Specialist die caster Pressure Die Castings (PDC), based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, has been rewarded for the company’s achievements on a number of fronts with the award of the Nedbank sponsored Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business (PCB) Business of The Year for 2015, in the manufacturing sector.
This is the second time that PDC have been awarded the PCB Business of the Year for Manufacturing. What makes it more significant is that this is the second year in a row that PDC have been recognised by the PCB and its members.
The awards ceremony was held in November 2015 at the Royal Showgrounds and honoured the remarkable achievements of business people in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal. Previous winners of the award include Somta Tools and Ramsay Engineering.
Nedbank PCB Business of the Year 2015 award – Manufacturing Sector, Pressure Die Castings. From left Ash Roopchand, Felix Jackson, Lance Deysel, Mike Stephenson, Graham Smith, PDC CEO Mike Wolhuter, Rhett Lawson and John Bush, Area Manager of Nedbank Business Banking
Pressure Die Castings managing director Mike Wolhuter said the award would undoubtedly boost the company’s image, keeping shareholder’s happy.
“This will be very special to our new shareholders as we changed our ownership recently. This is an awesome achievement not only for the growth of the business but for management and staff who enabled us to get this far. We are very optimistic and plan on holding on to this title to make it a hat trick next year,” said Wolhuter.
The evaluators commented: “We are impressed with the company’s ethics and dedication to their people. They are continuously improving and offer a pleasing working environment. They are committed to upskilling and have a strong customer focus and environmental awareness.”
The criteria for awarding the PCB Business of the Year is that the company must be a member of the Chamber, and be the company which achieves, on aggregate, the highest standards in the following:
• Increase in annual turnover over the past three years
• Increase in profitability
• Human Resource Development practices and policies, including retention of staff or employment and skills development
• Environmental and occupational health and safety practices
• Receptiveness of management to innovation and best practice
• Corporate social investment, corporate governance practices and risk management
Arguably the largest brass foundry in the country, PDC’s major products are brass and aluminium alloy window and door handles, brass components used in high voltage insulator cut-outs, and brass sprinkler heads produced in large volumes, mainly for export to the U.S, aluminium components for the automotive markets and a new zinc casting and chrome plating division.
The company has a strong financial position in terms of assets built up over the 63 years of operations in Pietermaritzburg, and continues to show remarkable growth in turnover and profitability.
PDC was established in 1952. The company manufactures a range of components, with weights from just a few grams to 800 grams, with current production runs from 1 000 to millions of components per annum. The manufacturing process that a component follows varies according to its complexity, and sub-assemblies are made according to the customer’s brief.
PDC manufacture more than 100 different components for a number of industries, the primary ones being the architectural and building hardware industry, the fire protection industry, the power reticulation industry, the OEM and aftermarket automotive industry and the plumbing industry.
The company’s tool room is an integral part of the process and critical to the successful manufacture of high quality products. All tools and dies are made and serviced in their own toolroom.
PDC has been a certified ISO 9001 company since 1997 and is audited regularly to ensure conformity and continuous improvement.
The recent investment in a chrome plating plant, increased automation and use of robotics, and a commitment to lean thinking as a strategy have ensured that PDC successfully maintains its competitive edge, both locally and internationally.
The company places great value on creating a pleasant working environment and the full time on-site clinical services are evidence of the extent to which they care about their people. The management team are committed to up-skilling their employees and, where possible, to making opportunities for personal advancement available. There is a strong customer service focus and a keen environmental awareness.
“We are a full service supplier working with our customers to provide a die casting solution that includes component design, tooling design, tool and die manufacture, material alloying and analysis, high pressure die casting, fettling and CNC machining, testing and assembly, metrology, packaging and logistics,” explained Wolhuter.
For further details contact Pressure Die Castings on TEL: 033 397 5500 or visit www.pdc.co.za
