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| Published in: Succeed in business
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From its original 6 500 square-metre site in Industria, OSN has extended its operations to an additional 10 000 square-metre  site in Lea Glen in Roodepoort, which it designed and built in 8 months. A further 5 000 square metres adjacent to this is available for workshop development as the company continues to grow. Together, the two sites boast 22 overhead cranes and can produce between 1 000 and 1 500 tonnes per month.
"We have a lot of senior people who are able to mentor and coach the newer arrivals"
“We have very specific growth objectives in mind,” explains CEO, Dave van Asche. “We have been in the game for over 25 years now. We have weathered the many booms and slumps the industry is subject to and have the necessary insight and  capability to deal with any challenges that lie beyond the much touted 2010. In terms of actual, physical expansion, I believe we have almost reached our optimum size. Technologically, we will continue to grow. Our equipment is already highly sophisticated, most of it is imported from Holland and Germany. We are focusing on increased levels of automation which will reduce the number of hours per ton manufactured. This will enable us to increase our output without having to introduce additional numbers of boiler makers whose skills are quite scarce at the moment.”
Enhanced automation also has the advantage of eliminating most of the potential for human error, taking the manufacturing process straight from the drawing office to production. “It also contributes significantly to our ability to provide our clients with consistent quality.”
The workshop manager allocates projects provided by the drawing office to the most appropriate workshop where the required skills are available. “Contract managers are the lynchpin in the process,” Van Asche continues. “One of our strengths is that we appoint a contract manager to each client and each project so that there is uninterrupted communication between us. Contract managers visit sites on an on-going basis, talking to engineers, ironing out problems and especially providing recommendations and advice. This type of consultative service is immensely appreciated by clients, especially those who do not always have access to experienced engineers.” Overseeing these managers is Gerry Boom, who has over 40 years’ experience under his belt. “Our aim is self-sufficiency,” Van Asche stresses. “In plant, equipment and skills, from design to installation or erection, including most of the painting.” OSN also has its own fleet of 6 trucks and 14 mobile cranes, 24-hour sandblasting facilities and teams of experienced site crews.
Most of OSN’s valued skills have been acquired hands-on over more than two decades, rather than through formal education.
Office logistics, from staff to accounting, administration, transport and procurement is the responsibility of Francois Jacobs, while all activities related to tendering are handled by Peter Millar. “All our key personnel are involved in decision-making, and our approach is to keep the company dynamic and revitalised by introducing different perspectives and fresh ideas all the time,” Van Asche says. “Jacobs brings his considerable insights from contract managing to the table to re-dimension the logistics processes and Millar in turn draws on his own in-depth knowledge of logistics for a multi-dimensional approach to the tendering procedures. Recently, we introduced new blood by appointing two junior shareholders.”
Weekly production meetings keep everyone in step with what is happening. “Expertise is shared throughout the company,” Van Asche adds. “We have a lot of senior people who have been with the company for many years and they are able to mentor and coach the newer arrivals.” The five core managers are united in goals and objectives, working well to one another’s strengths and weaknesses.
OSN is one company that doesn’t have too much difficulty in obtaining the skills it needs. “Our reputation alone speaks for us,” Van Asche points out. “We are definitely a preferred employer at all levels of the business. Our turnover, even where relatively unskilled employees are concerned, is remarkably low.” He attributes this to a number of factors. “Our training programme contributes towards this, because those people who are eager to learn and develop their potential have every opportunity to do so.
"The flat management structure means that there is no empire-building"
Our staff are also very well looked after, not just in terms of financial reward, but where their own personal circumstances are concerned.”
The environment is also a welcoming, familial one. “The flat management structure means that there is no empire-building. In fact, there is no sense of ‘territory’ at all – ideas, opinions and suggestions are actively sought after from colleagues and this in turn contributes to the information-sharing philosophy.”
The relaxed culture is further promoted by team-building and recreational events – golf figuring largely in the latter. “We have reinforced our ‘work hard play hard’ ethic by entering into a brand-strengthening relationship with Pecanwood Golf Estates,” Van Asche remarks. “Many of our staff are keen golfers, so it has proved a very successful move!” Pecanwood exhibits OSN’s brand on a number of items, from golf scorecards to clothing. OSN plays its role in helping Pecanwood enhance the look, feel and experience for its golfers.
"We have very specific growth objectives in mind"
Drawing on its experience in creating the musical fountains at Montecasino, OSN designed and installed a 12 metre high water fountain on an inland lake at the third hole.
The exposure OSN obtains from this strategic relationship is considerable, as businesspeople from throughout Gauteng are frequent visitors at the golf course.
The project portfolio is an impressive one. OSN services five of the 10 new 2010 stadiums as well as part of the related  infrastructure, including 25 bus stations for the Rapid Bus Transport system. The company collects so many awards from the Steel Institute for Excellence in Steel Construction that it has almost run out of wall space to exhibit them. They include overall and category prizes for the Maponya Mall in Soweto, the Standard Bank in Durban, the Innovation Hub, the Cape Town Convention Centre, and Vodacom and stretch back over two decades. Many of its clients are long-term partners. “Once clients have experienced our service and quality, they have no hesitation in entering into further projects with us,” Van Asche points out.
He is confident that growth into the future is assured. “One of our goals is to become increasingly involved in the construction of power stations and the infrastructure around them. We are well geared to produce the quality and standard of work required and training for required skills is well advanced.” |
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