K-Way wins Productivity SA award

Productivity SA's Productivity Awards, which have been granted annually since the mid-1970s, recognise the efforts of organisations in corporate and public sectors to increase productivity through better management and improved allocation of resources.

"The main lesson that we have learned on our journey over the past 10 years is that South African workers are just as capable and productive as any other work force in the world," said Bobby Fairlamb, K-Way's manufacturing team leader.

"If workers have all the right training and tools to do the job, and are supplied with the correct instructions and raw materials, they will more than likely achieve the targets they are set."

Managers are in control

Fairlamb observed that managers are in control of all the key factors that contribute to productivity - from deciding what is going to be made and when, supplying designs, machines, methods and materials to make the products and deciding who is trained to do which tasks.

"When the workers are found to be under-performing or waiting for work or a machine to be set up, it is not because the worker is lazy, but more likely that a manager has failed to do his work properly," said Fairlamb.

K-Way ensures that their managers and, by association, workers at all levels, have the tools to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

"Our focus has been on improving our culture by caring for and training our people with continuous improvement of all areas of the business using 'LEAN' principles," Fairlamb added.

This Corporate Sector Productivity Award for the Western Cape region recognises effort and commitment by K-Way's team.

Tangible evidence

"This award is tangible evidence for all of us that the journey we have travelled has been worth the effort," said Fairlamb.

"More importantly, winning this award confirms that we are on the right path. It also gives our customers confidence to continue working with us and assures our future and sense of security. The award gives our brand recognition and raises the awareness that we are a local South African product of which we can all be proud."

The Productivity SA National Awards takes place in Joburg on 1 October 2015. K-Way will be up against finalists from other regions.

For news and products from K-Way, go to www.capeunionmart.co.za.

For more information on the annual Productivity Awards, go to the Productivity SA website.