Regular communication via email subs. Once registered, you can participate in any which you have been saying for years you will be riding next year. Be part of one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Be both lighter and healthier. “BAG, set up to centralise the cycling interests of employees in the group, was launched primarily for employees and their families and is open to will facilitate the registration process for you and the Organised talks/clinics by industry experts local races. The club kit includes a cycling shirt, cycling shorts, For more competitive cyclists, the club has also socks, wind jammer and arm warmers and a goodie budgeted for a specific number of “racing” licences bag with two water bottles and a few other small for the racing categories such as Elite, Ladies, items. The club has also agreed certain discounts Sub-Vet and Vet. As there are a limited number of and exclusive deals for club members on bikes, licences available, selection criteria will be based on parts and accessories As all races in South Africa are sanctioned by the local governing body, Cycling South Africa (CSA), your National Seeding Index and your past 12 months’ race results. “Organised social rides, both road and mountain anyone interested in cycling and wanting to join like- bike events for all levels of rider are marshalled and minded individuals. At present, the club operates in back-up/support vehicles are provided. Gauteng but the plan is to take it national in 12 to 18 months. “It caters for all levels of cyclists, from the beginner to the week-end warrior to the competitive ‘racing snake’ in both road cycling and mountain biking,” Dean says. Management has been outsourced to Complete Cyclist, one of the leading cycling retailers in the “Post-race support is in a designated area at the race start/finish area where gazebos and chairs will be set-up and refreshments provided for the members after their race. “To join the club or if you have any queries, please contact Tammy Kietzmann at Complete Cyclist on 086 111 6230 or [email protected],” Dean says. bidvoice issue 2 2013 65 rest and relaxation 10 Flat belly tips How to beat bloating Stomach feeling fat? Here’s how you can de-bloat to look and feel better. By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD WebMD Expert Column fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Also, should last at least 30 minutes. Also, keep in mind drink plenty of fluids (aim for 6-8 glasses a day) and that digestion begins in the mouth and you can aim for physical activity for at least 30 minutes, five decrease bloating just by chewing your food more, times a week. Blatner says. If you’re eating a low-fibre diet, gradually bump up the fibre level, making sure you also drink plenty of fluids for better tolerance. taste your food, your snack or meal becomes more You’d love to have a flat belly for the party tonight, but thanks to one too many sodas or that basket of There’s another benefit to slowing things down: When you take your time to thoroughly chew and satisfying. And studies have shown that if you eat more slowly, you may end up eating less. tortilla chips, zipping your pants is a real struggle. Tip 2: Rule out wheat allergies or lactose intolerance. Abdominal bloating not only looks bad, but can Food allergies and intolerances can cause gas and Tip 4: Don’t overdo carbonated drinks. cause physical discomfort. The good news? bloating, but these need to be confirmed by your The fizz in carbonated drinks (even diet ones) can Experts say stomach bloating is a condition you can doctor. Many people self-diagnose these conditions cause gas to get trapped in your belly, Blatner says. avoid pretty easily. and unnecessarily eliminate healthy dairy and whole Instead, drink water flavoured with lemon, lime, We’re not talking about or cucumber. Or just reduce extra pounds of stomach the number of fizzy drinks you fat here, but the temporary consume each day. Try some abdominal distension that peppermint tea for a soothing plagues most everyone from beverage that may help time to time. Unless your reduce bloat. stomach bloating is because Tip 5: Don’t overdo chewing gum. of a medical condition, such as liver or heart disease, the only real cause is intestinal gas – not Chewing gum can also lead to “water weight,” says Michael swallowing air, which can cause Jensen, MD, an endocrinologist bloating. and obesity researcher at Mayo If you’ve got a gum habit, Clinic. alternate chewing gum with sucking “It is a myth that bloating in the on a piece of hard candy or eating stomach is from fluid accumulation a healthy, high-fibre snack like fruit, in healthy adults, because the vegetables, or lower-fat popcorn. abdomen is not a place where fluids accumulate first,” Jensen says. “Instead, you would see it in grains from their diets. If you suspect you have an your feet or ankles as long as you are upright.” allergy or intolerance, see your doctor for tests. So what causes gas to accumulate and wreak You may benefit from reducing the amount of the Tip 6: Watch out for sugar-free foods. “Many of my patients suffer from bloating because they consume too much sugar alcohol in artificially havoc on how you feel and look? Experts say suspected food and/or eating it with other foods. sweetened foods and drinks,” which can lead to there are several causes, from food intolerances to In the case of dairy, it can help to choose aged bloating, Blatner says. constipation. cheeses and yoghurts, which are lower in lactose. Tip 1: Avoid constipation. Tip 3: Don’t eat too fast. Too little fibre, fluids, and physical activity can lead Eating quickly and not chewing your food well can to constipation, which can result in bloating, Jensen cause air swallowing that leads to bloating, says Tip 7: Limit sodium. says. Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Highly processed foods tend to be high in sodium Diet. and low in fibre, both of which can contribute to Experts recommend consuming no more than 2 to 3 servings per day of artificially sweetened To avoid this, eat a diet high in fibre (25 grams daily for women and 38 for men) from whole grains, 66 bidvoice issue 2 2013 So slow down and enjoy your food. Your meals foods and drinks. that bloated feeling, Jensen says. rest and relaxation Get in the habit of reading food labels, Blatner advises. When buying processed, canned, or frozen foods, shoot for no more than 500 mg of sodium per serving in any product – or a total of 1,500 to 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Look for labels that say “sodium free,” “ low sodium,” or “very low sodium.” Tip 8: Go slow with beans and gassy vegetables. If you’re not used to eating beans, they can cause that gassy feeling. So can the cruciferous family of vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. That doesn’t mean you should give up on these super-nutritious, high-fibre vegetables. “Don’t be nervous about beans,” Blatner says. “Just work them into your diet slowly until your body adjusts to the compounds that can initially cause gas.” Or, you can take an anti-gas product, which can help reduce gas from beans or vegetables. Tip 9: Eat smaller meals more often Instead of three big meals per day, try eating smaller meals more often. This can keep you free of the bloated feeling that often follows large meals. Eating more frequently can also help control blood sugar and manage hunger. Tip 10: Try anti-bloating foods and drinks A few studies suggest that peppermint tea, ginger, pineapple, parsley, and yoghurts containing probiotics (“good” bacteria) may help reduce bloating. A final word about stomach fat Experts agree that laxatives, water pills, fasting, and skipping meals are not recommended, either to help you de-bloat or lose weight. If you’re looking to flatten your belly for the long term, there’s no substitute for losing a few kilos, Jensen says. “For most everyone, when you lose total body fat, your body reduces belly fat preferentially,” he says. “Even though people lose weight differently, there is a little more lost in the abdominal region than elsewhere.” JP Morgan Corporate Challenge The 10th JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in South Africa got off to a flying start on March 7 2013 with 14 Bidvest employees participating. It was the second time that Bidvest participated in this international event. A record 13 110 entrants from 29 South African companies competed. Congratulations to the following Bidvest employees who raised our flag on this momentous day: Team 1: 2nd place overall Raphael Segodi Bloch & Levitan Peter Ramathoka Voltex Jan Kagiso Mokwena Voltex Tshepo Masebi Cabstrut (Voltex) Team 2: 4th place overall Jacob Mazibuko Voltex Justanus Gantsi Cabstrut (Voltex) Bidvest’s Raphael Segodi was placed second Morris Shabalala Voltex overall in a time of 17 min 09. Two Bidvest teams Sbusiso Emmanuel Ndlovu Voltex (each comprising four employees) were placed second and fourth overall. First prize went to The proceeds from this race are donated to Kgosi Tsosane from Transnet Engineering. “The Make a Difference Foundation”. Experts also say that doing ab exercises all day long won’t get rid of the excess belly. Although you can’t necessarily spot reduce, you can strengthen abdominal muscles with routines like Pilates and exercise ball workouts. And, stronger muscles can help your belly appear flatter. “Toning and strengthening the abdominal muscles can help you look less fat [and] improve your appearance, muscle tone, and posture, which is also very good for your back,” Jensen says. bidvoice issue 2 2013 67 REST AND RELAXATION Human-powered flying machines The Red Bull Flugtag is an event in which competitors attempt to fly homemade, size and weight limited, humanpowered flying machines. The machines are launched off a six-metre high ramp at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. KMSA employees Richard Berg, Dane Becker, Andre Idas and Stephen Spies, took part in the Red Bull Flugtag, soaring into the sky at the December 2012 event, in front of more than 220 000 spectators. Known as team bizhub Warriors, the team of four brave men was one of only 41 teams selected from 200 entries to fly from dry land into the icy harbour water. More important than the thrills and comedy of the event, team bizhub Warriors’ main goal was to raise awareness of the brutal killing of 668 rhinos in 2012. The company has placed a strong emphasis on the plight of the rhino since 2011 through both stakeholder communication and contributing to WWF’s African rhino programme, which supports RhODIS. Above left: Dane Becker; Andre Idas; Richard Berg and Stephen Spies. Above: Richard Berg. Sonja tackles Two Oceans After a vibrant send-off from the Bidvest Foodservice staff, employee Sonja Els set out on her greatest challenge, her first Two Oceans Marathon. The race was tough with strong winds MSCSPORTS plays ball from start to finish. But after MSCSPORTS’ strategic objective is to help pupils grow their sporting talents. This year preparing for her next challenge, the company will be donating soccer kits, soccer balls, volleyball balls, netball balls and the Comrades Marathon on other sporting equipment to its adopted school, Seanamarena High, ensuring that the June 2 2013. It will be her first sporting needs of the children are addressed. MSCSPORTS continues to make a positive attempt at the 86.96 kilometre and sustainable difference to the lives of the pupils whether through donations, celebrity race and Sonja says her main visits or coaching clinics. aim is to make the 12 hour two-and-a-half years of hard training, Sonja gave it her all and completed the 56 kilometre race in 6 hours 25 minutes, well within the cut off time of seven hours. Sonja is determined to take part again next year and is now cut-off time. 68 bidvoice issue 2 2013 WINNING STREAK Competition time 2/13 Win 1 of five R1 000 cash prizes A transfer of cash to you Question 1:When is the Bidvest Unity Walk? (page 6) Question 2:Where will the Bidvest Unity Walk take place? (page 6) Bidvoice 1/2013 winners Godfrey Molala, Bidair Services – Jetpark Chris Mbuyane, Manica South Africa – Komatipoort Jeanine Smith, Rennies Ships Agency – Richards Bay Umelda Goldman, Puréau – Port Elizabeth Neil Murray, Voltex Electrical – Cape Town Entry form Deadline: Friday, August 30 2013 Only employees of Bidvest companies may enter. Only one entry per person. Prizes not claimed after one month will be re-allocated. Answers: 1:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your details: First name and surname:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of company (indicate whether head office or branch and location):___________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Work street address:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Send your competition entries and full name and address to: The Editor, Bidvoice (by any of the following methods) Facsimile: +27 (86) 600 3482 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone and fax:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ E-mail address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ E-mail: [email protected] Post: PO Box 87274, Houghton 2041, South Africa bidvoice issue 2 2013 69 As proud members of the Bidvest family, we hold our values high st y t a sp n ra c ren e ip h s ur e n e r ep r t en r we o p p s e u l va it un ip h r s euurlity n e ren tabi e p r ep oun r t e r n t c een ac y y alt y lo is c pre i in m tea on rk wo un on i t va y no it th g n s y t e l r a st irnethsiness oy t l r faustwor ect o p tr p ty up lity n s o i s ua ct re igni vis uth s eq pe on d s r e s si e ty t fairn alty e r u l s i vantegri cs loy m sy e i i y t r ity h it u t n o e dig ect c ntegr sty ce i llen e c n tesy x e tio ur ty va co uali o inn ct eq nity n o n h o ti e u a r v t no llenc in xce e res e u l a it un th re e p s ct st l a loy g ren r sp n a tr n are cy un ity y e ty dig p v ss ion res yal y s lo th is ness rte irne v u r tru rust co al fa ort fai ce t p ty ellen th y loy p su nes exc tru nit ho pect y dig ical t th es ct pe s re e If you encounter contrary conduct, please report it Anyone can call us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa or Afrikaans Email: [email protected] Freepost: Tip-offs Anonymous, KwaZulu-Natal 138, Umhlanga Rocks 4320 Free Call: 0800 50 60 90
Similar documents
- Bidvest
We felt the pressure and there was some margin squeeze. Some businesses
were streamlined. Operations had to become more flexible and nimble. But our
people showed remarkable ability to adjust, cope...