Sparks Electrical News July 2019

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH – WILLEM SCHMIDT

A FOCUS ON PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO CUSTOMERS

Sparks: Have you won any awards? WS: The award that meant the most to me was for a first-time right design on an SPM which went from prototype phase into production without any further changes. The award itself was only a tracksuit, but it was a real achievement for always being hard on myself for constantly doing everything precisely! Sparks: Who has been your inspiration or have you had a mentor who has influenced your career? WS: Our high school electronics teacher, Jan Hattingh, who knew how to ‘motivate’ us to get the best possible results (in those days caning was common practice in schools). He had a contagious passion for electronics and was a brilliant teacher. Sparks: What, to your mind, is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry at this time? WS: Competing with cheap Chinese imports must be one of the biggest challenges for the distribution business. The key is to provide solutions to our customers which help them compete on quality and aftersales service on a product with similar or competitive pricing compared to imports. Sparks: What do you enjoy most about your job? WS: Seeing our customers succeed in a competitive industry with our product solutions. The other aspect of our role is that we get to learn so much about different types of industries and technologies. In lighting alone, for example, there are factors affecting horticulture, aquariums, humans, etc., and the scientific exposure in each field brings its own challenges. In a way, the workplace is also a hobby for me. Sparks: If you could ‘do it all again’, would you change anything? If so, what would that be? WS: I have very few regrets in life, and changing anything might have consequences that I may not like. I see my mistakes as building blocks that brought me to where I am today. Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the electrical industry? And why? WS: On one hand there is a big part of the industry that is shrinking, but this also creates different challenges and opportunities. Humans will remain dependant on electricity and the young generation will be the ones to invent greener energy, better electricity storage and a mountain of other opportunities to explore. Our country has a real shortage in technical expertise and the opportunities in the electrical field are endless. Sparks: What is your advice to electrical contractors or electrical engineers? WS: Your reputation you are working on today will determine the success of your business tomorrow. One short-cut may cost you dearly in the long in the company. He has earned my respect with his work ethic and has managed to rebuild his life,” says Lalla. Regarding the future, he foresees a lot of change in the electrical industry. “I see it being more about service than price. I believe our president is going to make the right decisions for business in this country and am positive. I see the electrical industry innovating much more than it is now with solar, which should already be huge in South Africa, seeing good growth. As for his business, he notes that he has absorbed a lot from past experiences. “We are the link between contractor and supplier and if our link with suppliers is weak, that becomes a problem. With that said, we are only as good as our loyal suppliers.” He also believes that management in every company should value the input of the staff. “They are the people on the ground; managers should value their feedback,” he says. “Decisions should also be calculated. Many businesses don’t really need to move premises – it is almost an ego thing, to show people you are big. In these economic times you can’t afford to make one slip-up.” With a maturity beyond his years and a solid background in each facet of the industry, Lalla and his team are learning from the past mistakes of others to ensure that Empire Electrical is a success. THE RISE OF A NEW EMPIRE?

run. Choose your components carefully and do the job as if you only get one shot at doing it right.

Sparks: What is your favourite quote? WS: “If money makes you rich you are really poor.”

Sparks: Name three things on your ‘bucket list’ WS: To do another tour through China including Zhangjiajie, Jiuzhaigou, Danxia and Chengdu, visiting the Grand Canyon and hiking in Austrian Alps.

Enquiries: www.altronarrow.com

Willem Schmidt

WILLEM SCHMIDT, Product Manager at Altron Arrow (formerly Arrow Altech Distribution) has been involved in the electronics industry for 25 years, having started in R&D and then migrated to IT, data and VOIP prod- ucts. He has spent the past six years in electronic component distribution at Altron Arrow and believes that although South Africa has a shortage in technical expertise, the opportunities in the electrical field are endless. Sparks: Where were you educated? WS: I received my National Higher Diploma (T4) at Wits Technicon in 1993, and then furthered my studies by obtaining a CompTiA Network+ in 2008 and Project Management Embedded Knowledge in 2013. Sparks: How long have you been involved in the electrical industry? WS : I was in primary school when I knew that I wanted to study electronics and which subjects I would choose in high school to do so. I have always had a passion for electronics and was fortunate to receive a bursary from TMSA (Telephone Manufacturers of SA) to study Electrical Engineering after matric. Sparks: When and where did you start your career? WS: It was at TMSA where I was selected to join the research and development team and where I worked as a design engineer, mainly on analogue circuits for the first ten years of my career. Sparks: What are the greatest changes you have seen over the years? WS: The change to the digital era where products have been replaced by services and applications in a big way. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ourselves in those areas we can service our customers better.” The idea is for every shareholder tomanage their own branch, including the purchases, sales, and employing people under them to run the branches. He wants to grow his staff and has been in talks with CETA for all employees to study and grow their knowledge base. Being a Level 1 BEEE contributor, the company is also placing an emphasis on tendering with government and parastatals. Lalla, as demonstrated by offering shares to all his staff, is a man who wants to build up the communities he works in, and ultimately the country. “Knowledge that is kept with me is not beneficial to the country, so I’m grooming everyone to become business owners in their own right.” His compassion came to fore following the devastating fire that ravaged Alexandra Township in December 2018. “My new factory was opposite Alex, and that evening I had worked until 2 am and as I was driving down London Road, I saw little kids and mothers sleeping on the pavements. I wondered what I, as a citizen, could do to help,” he explains. “The next day I went to Gift of the Givers and offered the factory as a shelter for women and children to sleep. They said this wouldn’t be possible from a security point of view but they did need a venue to distribute food. We had 500 people, who lost everything in the fire, come to be fed that day. One gentleman, who was left only with what he was wearing, asked if there was anything he could do, even wash cars, just to get some money to support his wife and child. Today, he is employed as our driver and is a shareholder Sparks: What major projects have you worked on and what is your greatest accomplishment? WS: A lot of what we do now is done in confidentiality with our customers and it would be inappropriate to single out any customer or project. My accomplishments are measured on growth in the product lines I am responsible for, namely lighting, optics, power supplies and frequency products.

Enquiries: ash@empireelectrical.co.za, www.empireelectrical.co.za or +27 (0)11 568 5292

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

JULY 2019