Francois Van Zyl

In my current role, I serve as a General Manager with a diverse set of responsibilities spanning project management, human resources, quality management, health and safety, manufacturing, research and development, financial oversight, and business management. I am tasked with overseeing the entire project lifecycle, from initiation to commissioning, managing both new and existing projects while adhering to project constraints such as scope, quality, time, and budget. Additionally, I play a pivotal role in cultivating relationships with contractors, handling project documentation, and ensuring compliance with legal and safety regulations. In the realm of human resources, I approve and manage leave applications, conduct disciplinary procedures, and evaluate performance through key performance indicators (KPIs). Quality management is another integral aspect of my role, where I work to achieve and maintain high levels of quality, implementing and managing continuous improvement programs. In the manufacturing domain, I focus on production line and manufacturing continuous improvement, applying engineering standards, formulating technical and commercial proposals, and reading and interpreting engineering drawings. I am actively involved in research and development, conducting studies for new projects and overseeing the rollout of new equipment and projects. Financially, I prepare, manage, and monitor budgets, cash flows, and resources, overseeing company capital expenditure and signing off on all expenditures. Moreover, I am engaged in business management activities such as key account management and development, new business development, supply chain and distribution management, and process improvement through Lean Manufacturing initiatives. My role also involves conducting root cause analyses on major equipment breakdowns and implementing continuous improvement strategies to enhance overall efficiency.

As a Project Coordinator and Engineering Specialist at Beveratech Engineering for the past three years, I have excelled in overseeing projects from initiation to completion. My responsibilities included creating project plans, implementing health and safety standards and Quality Management Systems, conducting research and development, and preparing accurate quotations. I efficiently managed resources, communicated regularly with stakeholders, resolved complaints professionally, and ensured customer satisfaction. Additionally, I executed marketing campaigns, maintained a professional image, supervised procurement, and facilitated cross-departmental coordination within the Beveratech group. My role required a strong grasp of engineering principles, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in project management tools.

Agrico is a agricultural company with the main focused being on irrigation systems and the production there of, but also manufacture cultivation equipment such as High Speed Disc (minimum tillage) implements, rippers and sprayers. The irrigation systems department consist of system layouts, manufacturing and detail design. My job focused on the system layouts and detail design of Pivot irrigation systems. The irrigation systems design included detail design of pump room layouts, engineering drawings for manufacturing and presentation to clients, custom fittings as well as the costing and quoting for manufacturing. I am part of a group of mechanical engineers working together to coordinating projects, project lead times and costing. The biggest project to date I was part of was the fully automating of a fertigation system for a blue berry farm. My main focus is in the R&D department of center pivot design, prototype testing, jig design for effective and efficient product manufacturing and commissioning of newly designed pivots and parts. Detail strength simulations along with good design practice standards allowed for quality testing and documentation of product development. After immense testing with substantial results the product is ready for production, where the jig design is critical for precision repeatable quality production. The precision jig design, manufacturing and testing is the last process before it is handed over to the production manager for full scale production. Part of prototype testing and manufacturing a fair degree of laser programming, CNC bending programs and CNC machining programs is self written and manufactured for prototypes. At Agrico we are part of a team made up of mechanical engineers that specialized in design falling directly under the lead mechanical engineer in the firm. With good guidance the experience obtained is of exceptional value.