In this issue · Umgeni water baynesfield estate gs Hope. 2016. NEWS & VIEWS • AUGUST 2016 2016. NEWS & VIEWS • AUGUST 2016. 1. new

N E W S & V I E W S • A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 1

Inthis

issue

•

Record

turnover for

NCT

•

Tree farmer

awards

•

New CFO

appointed

•

Forestry in

Brazil

•

L i n k i n g i n d e p e n d e n t t i m b e r g r o w e r s t o m a r k e t s

N ˚ 8 7 • A U G U S T 2 0 1 6

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At its 2016 AGM, NCT reported a record R2,6 billion group turnover, an increase of 45% over the previous year. This resulted in the co-operative declaring a bonus to members in the sum of R47,4 million. NCT further achieved a net profit before tax of R304,2 million compared to R98,8 million for the previous year.

in his address to members, nCt chairman, Philip Day reported another solid performance in 2015 for the co-operative despite a high level of global economic volatility, including tensions in the eurozone, a decline in crude oil and commodity prices and an unpredictable south african economy.

“nCt marketed in excess of 2.1 million tonnes of members’ timber during the financial year of which more than 1.6 million tonnes of wood chips were exported into a diverse asian market - no mean feat. this has allowed us to pass onto members a number of price increases and bonuses in excess of r250 million.”

Patrick Kime, nCt’s general manager, informed members that a large portion of the benefits that flowed to members was a direct result of the major acquisitions, structural changes and streamlining that had taken place over the last 10 years.

“we cannot forecast what the situation will be tomorrow, but our strategy is to continue to seek a spread of long-term strong trading relationships through the reliable supply of good quality chips.

Review2016

Annual Gene ral Meeting


“the group’s balance sheet shows a strong and improved equity of r1,2 billion as well as a good liquidity ratio. this bodes well for nCt and its members.” Kerry Moffett, CFo

renowned story teller and guest speaker, Rob Caskie, captured the imagination of members with his entertaining interpretation of the battle of isandlwana.

Review 2016Annual Gene ral Meeting

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Review2016

Mdumiseni Msomi (left) and David Davidson were winners of this year’s coveted NCT Tree Farmer awards. They were recognised for their excellence in sustainable forestry practice and has earned them a place on the exclusive NCT list of achievers in tree farming.

The awards are presented annually to tree farmers who display excellence in sustainable plantation management.

david davidson took top honours in the commercial category while mdumiseni msomi received the award in the category of a farm managed on communal land. both are from kwambonambi outside richards bay.

CATEGORY : COMMERCIAL FARM

david manages Zenith estate on behalf of the family CC and has been involved in the business since 1995. after a career in teaching and managing a dairy farm in the kZn midlands, he returned to the farm and set up a Forestry stewardship Council® (FsC®) certification management system which the farm secured in 2000. He obtained his btech degree in forestry through part-time study.

History

the original farm was purchased from the government in april 1917 by david’s grandfather. at the time, the farm consisted of grasslands, coastal bush; wetlands and some riverine forest. the first planting of trees occurred in 1918 when small plots of E. maculata and E. paniculata were planted in trials to

Tree Farmers of the Year


Review 2016determine their suitability for pole markets. during the 1930’s the farm was managed primarily for sugar production but a few compartments of E. grandis were established for the pole market. when the wood chip facility relocated to richards bay from Cato ridge, billy (david’s father), converted the sugar cane and dairy pastures to E. grandis plantations.

Management

Zenith estate is 385ha in extent with 320ha planted to timber, consisting of gxU and gXC hybrids with an increasing area being converted to Corymbia henryi. the remainder of farm consists of orchards, open areas and infrastructure. the farm employs 58 full-time employees and accommodation is provided to those who are unable to commute to the farm.

silviculture operations are adapted to accommodate local conditions. seedlings are planted at a spacing of 2.4 x 2.4m and every 11th line is left unplanted. these unplanted lines are harrowed in fire season to create internal fire breaks and improve access.

emphasis is placed on weed control with a pre-plant spray followed by a manual ring weeding after planting and inter row spraying when necessary. Herbicide application is carried out using a tractor mounted tank with pipes to lances that are deployed manually.

david also owns a herd of 150 breeding goats that are used to manage vegetation on the farms. a motor manual harvesting system is used to fell and extract timber from the farm. the 2.4m log

lengths are stacked and loaded onto 12 tonne trailers. these trailers are hauled by bell tractor 18km to mills in richards bay. over 6 600 tonnes are marketed annually from the farm of which 98% is sold to the nCt wood chip mills as pulp-wood, the remainder of the timber is sold into local pole markets.

Zenith estates have been loyal members of nCt for 36 years and during this time they have marketed all of their pulp wood through nCt.

Conservation

open areas on the farm consist mainly of riparian zones with grasses and patches of indigenous bush that includes a hectare of yellowwood trees (Podocarpus falcatus).

Innovation

the Zululand coastal plain has experienced a long period of below average rainfall (last two years average of 540mm vs a long term average of 1 250mm). this together with a number of serious new insect pests has reduced their average mai from 30+ to about 20 tonnes per hectare.

david had been able to manage these impacts by changing his clone selections to more pest resistant varieties.

over the past seven years he has also planted an increasing area to C. henryi which is more drought and pest tolerant than traditional species. He has been involved with pioneering work in the development of C. henryi as a species in south africa including planting one of the first provenance trials in 2000. this material has been thinned and he is currently supplying seed to various nurseries. in addition, two nCt clone trials have been established on the farm to test new material for the industry. a number of nCt field days have been hosted on this farm to demonstrate good forestry practice.

through good species selection, excellent silviculture and efficient harvesting, Zenith estates under david’s management has remained sustainable under challenging conditions.

Tree Farmers of the Year

8

Review2016

CATEGORY : FARM MANAGED ON COMMUNAL LAND

mdumiseni msomi was acknowledged the winner in the category of farm managed on communal land. He developed an interest in timber farming at an early age (19) and today is the proud owner of 10ha of land which he inherited from his father. it is planted out to timber (8ha), maize (1ha) and vegetables (1ha).

Early days

He approached the local forestry government offices and was granted permission to collect seeds from harvested compartments. germination was done uniquely: he would prepare a square-shaped seed bed using clay soil mixed with cow dung. the seeds would be planted in the prepared beds and watered until germination. He would create a pallet-like artificial seedling tray filled with grass at the bottom and the same growing medium material on top.

after a few weeks of germination, the seedlings will then be removed from the seed bed and planted on the artificial seedling tray in preparation of field planting.

A success story

timber farming has enabled him to purchase equipment for the business, provide an education for his two sons and improve his standard of living. He has been able to diversify his business interests, owning a spaza shop on his premises.

a long standing member of nCt, msomi compliments the co-operative for its services rendered to members, its effort to nurture and share vital forestry information to enable his business (and trees) to grow.

Project Regeneration, member workshops, a good payment and bonus system have all contributed to the success of his enterprise. “nCt is a reliable market partner and has made me realise the full value of my timber,” he says. mdumiseni believes in the spirit of ubuntu (human kindness) and offers regular assistance to those less fortunate in his community. He has supported families with funeral finances and food parcels to needy families.

mdumiseni single-handedly runs his operation and employs five workers on a seasonal basis at weeding and harvesting times. He follows meticulous land preparation methods that entails land preparations entail ploughing prior to planting and weeding. this improves the texture of the soil and possible soil compaction. He carefully manages coppice reduction in two stages ensuring not to damage the selected coppice stems. He is further aware that the stems must be attached from the lowest part of the stump and should be evenly spaced on the stump.

mdumiseni msomi is a good example of pure determination and true grit and is worthy of being awarded this accolade.

each winner received a stihl chainsaw sponsored by stihl pietermaritzburg & pmb power products.

Tree Farmersof the Year


Kerry Moffett has been appointed as NCT’s new chief financial officer. Kerry is a qualified Chartered Accountant (South Africa), with a BCom (Hons) and a higher diploma in tax from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Having completed her articles at kpmg in pietermaritzburg, kerry has held senior financial positions in the engineering and conservation fields before joining nCt tree Farming as financial manager in 2006.

it is during this time when she gained experience in co-operative principles and its financial requirements.

Her portfolio included financial reporting and compliance, tax compliance, budgets and the management of staff.

in addition, she contributed to the nCt equity employment committee and represented employees on the pension fund and the employer on the provident fund. kerry also played an active role in the restructuring of nCt tree Farming.

through her own admission, she is an ardent supporter of systems and order and therefore a strong advocate of the iso systems procedure. she prefers structure in the work place and favours firm allocation and reporting lines.

against this background, kerry would like to improve on streamlining the group’s reporting system.

Commenting on her appointment, nCt’s gm, patrick kime said “kerry has performed extremely well in a dynamic forestry environment while at tree Farming. she possesses the commensurate skills which mirror our business strategy. with that in mind, we are delighted to have secured her appointment as a key member of nCt’s senior management group.”

NCT’s newChief Financial Officer

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Review2016 Member Loy alty Awards

Members were recognised for their long-standing and loyal support at NCT’s 2015 AGM

25 years

30 years

kd kochrocky ridge properties CCds preenmonfarm investments CCsingosi Holdings CCHe Filterbrookingfield Farm CCHH niebuhrdJ Hurlstone-JonesbbL rawsub 176 of dunbar estate CCkZn nature Conservation boardnw Harrisps van Heerden

H Listerthe thöle trustJ CribbinsCoquidale timber Holdings CC t/a monzali’s estatedr spiesglenora trustFerroland grondtrust (edms) bpkwH redingerwJ ellisgC gathmannmfanefile timber estates (pty) Ltdta schefermannra wilsonHencetrade 1052 CCiw Hampson Farming (pty) Ltd

Andrew Koch and Brendon Raw.Bheki Khoza (KZN Nature Conservation Board)

Rodney Miles (Glenora Trust), Rob Wilson, Trevor Schefermann & John Cribbins


Review 2016Member Loy alty AwardsMembers were recognised for their long-standing and loyal support at NCT’s 2015 AGM

35 years

40 years 45 years

55 years

am edmonds Haydn percival Family trustem redingerUmgeni waterbaynesfield estategs Hopethe david willey Family trustrm niebuhrgJ Calverley schwarzwald Forestry (pty) Ltdtorquay trust

o’neill estates CCwichmann Farming partnershipHarding treated timbers CCas gooch

owC ortmannFountainhill estate (pty) LtdConlink trustmag Le sueur

r peattie & sonthe Freese Farming partnershipbk peattie

Hugo Niebuhr, Reg Niebuhr, Peter Keyworth (Baynesfield Estate), Cyril Gamede (Umgeni Water)

Brian Armour (Harding Treated Timbers), Trevor O’Neill, Bob Wichmann

Graeme Freese (Freese Farming)

Werner Seele (Conlink Trust)

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Review2016

Marc Köhne, Deon Schröder

Pierre le Roux, Jeremy Carr& Trevor Schefermann

Hayden Hutton (Stihl) & Arnie Meyer (PMB Power Products) Micheon Ngubane & Themba Fakazi

Ralph and Ivan Voigts & Takeshi Hida

Alfred Khoza and Lindiwe Khoza

Zama Buthelezi and Muntu Zulu

NJ Madonsela, Diane Mason & Mhloivela Thulisa

Guests at the AGM


Review 2016

Well-attended Annual General Meeting

Mandla Mvelasi

Conrad Klipp & Martin Hill

Graeme Freese, Steve Dahl, Chrisjan van Aardt, & Rob Thompson

Thokozile Gumede, Doris Zikhali& Ntombemhlope Makoba

Bongekile and Thobile Msane

Guests at the AGM

Attentive to the isiZulu translation

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NCT is proud of its robust programme of workshops, designed to provide small-scale growers with key knowledge, to run small forestry enterprises better.

workshops held to date include:

Timber supply and load schedulingJanuary discussions with small-growers in the mbazwana area, northern Zululand pertained to the

guaranteed supply Contract (gsC) timber supply. accurate or realistic order placement was emphasised, as was the requirement that members supply their full tonnage allocation. exaggerated order placements and underperformances in terms of supply, only serve to hamper nCt supply reliability and is detrimental to the whole member base.

the load scheduling system was explained in depth and its merits clearly outlined. the onus remains on the member to book every load in advance, however the benefit of more efficient mill access makes this effort worthwhile. timber transport in the outlying areas always remains a challenge and this aspect was debated. nCt will continue to interact with identified, reliable transporters in the Zululand area, to broker transport for members in need. an overview of Project Regeneration and an explanation of how the drought was dictating limited periods in which cuttings/seedlings could feasibly be planted concluded the session.


W O R K S H O P S

C. henryi as a species to growapril saw a very unique and encouraging combined small-scale grower/commercial grower workshop

designed to look at all attributes of Corymbia henryi. this important species is looking increasingly like the saving grace of forestry in Zululand. it is resistant to the ravages of the gall wasp which has decimated small-scale and commercial stands across the region. C. henryi also grows very well in the sandy drier soils. it has rapidly attained prominence in Project Regeneration and a concerted effort is being made to produce seedlings for growers in Zululand.

topics designed to be relevant for small and large operations alike, ranged extensively across plant quality, attributes, breeding, seed collection, planting techniques, general silviculture, pests and wood properties.

the day ended at a clonal trial, whereby the comparative performance of various clones (commercially deployed or in process of being tested for deployment) and C. henryi could be seen first-hand. one could sense the excitement about the attributes of C. henryi. a noteworthy observation made on the day was the similarity of interest shown by both small and commercial growers, and the high degree of support between both groupings.

Load Scheduling

16

Logisticsin may, a transporter workshop was conducted in richards bay given that timber transport is arguably

the most critical link for small growers in terms of converting their timber resource into a cash return at mill.

prevention of vehicle overloads was a matter that received attention. bruce presented a formula, compiled by nCt over some time, that would assist transporters, without the advantage of either on-board load cells or access to a weighbridge, to determine, by means of easy calculation, the approximate weight of a timber load, on any truck configuration. transporters raised their frustrations pertaining to access to the richards bay port which is often fraught with delays and difficulty given stringent port entry regulations. nCt continues to interact with port authorities in this regard.

Fire protectionas the fire season approached, a fire protection workshop was conducted timeously in June by the

Zululand Fire protection association (ZFpa). this workshop was one of the best attended of the year, with 46 attendees on the day. methods to collect honey without the use of fire were explained as well as collaborative fire protection and fire-fighting methodologies. it was emphasised that there is certainly strength in unity and that small growers, uniting in protecting one another’s plantations, would create a formidable barrier against wildfire. it was suggested that small scale growers form groups and collectively purchase essential fire protection equipment. similarly, an association with the ZFpa was encouraged to provide further fire protection support. it was agreed that further discussion with ZFpa regarding the financing of such protection would be conducted.


Knapsack fire-fighting demonstation

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nCt was host to Fumio manoshiro, president and chief executive of nippon paper industries. He was accompanied by his wife, ayako manoshiro and associates from nippon paper and sumitomo Corporation.

the itinerary included a visit to nCt’s richards bay mills and a tree planting ceremony at Longridge estate outside Vryheid to mark the 40-year association and business relationship between nippon, sumitomo and nCt.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Tree-planting ceremony at Longridge Estate


INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

(l–r) Masaaki Niwata (Deputy GM-Personnel & General Affairs-General Manager-Executive Secretariat, Nippon Paper); Toshiaki Izumi (Divisional Manager-General Products & Foodstuff);

Masafumi Ishikawa (Deputy GM-Forestry-Raw Materials & Purchasing-Nippon Paper); Richard Liversage (Area Manager-Vryheid-NCT Tree Farming);

Fumio Manoshiro (President & CEO-Nippon Paper); Mrs Ayako Manoshiro;Dali Lubala (Estate Forester-Longridge-NCT Tree Farming); Patrick Kime (NCT GM);

Philip Day (NCT Chairman); Rob Thomspon (NCT Assistant GM); Satoshi Ishikawa (Deputy GM-Materials & Supplies Business Development & Promotions-Sumitomo

Corporation); Jacob Kotzé (NCT Tree Farming GM)

Gift presentation between NCT Chairman, Philip Day, and Fumio Manoshiro, President and CEO of Nippon Paper

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F O R E S T R Ythe Brazilian way

Mission & first impressionsour primary interest was to better understand the approach that the brazillians are adopting towards

clonal (vegetative) propogation of wattle and secondly, to gain insights into commercial forestry advances that may be applicable in the south african context.

brazil is vast with a population of 200 million people largely concentrated into immense cities bristling with skyscrapers. they tend to build upwards in contrast to south africa where cities tend to sprawl sideways. sao paulo alone has a residency of 20 million people (1 million of whom are Japanese).

despite what one reads about corruption, political upheaval and economic downgrades, it appeared that, in the southern states, no one had informed the populace about their misfortune. that said, whilst the top middle class prevailed, severe poverty was to be seen right amidst the opulence. it was insightful to see the close gap and co-existance between the haves and the have-nots.

we love our braais in sa but in brazil they love to barbeque. a house without a built-in internal and external barbecue, loses at least 10% of the going market value. Charruscarias or barbecue restaurants abound throughout the country serving succulent tasty meat. the charcoal industry is accordingly very lucrative.

Rob Thompson, Craig Norris (NCT) and Dr Julian Chan (ICFR) were recently afforded the opportunity to undertake a study tour to Brazil to interact with as many commercial forestry companies and associated organisations as possible. Rob & Craig share their experience with readers.

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F O R E S T R Y Impressive Eucalyptus clonal operationsthe first stop was the klabin operations in parana and santa Catarina states. klabin is brazil’s leading

manufacturer of packaging paper, cardboard, corrugated boxes and industrial sacks. it was the first company from the pulp and paper sector in the southern hemisphere to have its forests certified by the Forest stewardship Council® (FsC®).

their harvesting operations are fully mechanised with heavy residues stacked at roadside and transported to the pulp mill for energy production. intensive site preparation (1) is implemented with pre-plant spraying using pre-emergent herbicide to keep young plantations weed-free for six months. all new Eucalyptus compartments are established with clonal material planted at a 3x3m spacing. klabin’s preferred Eucalyptus genotypes are uro-grandis (gU) for warm sites and E. dunii for colder sites.

Academic centre of forestry & clonal researchthe University of parana, forestry department, located in the capital city of Curitiba in parana state,

focuses on agricultural and forestry technology. it was here that we learnt that brazil has 460 million hectares of forests of which 7 million are plantations (1% of land area). a national target has been set to plant an additional 2 million hectares of plantation in the next four years. by law, all farms in brazil have to manage 20% of the land area for conservation (representative eco-systems).

the original brazilian wattle population was introduced from south africa in the 1930s. in 1994, 32 new provenances were introduced from australia and these were included into the breeding population. important and key aspects currently being focused on by the university to secure and continually improve rooting of wattle cuttings include, clone hedge maintenance, rooting environment, rooting hormones, anti-oxidants and temperature.

Applied research in forestry – a critical functionour visit to embrapa (brazilian agricultural research Corporation) near Curitiba city provided insight

into intense brazilian focus on developing technologies aimed at agriculture and forestry. embrapa works in all aspects of forest management for native and exotic species, including: breeding; pest management; recovery of degraded areas; agroforestry systems, climate change and environmental monitoring. Low carbon agriculture is being promoted which includes agro-forestry systems using exotic plantation tree species. embrapa has also contributed towards the development of biological control programmes for most of their pests. interestingly, native ants (seed collectors and leaf cutters) (2) are a major pest threat to their plantations and are extremely challenging to control.

2 3

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mechanised harvesting and debarking is the norm (5). bark is loaded into bags and sent to the bark factory within 14 hours. seeing mechanically debarked bark remaining viable for tannin extraction was, arguably, one of the highlights of the trip. intensive site preparation and mechanical planting is used to re-establish wattle plantations. tanaC’s plantations are FsC-certified. none of their small growers have achieved certification but they market their timber as controlled wood.

SETA – a company with an approach similar to NCTseta is the second company in brazil that grows and markets wattle products. they are located in

estancia Velha, río grande do sul. at this site, seta centralises the administration of the company and the production of vegetable tannins and chemical specialties. it produces 30% of its own wattle timber and bark requirements with the remaining 70% sourced from small- and medium-scale farmers.

the interaction with private growers and, in particular, small-scale growers had many remarkable similarities and parallels to nCt operations. their wood chip mill in rio grande is a joint venture with mitsubishi Corporation: mita, which produces wood chips for the production of pulp. private nurseries are contracted to produce seedlings with seta supplying improved seed to the nurseries and farmers buying the resultant seedlings. small/medium-scale timber farmers (1-400ha) own 80 000ha of wattle in rio grande du sol with a significant 40% of the timber produced, marketed for energy production and charcoal. the small growers (1-10ha) that we encountered ran subsistence operations with timber (predominantly wattle) being sold into multiple charcoal and energy markets, and the bark to seta. overall consensus was that wattle timber makes the best barbecue charcoal (6).

A motor-manual approach – worth considering in SA?Harvesting on seta-owned farms is mechanised. three harvesting machines and a minimum area of

80ha are required to make the operation financially viable. medium-scale operations are using motor-manual felling systems with light mechanical de-barkers to remove bark from logs (7). bark must be delivered to the mill within 72 hours. we were gobsmacked at the success being achieved with mechanical debarking of wattle and the continued viability of the bark produced.

Introduction to TANACtanaC (tan=tanning aC=acacia) is the largest producer of black wattle products in brazil located at

montenegro, río grande do sul in the southern region. they own 40 000ha of plantations producing 60% of their timber, with the other 40% supplied by small growers. tanaC owns a tanning factory, wood chip mill, and are in the process of commissioning an energy pellet plant. within months, significant biofuel pellet exports to the Uk will commence from this plant (3).

tanaC’s planted stands of both seedling and clonal wattle enjoy a favourable climate especially for wattle production. rainfall of 1 400mm to 1 800 mm per year and a mat of 17˚C to 18˚C are weather elements that south african foresters can just wish for. timber production per hectare is around 100-120 tonnes/ha at 7 years – 200ha have already been planted to clonal material and plans are afoot to increase this by means of a 1 000 ha/annum clonal planting programme (4). nursery systems used result in 60% rooting of their cuttings.

4 5


Centralised operationsour final morning was spent in the central logistics operation room of CpmC, a Chilean company and

fourth largest producer of wood pulp in the world. in brazil they have estates totaling circa 212 000ha, of which 60% are already planted or are to be planted with Eucalyptus. the operation room has a multi-functional computer screen across its width (circa 5m in length and around 3m high). this screen is monitored 24/7 by two operators (8 & 9).

Big brother watchingevery person and operational unit in field has a tracking chip, allowing the ops room to pick up an exact

location, real time. Locations showed up as polygons on the screen but could be underlayed with map or satellite images. they called up a loader on a farm some 600km away and we counted each opening and closure of the grab as it loaded logs onto a truck.

monitors are placed on all the main roads monitoring traffic conditions enabling them to deviate log hauliers to the quietest and most efficient routes. Log intake to the mill is circa 20 000m3/day of which 80% is loaded directly onto log decks for the chipper. this arrives via 500+ loads per day proving that their just in time handling procedures is an exceptional achievement.

6 7

9

SA not far behindin brazil size certainly counts. we have left the country with a lasting admiration for the immense

scale of everything that we encountered: distances travelled, extensive; forestry operations seen, vast and expansive; rainfall pattern, consistent and plentiful; cities visited, towering and dense; traffic encountered, frenetic and impassable; food enjoyed, bountiful and delicious. despite the scale, it is well within the reach of the south african forestry industry to apply the lessons learned on brazilian soil, adjust where applicable and with patience and dedication, enjoy enhanced production gains from our sites.

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The first plantings for the Pietermaritzburg (Msunduzi) municipal plantations were approved in 1911 – which happened to be wattle. The plantations, comprising Eucalyptus and Acacia have been managed by NCT since 1988 and, although large areas have been developed for housing, the planted area is 1 460ha – with the total area under management at approximately 2 130ha.

the operation is Forestry stewardship Council® (FsC®) certified and a considerable portion of the annual income is used for conservation and rehabilitation of riparian areas. initiatives include planting of indigenous trees (estimated over 14 000 to date) with the involvement of several schools in specific areas.

o F p i e t e r m a r i t Z b U r g


since 1998, cumulative net profit is r29 million with the current growing stock valued at r54 million. the plantation provides employment for 242 people (nCt’s labour and contractor employees).

the plantation provides a diverse product range including pulpwood, transmission poles, saw logs and wattle bark.

situated in a residential area presents unique challenges including rubbish dumping, multiple fires, timber theft and occasional land invasions.

However, more positive uses are hiking, bird watching, jogging and in recent years, mountain biking specifically at the Cascades MTB Park where several national and international events have been held.

nCt’s management contract expires at the end of october 2016 with the future management uncertain at this stage.

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Traditionally, the provision of IT services fell under the ambit of the finance department. Mfundo Zungu, NCT’s PR Assistant, learns that it is no different at NCT. Like the global business de facto standard, NCT’s IT department has evolved into a separately managed department. Its purpose is to build and provide information systems to support NCT’s business and to improve the performance of people in the organisation through the use of information technology.


NCT ’S I T DEPARTMENT

“the current systems in place have come a long way in ensuring that it provides real value to the business,” says department manager, isaac premananthan. “the core oracle system is ‘home-grown’ which include financials, tree farming job costing system, timber order allocations and timber payments, interface to gis system and a unique Crm system for supplier and member information,” explains isaac. it also maintains an external web site, intranet (internal web page) and a members’/suppliers web portal.

l-r: Anash Lutchminarain, Anil Ramlall, Vijen Naidoo, Deepak Mohanlal, Isaac Premananthan, Florence Nyembe & Jason Naidoo

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NCT ’S I T DEPARTMENT

nCt’s it department comprises two sections:

1. software development2. technical services.

the software development team is made up of deepak mohanlal, anil ramlall and anash Lutchminarain who handle all in-house developed programs and support for some customised external software. the support on nCt-provided systems extends to all its divisions and subsidiaries. every change and enhancement is logged and prioritised according to the department’s specific requirement. the team is also responsible for undertaking new software development using proven methodologies.

the technical team of Jason naidoo and Vijen naidoo handle all networking, communication, data centre infrastructure and services, desktop pC’s, printers and other associated requirements.

Florence nyembe is the it support clerk and is responsible for the maintenance of supplier and price master files.

as manager of the it department, isaac’s role includes annual budgeting for operational expenses, capex items and monthly monitoring of expenses against budget. He also oversees development projects, procurement of both hardware, software, services and interaction with external service providers. He also handles the provision and updates of the Vip payroll and Hr software.

the most challenging factors in it is keeping up to date with technology and a changing digital economy: matching the right mix for the needs that will be most beneficial, reliable, efficient and cost effective for the organisation. another challenge is the utilisation of human resources for the needs and requirements of the group.

isaac pleas with members and staff to provide advance notice for changes in the business processes to enable sufficient time for information gathering, specification, development and testing phases. it would also ease some pressure and be beneficial if users are more self-reliant on certain basic computer related tasks.

there is undoubtedly an enormous reliance on it systems. it is also no longer sufficient to only store information but to provide information timeously in a way that will make it easier to analyse and monitor trends that can provide value to the user.


gift mashigo from bayFibre received the best full-time student award in veld-fire management at nmmU george campus. He made history by becoming the first student to receive the highest pass claiming six distinctions in the course.

based at the richards bay wood chipping mill, gift was employed as a ship-loading casual for seven months and later promoted to lab sampler. mill manager, John smith, saw his potential and offered him the opportunity to further his studies.

gift is seen here with tiaan pool, head of the veld and fire management course.

congratulations gift

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Long-service Awards

Richard LiversagenCt tree Farming

20 y

ears

Synthia GovendernCt tree Farming

10

yea

rs

Kerry MoffettFinance


New appointments

Chrisjan van Aardt Financial manager

nCt tree Farming head office

Garry Archermember services Co-ordinator

after 28 years’ service

Graeme Harrisonplanning forester

nCt tree Farming head office

Promotion

Kerry MoffettChief Financial officer, nCt head office

Retirements

Andy Jonesadmin manager

after 22 years’ service

32

www.nctforest.com

http://www.nctforest.com/

Documents

In this issue · Umgeni water baynesfield estate gs Hope. 2016. NEWS & VIEWS • AUGUST 2016 2016. NEWS & VIEWS • AUGUST 2016. 1. new