Consupaq reels in the spoils at virtual Quality Awards
A new victor was awarded for their outstanding achievements in the realm of Health, Safety and Quality as the team from CONSUPAQ claimed their first titles in the main awards categories at our fourth annual Quality Awards, hosted for the first time this year as a virtual event on the Zoom platform.
The SHEQ Manager of the Year was awarded to Consupaq’s Mishan Lilruthan for driving Quality and Health and Safety innovations and exceeding all SHEQ expectations; with Consupaq claiming the overall SHEQ Site of the Year, breaking Marcom’s three-year stronghold in these highly contested categories.
SHEQ Manager of the Year - Mishan Lilruthan (Consupaq SHEQ Manager).
The overall SHEQ Site of the Year was awarded to Consupaq - from left Trust Ndlela (Site Service Manager), Candice Mitchell (current GM), Mishan Lilruthan (SHEQ Manager).
Over the past years, Consupaq has experienced mixed fortunes at the awards ceremonies but the commitment to his team and his pursuit of higher standards was driven from the top by General Manager Deon Thysse. Having recently handed over the reins to Candice Mitchell, Deon leaves the position of GM to manage the Technical Team and says that he “leaves the role and moves on with my head held high”. Well done Deon, Candice, Mishan, and Trust and keep up the fantastic work.
Left: Deon Thysse, outgoing GM Consupaq.
(Photo taken prior to lockdown)
Berry Astrapak MD Craig Matthews opened proceedings and welcomed guests. “One of the most encouraging triumphs, which is a common thread throughout all the awards today, is the conditions under which the achievements we celebrate have been accomplished. As if being safe and working at the same time was not enough of a challenge, we were left to face COVID-19. As a business, we were also faced with an unavoidable strategic change, which also caused an adjustment in our structure.
“Today however is my day to turn to the real heroes in our business and to thank each and every team member, especially starting in the production areas. There is sheer dedication amongst these amazing folks who commit to reducing complaints from customers. These very same teams recognise our need to harmoniously achieve safety protocols and production output. To you all today I say THANK YOU! You continue to make us all proud,” he said.
We welcomed guest speaker Greg Kehler, Vice President EH&S CPI Division: “For all the hard work you’ve put in throughout the year, it is great to take some time to recognise just some of the accomplishments that resulted from those efforts. I personally would like to thank each of you for your support of Environmental, Health, and Safety and all the individual actions you have taken to protect yourself, your co-workers, and your communities throughout the year while still taking care of our customers.
“When I see the awards being presented today, I get a sense of Astrapak’s commitment to continuous improvement, talent development, and idea-sharing – all so important when pursuing Zero incidents and striving to be world-class in Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality pursuits. Congratulations and continued success to all of today’s winners and to the entire Astrapak team.”
Consupaq (left: Trust Ndlela Site Service Manager; Candice Mitchell GM; Mishan Lilruthan SHEQ Manager) won the MOST IMPROVED SITE award in the Health & Safety category, while they tied with Marcom (right: Gerhard van Reenen GM; Nericha Powroznik SHEQ Officer; Gert van der Berg SHEQ Manager for the BEST SHE SITE award, where one point separated the top three positions.
Consupaq was the site who brought their A-game and at our fourth annual running of this event the company – represented by Trust Ndlela, Candice Mitchell and Mishan Lilruthan, walked away with five awards in total; one of them shared with Marcom.
HEALTH & SAFETY category:
Most Improved Site – CONSUPAQ
Best SHE Site – a tie between CONSUPAQ & MARCOM
Best Improvement Idea – CANDICE MITCHELL (CONSUPAQ)
Most Promising Talent – ANDISIWE SHINTA (PLASTECH)
Left: Best Improvement Idea – CANDICE MITCHELL (CONSUPAQ) and
Right: Most Promising Talent – ANDISIWE SHINTA (PLASTECH)
QUALITY category:
Most Improved Site – CONSUPAQ
Best Site of The Year – PLASTOP
In the QUALITY category, the Best Site of The Year was awarded to PLASTOP, from left: Nomthi Ndaba (SHEQ Manager) and Rayanne Peterson (Safety & Food Safety Systems Officer)
SUSTAINABILITY category:
Best Zero Waste to Landfill Site – JJ PRECISION
SHEQ category:
SHEQ Special Recognition MARGIE DEETLEFS (PLASTECH)
In the SUSTAINABILITY category, JJ Precision was awarded the Best Zero Waste to Landfill Site, represented by Nelash Harinarain and Bonga Mhlaba.
The SHEQ Special Recognition award was presented to Margie Deetlefs (Plastech).
Two new awards were created for the 2020 edition to acknowledge those who rose to the occasion when COVID-19 began its spread across the globe.
Covid-19 Superstar Award: The onset of the Coronavirus meant a number of changes to the existing status quo at the factories by adapting to new processes, changing security protocols, putting new systems in place to enhance the health and wellbeing of staff on site as well as visitors, procurement of screens for admin and factory workers in close proximity of one another while providing an uninterrupted service throughout. CANDICE MITCHELL was awarded for coordinating a vast number of new initiatives on site while also putting together care buckets containing masks and sanitisers amongst other small essential items for staff and their families.
Candice Mitchell (Consupaq) won the Covid-19 Superstar Award.
In addition, Astrapak launched a competition between the manufacturing sites whereby they accepted the Jerusalema dance challenge and followed their health and safety protocols while also observing COVID-19 social distancing and safety measures. This led to the second of our two new awards – the Jerusalema Award.
As part of our 2020 Safety Week initiatives, and to promote all-round wellbeing with regards to physical activity and emotional wellness, we launched a fun competition between all our sites to see which team could coordinate the best “Jerusalema” dance.
The Jerusalema dance challenge became a worldwide sensation during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic – the song became a hit in South Africa by local DJ “Master KG” and Nomcebo Zikode in 2019 and it quickly became a viral sensation when a group of friends from Angola posted a dance on social media, followed by people from Portugal and other countries in the world followed.
The award was closely contested by our three finalists, with PLASTFORM taking the victory for their outstanding routine! Consupaq and Marcom followed closely, but alas we could only have one winner.
Well done to all trophy winners on your outstanding performance throughout the year. There have been consistent achievements of excellent results in maintaining systems and procedures and when audit certifications are conducted. Your efforts have been acknowledged and rewarded and you should be proud of your achievements. Continue the great work.