The quest for excellence is constant, as is the need for intensified human resource development to meet South Africa’s socio-economic objectives. IMIESA speaks to Clifford Makoloane, Director of Entsika, about the company’s multifaced solutions, commitment to business ethics and dedication to corporate social responsibility.

The journey began in 2009 when Entsika, a black-owned and managed firm, was established by a range of professionals across a broad spectrum of disciplines. These encompass Consulting, Internal Audit, Engineering and Construction, Training and Skills Development, IT and Asset Management. The business, in all areas, serves the Southern African region.

From inception, Entsika has managed and delivered on large turnaround projects, clean audit programmes, and process improvement initiatives. The asset and infrastructure management side of the business is undergoing rapid expansion, with a niche focus on the water, wastewater and power sectors. Recent contracts include the completion of a three-year nationwide project for the Department of Public Works (DPW) in meeting specified Blue and Green Drop targets.

“We believe in qualified and competent staff. Our team is a multidisciplinary blend of accountants, engineers, MBAs and IT specialists with extensive local and international experience, and with a proven track record. Our academic disciplines give us the ability to bring financially sound and innovative solutions to the table,” explains Makoloane, adding that Entsika’s focus on a flat management structure encourages self-managed teams that freely communicate in a non-silo environment. “This strategy isn’t limited to executives and managers. Every employee is trained and empowered to feedback information critical to our business success.”

“Quality assurance is defined, measured and achieved, and it begins and ends with knowledge sharing, both internally and externally. We believe that’s a critical approach that enables sustainable skills transfer, especially within the municipal infrastructure environment,” he continues.

Engineering and Construction

Entsika’s Consulting Division focuses on improving organisational performance and efficiency, analysing business processes and creating solutions that help companies meet their goals. That’s especially important when providing direction on organisational repositioning and the identification of change catalysts that lower overhead costs and maximise output.

Central to Entsika’s future growth strategy is the expansion of its Construction, Engineering and Asset Management divisions, all of which are headed up by Makoloane. Entsika is currently graded as a 6MEPE, 5EPPE, 6CEPE, and 1GBPE contractor in terms of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) system. The goal is to move up the ranks to a 9-level grading, which is the highest grade, enabling contactors to bid on projects above and beyond R180 million.

“We would like to be among the leaders within the industry in both the private and public sectors, through various business opportunities and partnerships, so that we are able to expand more within the municipalities and mining sectors, to name a few. We are excited about expanding our roads business, plus we’ve also identified excellent opportunities in the water and wastewater sector for pipeline construction, monitoring and leak detection, as well as the construction of reservoirs and associated works, like pump stations as well as water and wastewater treatment plants,” Makoloane explains.

Entsika’s Engineering and Construction services include:

• The supply, installation, construction and commissioning of mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and civil engineering services
• Civil works, which includes the construction, upgrading and rehabilitation of roads, stormwater infrastructure, bridge construction, mass earthworks and geotechnical surveys
• Re-engineering and refurbishment of equipment, machinery and facilities
• Project management services, including feasibility studies, project scoping, planning and scheduling, as well as material procurement and qualitymanagement.

Asset Management: Service Level Agreements

Alongside this is a major focus on growing the asset management side of the business, both for private and public sector clients through operations and maintenance contracts.

“We believe that efficient asset maintenance execution is the key to effective service delivery and essential to the smooth running of the South African economy,” says Makoloane.

Key focus areas cover preventative, corrective and predictive based maintenance planning and implementation, which includes condition monitoring; developing and maintaining asset registers; and the identification and budgeting of spare parts and inventory.

“We provide a comprehensive, full-service package to asset owners to fully or partly outsource the maintenance of their assets, without compromising on quality, safety, health and environment of the assets and or plant,” he continues.

Key public clients include ERWAT, which is responsible for wastewater treatment within the City of Ekurhuleni. Entsika currently has a service level agreement (SLA) with ERWAT. This entails the servicing, maintenance and repair of over 200 pump stations within the metro, which currently serves close to four million inhabitants. Other key clients include leading water boards like Rand Water and the DPW to name a few.

Entsika is also concluding SLAs with key OEMs that include Xylem, a leading US-based multinational. In terms of the Xylem agreement, Entsika installs and services the OEM’s submersible and centrifugal pump systems for both public and private sector clients in the water and wastewater segments. As Makoloane points out, having a trusted installation supplier is critical for any OEM’s success.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is with us and with it a rate of unprecedented change. The technology available now and in the future will take our engineering, asset management and allied services like IT into new frontiers of possibility and efficiency, be it virtual reality or advanced robotics. At every stage, we will ensure that we’re ready to deliver. It’s the Entsika way,” Makoloane concludes.