Martin Engineering celebrated 20 years of growth in Africa

Two decades later Martin Engineering has grown significantly, with employee numbers increasing 10-fold to almost 200 people, and it has a customer base that spans 10 countries and a range of industries across Africa. The business also has plans for further growth thanks to a team of technical experts and a range of products that deliver clean, safe and productive materials handling.

Joining the 20th anniversary celebrations was global CEO Robert Nogaj who travelled from the US to visit Martin’s regional headquarters in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, South Africa to meet employees and business partners who have played a key role in Martin’s success.

Robert Nogaj said: “The African continent is a global supplier of essential minerals and metals, and an important market for Martin Engineering, so I am delighted to be spending time with colleagues to celebrate 20 years’ supporting producers here in South Africa and across the continent.

“Over the past two decades we have made substantial investments in our production facilities and introduced new technologies that have helped our African business to grow and evolve. Yet the most important investment we have made is in supporting and developing our people, fostering talent and promoting diversity in the workplace.

“This is no better evidenced than by the recent appointment of Fran van der Berg as General Manager for Africa. What makes Fran’s achievement even more remarkable is that she began as a temporary member of staff in our marketing team 12 years ago and has proved herself in a number of roles before becoming General Manager. It’s great to see such personal development and we hope her achievement will inspire many others to aspire to leadership roles, regardless of their gender or background.”

Fran van der Berg said: “It is a real honour to take up the role of General Manager for Martin Engineering Africa as we celebrate 20 successful years here. Our business has brought numerous innovations to the African market that have helped our customers to run cleaner operations, improving productivity as well as safety. I am proud of the sustained growth we have achieved by providing quality products and technical expertise, the way we have empowered our people to support their development and, above all, the contribution we have made to improving health and safety in the industry.”

Martin was among the engineering firms in South Africa that have achieved ISO45001 (health and safety management) accreditation, this reflected the company’s commitment to maintaining high safety standards and fostering a true safety culture. One highlight of Martin Africa’s annual calendar is the ‘Safety Olympics’ where teams of employees across the business take part in safety related games and compete for prizes.

Given that the company’s global mission statement is “to ignite excellence so that families thrive and communities flourish”, it is no surprise that over 20 years Martin has supported numerous local charities and non-profit organisations close to its regional headquarters with financial donations and volunteer activities.

The team is especially proud to have achieved B-BBEE Level 2 in South Africa, demonstrating the significant steps taken to promote black economic empowerment, through training programs and an approach to community development that prioritises the employment and support of local people in each operating location.

Robert Whetstone, Martin’s Area Vice President for Europe, Middle East, Africa & India, who also took part in the 20-year celebrations, said that the firm’s involvement in Africa has brought huge benefits to Martin Engineering globally: “As a company we’re renowned for having unrivalled know-how and expertise when it comes to solving common problems faced by bulk materials handlers in many foundation industries, from mining and quarrying to fertilizers and freight."

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/dry-bulk/27112023/martin-engineering-celebrated-20-years-of-growth-in-africa/