Continuing Services for Somerset Timbers
Dolphin Bay is delighted to be offering continued services to one of our longest-standing customers, Somerset Timbers in the Western Cape. These services recently included operator training.
“As we’ve said on many occasions, the trust which has been built up over years with customers like Somerset Timbers is something that we hold dear,” said Bertus.
Somerset decided to train a team member as an operator after one of its two operators retired. “This decision bears out the company’s commitment to quality and sustainability in its treatment operations,” observed Dolphin Bay’s Braam Rust.
Dolphin Bay’s Senior Technical Advisor Gareth Jantjies spent time on-site at Somerset Timbers. “We broke the training up into three sessions of three- to four-hour in-line production training, where the new operator spent time with the old operator to familiarise himself with the system,” said Gareth.
“Over the course of three visits, I took the new operator through the theory, explaining how to understand the calculations and how to adjust the system if you are over- or undertreating the timber. It’s problem-solving, really. The most important thing is that the operator understands the relationship between the vessel itself and the product he is treating.”
“Somerset Timbers works to very high standards. It’s a family business and it’s always been one to look up to.”
While Gareth was on-site, he identified a few small areas of improvement at the plant and recommended ways to streamline the treatment process. The result was that Somerset now switches between two sets of tank farms rather than using just one, which is decreasing down time and increasing the maximum number of daily charges from four or five, to six or seven.
“We’ve been customers of Dolphin Bay for many years,” said Somerset Timbers owner Malcolm Wetmore. “There are other suppliers, but the personal, on-site service we get from Dolphin Bay means we have no reason to change. We’ve been in the business for a long time, and we know how important it is to find reliable suppliers who are honest and ethical, and who can supply continuing good service.
“Gareth has a very hands-on approach. He’s very methodical and gives honest feedback. And when you have new operators coming on board, that on-site training is vital. We’re dealing with expensive products and it’s a technical job, but Dolphin Bay was at our site and able to answer any questions.”
Crucially, the training caused no disruption to Somerset Timbers’ production processes. “Normally we would take the operators out of production, and they’d do two days of flat-out training,” said Gareth. “But some operators don’t like to sit in a room for that long, and some clients don’t want the break in production. That’s why we’ve introduced in-line production training where the operator can ask questions as he works. It’s a case of ‘What if I do this?’ or ‘Why must I do that?’, and he can then react to the instruction that you gave him. It helps the information to sink in – and stay there!”
It also helps the company to continue operating. “Somerset Timbers runs two treatment plants, so it was wise of them to train their second operator,” Braam said. “They were able to sustain their high volumes while Gareth was there and increase their outputs after the training was complete. All the quality standards remained intact.”
That’s significant, because Somerset Timbers works to very high standards. “They’re a model operation,” said Braam. “It’s a family business and it’s always been one to look up to.”
Source: Dolphin Bay
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