Mmanoko GP Thobejane

• Conducted root cause analysis to identify, prioritize and eliminate process losses.
• Developed documentation, diagrams, and specifications to meet project requirements and regulatory standards.
• Coached newly hired employees and interns while observing progress and delegating tasks.
• Participated in project reviews to enable ongoing status tracking and reporting. Collaborated with consulting companies to improve plant performance.
• Evaluated new technologies and equipment upgrades to enhance overall process capabilities, ensuring market competitiveness.
• Met weekly with team members to discuss project implementations and alleviate any issues.
• Analyzed production data to predict trends and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Collaborated in capital projects for the installation of new equipment or modifications to existing systems, ensuring timely completion within budget constraints.
• Provided technical support for troubleshooting equipment issues, maintaining plant reliability and minimizing operational disruptions.
• Streamlined data collection methods for key process indicators, enabling real-time monitoring of operations performance trends.
• Streamlined communication between R&D and production teams, facilitating smoother product launches.
• Reviewed processes, identifying areas requiring improvement.
• Conducted root cause analyses for process failures, implementing solutions to prevent recurrence.
• Assisted management in developing annual budgets based on historical performance data along with future growth projections.

• Streamlining operational processes—including work management and production planning—to enhance productivity, minimise downtime, and optimise resource utilisation.
• Developing and implementing robust KPI frameworks to monitor process performance, assess stability, and distinguish between common and special cause variations.
• Leading structured root cause analysis (RCA) initiatives to diagnose operational issues, validate contributing factors, and drive effective corrective actions.
• Championing a culture of continuous improvement by facilitating cross-functional training, coaching sessions, and structured feedback loops.

Achievements

• Enhanced the accuracy and granularity of process downtime data capture and analysis, enabling clearer identification of operational stability, and capability risks.
• Led root cause analysis and the development and implementation of control actions through Analyse &Improve methodologies, resulting in the identification and execution of critical process safety measures that significantly mitigated the risk of tapping explosions.
• Designed and developed Power BI dashboards to visualise production and safety data, enhancing real-time decision-making, operational transparency, and performance monitoring.

• Temporarily led the Business Improvement team at Waterval Smelter, driving initiatives focused on enhancing operational efficiency and achieving strategic performance targets.

Achievements

• Led the reconciliation of month-end figures and contributed to operational planning for the upcoming financial year.
• Ran the Business Structure Performance (BSP) model to simulate projected production scenarios, incorporating potential risks and identifying strategic initiatives to ensure achievement of annual business targets.
• Applied data storytelling techniques to effectively communicate operational performance to stakeholders—highlighting current status versus historical targets, forecasting future performance, and outlining actionable steps required to meet upcoming goals.

Amandelbult Concentrator: Process Metallurgist

Driving effective, efficient, and sustainable production of PGMs through:

• Managing plant processes, including monitoring, control, and optimization projects. Overseeing milling, classification, crushing, and concentrate handling sections.
• Ensuring performance aligned with plant recoveries and correcting deviations.

Achievements

• Planned and participated in a HAZOP study for a thickener automation project, effectively facilitating change management and securing buy-in from stakeholders.
• Successfully improved concentrate handling section performance with an average 8% reduction in concentrate moisture.
• Formulated and successfully executed a mill load recovery plan resulting in improved operational efficiency.
• Effectively utilized data analysis techniques to detect a change in plant performance, revealing an unexpected alteration in ore composition.

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Mortimer Smelter: Process Metallurgist

• Managed a team of 6 processors and a supervisor, overseeing their development and growth within the organization.
• Provided technical support to production and engineering teams. This involved data analysis, system evaluations, and proactive mitigation of process deviations.
• Played a key role in planning, risk assessment, and decision-making for SIB projects, including leading a technical team in furnace taphole brick repairs and a furnace endwall rebuild.
• Monitored furnace expansion to maintain structural integrity ensuring operational safety and efficiency. Participated in Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP) and implemented control actions to mitigate potential furnace failure risks.

Achievements

Contributed to a record high tons smelted and a R1.08bn cost benefit through:

• The enhancement of the advanced process control utilization on the flash dryer by approximately 12% benefitting process stability and sustainability.
• Improved flash dryer plant availability by commissioning a plant-wide optimizer and effectively managing change and integration of personnel. Successfully reduced downtime by approximately 35% and ensured continuous feed to the furnace.
• Drove increased utilization of plant controllers in the slag milling process, enhancing overall process efficiency and performance.
• Coordinated successful annual stock-taking activities, meticulously analyzing data and compiling comprehensive reports.

• Led a dynamic technical team consisting of metallurgists and the metal accounting coordinator, fostering collaboration and driving performance excellence.
• Provided expert technical insight in troubleshooting deviations from Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metal accounting figures, ensuring operational efficiency and adherence to standards.
• Provided essential technical insight and assistance to the Plant Production Manager and Manager Production, ensuring the maintenance of high safety standards and operational excellence.

Achievements

• Led successful Analyse and Improve sessions focused on mitigating the loss of hard paste in the furnace electrodes, resulting in a significant reduction in the risk of electrode breaks and enhancing operational stability

• Granted exposure to various operations across the Anglo Platinum value chain, fostering a holistic understanding of metallurgical processes.
• Participated in metallurgy-related courses covering mineralogy, comminution, flotation, hydro- and pyrometallurgy, applied thermodynamics, and refractory materials.
• Engaged in additional courses focusing on comparative statistics, statistical and data analysis using Python programming language, scientific method study, and sampling practices.
• Acquired hands-on experience in mineral processing at the Mogalakwena Concentrator, pyrometallurgy at the Waterval Smelter, and refining at the Base Metals Refinery.

Achievements

• Led a main project involving data mining and analysis of historical plant performance data using Excel and Python programming language, resulting in the identification of process bottlenecks and opportunities for increased recovery.
• Selected by peers to present the findings of the data mining work to Anglo Platinum's executive and management teams.