KAEFER SA – Placing People Above All

2020 should offer up much to be excited about for those involved in South African construction and industry. Yes, the industry is strained; yes, demand is slow; and yes, the weak and uncertain economic climate makes things difficult for large projects to progress. But the big companies that monopolised the construction market are now all but gone, the expertise across the sector remains at a high level, and the need for property – both commercial, industrial and residential – is feverish.

So, as new firms enter the market, new projects come into the pipeline, and new ideas are spawned, those companies that are active in construction, engineering and heavy industry should look at 2020 with optimism. After all, it’s something the business community shouts about all the time – there are always opportunities and those that are proactive, and happy to go out and look for opportunities are those that will succeed.

KAEFER South Africa is the Gauteng-headquartered division of the global KAEFER business. Originally established by Carl Kaefer in 1918, the global company is now run from its HQ in Bremen but regional offices host more than 28,000 employees all over the world. KAEFER specialises in the delivery of the most re­li­able and ef­fi­cient tech­nical in­dus­trial ser­vices in in­dustry, mar­ine and off­shore, and con­struc­tion. The company’s core service range includes insulation, access solutions, surface protection, passive fire protection, refractory, asbestos solutions and interior outfitting.

PRIORITY: PEOPLE

The reason this international business has managed to grow to such an extent is because of its people strategy. Most businesses out there develop their strategy around people – or at least they claim to. The first step in building a workable HR strategy is admitting that you need the right people – HR is often highlighted as a focus but ends up as an afterthought as operational issues take the fore. Building the right team is not a quick and easy process and certainly does not happen at the first attempt. For more than 100 years, KAEFER has had to grow, tweak and adjust its people strategy to ensure it remains an organisation where people want to work, and where they feel comfortable so they can produce work of the highest quality.

In the very beginning KAEFER was just one man – Carl Kaefer started by using peat to insulate the walls of cold storage spaces. The innovation was so successful, the company boomed and expanded exponentially.

Today, Dr Ro­land Gärber and Steen Hansen lead the company as joint CEOs and they are absolutely clear about the importance of people and the company’s focus on developing a successful people culture.

“If there was one thing that we would single out that makes KAEFER unique and special, it’s the people,” the pair said in K-Wert. “We’re fortunate to have fantastic individuals in the business as employees, partners, friends and shareholders. It may sound like a bit of a cliché, but our people really are our greatest asset.

“Even though our services are predominantly technical, KAEFER is a people company. We can’t work without each other’s support, help and encouragement and when we talk about continuous improvement, we see it very much from a human point of view. We want to be a community of skilled and capable people, who are proud to be ambassadors for our company.

“To achieve the levels of reliability and efficiency that we have become known for and to be ‘best in class’ we must use the vast pool of skill and dedication at our fingertips. By leveraging the craftsmanship, ingenuity and hard work that gives us great pride in what we do every day, we can focus on what we’re good at and try to do it even better. That is one of the reasons why we aim to use mainly our own workforce of 28,000 to execute our work.”

PLEASING ALL PEOPLE

A people-focussed strategy does not only bring internal benefits. Clients are often the first to notice the benefits of a thriving group of people.

“For our clients, working with KAEFER means they shouldn’t have to think about the job they’ve awarded us anymore – they know they can count on us to get it right,” the co-CEOs explained.

In South Africa, this approach has been recognised and adopted, now flowing through the business and helping to maintain the company’s industry-leader status. Leadership has, for many years, ensured people are at the heart of the company’s regional strategy.

“Our highly experienced staff have been tested in the field over many years and are able to guarantee outstanding efficiency and deliver innovative solutions on time, while preserving our customers’ resources and the environment,” said former SA Managing Director, George Wardrope – a 25 year KAEFER veteran – when talking to Enterprise Africa in 2016.

“Our commitment to excellence helps maximize our clients’ success. It’s a commitment to deliver the best products and services to our clients through excellence in our people practices, systems and processes and to continuously manage and improve our performance,” he added.

After Wardrope, industry stalwart Ben Garrad took the reins and reiterated the company’s focus on people collaboration. “The deep relationships we have with clients, partners and industry professionals mean we have a bright future together,” he said at a partner focussed innovation day.

AWARD-WINNING

Recently, Jayson Cleaver became KAEFER AFRICA’s new Managing Director and the people focus will continue with Cleaver describing himself as “passionate about projects and people” and someone who is “always excited to explore and exchange ideas”.

He has inherited a very healthy operation with established access solutions, asbestos, insulation, passive fire protection, and surface protection offerings. And the South African operation is award winning, claiming a contractor award at the end of 2019 at the Medupi Power Station for 10 million man hours lost time incident free – that’s 2446 days LTI free. Safety awards of this nature highlight yet again the company’s strict ongoing focus on people.

“Our amazing team from South Africa, working at Medupi Power Station, has been awarded with the Contractor Safety Award by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa for 10 million LTI free scaffolding man-hours. KAEFER joined the project in 2009 supplying, erecting and dismantling scaffolds. In 2014, KAEFER was also employed to do insulation works. KAEFER was subsequently awarded more work and became the largest insulation contractor on site. Congratulations to everyone involved,” the company said.

In July, KAEFER was responsible for refurbishing a school library in Limpopo. By investing in CSR projects that promote education, the company is once again driving development of people, this time in the community, to help the ultimate development and growth of the economy.

“Great job from our colleagues at KAEFER in South Africa, who renovated the library of the Batlhalerwa High School in Shongoane, Ga Monyeki Township in Limpopo, and provided furniture. It will hopefully enable many people to enjoy reading and studying,” the company said.

The biggest businesses in South Africa trust KAEFER to provide solutions that keep them running. Whether it’s the very largest – SAPREF, Sasol, Eskom, or Omnia – or smaller businesses around sub-Saharan Africa, since 1976, KAEFER has grown its reputation to a point where it is thinking globally while acting locally.

As new and changing opportunities continue to present themselves in southern Africa, even during tough times, KAEFER is set to step up to the challenge.

“We are not easily recognisable but we are there,” the company reminds. “You find us in factories, power stations and on drilling platforms. In tunnels and on piping. In ships, football stadiums and research facilities. In clinics, hotels and schools. We are everywhere. Maybe even where you are right now.”