SABS Honours Hulamin with President's Award
The SABS has awarded its prestigious President's Award for 2009 to Hulamin Rolled Products, the Pietermaritzburg-based producer of semi-finished and fabricated aluminium products. The award was handed over to Hulamin at the annual SABS gala dinner, which was held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Friday 16 October. Guest of honour was Dr Rob Davies, the Minister of Trade and Industry, who delivered the evening's keynote address. The 600 guests were also addressed by Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, who commenced duties as the new CEO for the SABS in September 2009.
The President's Award is presented annually to the company who uses SABS standardisation and certification services to best effect, in order to grow or improve its business, meet business objectives and satisfy its customers. Hulamin has been certified by the SABS to ISO 9001, ISO 14 001, OHSAS 18 001 and ISO TS 16 949 standards, and is also currently undergoing certification to ISO 22 000 for its food packaging products. Over the last decade, Hulamin has increased its exports from less than ten thousand tons to more than one hundred and forty thousand (140 000) tons annually. The company's sales volumes have quadrupled since 2003, with a fivefold increase in profitability. At the same time, customer reject rates and workplace injuries have reduced significantly to a fraction of previous levels.
Accepting the 2009 President's Award on behalf of Hulamin Rolled Products, Director of Operations Doug Timmerman said "This is a great honour and a fitting reward for all the Hulamin staff, who have worked so hard to ensure that the company runs in line with the quality management principles contained in the SABS certification schemes."
"The adjudicating panel received 27 excellent submissions from our clients, so it was extremely difficult selecting a winner for the 2009 President's Award," adds Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, CEO of the SABS. "However, Hulamin have excelled in business growth and improvement, meeting their business objectives and satisfying their customers due to their integrated approach to quality management. They exemplify what the President's Award, and indeed what quality management, is all about," concludes Mehlomakulu.
The other two finalists for the President's Award, Piston Power Chemicals and the South African Breweries Chamdor brewery, were also commended for their outstanding efforts and commitment to quality management.
