amongstus august08 online 10/30/08 1:50 pm page ... - … amongstus

AmongstUsA Siemens Southern Africa newsletterVol 26 • October 2008

Youthspace

home opens

in KZN

Healthcare

builds garden

for patients

Industry set

to capitalise

on trends

Energy delivers

100% across

energy chain

Pg 7 Pg 12 Pg 14 Pg 22

AmongstUs is printed on environmentally friendly, chlorine free paper

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Siemens was recently adjudicated as thesixth best employer in South Africa aspart of the Corporate ResearchFoundation’s (CRF’s) Best Employers™programme 2008/2009. Together withover 100 other companies, weparticipated in the programme tomeasure ourselves against the marketand test how we are progressing interms of our ability to offer our peoplean exceptional employee experience.

South Africa’s BestEmployers™ is anannual research basedHR publishing projectbased on scientificresearch and feedback.The project identifies,certifies and laudsSouth Africa’semployers of choiceand drives theiremployer brand

CRF Best Employer survey

Siemens ranks with the best of the best

Proudly displaying the awards bestowed on Siemens, from left: Naadiera Patel, RecruitmentManager, Siemens HR Functional Specialists and Nicolette Barnard, Siemens HR FunctionalSpecialists Manager.

During Dr. Siegfried Russwurm’s recentvisit to South Africa, AmongstUs was ableto discuss with him his perspectives on adiverse set of topics, including ourcompany’s future positioning, complianceand people excellence.

AmongstUs: Siemens is now focusing on thefuture orientated growth markets of Industry,Energy and Healthcare. Is our portfolio nowstrategically geared for us to achieve our targetsin these growth markets? Can we expect furtherchange?

Dr. Russwurm: Siemens is always looking at ways tooptimise our business and ensure we stay abreast of thedevelopments in the markets we operate in. I believe todate we have done a good job. Overall we have sold-offportfolio elements to the value of €12 billion and inaddition we have acquired other elements to the value of€20 billion. These bold moves have really geared ustowards the future and additionally help us to extractbusiness opportunities from the irrevocable globalmegatrends, namely the fact that more and more peopleare migrating from rural areas to cities, the world-widepopulation is growing and average life expectancy isincreasing globally. All of this results in challenges forinfrastructure and healthcare, challenges which we need

Optimising our businessAn interview with Dr. Siegfried Russwurm to analyse to determine our potential contribution and

how we can equip our portfolios to be better prepared toresolve these problems. With more and more people onthe globe, more and more people wanting to stayhealthy and more and more people wanting to use atechnology that will help them to do so, just imaginewhat an impact this has on healthcare going into thefuture. To address this phenomenon, we have investedmore than €10 billion in the healthcare field to go overand beyond our traditional diagnostic imaging.

To prepare ourselves for the foreseeable future, we havealso made portfolio adjustments in both directions,carving-out businesses in certain environments andmerging with other businesses to strengthen ourfoundations in those portfolio elements where wewould like to increase our expertise and where there arebetter opportunities. So in light of these bold moves,we are well prepared to achieve our targets in theIndustry, Energy and Healthcare growth markets.

AmongstUs: One of the clear guidingstatements attributed to our global CEO, PeterLöscher, is the “highest business performancewith the highest ethics”. How is Siemensachieving this ideal today?

Dr. Russwurm: I’m very confident that going forward wehave learnt our lessons and in this sense we haveimplemented a system that is the benchmark in thisarena.

Dr. Siegfried Russwurm, Chairperson, Siemens Limited.

offering and visibility to talent in today’stight and competitive labour market.

The project’s research delves into theheart of “employer intelligence”, whichrefers to the ability of a company torespond to the changing needs of thetalent market – including those ofcurrent employees.

AmongstUs August08 online 10/30/08 1:50 PM

Dear colleagues,

The future is ours, because…

On 12 October 1847, Werner von Siemens and hispartner, Johann Georg Halske, opened their newcompany Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens &Halske in Berlin. From very humble beginnings ina modest garage workshop, the company hasdeveloped into a world-class enterprise known forits power of innovation, international footprintand unquestionable commitment to the highestperformance with the highest ethics. This is ourcompany culture. This is what we stand for.

Siemens enjoys a superb reputation today in manysectors and in many parts of the world. Thisincludes our local operation here in South Africa.As the Siemens Southern Africa cluster, we striveto set the pace and standards in our local market.We do this by actively living the Siemens value of“Excellent” in everything we do.

We have had a presence in this region for well over a hundred years and are focused, morethan ever, on ensuring that we set ourselves best-in-class goals and do what is necessary toachieve them. We understand our customers’ needs and challenges deeply and embracechange in order to keep them competitive now and into the future.

That means that we must aim to be the very best we can be in every aspect of ourbusiness. Strong teams will succeed collectively where individuals fail. Ultimately, that isprecisely what we are – a team; united in our success, consistently delivering quality,reliability and professionalism.

As you read through this edition of AmongstUs you will come across a number ofimportant stories which demonstrate that we are well on our way to achieving our goal ofliving the value of “Excellent”. The interview with our Chairperson and member of theManaging Board of Siemens AG, Dr. Siegfried Russwurm, is an insightful tone from the topas is the article which highlights our sixth place finish in the annual Corporate ResearchFoundation’s Employer of Choice programme – a clear indication that we are creating an“exceptional employee experience”.

I am pleased to announce that we have successfully completed a period of portfolio andstructural optimisation and our focus on the sectors of Industry, Energy and Healthcare willaddress the growth markets of the future, while at the same time ensuring we are lesscomplex, faster to market and better placed to serve our customers. Thank you to all stafffor your cooperation over the last few months; I know our customers are alreadyexperiencing the benefit of these developments.

Another important recent milestone for us has been the successful implementation of ourso-called SADC branch concept, which has seen a complete revamp of the way in which wego to market in southern and eastern Africa, excluding South Africa. Many of our offices inthe region have been converted into branch offices and integrated into Siemens Limitedincorporated in South Africa. In the future, other markets will be served via a network ofagents and distributors. With these changes, we now have completely standardisedsystems and processes for banking, accounting and procurement across our regional clusterthereby ensuring added benefit for our customers by making us simpler, more transparent,more focused and, as a result, more responsive.

We are also working hard at improving our Quality. By living the ideals of continuousprocess improvement we know we will deliver products, services and solutions which willexceed customer expectations.

The same is also true of our drive to improve and grow our Service business. We know wecan only entrench long-term relations if we get our Customer Care and Service right. Wemust earn our customers’ respect every day and to do so all of us have to play a role. Wemust all aim to deliver excellence at all times regardless of whether you are the receptionistanswering the phone at our front desk or a senior executive driving our sales initiatives.

Looking forward, we are confident about our prospects for the future. Through our GrowthProgramme 2012, we will create value-add for our investors by growing profitably in themarketplace across all our sectors and by keeping our costs competitive with lean internalstructures.

As we strive to provide the answers to the toughest questions, we are setting the pace andthe standards in southern and eastern Africa. This is because the values and qualities thatWerner von Siemens first imprinted on the company so many decades ago are stillprevalent today: we are passionate and willing to go the extra mile; disciplined, acting fastand decisively; committed to continuously developing our skills and utilising our innovativepotential; unyielding in our adherence to our compliance guidelines; completely cognisantof the fact that it is the customer that pays our salaries; and lastly, we are responsiblecitizens in line with the transformation ideals of our society.

This is what we stand for. Now as always.

With kind regards,

Sigi ProebstlChief Executive, Siemens Limited

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Our CEO’s corner

Some of the areas that were researchedinclude organisational strategy,leadership, communication, talentmanagement, diversity management,Human Resource policy andperformance management, amongstothers.

Our sixth place finish, as measuredagainst many of our country’s topcompanies, is an excellent achievementthat officially recognises our continuedand ever improving commitment totalent management, HR excellence andthe development of a world-classemployer brand while visibly

demonstrating, both internally andexternally that Siemens has achieved abenchmark standard in HR best practice.

The top ten best employers this year are:1. Microsoft2. ABSA3. Shell4. Pfizer Laboratories5. Ernst & Young6. Siemens Limited7. South Africa Breweries8. Cisco Systems9. Unilever10. Werksmans

Says Nicolette Barnard, HR FunctionalSpecialists Manager, “The SkillsRevolution project has shown us that weneed to do even more to ensure ouremployees feel better managed, and inso doing, create an exceptionalemployee experience. We are firmlycommitted to achieving this, and ourexcellent performance in South Africa’sBest Employers™ is a demonstration thatwe are already well on our way”.

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Siemensranks withthe best ofthe best

Nicolette Barnard,Human [email protected]

Emily Molefe,Corporate Social [email protected]

In partnership with the South AfricaGerman Chamber and several otherGerman Companies that contribute to theGerman Cultural Fund, Siemens recentlysupported the Music Is A GreatInvestment or MIAGI Youth Orchestra’sSpring Concert.

MIAGI, a non profit company supportedby the Department of Arts and Cultureand a national member section ofJeunesses Musicales International, has atwo fold purpose: firstly to present anannual international and interculturalmusic festival and secondly to create asustainable future for music educationinitiatives in South Africa.

MIAGI focuses on music education forchildren as a central tool for socialupliftment and cultural awareness.Children who are involved with musiceducation are more likely to completehigh school and go on to study further,and less likely to be involved with gangs

and substance abuse. By supportingnumerous existing music-educationinitiatives, MIAGI makes music educationavailable to a growing number of youngpeople, especially in historicallydisadvantaged areas.

In addition to providing ongoing financialand technical support for such projects,MIAGI arranges workshops and the MIAGIOrchestra Course, and also providesmentorship with renowned artists.Collaborations with organisations andfestivals abroad offer many young SouthAfrican musicians opportunities topresent their talents internationally.

Employees from Siemens attendedMIAGI’s most recent music concert wherethe MIAGI Youth Jazz Big Band alsoperformed at the festival.

Partnership to supportsocial upliftmentthrough music

Nicolette Barnard, Siemens HR Functional Specialists Manager (right) took receipt of thetrophy at the CRF Best Employer 2008/2009 awards ceremony.


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Our system is based on three pillars:“prevent”, “detect” and “respond”. In myopinion this is a very sound approach tobusiness compliance.

First and foremost, we have toconcentrate all our efforts on preventingany unethical behaviour - this includes avery clear tone from top management.My colleagues and I utilise everyavailable opportunity to reiterate thatSiemens stands for the highest ethicspossible and for clean business only.There is no doubt in my mind thatnobody can make the claim that theyweren’t convinced of management’scommitment to ethical behaviour.

Training and education is the nextcomponent of the “prevent” element.People need to understand how ourguidelines affect their conduct and whatcompliance means in terms of a contractwith a business consultant. I need to re-affirm that Siemens is not saying thatwe do not want to deal withconsultants, but rather that we areconfirming that there are imperativeguidelines on how a contract or businessinteraction should be conducted.

The “detect” element of our compliancesystems refers to the mechanisms inplace that make it highly probable for usto detect unethical business dealingsand behaviour. I often use the exampleof a fuel filling station. In Germany youfill the fuel tank of your car yourself andthen you go to the cashier and pay forthe fuel. My question to any audience iswhy would you pay? For the vastmajority it is simply a matter of valuesi.e. if I get the fuel, I pay for it; there ishopefully only a very small part of thecommunity who will state that their onlyreason for paying was the CCTV cameraon the rooftop that captured their carlicence plate number. So that’s why I saythat we have ways and means in placefor detection, so if you are ever in doubtof your ethical business behaviour, beaware there is a significant risk fordetection i.e. a camera of sorts.

The last element is “respond”. There iszero tolerance should a person willinglyviolate our business conduct guidelines.There have been circumstances where aperson has been involved in unethicalbusiness practises under direction oftheir superior manager and have notdared to speak out. In cases such asthese we have adjusted our reaction.However, no-one is above the law –including management - and therefore aperson should blow the whistle on suchincidents. The principle remains thesame though: Siemens stands for thehighest ethics only.

Taking into account all three of theseelements, I feel we are well preparedand that our customers appreciate thatwe can prove we are ensuring ourbusiness practises are clean. I want toconclude by saying that no countryexists where you can be safe fromcorruption – there are market segmentsin some countries where our colleagueshave come to the conclusion that it istoo difficult to do clean business there.Therefore we have withdrawn ourbusiness in the firm assumption that theclimate will change. We must alwaysbear in mind that we cannotcompromise on our ethical standards.AmongstUs: Globally, there is

If Siemens wants to be number one ortwo in our markets, we need excellentpeople – in fact we need the best. OurPeople Excellence initiatives are gearedto ensure we have the best people, andthe best is not restricted to managementor specialist positions, but rather refersto the best in each and every position.There is no position in this company Iwould dare compromise on.

So, how can we attract and how can wekeep the best? It is true that the bestwant to be where the best are. It is anupward spiral: the more that we, as acompany, can prove that this is wherethe best are, then the more attractivewe are to the best. Siemens South Africahas a sophisticated approach forattracting talent and I would like to usethis as an example for best practicesharing around the globe, althoughobviously each country has differentcultures and different challenges, but Ibelieve some of the elements used herecan be readily applied.

AmongstUs: What are yourthoughts on Work-Life Integrationand the way we have applied theprogramme here in South Africa?

Dr. Russwurm: It is a continuous effortto understand the motivations andneeds of people and we must considerthat this may change from individual toindividual. Your family situation may bedifferent today than it was five yearsago, and in ten years time it may changeagain. So the key for a successful Work-Life Integration programme is to beflexible. Again I think the initiative herein South Africa is a benchmark and awonderful example of my interpretationof Work-Life Integration.

As an engineer, I immediately see twolevers in that firstly it is the balancebetween your time in the office andyour time left for others, and secondlythere are ways and means to help youintegrate the two parts, namely yourwork life and your home life. If a personcan perform certain work tasks fromhome, why should they be stuck intraffic for two hours just to come to theoffice and do some work which couldhave readily been done remotely?

On the other hand, if you talk aboutWork-Life Integration, if work can beperceived as easier, this helps withbalancing. The environment here atSiemens Park has the effect of makingthe work part somewhat simpler.Instead of being confined to meetingrooms or your desk, people can conductmeetings outside or even check their e-mails while outdoors. These areprogressive elements which make theworking environment more pleasant.

Optimisingour businessAn interview with Dr. Siegfried Russwurm

much talk about a war for talentand skills. It is also true that weare experiencing this mostprofoundly in our local markettoo. Will our commitment to the“People Excellence” pillar of theFit4 2010 programme ensure thatwe win this war?

Siemens has taken many good steps inthis direction, but I doubt whetherenough can ever be done to win the warfor talent. I like the statement made byHarry Hollier at one of our global Human

Resources meetings: “The war for talentis over – the talents have won”. This is agood description of how we, asmanagement, have to alter ourattitudes.

We are now in a time when companiesmust apply for the best people and notthe other way around. The connectionbetween business excellence and peopleexcellence cannot be debated as it is thepeople that make the difference. Peopleare the unique assets that can make acompany or business successful.


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For further information contact:Sarita Gouws, Corporate CommunicationsTel. 011 652 2151 [email protected]

Winners of this year’s Sales Awards, to beannounced at a gala dinner on 8 November,will travel to incredible India in March nextyear. India, the largest democracy in the worldwith a population estimated at 1.13 billion isan outstanding destination. It offers such awide variety of experiences that even the mostseasoned traveller will be charmed by thisdestination.

The Siemens incentive group will visit Delhi, Agra andJaipur, all cities in the northern area of India. Fine hotelsin each city will provide a luxurious basis for our travellersfrom where they will be escorted to all the attractions inthe comfort of an air conditioned coach. Mouth wateringIndian dishes will be on offer at these hotels, and for thenot so adventurous in the group, world class westerndishes are served.

Amongst the many sites to be visited is the Taj Mahal, thebreathtakingly beautiful mausoleum build in 1631 byShah Jahan for his second wife Mumtaz. One of themanmade wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal has noequal, built entirely out of white marble and adorned withintricate carvings and inlay work.

Apart from exploring the history and sites of each city,there will be opportunities to experience the hussle andbustle of daily life in India, indulge in shopping,experience village life or just to laze around and relax.

The Sales Award Incentive winners as well as the GalaEvent will be featured in the December edition ofAmongstUs.

Incredible India


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Our employeesinteract withDr. RusswurmOur Chief Executive, Sigi Proebstl,recently hosted a town hall meeting inhonour of Dr. Siegfried Russwurm’s visitto South Africa, where he assumedresponsibility as Chairperson of ourlocal Siemens Ltd. Board.

Employees at our head office, SiemensPark, gathered to listen to the inspiringmessage given by Dr. Russwurm. Hecongratulated the South African teamon our strong business position andurged all to persevere with the targetsfor the rest of the financial year.

He also commended the SA team onthe good progress regarding theimplementation of our company’s newSector approach and commented thathe is very pleased with the ongoingfocus and adherence of complianceissues.

Our CEO, Sigi Proebstl took theopportunity to additionally introduceAndrew Hall, our new CFO and ournewly appointed Executive Director,Alex Mathole to all attendees.

The Town Hall meeting was videorecorded for the benefit of employeesat all other locations and can be viewedon the intranet at:https//intranetsa.siemens.co.za/home.asp?pid=67948

Townhall Meeting

Sharon Thotharam,Human [email protected]

On the left: Harry Hollier, Executive Director;Dr. Russwurm, Chairperson Siemens Limited,and member of the SAG Managing Board; SigiProebstl, CEO; Alex Mathole, Executive Director;and Andrew Hall, CFO.

For the second consecutive year, Siemenssponsored the National SAWomEngConference held recently in Cape Town.SAWomEng, or the South African Women inEngineering Association, is a non-profitstudent run body founded at the Universityof Cape Town. This year’s conference,which aims to motivate, empower andcelebrate women in engineering,welcomed 60 female engineering studentsfrom around South Africa.

The students were given a Technical Projectto complete and present, with the topwinning project announced at a formal galadinner that concluded the week’sconference. In addition to the manyspeakers from industry who addressed

Continuing to ignite the engineering flame in SA women

delegates at this year’s conference, a careerfair was held to allow all sponsoringcompanies the opportunity to marketthemselves directly to the delegates and toshowcase the immense opportunitieswithin engineering.

The second wing of SAWomEng, “GIRL-ENG”, was also launched during theconference. “GIRL-ENG” will be an extensionof SAWomEng and is aimed at promotingmaths and science as well as career optionsin engineering to female learners in Grades11 and 12.

At the SAWomEng conference gala dinner with executive members and co-founders ofSAWomEng, from left: Mabohlale Mampuru, Degree BSC Eng; Sharon Thotharam, HumanResources, Siemens; Sarah Kiggundu, Degree BSC Eng; Naadiera Patel, Recruitment Manager,Human Resources, Siemens and Naadiya Moosajee, Degree BSC Eng.

The 60 female engineering students from around the country that participated in the 2nd National SAWomEng Conference in Cape Town.


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Movers & shakers

A view fromthe top ...From research and development (R&D)in the aerospace communications arenato corporate finance and private equity,Andrew Hall brings a wealth ofexperience to the table as our recentlyappointed Chief Financial Officer for theSiemens Southern Africa cluster.

Originally from South Africa, Andrewstudied Electrical and ElectronicEngineering at the University of CapeTown and completed his Masters ofScience in the same field. Kicking off adiverse career, Andrew worked onvarious scientific projects at the Councilof Scientific and Industrial Researchbefore moving to England to participatein research projects for the NationalAeronautics and Space Agency (NASA)and the European Space Agency.

During this time, Andrew had theopportunity to work across Europeanborders on several highly technicalprojects that included the design andbuilding of the systems used for thespace shuttle communication andcontrol systems i.e. the corecommunication technology for thelower earth orbiting satellites, as well asthe development of earth observationsatellite systems that measure theearth’s soil and air temperatures, windspeeds, foliage coverage, precipitationetc.

After four years in the R&D field,Andrew took the decision to pursue amore business orientated career andcompleted an MBA, specialising inCorporate Finance, Turnarounds andPrivate Equity, at the London BusinessSchool, while at the same time workingat the Siemens headquarters inGermany as an intern during thesummer. On completion of his MBA,Andrew took-up a position at Americanconglomerate, FMC, based in Chicago,USA. Reporting to the CEO, he wasresponsible for the optimisation of thecompany’s portfolio businesses inEurope, the Middle East and Africa for aperiod of two years before joiningSiemens in 1995 as a Sales Engineer inthe submarine cable systems business.

Within three years, Andrew become thehead of the sales organisation and hadgrown the business to the $150 millionlevel with a 30% profitability margin.This business was sold shortly thereafterand Andrew moved into the networkengineering field and in the ensuingseven years worked in various roles inOEN, ranging from Projectmanagement, sales of turnkey projectsto service business sales as well ascorporate re-structuring projects.

One of his roles was to establish theproject management infrastructure forthe entire former InformationCommunications Networks (ICN)organisation. This included the carve-out and re-structuring of all ICN projectsand the implementation ofPM@Siemens within ICN. In addition,Andrew was responsible for setting-upthe carrier service and salesorganisation which saw a turnover of€350 million with a profitability of 38%in its first year.

In 2003, Andrew made the move toCorporate Finance focusing onshareholder controlling for the Asiaregion. After only a year in this position,he again started working on corporateprojects for the Siemens ManagingBoard and additionally headed-up thecash turnaround project of the formerSiemens Business Services (SBS).

Two years later, Andrew took overresponsibility for shareholder controllingfor the Africa, Middle East and CISregion and further led the negotiationsand carve-out of the Siemens COMbusiness into the joint venturecompany, Nokia Siemens Networks andthe separated SEN business.

The next step in Andrew’s career was hisreturn to South Africa. Says Andrew, “Itwas a great opportunity to come back tothis country. I enjoy the workingenvironment here and I believe that thisis a fantastic chance for my family toexperience life in South Africa afterliving in Europe for so many years”.

Speaking of his challenges in his newposition, Andrew refers to the furtherimprovement of financial control andresponsibility for the entire SiemensSouthern Africa cluster to ensure weeffectively and efficiently implementour corporate guidelines on controls,processes and compliance across allplatforms. “We are performing welllocally and Siemens South Africa isconsidered best practice in this regard –even to the point that we activelyparticipate in the design of guidelinesthat are implemented within all theSiemens companies globally,” he adds.

“I am very pleased to be a part of theSiemens Southern Africa managementteam. The regional organisation is wellrun and the local management team ishighly motivated and dedicated to thiscompany. Going forward our new globalcompany structure will simplify ourorganisation further and ensure we aremore understandable from ourcustomer’s perspective,” concludesAndrew.

Outside of Siemens, Andrew enjoys theoutdoors and is happy to retreat to his500 hectares of game inhabited farmland in Germany with his family.

Keshin Govender,[email protected]

With safety always a priority for role playersin the rail industry, our Industry SectorMobility division has contributed to railsafety around the world in various ways, thelatest of which is the Simis S, an interlockingsystem specifically engineered for thedeveloping market including Asia-Pacific andAfrica.

Based on the safe and reputable SIMATIC S7platform, Simis S is enhanced by our RailAutomation specific object controllers todrive various signalling elements. ACENELEC-based (European Committee forElectrotechnical Standardisation)development process was followed to meetinternational standards.

Simis S electronic interlocking offerssolutions for a wide range of differentapplications and requirements. It is assuitable for controlling individual points orsignals as it is for safe automation in majorstations. Space saving in design, the Simis Selectronic interlocking allows for circuitboards to be mounted in a rack or a cabinet,which can be compactly installed inbuildings, containers or outdoor cabinets.With its small, powerful units, the Simis Sinterlocking has a modular design and isthus individually configurable.

Depending on the application involved,several hundred controlled elements can beconnected. The interlocking can be easilyextended later, even without interruptingoperation. Using widely applied and readilyavailable worldwide industrial standardproducts cuts down on hardware costs aswell as on the need for specially trainedpersonnel for installation and maintenancepurposes. Competent support is providedworldwide and spare parts are available for along period of time. Availability isguaranteed due to hot swapping for I/Ocards, while effective diagnostic functionsfurther reduce maintenance requirements.

Railway management can easily develop thenecessary skills to perform project delivery,engineering, installation, testing,commissioning and maintenance as most ofthe know-how for the SIMATIC technology isalready available. Due to the simplicity of theSimis S, system know-how is easilytransferable.

The Simis S system is currently installed incountries such as India and South Africa,where rail transport and functionality plays apivotal role in these booming economies.India features the second largest railwaynetwork in the world with 64,000 km routeand 7,000 stations, of which 3,000 are relayinterlocking, 75 with electronic interlockingand the remaining mechanically interlocked.

A clear plan exists for replacing old existinginterlockings with new electronic ones. Onaverage, about 100 stations are modernisedannually.

Locally our Mobility colleagues are currentlyinstalling the SIMIS S electronic interlockingsystem on the Orex railway line, operated byTransnet Freight Rail (formerly Spoornet).This involves the modernisation of thehistoric railway line, which is the secondlongest of its kind in the world, stretching861 km from the Sishen mines in theNorthern Cape to Saldanha Bay on the westcoast of South Africa, as well as the holder ofthe world record for the longest train (7,5km) and the heaviest freight (68,640 tons).Our signalling system - which can withstandthe extreme weather conditions experiencedin the area of between 8°C and +45°C, inaddition to the high humidity of up to 95 % -has been through a rigorous process ofcustomisation to our local Rail standardsfollowed by intense validation.

Kevin Pillay, Divisional Director of ourMobility division, says the scope of supply forthe Orex line consists of 20 Simaticelectronic interlocking systems and 60 axlecounter systems. “Together with ourcustomer, we have developed a system thatis suitable for local applications and in linewith international standards. Through safety,economical achievements and futureoriented Siemens solutions, we cansuccessfully deliver on our commitment forefficient railways and systems,” heconcludes.

Mobility invests in safetyinnovation for railways

Our Mobility colleagues are currentlyinvolved in the modernisation of the Orexline with the installation of the SIMIS Selectronic interlocking system above.


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The official launch of the Youthspacehome in Pinetown marked animportant milestone in our Youthspaceprogramme, an initiative that hasgrown and developed to become ourflagship Corporate Social Responsibilityprogramme.

“The Youthspace project provides asafe haven for children who comefrom difficult and trying circumstancesas well as offering shelter,nourishment, and education. It hasprovided a secure future for manyyoung girls and boys for more than tenyears,” explains Bruce Atherton, ournew Regional Director for the Siemensbranch in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), at theofficial opening ceremony.

From humble beginnings in a Hillbrowflat that served as a shelter for localstreet children, the project has grownto include five houses that have beenbought, equipped, furnished andstaffed by Siemens. The establishmentof the KZN home follows the creationof the Abraham Kriel and MariaKlopper home in Emdeni, Soweto, theMayfair home in Johannesburg; theMaranatha street home in PortElizabeth and the Tereo home in theWestern Cape.

The KZN Youthspace house will behome to ten young people at a time,with Siemens undertaking to cover allthe running costs including a housemother, clothing, furnishing andproperty maintenance. It will be run inpartnership with Malvern Children’sHome under the management ofKwaZulu-Natal Christian SocialServices.

The home will cater for both thephysical and emotional needs ofyoungsters between the ages of 18 to21 who have to leave children’s homesaround Pinetown because, onmatriculating, they no longer qualifyto remain in their care. They oftenhave nowhere to go whilst trying tofind a job or undertake tertiary orfurther education.

Pierre Marais, Director of the MalvernChildren’s Home acknowledged thatthere was a great need for assistancefor youngsters leaving children’shomes. “Of the 12 children’s homes in

Durban, each probably has five toseven young adults leaving at year endonce they have reached the age of 18.This Siemens Caring Hands Youthspaceproject provides these youngsters withshelter whilst they find their feet. Formany, the only alternative would be tolive on the street.”

At present the home has opened itsdoors to four youth and a further sixare expected to take up residenceshortly.

According to Emily Molefe, ourCorporate Social ResponsibilityManager, the success of theprogramme was largely due to ourpartnership with the relevantprovincial government welfareauthorities as well as localwelfare partners with the expertise todeliver what is required at communitylevel.

Looking ahead Emily says that Siemenscould also possibly assist with further

Youthspace reaches out to young adults in KZN

education for these youngsters as thisis an ongoing, long term project.

Youthspace forms part of our “CaringHands” initiative, a global Siemenscorporate social investmentprogramme focusing on publicwelfare. Says Emily, “The Caring Handsprogramme encompasses monetarydonations and contributions in kind toworthy causes as well as partnershipswith non-profit organisations. It isbased not only on the know-how andsupport of employees, but on our corecompetencies as a provider ofinfrastructure technologies andsolutions”.

She concludes, “With a cumulativeinvestment of approximately R5 millionover the last few years, Youthspacemeets Siemens’ commitment toimprove living standards worldwide byproviding a long term sustainablefuture for many children who havesuffered hardship and evendeprivation”.

The new residents of the KZN Youthspace home, from left: Perserverance Dikana; Bruce Atherton, Regional Director, Siemens KZN; NaomiOosthuysen, the new home’s housemother; Olivia Venter; Brian Nero and Gerhard Moolman.

Unveiling the plaque which commemorates the opening of the new Youthspace Home in Pinetown, KZN,from left: Bruce Atherton, Regional Director, Siemens KZN; Anthony Venketsamy, Regional FinancialManager, Siemens KZN and Pierre. Marais, Director, Malvern Children’s Home.

The house was opened with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, from left:Bruce Atherton, Regional Director, Siemens KZN with Pierre Marais,Director, Malvern Children’s Home.

Emily Molefe, our Corporate SocialResponsibility Manager, addresses guests atthe home’s official opening ceremony.


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In the news

Claude Trevisan, Energy [email protected]

Lydia Bierwirth,Corporate [email protected]

Our Energy Sector, Distribution Services(ED-SE) colleagues, recently received aletter of recognition for their excellentwork on timeously repairing switchgearat our customer’s, Air Liquide’s plant inDurban. The blown switchgear forcedthe closure of Air Liquide’s plant andaccording to Jorge Ramos, IndustrialDirector at Air Liquide, any prolongedbreakdown, i.e. any period of timegreater than a few days, in its AirSeparation Unit would impact negativelyon its deliveries to major local liquid fuel

Experience. Technologywith Major Events

With the successful organisation of Siemenshospitality packages for the 2006 AsianGames in Doha and the 2008 OlympicGames in Beijing, Marcus Jungermann fromCorporate Development will now set hisexpertise and focus on coordinating ourExperience.Technology hospitalityprogramme for the Soccer World Cup 2010games to be held locally. Not just restrictedto Siemens Limited, the programme will alsoinclude the participation of our affiliatedcompanies, namely Fujitsu SiemensComputers and Nokia Siemens Networksamongst others. Globally Siemens’

New financial head forBuilding Technologies

IA host ProcessInstr ument ationconference

Our Industry Sector Industry Automation(IA) division’s Process Instrumentation(PI) conference recently took place atHeia Safari Ranch. The conference,which featured a key-note address byVijay Acharya from our IA division inCanada as well as a presentation bySilvia Scheerer from our IA division,Siemens AG in Germany, focused on ourinvolvement in the local instrumentationmarket, especially the petrochemicaland mining industries.

Dr. Anna Mokgokongreceives Chancellor’smedalOur Deputy Chairperson, Dr. AnnaMokgokong was recently awarded theChancellor’s Medal by the University ofPretoria in recognition of her lifelongcontribution to business in South Africa.

A University of Pretoria Alumni andLaureate awardee, Dr. Mokgokong iswidely recognised locally andinternationally for her achievements asan entrepreneur and business woman.

Amongst many awards received, Dr.Mokgokong was recently nominated theHonourable Chairperson of the “Womenof the Year Forum” for the year 2007and is additionally one of only 300honourees representing more than 56countries to be inducted in the USA-based “Leading Women Entrepreneursof the World” not-for-profit organisation.

Apart from her extensive businessinterests, and the positions she holds onthe Boards of numerous companies, Dr.Mokgokong has also served as amember and Chairperson of the Councilof UNISA as well as commissions andtask teams established by the Office ofthe President. Currently she is serving asChairperson of the IndependentCommission for the Remuneration ofPublic Office Bearers at the request offormer President Thabo Mbeki.

Our Industry Sector Building Technologies(BT) division has a new financial head:Andy Sennwitz. Andy was appointed BT’sDivisional Director for Finance andAdministration effective 30 July.

Air Liquide plant up and running again

suppliers and refineries, resulting indisruptions to the fuel supply within SouthAfrica. Under the supervision of Ray Neale,Divisional Manager of ED-SE, the teamworked tirelessly over the weekend toensure the plant could be re-started on thefollowing Monday. This involved thetransportation of the damaged equipmentfrom Durban to their service facility inMidrand and back again, sourcing parts andensuring skilled Siemens personnel wereon-site to carry-out the repairs and stand-byfor the plant switch-on on the Monday.

Said Air Liquide Industrial Director, JorgeRamos and Large Industries Manager,Jimmy Mphelane in a letter, “We appreciateSiemens’ support and hope you maintainthat good level of service provision to usgoing forward”.

As a result of the breakdown, our ED-SEDivision has entered into discussions withAir Liquide to structure a Service LevelAgreement in order to minimise plantdown-times in incidents such as these.

The attendees at IA’s Process Instrumentation conference held recently at Heia Safari Ranch.

Our IA colleagues at the IA Process Instrumentation conference, from left: Greg Smook;Stephen Scheepers; Ryan Chetty; Philip Tempel and Sean Frost

Dr. Anna Mokgokong, Deputy Chairperson,Siemens Limited.

technologies have formed an integral part ofnumerous large-scale events. In the case ofthe recently concluded Olympic Games,visitors - courtesy of a very business-focusedhospitality programme - were able toexperience first-hand the Siemens projectsthat made the Games happen. Interestingvenues toured included the National AquaticCentre; the high-speed train which travelsfrom Beijing to Tianjin, Metro Line 10; and awaste water plant built by Siemens.Underlining Siemens’ involvement in theOlympic Games, our global President andCEO, Peter Löscher, visited Beijing to

Peter Löscher, our global CEO (centre) and Managing Board members of Siemens LimitedChina Managing Board visiting the Deutsches Haus Beijing (German National OlympicCommittee meeting venue) in Beijing, China during the 2008 Olympic Games.

demonstrate the Siemens global networkof support for hosts of major events.

A particular emphasis was placed onSiemens’ competence and technologyknow-how in the arenas of Industry,Energy and Healthcare – vital infrastructurecomponents that will enable countries tohost successful major events in the future.

For any queries regarding the hospitalitypackage for WC 2010 contact our MajorEvents team on Tel. 011 652 2010 or E-mail: [email protected]


9Amongst

Our Siemens Management ExcellenceProgramme (SMEP) class of 2008 recentlygraduated at an awards ceremony hostedby our colleagues from Human Resourcesin conjunction with the Gordon Institute ofBusiness Science (GIBS). The gruellingprogramme, which commenced inFebruary this year, is a revision of theformer Siemens ManagementDevelopment Programme (SMDP).

The programme focuses on thedevelopment of each delegate’s personaland business potential through businessinstruction and individual/groupassignments. Boasting a 100% pass rate,this year’s programme saw all SMEPstudents graduating with marks in the70%-90% bracket.

Graduating with honours

Nish Pillay, Human [email protected]

Dear Reader

As we enter the last quarter of the2008 calendar year and celebrate thestart of our new 2008/2009 financialyear, it is important to take heed thatour organisation has undergone asignificant transformation in the pastmonths by way of the organisationaloptimisation of our regional businessin line with the new global Siemensstructure (see the organogram pull-outin the centre of this edition).

Although change is often not easy, weneed to keep the long-term result infocus: to be the leader in the field ofelectronic and electrical engineering. Ifour organisation is successful, so arewe as employees. Siemens cannotremain the same company as ten yearsago, but rather we need to embracenew developments within ourorganisation and see such changes in apositive light and to the benefit ofSiemens as a whole. Be sure to readour Chairperson’s, Dr. SiegfriedRusswurm’s, comments and thoughtson Siemens’ future positioning andother relevant topics (article starts onthe cover page).

Most certainly a feather in our cap isour ranking as the sixth best employerin South Africa. This was the first timeSiemens participated in the CorporateResearch Foundation’s (CRF’s) BestEmployersTM programme, and to top itoff, we made it into the top tenbeating the likes of many renownedand successful companies in SouthAfrica.

On a lighter note, don’t forget to readour Roundabout section for morechances to win some great prizes byentering this edition’s word puzzlecompetition to win a Weber One TouchSilver Kettle Braai, as well as a R250Woolworth gift card if your interestingphotograph is chosen to be publishedin the December edition ofAmongstUs.

We hope you enjoy this latest editionof AmongstUs and urge you tocontinue sending us your commentsand suggestions as part of our“Reader’s Forum”.

The Editors,Sarita Gouws and Sherrie Eddey

How to contact us:Tel. 011 652 2009E-Mail: [email protected]: Siemens Limited. CorporateCommunications, AmongstUs, Private Bag X71, Halfway House 1685

Letter from the editors

Overall awards: Top Action Learning Project (ALP) Group “Blue Horizon”, from left: Sigi Proebstlwith William Phokoane; Sven Heinichen; Vaneshree Okanlomo; Tim Walwyn; Paul Rudolph andHarry Hollier

Overall awards: Top Student - Class of 2008: Jose Dos Santos (centre)with our CEO, Sigi Proebstl (left) and Executive Director, Harry Hollier.

Overall awards: Top Student in 2nd place: Sven Tolstrup (centre)

Overall awards: Top Student in 3rd place: Kesheni Moodley (centre) Module Awards: Top Student 2008 Innovation and Technology: NishPillay (centre)

Module Awards: Top Group 2008 Operations and Project Managementand Top Group 2008 Strategy Implementation - Group 1 from left: SigiProebstl with Jose Dos Santos; Kesheni Moodley; Ian Jenkins; JoseMachado; Sven Tolstrup and Harry Hollier

Module Awards: Top Group 2008 Operations and Project Management,Top Group 2008 Marketing and Top Group 2008 Financial Management- Group 3 from left: Sigi Proebstl with Thabang Byl; Nish Pillay; RicardoFigueira; Rajen Moodley and Harry Hollier (not present: Natalie Venter)


Amongst10

Movers & shakers

Renewed focusfor IndustrialTechnologiesRecently appointed to the position ofGeneral Manager of IndustrialTechnologies (IN), a business unit withinour Industry Sector Industrial Solutions(IS) division, Tim Walwyn is a qualifiedIndustrial Engineer.

Originally a KwaZulu-Natal local, Timattended university in Stellenbosch andin his second year of studies successfullyapplied for a three-year bursary withSiemens. “This was the start of a longcareer at Siemens,” jokes Tim. Oncegraduated, he joined the companypermanently in 2004, working withinthe former Siemens Dematic and SupplyChain Consulting business unit - nowknown as the Infrastructure Logisticsunit within our Mobility division - wherehe has remained until his recentappointment. “This is a step in a newdirection”, says Tim. “IN has a broadbusiness portfolio and is a diverseenvironment in terms of itstechnologies, customers andcompetitors.”

Despite being new to the business, Timalready has a focus plan and willconcentrate his efforts on growing IN’smarket share in the key industries ofCement and Pulp and Paper. “We havetraditionally focused on drives andautomation technologies, and we arelooking to develop our business in othermarkets such as manufacturingexecution systems, the chemicalindustry, to some extent, as well astunnel infrastructure business”. Hecontinues, “In addition, our serviceportfolio must be improved further toinclude service contracts, performanceof plant audits and assets optimisation.

Service is one of the portfolio elementsthat are generally performed badlythroughout the industry, so this will bean opportunity for us to raise the bar”.He further explains that a largeproportion of IN’s business is based inKZN and that the strengthening of thesales and service structure there will beanother priority.

Currently Tim is focusing his time andefforts on understanding the finerdetails of the IN business by reviewingcurrent projects and networkingextensively with the IN customer base.“Moving forward, I would like to spendmore time on the sales side and getfurther involved in the non-traditionalelements of our business,” he says.

Outside of work, Tim has spent much ofhis personal time concentrating oncompleting his Masters in IndustrialEngineering as well as his SiemensManagement Excellence Programme(SMEP) studies. Now that both havebeen achieved, Tim has free time on hishands again to enjoy his favouritepastimes: bicycling and playing hisguitar and saxophone.

Sithembile Mokaeane,Corporate [email protected]

A breakfast function held recently atSiemens Park in Midrand provided the idealopportunity for members of the media tomeet our CEO, Sigi Proebstl and the newIndustry, Energy and Healthcare SectorCEOs for an informal and interactivediscussion on our organisationalre–alignment and the benefits this will bringto our customers, suppliers and employees.

In a brief opening address, Sigi Proebstloutlined the driving forces behind there–alignment, including the global mega-trends of urbanisation and populationgrowth, the need for a less complex andmore transparent organisation, as well asthe positive impact these changes will haveon our organisation’s costs and productivity.

Well attended by a cross-section of editorsand journalists from both broadcast andprint media, the occasion allowed mediadelegates to interact directly with StuartClarkson, Industry Sector CEO, DionGovender, Energy Sector CEO, GrahamMaritz, Healthcare Sector CEO and ZunaidMayet, CEO of our Cross-Sector Business,Siemens IT Solutions and Services.

Topics discussed at the event included therange of products, solutions and services onoffer from the Sectors, cross-sector sellingopportunities, the benefits to stakeholdersand the overall effect the re-organisation islikely to have on Siemens’ ability to continueto provide answers to South Africa’stoughest questions.

Meet the Press

From left: Graham Maritz, our Healthcare Sector CEO with Mike vanDyk from Medical Chronicle.

From left: Hans van de Groenendaal from Engineer IT with ourHead of Corporate Communications, Greg Gibbons.

Networking at the media breakfast, fromleft: Paddy Hartdegen from WattNowtalking with Dion Govender, our EnergySector CEO.


For further information, please contact Marvin Benjamin,Diversity Manager. [email protected]

Transformation corner

Transformation in the spotlightIn an effort to establish how our company’stransformation drive is perceived andunderstood, earlier this year several employeeswere approached to give AmongstUs theircomments (see the April 2008 edition ofAmongstUs).

Each respondent received three questions. Theyhad this to say in answer to one of the questionswe posed:

Transformation is considered to be animperative. Some have described it as a“business” imperative while others referto it as a “national” imperative. In light ofthis, what is your view on how Siemensmanages transformation?

Respondent 1: “I believe that our Management Board has made a concerted effortin driving transformation within the organisation. In my opinion however, theimportance and necessity of transformation in some areas is perceived as a ‘mustbe done’ due to compliance with rules and legislative requirements, and notnecessarily to address past inequalities. This perception and practice must bemanaged and a change in attitude towards transformation is necessary.”

Respondent 2: “My view is that Siemens handles transformation as a businessimperative. We seem to be more concerned with what our customers think interms of our ratings, what we have implemented to keep our customers satisfied aswell as if we have reached our targets set by management. I feel that if weaddressed transformation as a national imperative we would be more proactive -and less reactive - regarding our initiatives.”

Respondent 3: “Actually, I think that both are important. From a Siemens point ofview it is vital. Much of our customer base is in fact Government or parastatals -close to 80% of our business. So if we want to continue growing as a multinationalin South Africa then we need to satisfy the conditions set and further supersedethese targets.”

Respondent 4: “I believe Siemens is addressing this issue from a businessimperative; after all that is said and done the business community will only react towhat is imposed on them by firstly their customers and secondly the Government.In Siemens’ case this is largely one and the same. Given the nature of the marketswe operate in - it is difficult to meet the staff requirements set by our customers.However having said that, I believe we need more senior black representation inthe higher management levels and this should be a focus point.”

11Amongst

Our CEO, Sigi Proebstl addresses the media at the breakfast function. From left: Alex Mathole, our Executive Director and Pierre van Rhyn from Quantum.

From left: Chris Yelland from EE Publishers with Stuart Clarkson, our Industry Sector CEOand Cameron Mackenzie from our media agency, FCB Redline.

Zunaid Mayet, CEO of our Cross-Sector Business, Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS)speaks to media detailing the SIS portfolio of services


According to Fred Maurus, DivisionalManager Technology Management andMarketing at our Siemens EnterpriseCommunications (SEN) company: open,standards-based communications are setto support business goals by seamlesslycombining communication and businessprocesses.

Say Fred, who believes that the newcommunication enabled businessprocesses (CeBP’s) represents one of themost important puzzle pieces in theevolution of communications, “Theadvent of Unified Communications (UC),which is the foundation for theintegration of voice, data, image withcollaboration, presence and messaging,has created a platform for the next stepin the evolutionary process – and thatnext step is CeBP”.

He continues, “CeBP is set to change thevalue proposition for the ICT industry.Companies need to grow, improveefficiencies, manage costs and increaseproductivity. As the competition heatsup, only the fittest will survive, and CeBPcan help in achieving these goals.”

12 Amongst

CeBP – A newconcept in UnifiedCommunications

CeBP is defined as business systemswhich are able to directly integrate withcommunication systems and networks.Traditionally, communications have beenmanaged in silos, entirely separate fromany business applications the individualsare using. Unfortunately, the efficientinteraction between the variouscommunication elements – mobile,telephone, data, etc. – is not alwaysguaranteed and considerable time can bewasted in efforts to reach colleagues,suppliers and customers.

Unified Communications has madesubstantial inroads towards addressingthese problems by bringing all theelements of communications together.And now, CeBP enables workflows to beeven further improved by intelligentlymerging business applications and therelated communication functions.

With their OpenScape suite of UnifiedCommunications software, our SENcolleagues have developed CeBPintegrations with various businessprocesses to deliver one single offeringto Enterprise customers.

“This solution is already available andwill deliver tangible benefits tocustomers, including the ability toacquire new customers, retain and growexisting customers, reduce operationaland processing costs, leverage assets andimprove management effectiveness aswell as business process efficiency,” saysFred.

He concludes, “With the introduction ofOpenScape and CeBP, we have reached asignificant milestone in our transition

from a traditional VoIP manufacturer to atop global software and servicescompany focused on a new era in theenterprise communications market. Tocommunicate fast, efficient and flexiblewhilst being busy with a businessprocess, will enable any business toachieve their objectives better andfaster”.

Our colleagues from the Healthcare Sectorrecently volunteered their time to build agarden at the Johannesburg GeneralHospital. Forming part of our employeevolunteerism programme, the objective ofthe garden was to create a haven for thepatients and employees from the nuclearmedicine department at the hospital.

The Healthcare employees spent thewhole day converting a small area on thehospital premises into a gardencomprising of potted plants, steppingstones, tables and chairs, umbrellas and acentral water feature. This employeevolunteerism initiative forms part of our

Siemens Caring Hands programme, whereour employees work together to contributetowards social upliftment.

“With patients having to undergo suchintense treatment, we are hoping thesmall garden will make a difference byhelping make the time the patients spendat the hospital as pleasant andcomfortable as possible”, says GrahamMaritz, CEO of our Healthcare Sector.

Gardening is anotherHealthcare pastime

Above: The Healthcare team in the completed garden.Below: Healthcare Sector CEO, Graham Maritz (left), hard at work.

Jose Machado,Corporate [email protected]

Carrie Kritzinger, [email protected]


13Amongst


Interest in the annual Siemens CyberJunkyard competition, now in its sixth year,continues to grow among universities aswell as companies and enterprises in theprivate and public sectors, not only due tothe financial and practical support providedfor engineering faculties at institutionsacross sub-Saharan Africa but also becausethe practical skills acquired by participatingstudents make it a fertile recruitmentground for companies looking to employthe cream of the crop as the engineers oftomorrow.

Devendree Karuppanan, Cyber JunkyardProject Manager at our Industry SectorIndustry Automation (IA) and DriveTechnologies (DT) divisions, says theprestige of the competition coupled withthe considerable financial and logisticalsupport available to entrants has made thecompetition the premier one of its kind inthe country, with even greater enthusiasmgenerated year after year.

“To ensure and maintain the high level ofparticipants in the Cyber Junkyardcompetition the total number of institutionsallocated a place in the final has beenrestricted to just ten institutions despite thehigh number of entries received - sevenfrom South Africa and one each fromZambia, Botswana and Namibia,” she says.

The ten finalists that will be exhibiting theirprojects at the annual Siemens TIA UserForum at the end of October. The finalistsinclude last year’s joint winner, theUniversity of Johannesburg, as well as theUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, North WestUniversity, the Cape Peninsula University ofTechnology, Bloemfontein’s CentralUniversity of Technology, TshwaneUniversity of Technology, the DurbanUniversity of Technology, the University ofBotswana, Zambia’s Copperbelt Universityand the Namibian Institute of Mining andTechnology.

The applicants were invited to respond to atender that outlined the 2008 project andasked to submit their proposal to a projectspecification that details the project brief,design considerations, project outcomesand research into the concepts involved.The quality of theses tender responsesdetermined the final participants from anacademic point of view.

Devendree says that the sheer volume ofexpressions of interest from tertiaryinstitutions from across the continentforced Siemens to implement a morestringent adjudication process in selectingparticipating teams, a process that was notnecessarily easier as the quality of thetenders submitted was of an exceptionallyhigh standard.

“The newer participants especially put in alot of effort as the tender questions wereaimed at encouraging the students to do abit of research,” she says. “While on the onehand, the project requires an understandingof the methodologies involved, somequestions pre-empt this, and students wereasked to investigate the nature andapplication of automation equipment likeHMI (Human Machine Interface) and PLC(Programmable Logic Controllers). Theresponses we received were thus anaccurate reflection of the amount of effortput into the tender response.”

Building on the 2007 Cyber Junkyardproject that had an automation slant,

Business manager: Training at IA and DT,Des Burrows says this year’s project hasseveral added factors that make it evenmore challenging with increased room forcreativity and innovation.

“With all project equipment to a value ofapproximately R150,000 supplied bySiemens and Festo – which theparticipating institutions get to keep, thisyear’s project will see the teams designingand building a hot and cold beveragemanufacturing machine that incorporatesadditional and complex elements such asthe HMI, wireless communication,visualisation, system status monitoring andPLC programming,” says Des.

According to Devendree, judging criteria forthe beverage machine product includesemploying all the equipment provided bySiemens and Festo; single and batch orderentry and delivery; the quality of the endproduct, its consistency and order accuracy;the speed of delivery; hygiene; and safety.

“Over and above these basic deliverables,innovation and creativity will featurestrongly because although we have given aproposed solution, we have not stipulated apredefined design,” she says.

“While the project itself may be seen asrelatively simple, there are a number ofways to implement the same thing, and it’s

here that a whole host of innovative ideascan make all the difference.” Winningtenders will be adjudicated on 28 Octoberduring the annual Siemens TIA User Forumat the Birchwood Conference Centre inJohannesburg and announced at theevent’s gala dinner.

“In spite of changes made to thecompetition over the years and havingadopted different ways of doing things, wehave a recipe for success and its working,”says Des. “As proof of this, companies andSystem Integrators who look to employpeople have contacted us for CVs,recognising that the students who take partin the Cyber Junkyard projects are likely tobe best of breed, with their participationviewed as a major credit for futureemployment.”

Competition heats up for the top spotin the 2008 Siemens Cyber Junkyard


14 Amongst

To get involved in our employee volunteerism programme, please contact:Emily Molefe, Corporate Social Responbility,Tel. 011 652 2900 email: [email protected]

Youthspace boys enjoy the fair


Our former Automation andDrives (A&D), IndustrialSolutions and Services (I&S),Transportation Systems (TS) andSiemens Building Technologies(SBT) business units have nowbeen consolidated into a newlycreated Industry Sector as partof our company’s globalorganisational optimisations.

Stuart Clarkson, Industry Sector CEO forSouthern Africa, says by consolidatingthese business activities under one roof,the Sector will offer major synergies inhardware and software platforms as wellfresh opportunities for sales andmarketing.

“With our leading position in attractivemarkets, convincing value proposition forour customers and clear positioningwithin the competitive landscape, theestablishment of the Industry Sectorprovides a new platform for even higherperformance,” he says. “With our use ofbest-in-class technologies, portfoliooptimisation, cost synergies and access toa strong pool of talent and expertise, weare now in a position to approach ourcustomers with various product offeringsin a single visit, and exploit an overlap inthe market that can be translated intoproactive opportunities.”

The former A&D unit has now been splitinto two divisions under the IndustrySector banner, namely IndustryAutomation and Drive Technologies. TheIndustry Automation division whichincludes Industrial Automation Systems,Low-Voltage Controls and Distribution,Siemens PLM Software, Sensors andCommunication, and SystemsEngineering will continue to be led byDan Moodley, who also takesresponsibility for the Drive Technologiesdivision comprising of ElectronicsAssembly Systems, Large Drives, MotionControl Systems, Mechanical andStandard Drives.

Industry Automation offerings extendfrom standard products to systemsolutions for energy and automationtechnologies used in manufacturing andprocess industries. As the leadingprovider of industry software, the divisionoptimises entire value-added chains ofmanufacturing companies – from productdesign and development, to production,sales and service. The division also offerssolutions for electronics manufacturing aswell as complete systems, includingstandard and large drives applicationsacross the entire drive train. Thesesolutions, comprised of numerical controlsystems, converters, motors and drives,are tailored to respective applications.Says Dan, “As divisions are no longerworking in isolation, there will be a focuson better integration. We are now in aposition to approach our customers withvarious product offerings in a single visit”.

Building Technologies, previously SBT,encompassing Security Solutions, FireSafety and Security Products andElectrical Installation Technology will stillbe headed by Chris Steedman. TheBuilding Technologies division bundles

our offerings for building security,automation and operations, both asservice provider as well as amanufacturer of products and systems,with products ranging from heating andventilation systems to security and firesafety systems. “Our focus is on serviceand maintenance within our niche marketas well as to extract and maximise theopportunities that exist through synergiesbetween the various business units anddivisions,” says Chris.

Stuart Clarkson, in addition to his role asIndustry Sector CEO, will remain the headof our Industry Solutions division,formerly the I&S unit, which includesMetals and Industrial Technologies.Industry Solutions is the systems andsolutions integrator for plant business,and covers everything from planning andconstruction, to operation andmaintenance over a plant’s entire life-cycle. The division has the process know-how for increasing the productivity andcompetitiveness of enterprises in variousindustries, and meets the need forenvironmentally compatible solutionswith its water processing and rawmaterial processing systems. “Thepotential for Industrial Solutions islimitless, with cross industry integration,enormous potential in metals and a majorfocus on the Marine division,” explainsStuart.

Kevin Pillay will continue to lead ourMobility division, formerly TransportationSystems, which includes Rolling Stock,Infrastructure Networks, TurnkeySystems, Infrastructure Logistics andTraffic Solutions. With its CompleteMobility approach, the division aims tonetwork various transportation systemswith one another to move people andgoods efficiently. Complete Mobilitycombines competencies in operatingsystems for rail and road traffic withsolutions for airport logistics, postalautomation and rail electrification, aswell as rail vehicles for mass transit,regional and long-distancetransportation. Says Kevin, “Withupgrading identified as a key growtharea, mobility – with its products,innovations and services designed tomove people and goods is a focus for thefuture”.

With around 209,000 employeescurrently working in the new SiemensIndustry sector around the globe, thebusinesses generated revenues of roughly€40 billion in fiscal 2007. Siemensanticipates that the Sector’s targetmarkets will show five percent annualgrowth and reach a volume of nearly€500 billion by 2010.

“The new Sector structure contributes toa sustainable business model with highermarket share and profitable growth,especially given prevailing economictrends such as resource scarcity,environmental care, increasing energydemand, demands for productivityimprovement, as well as urbanisation andmobility growth,” Stuart concludes.

Industry sector isset to capitalise onprevailing trends

Pete Graham from our IT Solutions and Service division and his wife, Liz, took the boysfrom our Mayfair Youthspace home to Gold Reef City during the recent school holidays.The pictures show two of the Youthspace boys, Ntobeko (above) and Michael (below)enjoying a ride at Gold Reef City.

The Industry Sector management team, top row from left: Chris Steedman, DivisionalManaging Director, Building Technologies; Andy Sennwitz, Divisional Financial Director,Building Technologies; Dan Moodley, Divisional Managing Director, Industry Automation andDrive Technologies; Johann Vermaak, Divisional Financial Director, Industry Automation andDrive Technologies; Clifford Klaas, Divisional Financial Director, Mobility. Front row from left:Kevin Pillay, Divisional Managing Director, Mobility; Roger Klintworth, Sector ClusterController, Industry Sector; and Stuart Clarkson, CEO, Industry Sector.


RoundaboutAmongstUs

A roundup of sport, healthy living and entertainment


Our Siemens Running Club entered the Discovery/702 Walk the Talk earlier this with 120 runners from our various business areas, including five boys from our Youthspace House in Mayfair. SportingSiemens branded t-shirts and caps, our team joined more than 40,000 people who took to the streets of Johannesburg to complete the specified 5, 8, 15 and 21 km routes - all in the name of charity.All the Siemens runners completed their walk and received medals for their participation. Our picture shows several of the Siemens runners who participated in the Discovery/702 Walk the Talk.

Employees take to the road for charity

A golfinggood timeOur colleagues from the IndustrySector Industry Automation (IA)and Drive Technologies (DT)divisions recently participatedwith eight four balls in the SouthAfrican Institute of Measurementand Control (SAIMC) Golf Day atthe Kempton Park Golf Club.

In addition, our IA and DTcolleagues hosted a refreshmentshospitality area at the 18th tee.

On the left: The IA & DT golf team, fromleft: Ryan Chetty, Adriaan Stander,Julian Meyers, Sean Frost and FanieFerreira.


16 AmongstUs Roundabout

Lets meet...

AmongstUs speaks to Lehodi to find out what motivateshim and keeps him focused in his work and personal life.

Lehodi SeokaConcept and Design Engineer at our Industry Sector Mobility Division

Lehodi Seoka has worked on severalIndustry Logistics projects forcustomers such as MTN, ACSA and IHD,and currently he is engineering asolution for a large automation projectfor Standard Bank. In addition Lehodihas recently graduated from theSiemens Management ExcellenceProgramme (SMEP). AmongstUschatted to this talented and very busyman to establish how he keeps hisdrive and focus, and how he maintainsa good balance in this life.

Your career history?

I actually started out in IT and workedat a small IT consulting firm as atechnician before deciding to get anEngineering degree. Once I hadcompleted my engineering studies Ijoined the Siemens family. At SiemensI’ve been involved in Supply ChainConsulting from mines in Botswana toour own warehouse at ACSA Park. Iworked on the design of the MTNdistribution system which wasimplemented beautifully by the teamand I’ve been involved in tendering fora number of airport projects includingCape Town International, OR TamboInternational, and MaputoInternational. Currently we’re workingwith Standard Bank on a largeautomation project. It presents anumber of challenges in terms ofcoordinating with a large team ofconsulting engineers, and isparticularly exciting as it bridgesbusiness process optimisation withoperational efficiency throughautomation.

Your qualifications and where didyou study?

I started out with an A+ and an MCSEand on realising the inherentlimitations in these qualifications; Ienrolled at the University of Cape Townfor the then new programme inMechatronics, a blend of electrical andmechanical engineering. I was luckyenough to also spend some time at theUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison - oneof the top 10 engineering schools inAmerica. That experience showed methat South Africans are up there withthe best in the world.

Where were you born and bred?

I was born in Pietermaritzburg andlived in Soweto until my family movedto Chicago, USA when I was five yearsof age. We returned to South Africasome six years later, just after Madibawas released. Since then we’ve lived inRoodepoort, Johannesburg, Pretoria,Cape Town (where I attendedUniversity), and now Centurion. So I’vemoved around a bit.

How do you spend a typical workday?

There is no such thing as a typicalworkday, and that’s why I love my job. Icould spend all day in the office staringat a CAD drawing or cost calculation, Icould be out presenting to clients andpotential clients, or I could be in thefield supervising a construction site.Our group undertakes a multitude oftasks as we embrace a multi-skilledapproach to extract the most out of ourlimited resources. It makes for aninteresting job as one never knowswhat the day has in store.

What has been a highlight inyour career to date?

My highlight to date is definitelysigning the contract to go ahead withthe Standard Bank project. The teamhad put together almost two years ofconsulting, analysis and design work.Since the initial concept, the ideamaterialised after four years ofconsultation. It was a very fulfillingachievement.

What attribute do you think isthe most important in theworkplace?

Teamwork - no man or woman is anisland, and the more viewpoints youhave, constructively combined, thesounder the outcome of one’sconsiderations.

What interests or hobbies do youhave outside of work?

I watch a lot of television, mostly theDiscovery, History and NationalGeographic channels on DSTV. I also

seldom miss “the big game”. Ioccasionally dust off my mountain bikeand my golf clubs. I try to always bereading something, and sometimestake time to strum a few chords on myguitar.

How do you manage to maintaina balance between your workand home life?

I adhere to the rule that when I am athome, I’m at home. I try to geteverything done at the office, andrealise that at times it’ll have to wait.

I also make sure that I see my friendsand family regularly, and that my petsknow who I am.

Your favourite saying or motto?

“Don’t panic” as explored by DouglasAdams, author of the “HitchhikersGuide to the Galaxy” series.

Any good advice for peoplewanting to achieve success intheir chosen careers?

Having a sound educationalbackground and embracing life-longlearning is, in my view, the single mostimportant factor. However, there is nosubstitute for hard work andperseverance; but hard work does notnecessarily mean results. The best wayto consistently produce good results isto put a great deal of effort intoworking well with others. It isimportant to be mindful of the role ofthe team in all individual success, andvisa versa.

Did you know …On average a hiccup lasts five minutes

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 50cmtongue

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food fromfreezing

The can opener was invented 48 years aftercans were introduced

There are more than seven millionmillionaires in the world

Today there are almost a billion TV sets inthe world of which China has the most, 200million TV sets

The oldest person on record is Methuselah,who reached 969 years of age

Air becomes liquid at about minus 190degrees Celsius

Since 1495, no 25-year period has beenwithout war

The opposite sides of a dice cube alwaysadd up to seven

Water heating:

It is likely that a home’s single largestelectricity expense is water heating.This typically accounts for about 30%to 40% of the electricity account.

By taking a shower instead of a bathyou can save hot water. Do not set thegeyser thermostat too high. A settingof 50-60ºC is recommended.

In the garden:

For houses with swimming pools, theswimming pool filter pump is likely to beamongst the largest consumers ofelectricity, possibly accounting for 20% ofthe home’s electricity consumption:

Reducing the swimming pool filter pumpoperating time can save significantamounts of electricity. The pool pumpoperating time can be reduced by

resetting the pump control clock toactivate the pump for only those necessaryfor keeping the pool clean. Covering yourpool when it is not in use will reduce waterloss. A cover will also ensure that the poolwill not need to be cleaned as frequently.In addition, the pool pump can beoperated less often e.g. 10% of the time.

The pool’s filter should be cleaned asrecommended by the manufacturer toobtain maximum efficiency.

AmongstUs triviacompetition winner

Kobus van Wyngaardt from our Pinetownbranch is the winner of the “Are you aSiemens history buff?” trivia competitionfeatured in the previous edition ofAmongstUs. Kobus wins movie vouchers fromSter-Kinekor valued at R1,500.

The answers to the trivia competition were:

Q: In what year was Siemens founded inGermany?

A: 1847

Q: What was Siemens’ first innovation?A: Pointer telegraph

Q: Who was the founder of Siemens? A: Werner von Siemens

Q: Siemens has had business dealings inSouth Africa since what year?

A: 1860

Q: Who was our current global CEO andPresident, Peter Löscher’s predecessor?

A: Klaus Kleinfeld

Q: What are the Siemens values? A: Responsible, Excellent and Innovative

Q: Which companies are Siemens Ltd’s BEEpartners?

A: Africom and Sekunjalo

Q: What is our local flagship CorporateSocial Responsibility project?

A: Youthspace

Q: Which one of the following companies isnot regarded as a Siemens affiliatedcompany?

A: Deutsche Telekom

Q: Who is the new Chairperson of theSiemens Ltd. Board?

A: Dr. Siegfried Russwurm

Congratulations to Kobus and thank you toeveryone who entered the competition.

Tips for saving energyBelow are a few tips from Eskom on how to conserve energy in the average residential household:


17AmongstUs Roundabout

Winning the R250 Woolworthsgift card, Dietrich Bock from ourIndustry Automation / DriveTechnologies division atSiemens Park sent in thewinning photograph for thisedition’s “send us yourinteresting picture” challenge. Ina gesture of goodwill, Dietrichdonated the voucher to the boysat our Youthspace house inMayfair.

If you have visited any unique orinteresting places recently, sendus your photograph with yourcontact details and a briefdescription of where the photowas taken, and you too couldstand in line to win aWoolworths gift card valued atR250.

Send your entries [email protected] should preferablybe in high-resolution and youmust be pictured in thephotograph frame.

Our photo:The sky is the limit! Dietrich is

photographed here with

colleagues Nadine Hossfeld and

Carolin Schmidtlein before their

first tandem jump at the Pretoria

Skydiving Club.

Famous quotes “… one benefits a great deal by meetingpeople from different walks of life andthat conversations with people fromsuch differing environments tend towiden one’s general knowledge. ” ~ Nelson Mandela

“Ya gots to work with what ya gots towork with.” ~ Stevie Wonder

Sudoku for life Improve your mathematical and logical skills by completing our Sudoku puzzles. For tips on how to complete a Sudokupuzzle visit the AmongstUs Intranet portal which can be accessed via the Corporate Communications landing page.

“Life is a series of collisions with the future;it is not the sum of what we have been, butwhat we yearn to be. “~ Jose Ortega y Gasset

“Success consists of going from failure tofailure without loss of enthusiasm. “~ Winston Churchill

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allowyourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’sdefinition of your life; define yourself. “~ Harvey Fierstein

“You can turn painful situations aroundthrough laughter. If you can find humourin anything, even poverty, you cansurvive it.”~ Bill Cosby

“The first rule of any technology used ina business is that automation applied toan efficient operation will magnify theefficiency. The second is that automationapplied to an inefficient operation willmagnify the inefficiency. “~ Bill Gates

“The taxpayer - that’s someone whoworks for the federal governmentbut doesn’t have to take the civilservice examination.”~ Ronald Reagan

“Work is a necessity for man. Maninvented the alarm clock. “~ Pablo Picasso

“To err is human - and to blame it ona computer is even more so.”~ Robert Orben

Send us your interesting picture


Long ServiceAnniversaries

10 years

October

Garth Denton

Sven Heinichen

Sithembiso Mahlakoe

Angie Swartz

Guy Vergoes-Houwens

November

Ottelie Fourie

Shirin Mahomed

Muhammad Patel

December

Ebrahima Stemmet

20 years

October

Fanie Coetzee

Suneeta Patel

November

Alastair Duncan

Alan Nair

Michael Navarria

Chris Waddicor

December

Jose Barbosa

25 years

September

Thami Madliwa

October

Josef Fuchs

November

Barry Hughes

18 AmongstUs Roundabout

Solve the AmongstUs word puzzle anddecode the hidden phrase in the verticalred blocks to win a Weber 57cm OneTouch Silver Kettle Braai. This kettle braaifeatures a porcelain enamelled bowl andlid, triple nickel plated food friendlycooking grate, glass reinforced nylonhandles and an aluminised steel one touchcleaning system, as well as crackproof all-weather wheels and a 10 year limitedwarranty.

How to enter:

• E-mail the decoded phrase [email protected].

• Enter online via the AmongstUs Intranetportal which can be accessed via theCorporate Communications homepage.

• Fax answers to 011 541 5462.• Send answers via internal mail to

AmongstUs, Corporate Communications,Siemens Park Midrand

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition is open to all Siemensemployees except members of theAmongstUs Editorial Committee.

• Only one entry per person will beaccepted.

• Closing date for competition entries is10 November 2008.

Clues across:

1 The surname of our Chairperson of theSiemens Limited Board

2 The new “lifestyle accessory” hearingdevice from Siemens Hearing Solutions

3 Our former Power BU is now known aswhat Sector?

4 She was recently awarded theChancellor’s Medal (surname only)

5 The Medical Solutions BU is now whatSector?

6 Drive Technologies is a division in thisSector

7 What ranking did Siemens achieve in theCRF “Best Employers” survey?

8 Our Mobility division has an assemblyfacility in this location

9 The destination of our Sales Award 2008incentive programme

10 The acronym of the developmentscheme which replaced the SiemensManagement Development Programme(SMDP)

11 We sponsored this non-profitorganisation that celebrates women inengineering

12 Procurement’s new web based purchaserequisition system

13 What American Group has acquired amajority stake in Siemens EnterpriseCommunications?

14 The DOT-it is a product of this Siemensassociate company.

The hidden phrase is:

Name:

Division:

Location:

Personnel Number:

Tel.:

E-Mail:

Decipher the hidden phraseand win a Weber One TouchSilver Kettle Braai


19Amongst

Siemens Hearing Solutions,Tel. 08 00 085 258www.siemens-hearing.co.za

Chris du Preez, [email protected]

Our colleagues from SREM recentlycompleted the renovation of the receptionarea as well as the K1 floor at our headoffice, Siemens Park. The features in theupgraded reception area boast improvedlighting, the addition of plasma screens, anew reception desk and display area, withnew furniture to follow in the visitor seatingarea, as well as renovated ablutions whichnow include shower facilities for visitorsarriving on international flights. A lockablearea for storing luggage has also beenadded. In addition, our Auditorium has beenrevamped with modern décor and the

A modern update for Siemens Parkinstallation of a brand new high-tech audiovisual system. On the K1 floor, the additionof an executive boardroom, replacement ofceilings, and upgraded lighting, carpetingand ablutions now complete the new lookand feel at Siemens Park. Says Chris du Preez,Project Manager at SREM, “Despite severalcomplications experienced during theproject, we were able to implement bettersolutions than originally planned, and mostimportantly complete the project on time”.With the reception and K1 areas completed,our SREM colleagues will now be focusingtheir attention on re-designing our canteen

facility to include a coffee shop, conveniencestore, meeting areas, a function room and anew food court. All these areas will bedecorated with up-market finishes as well asthe installation of plasma screens to ensurethe canteen is used for more than just eatingmeals. Says Chris, “We have recentlyconcluded the planning of the canteen’slayout and the tenders for new equipmenthave been placed. The tenders on thebuilding works will follow shortly too”. Hecontinues, “The food menus and services willalso be improved to ensure a betterexperience in our canteen”.

The next project to run parallel with thecanteen renovation is the development ofa gym that will include two separatefacilities for males and females withrespective change rooms. These gyms willbe equipped with quality equipment thatcan be used by everybody from thebeginner to the serious gym fanatic. Thecanteen renovation and the gym are envisaged to be completed the firstquarter of 2009.

Our pictures show the visitor seating area and entrance in therenovated reception area at Siemens Park. New furniture is stillto follow and all finishing touches will be concluded shortly.

Hearing aids have never been a productthat people like to wear. This is now setto change consciously because the new“Vibe” from Siemens Hearing Solutionsnot only looks different than anythingelse on the hearing device market to datebut is also worn differently. Not hiddenbehind the ear or inside the ear canal aspreviously, but – like what you might calla lifestyle accessory – clearly visibly onthe outer ear.

What makes the “Vibe” special is that itcomes as standard with 19 differenthousings that wearers can changethemselves in a matter of seconds. Thismakes it easy to keep changing the lookof the hearing device to match the moodor activity of each day - whether in thediscreet skin tone, in a range of shades ofred to match lipstick, fashionably in thecolour of outer clothing or silver to matchjewellery.

The “Vibe” housings come in twodifferent shades of white, in black, silver,light blue, dark blue, red, green, yellow,orange, burgundy, pearl white, brown,beige, light pink, pink, leopard look, pinkpaisley and white-and-black check like achequered flag. Further interchangeablehousings are being planned inforthcoming months.

In the past, hearing devices have oftenbeen considered a stigma. But the markethas changed. Firstly, modern technologymakes smaller devices and new shapes

Global design innovation:A hearing instrumentas a lifestyle accessory

possible. Secondly, the target group isalso changing. Increasingly youngerpeople are experiencing hearingproblems, and the so-called “activeelderly” are demanding more in terms ofappearance and technology.

Siemens Hearing Solutions fulfils all theserequirements with its new “Vibe”, the firsthearing aid that does not look like atraditional hearing aid. The newpositioning, right on the outer ear, alsomakes complete sense from an acousticperspective because this allows optimumuse to be made of the natural shape ofthe ear, with its recesses andprominences.

The “Vibe” receives sound via itsintegrated microphone precisely wherenature intended, then amplifies it andconducts it directly into the ear canal viaan almost invisible tube. The ear canalremains open and there is nothing tocollide behind the ear, such as withspectacle arms.

State-of-the-art when it comes totechnology, the new “Vibe” has all thefeatures that provide a pleasant hearingexperience and brilliant sound quality. Itis suitable for mild to moderate hearingloss and is available from hearinghealthcare professionals throughoutSouth Africa.

Why hide your Vibe?

Answers for life.

Siemens Vibe™. It’s all about self-expression.

It’s the first hearing instrument that fits every wearer’s personality – and ear – in

a radical new way. With an expanding selection of snap-on colours and patterns,

your customers can change their Vibe just as fast as their mood. And, with its

revolutionary in-the-crest fit, it goes where no hearing instrument has gone

before. Easy to fit, easy to wear. Siemens Vibe. It’s time to live out loud.

www.siemens-hearing.co.za Tel: 0800 085 258


20 Amongst

Our colleagues from Export Control andCustoms (ECC) have developed a trainingworkshop for new employees, divisions,subsidiaries and key strategic partners in thesupply chain process in order to ensurefamiliarity with the Siemens Internal ControlProgramme or ICP.

The subjects covered include the demands ofnational and international law, theimportance of compliance to these laws,checks and advanced verifications of endusers within the supply chain process as wellas the web based system available (Damex)and the current IT platform (SAP Spiridon). Inaddition, the workshop outlines the supportECC offers in contract drafting andmonitoring.

Apart from the various training conducted byECC across all Siemens divisions, thisworkshop was recently conducted for the firsttime with Industry Automation (IA)employees based at our office in Isando. Thefacilitator, Gershon Monk from ECC coveredtopics relevant to the entire sales process,from receiving the enquiry to the delivery ofthe final product, with the objective of

educating and equipping participants in termsof the importance of foreign trade complianceas prescribed by our Siemens Managing Boardin Germany.

Among the comments heard afterwardsincluded “we now understand the vital role ofcomplying with the Internal ControlProgramme”, “this will assist us in our dailytasks”, “other employees such as engineersshould also get this training” and “we willneed to remain updated with refreshercourses in policy changes and newregulations to remain effective”.

Furthermore, our colleagues from ECCrecently hosted Konrad Grundner from theExport Control division in Germany. At aworkshop, Mr Grundner informed membersof our Executive and Senior Managementteam of the latest developments and requiredstandards in ECC compliance to furtherdevelop Siemens locally as the lead country inthe Southern Africa Cluster.

Attendees at the ECC workshop held at our Isando office, from left: Brian Theunissen; MoosaKola; Alan Law; Mpho Nduvhen; Isang Moshoeshoe; Bushie Zwane; Gershon Monk, ECC; GavinMandelbum; Sudeshnie Govender and Johan Steyn.


Rahma Khan, CIO, [email protected]

Following a tender issued by the NationalHealth Laboratory Services (NHLS) at theJohannesburg General Hospital, ourHealthcare Diagnostics colleagues wereshort listed and ultimately awarded thecontract to supply the ADVIA LabCell, acustomised, flexible laboratory automationsystem that combines a comprehensivemenu of high-throughput, high-volumeanalytical engines with automatedspecimen processing transport, integratedutilities and communications, as well asintelligent specimen routing and retrievalprocesses. The LabCell is one of the SMSDautomation solutions that include WorkCell,Streamlab and VersaCell.

“Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics was foundto be the best Total Laboratory Automationsolution by linking Clinical Chemistry,Immunology, Haematology andHaemostasis to a single track system,” saysChristoff Anderson, Automation ProjectManager at our Healthcare Diagnosticsdivision.

The ADVIA LabCell will have anapproximately 22 metre track consisting oftwo Centrifuges, two Decappers, twoSample Managers, two ADVIA 1800s’, two

ADVIA Centaur XPs, two ADVIA 2120i, oneImmulite 2500, two CA 7000s, and one PVTRSA Pro third-party pre-analytic module.

“The ADVIA LabCell provides the NHLSlaboratory with a customised laboratoryautomation solution that delivers increasedproductivity with extensive capacity,” addsChristoff. “It is designed to improve qualityof service, providing consistent turn-aroundtime and high throughput while, at thesame time, optimising personnel utilisationand improving the work environment.”

Started in June 1999, the transformationprocess of the NHLS aimed to unite thefragmented public health laboratoryservices, avoiding duplication of servicesresulting in wastage and cost-inefficiencyand, most importantly, create a world-classhealth laboratory service accessible to allSouth Africans in all corners of the country.

The main players of the NHLS had proventrack records not only nationally, but werehighly renowned in the internationalhealthcare field. NHLS was formed byamalgamating the South African Institutefor Medical Research, the National Institutefor Virology, the National Centre for

Occupational Health, and laboratories fromthe provincial Departments of Health.

“University Pathology Laboratories have alsofilled a crucial role, of which theJohannesburg General Hospital is thelargest and also seen as the reference inlaboratory testing in government” saysChristoff. “The pathology departments andlaboratories of the medical schools of theuniversities of the Witwatersrand, Pretoria,Cape Town, Limpopo, Stellenbosch, FreeState, Walter Sisulu and KwaZulu-Natal areinvolved in teaching, research, training andthe provision of diagnostic services to thehospitals in which they teach theirstudents.”

The NHLS’ teaching programme includesthe training of medical technologists inassociation with the universities oftechnology or technikons. Universityteaching at both undergraduate andpostgraduate level is done through thepathology departments of universitymedical schools. Courses are provided inanatomical pathology, haematology,microbiology, infectious diseases,immunology, human genetics, chemicalpathology, epidemiology, tropical diseases,

molecular biology, medical entomology andhuman nutrition. In assisting the NHLS toenhance and maintain their reputation forexcellence, our Healthcare Diagnosticsdivision is proud to be able to offer a broadportfolio of performance-driven solutionsthat provide more effective ways to assist inthe diagnosis, monitoring andmanagement of disease. Says Christoff,“Our products and services bring togetherthe right balance of science technology andpracticality across the healthcare spectrumto empower medical professionals byproviding the essential informationnecessary to deliver more personalised careto patients across the country.”

Through the combination of Dade Behring,Bayer Diagnostics and Diagnostic ProductsCorporation, our Healthcare Diagnosticsdivision now offers the world’s broadestportfolio of products and services designedto assist laboratory clinicians efficiently,deliver patient test results for diagnosingmedical conditions, monitoring therapy andproviding quality patient care.

Providing total laboratory automation solution to NHLS

On top of the latestforeign trade regulations

Gershon Monk,Export Control and [email protected]

Our Corporate Information Office (CIO)colleagues recently participated in a teambuilding event for the first time with theirnew Head of the Department, LeopoldTreml. Divided into three teams, the CIOgroups competed against each other on a

CIO prove theirsurvivor skills

Our CIO colleagues at their teambuilding event, back row from left: Joan Baumann; Elaine Muller; LungeloMhlongo; Khanyisa Masemola; Craig Palmer; Shaun Pete; Andre van Jaarsveldt; Leopold Treml, Head of CIO;Marius van Niekerk; Jonas Khoele; Shanelle Minnaar; Nico Swanepoel; Rithaygono Hammond and Jeff Goutier.Front row from left: Gregory Nolte and Wouter Krugel. The CIO team, the “Pink Pirates”, won the “Survivor Challenge”.

“Survivor Challenge” which consisted ofvarious fun activities that tested ourcolleagues both mentally and physically.The champions of the day were the CIO“Pink Pirates” team who walked away withthe “Survivor Challenge” award.


21Amongst

The advent of the Internet hasrevolutionised the way the financialservices industry conducts business byempowering organisations with newbusiness models and new ways to offerfull-time accessibility to their customers.

To discover how the challenges facing thisfast growing mobile and wireless marketcan be overcome, our colleagues fromSiemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS)hosted 70 IT decision makers from variousfinancial institutions in South Africa at aBMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T) AnalystBriefing session held at our head office,Siemens Park.

Principal Banking Analyst from BMI-T,Althea Bacchialoni, was among thespeakers who explained the value-addedrole that mobile banking plays in ourcountry. She further provided examples ofthe benefits of mobile banking such asaccessibility of information anytime andanywhere. Unfortunately, the currentstatus of mobile banking in South Africa isrepresented by 65% of South Africancitizens who prefer to use other deliverychannels like branch and ATM banking dueto security fears which result in mostcustomers being comfortable with theircurrent means of banking.

The second speaker of the day, DaveWoolnough from Adcheck, gave anoverview of mobile sales force support andmanagement tools. He illustrated howthese tools assist sales teams at all levelsto improve relationships with theircustomers - in real time - both on the roadand in the office.

Our hosts from SIS presented to theaudience how our company is able toaddress the challenge of persuadingbanking customers to use online bankingservices. According to SIS FinancialServices Sector Head, Dirkie Coetzee, theanswer is the “InternetPassport”.

When handling credit transfers, the banksends encrypted information to theInternet user’s screen in the form ofrapidly alternating black and white fieldsknown as flicker code. The customer readsand decrypts this data using a credit card-sized ID card, which functions as thecounterpart to the code, with opticalsensors and a fingerprint identifying the

owner. All that bank customers now needfor secure online transactions is this“internet ID card” or “InternetPassport”containing their fingerprint. The ID cardcomprises four components: a strip sensorfor scanning the fingerprint; a chip withcryptographic codes for decrypting the

Lindiwe [email protected]

Basetsana [email protected]

The SIS team enjoy a bit of socialising after their staff communications session, front from left:Zunaid Mayet, SIS CEO with Naas Liebenberg, SIS Financial Director.

SIS embracestwo-waycommunicationThe Siemens IT Solutions and Services(SIS) team recently gathered togetherfor their second staff communicationssession of the year. With presentationsfrom SIS’s CEO, Zunaid Mayet andFinancial Director, Naas Liebenberg, theSIS employees were informed of thedivision’s current status in terms offinancial targets and achieved businessgoals. The evolution of SIS’s businessstrategy to become vertically or industryfocused in line with our company’s neworganisational optimisations wasdiscussed. In addition, the floor wasopened for employees and managementto openly discuss various other businessmatters.

Secure online banking with “InternetPassport”

Guest speaker, Althea Bacchialoni, Principal Banking Analyst from BMI-T, talks to the guests at the Analyst Briefing session recently hosted by our colleagues at Siemens IT Solutions and Services.

The guests were able to network and informally discuss the challenges of online and mobile banking during the session’s breaks.

information received; optical sensors forreading the encrypted transfer data fromthe PC; and a display for the transactiondata and the associated TANA “panicfinger” feature, which alerts the institutionif the user is under duress, is alsoincorporated. The system can be deployed

without additional software on allcommonly used PCs or laptops and willprevent attacks such as phishing, man inthe middle and Trojans.


Energy Sector employees at the launch event.

Dion Govender, Energy Sector CEO, addresses employees at the Energy Sector Launch heldrecently at Vodaworld.

22 Amongst

As part of Siemens’ global realignmentof all our business units, our newlyformed Energy Sector - which consistsof the former Power Generation (PG)and Power Transmission andDistribution (PTD) business units as wellas the Oil & Gas division (formerly partof our Industrial, Solutions and Servicesbusiness unit) - has geared itself up fornew opportunities, particularly in termsof cross-selling in sales and marketingas well as synergy potential in areassuch as research and development.

Headed up in southern Africa by EnergySector CEO, Dion Govender, our EnergySector has as its primary focus thedemands of energy providers, but isalso set to meet the needs of industrialcompanies, particularly in the oil andgas industry.

Speaking to employees at the recentEnergy Sector launch held at Vodaworldin Midrand, Dion said, “The newstructure will make Siemens lesscomplex and easier to understand whileat the same time, help us to bettermeet the challenges of a globalmarketplace.

The main drivers behind therealignment include compliance issues,greater transparency, a faster decisionmaking process as well as cost factors.The realignment will allow for clearleadership, responsibility andaccountability”.

According to Dion, since the lastorganisational change in 2004, theEnergy Sector has grown by a factor often, something that has created freshchallenges in terms of resources aimedat meeting the demandingrequirements of the market.

“We identified a need to respondquickly to challenges in themarketplace, especially in South Africawhich is facing numerous challenges onthe cost-side, and the re-organisationwill enable us to meet this objective,”he says. “With a more extensive servicenetwork, the Energy Sector will be evencloser to our customers,” he adds.

Energy delivers 100% across energy conversion chainGlobally the new Energy Sector hasapproximately 73,000 employees with aposted revenue of nearly €20 billion forfiscal 2007.

“As the only energy company in theworld that participates in the entireenergy conversion chain, the prospectsfor the Energy Sector are outstanding,with South Africa positioned in the TopTen for Siemens worldwide. Since theoverall energy market is projected togrow 11 percent annually up to 2010,Siemens estimates that the total volumeof the market in 2010 will besubstantially over €300 billion”, saysDion.

The Energy Sector comprises sixdivisions - Fossil Power Generation,Renewable Energy, Oil and Gas, ServiceRotating Equipment, PowerTransmission and Power Distribution.

Offering highly efficient products andsolutions for power generation basedon fossil fuels, from individual gas andsteam turbines and generators toturnkey power plants, the Fossil PowerGeneration division also developsinstrumentation and control systems forevery type of power plant.

The Renewable Energy division bundlesSiemens’ activities in the wind energybusiness for off- and on-shore windparks as well as the activities of VoithSiemens Hydro, while the Oil & GasDivision offers our customers productsand solutions that are used for theextraction, conversion and transport ofoil and gas.

The Oil and Gas division’s portfolio alsoincludes solutions for power generationand distribution, compressors withelectrical and mechanical drives,process and automation technologies,water management and integrated ITsolutions.

Using the most advanced plantdiagnostics and systems technologies,the Service Rotating Equipment divisionprovides comprehensive services forcomplete power plants and for rotatingmachines such as gas and steamturbines, generators and compressors.The portfolio also offers systems for airpollution control, and as part of long-term maintenance contracts, thedivision also takes over the servicingand maintenance of power plants.

The Power Transmission division offersproducts and solutions in the high-voltage field such as High Voltage DirectCurrent (HVDC) transmission systems,substations, switchgear andtransformers, while the specialties ofthe Power Distribution division rangefrom solutions for the automation ofpower grids, to products like medium-voltage switchgear and components.

“The Energy Sector is solidly positionedas the largest locally establishedcompany in this sector and holdsleading market positions in all six of itsdivisions, with offerings ranging fromsolutions for the oil and gas industry toproducts and solutions for thegeneration, transmission anddistribution of electrical energy,”concludes Dion.


Marvin Benjamin, our Corporate Director forGovernment Affairs recently representedSiemens Southern Africa at the eighthmeeting of the Presidential InternationalAdvisory Council on Information Societyand Development (PIAC on ISAD). Themeeting took place at the Kapama Lodge inthe Limpopo Province and was chaired byformer President Thabo Mbeki.

Established by President Mbeki in 2001, thisCouncil includes senior representativesfrom multinationals, state-ownedenterprises and non governmentalorganisations who advise the President ondevelopments and trends in informationand communication technology (ICT).

Having also reviewed progress in areas suchas e-government, education and health themeeting expressed an appreciation for theoverall development to date while notingthat more needed to be done to increasethe use of ICTs in South Africa.

Key elements of the meeting included theannouncement that Mogotladi Mogano(Mo) had been appointed as co-ordinator of

From the Government Affairs desk …PIAC implementation. Mo will be supportedby a local CEO Forum to drive theimplementation of the advisory council’sdecisions.

Furthermore, it was agreed that more workshould be done in consultation with theDepartment of Trade and Industry toimprove the level of investment in the ICTsector, especially in rural areas whereconnectivity is required. A group will alsobe formed to advise government on itsenergy savings drive, especially in the ICTsector. Support towards realising maximumbenefit from the FIFA World Cup was alsotendered.

To ensure measurable improvement withinthe ICT sector, a scorecard will bedeveloped to track progress against setgoals.

Siemens has already commenced arelationship with Ms Mogano, the newlyappointed PIAC co-ordinator, and willparticipate in the local CEO Forum. Throughour IT Learnership Programme, we willcontinue to invest in people for our

company while promoting employabilityacross our industries. We have availedtechnology in rural areas and remaincommitted to uplifting communities thatare less privileged

From left: Marvin Benjamin, CorporateDirector Government Affairs, SiemensSouthern Africa with former DeputyPresident of the Republic of South Africa,Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.


Thembi Maseko,Siemens ITSolutions and [email protected]

23Amongst

For more than 100 years, our associatecompany, OSRAM, has been “passionateabout intelligent light”. Today OSRAM is oneof the two largest lighting manufacturers inthe world and has 48 factories in 17countries. The company’s headquarters arebased in Munich and more than 41,000people are employed throughout the world.Siemens AG is the sole shareholder in OSRAMGmbH.

The OSRAM brand has shaped the lightingindustry with a range of innovative products.The OSRAM logo is a symbol not only for lightbut also for good ideas. It stands for OSRAM’sbrand core – passion for light, solutions forlife. In a world that is changing faster thanever before OSRAM strives to be not onlysuccessful in setting standards and trends butalso to bring innovation to the market and tooffer products that genuinely add value andhave what it takes to become bestsellers.

The OSRAM brand name was registered in1906 and is one of the oldest trade namesstill recognised throughout the world. Itincorporates values such as leadership,inspiring, responsibility and pioneering.

Locally OSRAM’s history dates back to 1971when the company opened a sales office inJohannesburg. Since 1997 Midrand has beenthe home of OSRAM South Africa, but thecompany also has branches in Cape Town andDurban and agencies in PE and Bloemfontein.

Creativity and experience keep OSRAM at thecutting edge of technology. OSRAM hasintroduced many new and innovative lampsto the South African market throughout theyears. The new Halogen Energy Saving lampscatch the eye not only because of its high

Shaping the future of light

luminous intensity, excellent quality of lightand constant colour but also because it savesup to 30% energy. In addition, the lamps areavailable in a variety of shapes including thenostalgic shape of traditional light bulbs.Another bright star that has seen the lightthrough the OSRAM brand is the innovativelittle lights called DOT-its. The battery-powered lamp has become an absolute mustin South African households. In November2008 OSRAM will also be launching acompletely submersible Waterproof DOT-it.

Over the past two years OSRAM has been ona drive to give consumers direct access to itsproducts which are listed at key retailers suchas Builders Warehouse, Makro, Game andMica. The company also continued this drivethrough specialist retailers who sell domesticlighting fittings and accessories such as thenational groups Lighting Warehouse and

Zebbies. These retailers have adopted some ofOSRAM’s value added concepts such asmerchandising standards with the use ofcolour coded products, product header boardsand consumer search logic. These innovationsled to growth figures of more than 30% year-on-year and has established OSRAM as apreferred supplier in all these outlets.

OSRAM SA’s business is growing throughinvolvement in building projects andproviding professional expertise on lightingdesigns and implementation. Two recentexamples are the Bedford Centre Cubes andthe FNB Fairlands building. The Cubes areilluminated in the evening with interchanginglights that convert them into sculptures andfocal points. The new Fairlands home for FNBHomeloans and Wesbank also boasts state ofthe art technology from OSRAM. The buildingfeatures a unique energy saving lighting

The Bedford Centre Cubes are about 3 metreshigh, 3 metres wide and 3 metres long, andweigh around 15 tons each.

The OSRAM “Learn and Earn” tradetraining programme introduceselectricians, end-users and electricalwholesalers to new innovativeproducts from OSRAM and has beenwelcomed in the industry.

Our colleagues at Siemens IT Solutionsand Services (SIS) have assisted in thesuccessful completion of a project toinstall Environmental Racks to host thenetwork infrastructure facilities within theDepartment of Labour’s (DoL’s) officescountrywide.

Treasury regulations require that adepartment implement proper safeguardsto protect its assets. As information is avital asset, it was imperative for the DoL toensure that the various facilities or serverrooms in which its IT equipment washoused met the minimum requirements asset by NIA and SITA. Based on the NIAprerequisites and specifications for serverroom environments, the DoLcommissioned SITA to evaluate every oneof its offices to determine the plan ofaction for the successful implementationof the objective. Subsequently, our

DoL’s server roomstransformed

colleagues from SIS assisted the chosencontractors to upgrade the server rooms inline with international standards. Theproject commenced in 2007 and inSeptember this year the project was

concluded with 97 Environmental Racksinstalled at almost 60 DoL sites.

One of the Environmental Racks installed within all of the Department of Labour’s serverrooms throughout the country.

system that includes sensors that provideinformation on human presence, motion andambient light levels.

Building up to the all important 2010 SoccerWorld cup, OSRAM and various partners havereceived the contracts for five of the tenstadiums already awarded. The company isproud to be involved in the illumination of theJohannesburg Soccer City Inner Precinct. Theproject consists of all inner roads, parkingareas and embraces all public areas like themedia centre and hotel. OSRAM lamps andelectronic control gear will be installed inthese areas.

Market research has shown that by 2015,20% of all light sources will be Light EmittingDiode or LED. OSRAM is playing a pioneeringrole in this innovative market. LED’s aresuperior to conventional light sources in manyrespects. Its tiny dimensions, broad range ofcolours with excellent colour saturation andimpressive light output are providing theinspiration for completely new lightingsolutions. At the same time its low powerconsumption and long life make themeconomical and kind to the environment. LEDmodules from OSRAM have revolutionised theworld of illuminated signage and OSRAM hasbeen one of the highlights at the recent SignAfrica Exhibition in Sandton.

OSRAM is also the world’s number onesupplier of automotive and LED’s lamps forvehicles. OSRAM NIGHTBREAKER headlightlamps offer up to 90% more light on the roadahead and a 10% whiter light, and is one ofmany innovative products in the automotivemarket. For the past five years OSRAM hassponsored the sixth round of the Sasol SouthAfrican National Rally Championship. TheOSRAM Rally 2008 once again was aspectacular event on the calendar. The rallytook place in Barkly East. The mountain roads,the weather and the support from the localcommunity made for fantastic entertainment.

The OSRAM “Learn and Earn” trade trainingprogramme offers electricians, end-users andelectrical wholesalers training on innovativenew products from OSRAM. This is just oneexample of how OSRAM drives innovationthrough interaction and connectivity with ourvarious customers.

As a leader in innovative lighting solutions,OSRAM is dedicated to products andprocesses that contribute to solving globalsustainability challenges, address economicneeds and protect the environment for todayand for the future. In keeping our traditionOSRAM will continue to develop high-techproducts that not only meet currentrequirements but are “light years” ahead inmany respects.

www.osram.co.za

Whether for fishing, diving, outdooradventures, romantic lighting in the hottub or as a stylish “floating candle” at agarden party, the waterproof DOT-it lampfrom OSRAM is sure to create a wonderfulmood both in and out of the water.


24 Amongst

Students in Mabopane awaiting the start of the presentations by representatives fromour Human Resources division.

Students visiting the career exhibition at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitian Universitywhere Siemens participated as an exhibitor.

HR campaign at learning institutions

On a yearly basis, ourHuman Resources (HR)colleagues identify tentop universities andschools to visit with theaim of marketingSiemens as an employerof choice as well ascreating awareness interms of the manytraining schemesSiemens offers.

Says Sharon Thotharam from the HRSkills Development team, “Siemens isa leader in technological innovationsand an employer of choice – we wantto share this with the learners andultimately encourage these studentsto pursue careers in engineering andscience and technology”.

She continues, “This year alone wehave visited seven Universities andaddressed close to 20,000 learners inhalls packed to capacity. Over andabove, we have visited 27 schoolsfrom as far as Mabopane in theNorthwest Province to schoolsthroughout Gauteng, including ourpartner schools.”

“The enthusiasm of the learners weencounter is truly remarkable and atestimony to their eagerness forinformation that will assist them indeciding on a career that will bothinterest and challenge them”.

Sharon concludes, “Our primary focusis to educate and further developthese learners by building a two-wayrelationship with the learninginstitutions we visit. Thiscomplements our Ambassadorprogramme, whereby we providefinancial support to severalUniversities”.

Sharon Thotharam, Human [email protected]


25Amongst

Colleagues from our Industry Sector MicroAutomation team, together with SITRAINand members of our Human Resourcesteam, recently participated as an exhibitorat the e-Learning ICT exhibition. Morethan 20 thousand learners and educatorsfrom the greater Gauteng region,including attendees from our partnerschools, attended the exhibition whichaimed to close the gap between theengineering industry and the learningcurriculum as well as to encouragelearners to pursue careers in engineeringfields.

The exhibition kicked off with a keynoteaddress by the Department of Educationon the lack of engineering skills in thecountry and the Government’s initiativesto solve this problem. The speakerconcluded that the root cause was the lackof proper support structures in the schoollevel and the arduous challenge to traineducators, in addition to the challenge ofpreparing learners from an early age tounderstand the importance of developingtheir careers in the engineering fields.

In sync with this message, our MicroAutomation and SITRAIN colleaguesdedicated their time at the exhibition tospeak to learners and educators onSiemens’ involvement with the

Department of Education and what kind ofsupport schools could look forward toreceiving.

In addition, our stand hosted factorymodels built with Staudinger models andSiemens LOGO! controllers as well as F1Racing game controlled by Siemens LOGO!which allowed learners to have funcompeting against each other.

Learners were also given lessons on howindustrial automation works whileeducators attended a hands-on workshopon how to programme the Siemens LOGO!Says Josef Ploch, Product Promoter fromthe Micro Automation team, “The responsefrom teachers was outstanding and theyinsisted on adding this workshop as anadditional subject at their respectiveschools”.

The following people contributed to thesuccess of the exhibition: Lydia Bierwirthand Emily Molefe from CorporateCommunication; Londeka Ndlovu fromHuman Resources; Josef Ploch and KennyDubazane from the Micro Automationteam; and Des Burrows, SITRAIN.

For further queries contact:Jose Barbosa,Sector Compliance [email protected]

Kenny Dubazane,Micro [email protected]

Sherrie Eddey, Corporate [email protected]

Promoting engineering atthe e-Learning ICT expo

Kenny Dubazane, Product Promoter from the MicroAutomation team shows learners the factory automationmodels at the e-Learning ICT exhibition.

Above and right: Learners from our partner schools, SedibengPrimary School (above) and Ingqayizivele High School (right)attended the exhibition and spent some time at our stand.

Josef Ploch, Product Promoter from the Micro Automation team conducting a Siemens LOGO!hands-on workshop for educators.

As part of our employee volunteerprogramme, Sherrie Eddey from ourCorporate Communications divisionorganised a collection of food and blanketsamongst staff for a local animal shelter.About 150 kg’s of animal food along with ahuge collection of blankets was deliveredto the SPCA. In addition, our colleaguesfrom SREM donated approximately 300 6x6squares of old carpeting with rubber bases,

Animals are part of ourCSR programme too!

The volunteers who organised the collectionof food and bedding for the SPCA, from left:Martin Gehrmann, Siemens IT Solutions andServices; Sherrie Eddey, CorporateCommunications and Grant Wood, Siemens ITSolutions and Services.

Over the past year the importance placedby Siemens globally on the topic ofcompliance has been re-affirmed. Inaddition, various tools and controls havebeen put in place to ensure that complianceis an enabler, and not a hindrance tobusiness.

Our compliance organisation iscontinuously investigating and developingtools to make life easier for all employees;and the development of a new businesspartner compliance due diligence onlinetool will have a significant impact to howwe conduct business (see circularM46/2008).

Previously the risk with business partnerswas assessed via a “label based” approach,in other words the classification of partnerssuch as Sales Agents, Business Consultants,Governmental Intermediaries, and Lobbyistsetc. The new assessment approach willemploy a more pragmatic, risk-basedmethod whereby all business partners thatcomply with specific criteria need to beentered into the online tool. This processfollows a few basic steps:

Step 1: The risk of each business partner isassessed based on the relationship, contractand scope of services to be supplied. Basedon this assessment a specific risk level(either low, medium or high) isautomatically determined by the onlinetool.

Step 2: The tool automatically decides,based on the risk evaluation, how muchmore information needs to be captured inthe system i.e. a low risk business partnerwill require substantially less informationthan a high risk assessment.

Step 3: An automated escalation processeswithin the tool ensures that the applicationfor this business partner is approved at theappropriate management level.

Step 4: Once this has been done, therelevant division informs their legal advisorof the risk level, and the relevant clauses(pre-determined globally) are inserted toensure a uniform way of dealing with thevarious types of business partners.

It is important to note that if a specificbusiness partner has already been assessedby one division and another division wishesto utilise the same partner in the samecapacity or relationship e.g. as a distributor,then the details will not need to be re-entered into the online tool for a secondtime. In addition, the online review of anybusiness partner will only need to beconducted every two years. Our RegionalCompliance Office (RCO) will be able toassist should you need to question whetherthe tool should be used for a specificbusiness partner.

Over the next few months, our RCO will bescheduling detailed training sessions on theusage of the new online compliance tool.

New compliance toolwill positively impacthow we do business

Andrew Grey, Regional Compiance Officer.

which could be used to line kennels inthe animal shelter.

Says Nicole Nuppenau, Fundraiser forthe SPCA in a letter to Siemens, “Wewould like to thank you and yourcolleagues for the wonderfuldonations collected for us. Thank youalso for the 300-odd carpet squaresthat were donated. All these itemshave come in very useful for ensuringthat our animals are comfortable andhappy”. “We are very grateful for yoursupport. Without the assistance ofwonderful people like yourselves, wewould not be able to continue toprovide such a high standard of carefor the animals we look after.”

A big thank you is extended toeveryone who gave donations.


Siemens partners with TheGores Group in a joint ventureto grow Siemens EnterpriseCommunications .

Siemens AG announced recently that ithas decided on a partner for itsenterprise communications business. TheGores Group, an American investor, willacquire a 51% stake in SiemensEnterprise Communications (SEN).Siemens will retain a stake of 49%. Oncelaunched, the joint venture will besupplemented and strengthened bycombining the business with two of TheGores Group’s current portfoliocompanies – Enterasys, a networkequipment and security solutionsprovider and SER Solutions, a call centersoftware company.

The Gores Group will take immediateoperational control of the business andthe deal has now been concluded.

Founded in 1987, The Gores Group is aprivate equity house focused onacquiring controlling interests in matureand growing businesses which canbenefit from the firm’s operatingexperience and flexible capital base.They bring both investment andsignificant operational expertise to thejoint venture. It has demonstrated areliable track record of creatingsubstantial value in its portfoliocompanies and has significantexperience of working with companies inthe communications sector.Headquartered in Los Angeles, the GoresGroup has offices in Boulder and London.

Enterasys delivers secure networksolutions that ensure the confidentiality,integrity and availability of IT servicesand the business. Enterasys Networksbegan as Cabletron Systems in 1983. Thecompany holds more than 500 patentsand has invested over US$1 billion inresearch and development. Withthousands of active customers in morethan 70 countries.

SER is one of the pioneers in theoutbound predictive dialing industry.Today SER Solutions, Inc. is based inDulles, VA and remains focused onbuilding upon its best-of-breed heritagein call center technology.

The Gores Group have been in theenterprise networking andcommunications space for some timeand aim to become a leading provider inthe industry. This partnership withSiemens provides the perfect fit forthem. The significant investment thatthey are making in our company in bothasset and financial terms underlines theirbelief in our company, its solutions andus, the employees. Siemens EnterpriseCommunications has excellent and veryinnovative products and services thathave tremendous potential within thegrowing unified communications market.The Gores Group are committed todeveloping and expanding thosesolutions and fulfilling commitments toSEN’s customers and business partners.

Siemens AG is massively committed tothe success of SEN. Don’t forget thatSiemens AG will retain a large stake inthe joint venture and will be represented

on the board with two of the five seats.We will retain the Siemens brand;continue to be a preferred supplier toSiemens and to cooperate on customerprojects with Siemens.

SEN’s innovative new products like theOpenScape UC Server and HiPathOpenOffice will remain an integral partof the portfolio. We will continue to offerour OpenPath migration strategies forexisting product families to ensure asmooth transition to the new UnifiedCommunications solutions. Support andupgrades for Siemens EnterpriseCommunications products, especiallyHiPath 3000 and HiPath 4000, is to becontinued for the long term.

The future for SEN is massively exciting.The new investment enables us toaccelerate the development of ourportfolio of unified communicationssolutions and services. We will continue

to invest in the skills and developmentsneeded to make us a leader in theunified communications solutions andservices markets. The other companiesin the joint venture strengthen andcompliment our contact centre andsecurity portfolios and give us new go-to-market opportunities. For ourcustomers, SEN will be a solid partnerfor a long-time to come. Our expertisewill make the path to unifiedcommunications smoother for ourcustomers. Enterasys and SER Solutionswill complement and strengthen oursolutions in the contact center andsecurity segments – improving ourability to serve customers’ needs. OurOpen Communications approach willcontinue to give our customers genuinechoice.

26 Amongst

As part of our ongoing commitment tosupport the provision of quality educationas well as assist in bridging the skills gaprequired to meet the needs of a growingeconomy, Siemens donated equipment tothe value of R40,000 to the Departmentof Electrical Engineering at The CapePeninsula University of Technology(CPUT).

The equipment, which includes a stepperdrive, stepper motor, sensor and the latestS7300 PLC Profinet technology, will assistthe CPUT to realise their vision to developa PLC and Instrument Control Laboratory,which will be named after Siemens.

Yusuf Moosa, Regional Managing Directorof our Siemens branches in the Easternand Western Cape, says the donationforms part of our company’s AmbassadorProgramme, a local initiative closelyaligned with Siemens’ worldwide“Generation 21” approach that aims topromote, encourage and developeducation in the fields of Science andTechnology. “Through the AmbassadorProgramme, we aim to foster close tiesbetween Siemens and the country’sleading tertiary institutions with a view toensuring future graduates are exposed tothe latest equipment and will acquirepractical and relevant skills that canimmediately be put to good use in theworkplace,” says Yusuf.

We have committed to a five yearprogramme of support which will beprimarily in the form of equipment, butwill also include training opportunities forthe teaching faculty as well as seniorresearch students. Yusuf, as the Siemensappointed ambassador to CPUT, will takecharge of the relationship with theinstitution and act as a mentor.

Gillian Mitchell, Director: Advancement atthe Cape Peninsula University ofTechnology, says experience and researchhas shown that learning is most

successful when both theory and practiseare integrated into the teaching curriculum.“In the Department of ElectricalEngineering at The Cape PeninsulaUniversity of Technology we have a strongtradition of ensuring that studentsgraduate with an excellent theoreticalknowledge complimented by practical skillsthat they are able to apply immediately inthe world of work,” says Gillian, adding thatthe needs of industry serve as one of themost important indicators when designingcurricula and course offerings. “As a result,the Department of Electrical Engineeringhas, as one of its major teachings, thrustedthe fields of Instrumentation and Controlwith the inclusion of a PLC and SCADAcomponent in the process instrumentationcourse,” she says.

Gillian also says that while many studentsare currently being trained in the PLC arenausing the Siemens Simatic S7 300 PLCs, toprovide an effective training programme,the department needed to establish alaboratory with a minimum of 20 fullyequipped workstations to give a moreeffective student-workstation ratio.

Emily Molefe, our Corporate SocialResponsibility Manager, says theAmbassador Programme is an integral partof the broader tertiary institution approachtogether with our Human Resourcesdepartment, which targets the Electricaland Electronic Engineering faculties ofrelevant tertiary institutions to position thecompany as an attractive employmentoption for graduating engineers andfinancial managers/accountants. “This, inconjunction with the AmbassadorProgramme, represents a holisticintervention in attracting the best talentand maintaining high levels of brandawareness and reputation for ourorganisation”, Emily concludes.

Movers& shakers

Driving KZNbusinessBruce Atherton, our new SiemensKwaZulu-Natal (KZN) RegionalManaging Director will focus onaligning the KZN division into threemain sectors – Energy, Healthcare andIndustry - in line with our company’snew global focus.

Previously Sales Director at NokiaSiemens Networks - although only fora year - Bruce has effectively beenemployed by Siemens for fourteenyears, serving previously as AccountsDirector and in various other technicalpositions.

Having worked at various levels withinthe company, Bruce believes hishands-on knowledge of the businesswill be an advantage in his position,particularly with the re-structuring,where his mandate is to do what isnecessary to “make it happen”.

“Little things can make a bigdifference in the satisfaction ofemployees,” says Bruce, and one ofhis first actions has been to hold aHuman Resources forum. “Many ofthe employees, especially thoseemployed in the factory with noaccess to computers, were not up-to-date on how their pension wasinvested or performing. We havetherefore instructed IT to identify howwe can give our factory staff access tocomputers to gain this and otherinformation. While still a plan inprogress I am sure it will make a bigdifference to staff satisfaction,” hesays.

Bruce also says that he is building onthe Work-Life Integration conceptsupported by our Siemens ExecutiveManagement. “With technologyavailable one can work anywhere,anytime. Taking this intoconsideration, Siemens is aiming tomake the work experience better.”

As part of the Work-Life Integrationethic and the refurbishment to theadministrative area, Bruce is planningto make the small garden area at theKZN premises more user-friendly byenabling wireless connectivity and inaddition putting-up tables andumbrellas.



Equipment donated to CPUT

Siemens partners withThe Gores Group


27Amongst

Our Industry Sector Mobility divisionrecently re-launched its Kya Sands assemblyfacility which will focus mainly on railautomation business and core activities suchas rail automation product development andlocalisation; design assembly and testing ofrail automation systems and equipment;refurbishment of existing Siemens rail; fieldmaintenance and outdoor teams.

Frans van der Walt, Head of Production atKya Sands, says there are a significantnumber of projects to be executed in the RailIndustry. “We have been waiting for this forthe past few years and now we mustcapitalise on these opportunities by utilisingour local people and local skills”. Hecontinues, “We were confident that SiemensMobility would be able to deliver value tothe end customer. Since early 2007, wehave grown from a skeleton staff of sixpeople to a headcount of 20 in the KyaSands plant”.

Holding approximately 55% of the localmarket, our Mobility division is a key supplierand system integrator to Transnet FreightRail (TFR) and the South African RailCommuter Cooperation (SARCC) and in thisregard, our Kya Sands facility has beenapproved by TFR and has already producedvarious interlocking equipment. SaysRamesh Singh, Business Admin Manager atMobility, “We take the requirements of ourcustomers very seriously. Reliability, safetyand efficiency are our top priorities as thesedrive the success of our customers’businesses”.

Our colleagues from Corporate Communications (CC) recently volunteered theirtime and effort to work at our Youthspace home in Mayfair. The team cleaned thehouse, cooked lunch and worked in the garden, in addition to performing someminor renovation work around the house. Over and above, the colleagues paid forthe older boys clothing to be washed and ironed at a local Laundromat. In a letterto Siemens, the Youthspace housemothers thanked the CC division for all their hardwork: “We really appreciate you giving us your time. It makes a real difference to usand the children, and we are very grateful to all of you”.

Keshin Govender,Corporate [email protected]

Should you wish to get involved in our employee volunteerism programme, pleasecontact: Emily Molefe, Corporate Social Responsibility, [email protected]

Spring cleaning at Youthspace

Our Corporate Communications colleagues volunteered at the Mayfair Youthspace home,from left: Jose Machado; Sherrie Eddey; Dale Ladner; Sarita Gouws; Lydia Bierwirth; EmilyMolefe; one of the Youthspace housemothers, Jabu; Niek Steyn and Sithembile Mokaeane.

The children and the house-mothers received blankets to help keep them warm duringthe winter months.

Our colleagues at Mobility also support thedevelopment of local people, especiallythose that have a strong passion towardsmaking a difference. Approximately 75% ofthe staff on the production floor are blackwith the majority of these being female.

Says Kevin Pillay, Mobility’s DivisionalManaging Director, “The work pressures arechallenging at times but the dedication ofour staff help us through these demandingtimes. We have a good policy to supportour employees and their communities. Inthis regard, we ask them for referenceswhen looking for new people especiallyyoung trainees. So far this has worked welland assisted us to support the introductionof new skills into the Rail Industry.”

Commenting further on future plans forSiemens Mobility, Kevin says “The KyaSands facility will continue to play a vitalrole in our Rail business and we aim togrow the assembly into a reputableSiemens local facility. We have seen goodgrowth in business volumes which havecascaded into increased production at ourfacility. In addition, our customers haveacknowledged Kya Sands as a key elementto our business”. Kevin concludes by statingthat they will continue to focus on efforts atthe facility and look for synergies across theMobility division.

Mobility’s Kya Sands facility meets demands

The Mobility assembly facility in Kya Sands.


28 Amongst

Our Procurement division recentlylaunched the Enterprise Buyer Professionalor EBP system, a web based purchaserequisition system with e-catalogueselection for indirect material. EBP, whichis interfaced to our SAP Spiridon tool, hasbeen successfully introduced in over 30countries globally with South Africa beingthe first in the Asia-Australia (AA) region.

EBP for successful purchase requisitioning

Several members of the EBP Project Team, back row from left: Gunther Gaebler, ProcurementRSA and Jiri Smela, GSS. Front row from left: Yuan Ming, CIO, China and Yue Bo, AMC, China.

Our Executive Director, Harry Hollier (front right) visits the EBP promotional popcorn day todiscuss the EBP system with Procurement colleague, Julie Crous (front left)

Before going live earlier this year, a ten-day system set-up workshop was held withnominated delegates from our variousdivisions to define the new system’s orgstructures and related data specific to eachbusiness area. The EBP project teamconsisted of: Jiri Smela, ProgrammeManager from Global Shared Services(GSS) in the Czech Republic; Yuan Ming,

Project Manager from CIO in China; YueBo, Application Management Centre(AMC), CIO in China; Gunter Gaebler,Project Manager and Julie Crous from ourlocal Procurement division; Gokhan Elpefrom SIS; Ian Mauchlen and NicoSwanepoel from our CIO division. Tolaunch the new EBP system and createawareness around its benefits, our

Procurement colleagues hosted apromotional event at our head office inMidrand. Staff had the opportunity to askthe EBP experts questions around the newsystem whilst enjoying a bag of popcorn.


In the latest in a series of initiatives aimedat encouraging and developing the talentof the young students at Soweto’s FundaArt College, the only recognised art schoolin Soweto with a long and establishedpedigree, Siemens has commissioned thedesign and production of artwork for usein our 2009 wall calendar. The studentswere encouraged to visually interpret thevarious Siemens business areas of whichart visuals were chosen to be used foreach month of the year.

Says Emily Molefe, our Corporate SocialResponsibility Manager, “Siemens providedthe materials to the students to design aseries of pictures for our yearly calendarthat is distributed to all our stakeholdersincluding employees, customers, business

Funda students visually interpret Siemens

partners, suppliers and the media. Besidesbeing reproduced in the calendar itself,some of the original art will be used anddisplayed throughout our head office atSiemens Park in Midrand”.

Emily says that students were free topresent a visual interpretation of any oneof our company’s business areas, includingHealthcare, Energy, Industry Solutions andAutomation and Drive Technology,Mobility, Building Technologies, Osramlighting solutions, Siemens IT Solutionsand Services, Siemens as a responsiblecorporate citizen and a rendering of theSiemens head office for the calendarcover.“The tonality of the work had to be vibrantand energetic, so students could consider

the use of vivid colours in their works. Inthe end the students selected lino-cutprinting as the medium for all theartworks,” she says.

In addition, Emily says that this projectforms part of several initiatives aimed atsupporting the Funda Art College,including a R100,000 donation thatenabled the students to participate in theprestigious Joburg Art Fair, recently heldin Sandton, as well as a commission todesign and produce artwork for theSiemens UK offices. The commissionedartworks for both projects will beexhibited at Siemens Park shortly.

“In encouraging and assisting thestudents at the Funda Art School to reach

The young and developing artists from Funda Community College with their educators: Charles Nkosi (left); Hezekiel Bhudeli (right); and Tumelo Mokopakgosi (back row).


their full potential, Siemens is meeting aglobal mandate to promote thedevelopment of local arts and culture,’comments Emily.

“This is an area of good corporatecitizenship where, in meeting theobjectives of programme sustainability aswell as providing support for the arts, wehave several long-term commitmentswith a number of cultural organisations,including Business Arts South Africa, theSA Ballet Theatre and the Buskaid SowetoString Project.”


29Amongst

Research shows that companies whoare known to provide phenomenalservice recognise the need for acultural change. Truly exceptionalservice delivery is strategicallyplanned, consistently driven, and isachieved when all stakeholders,from the top right down to the grassroots level, have bought into theidea.

Service excellence is all aboutbehavioural change andempowerment of people. It has tobe delivered by a group of like-minded individuals who worktogether to achieve what they knowto be the goal of their organisation.

The Siemens IT Solutions andServices (SIS) OperationsManagement team has beenfocusing on achieving - andexceeding - this very objective inorder to be the benchmark in the ITindustry for delivery of outstandingservice.

Based on extensive analysis of itsusers’ satisfaction or dissatisfactionsurvey ratings as well as scrutiny oftrends and service issues, the SISOperations Management team hasdeveloped an effective, automatedclient satisfaction process and hasput productive measurementmethods in place to dramaticallyincrease customer satisfaction levels.

Says Claire Carradice, ServiceExcellence Operations Analyst at SIS,“We have begun to live our desiredservice culture, and with continuedinput from our users, we firmlybelieve that we will achieve ourgoals to be the best in the IT servicedelivery arena”.

To provide feedback on SIS’s servicequality and delivery, feedback iswelcomed by e-mailing:[email protected]

Our colleagues from the IndustrySector Drive Technologies divisionrecently hosted the launch ofSINAMICS, a complete and integratedfamily of drives that will cover allperformance levels. About 380customers attended the events held inJohannesburg, Cape Town, Durbanand Witbank.

Replacing Drive Technologies’ currentVariable Speed Drive (VSD), MASTERDRIVE, which will be discontinued in2010, the event aimed at introducingand orientating our customers to thenew range of VSDs.

Addressing the increasing demands indrive technologies, such as, on theone hand, the range of differentversions in machinery and plantconstruction that is continuallyincreasing - the reason that drivesolutions must be highly flexible andscalable - and on the other hand thatcustomers from all sectors of industryare demanding solutions that areperfectly tailored to their requirementsand easily handled, the SINAMICSplatform offers the highest degree offlexibility, functionality andengineering efficiency.

The platform, which ranges from120W to 100MW, is at home in allsectors: from the basic single-motordrive through coordinated drives up tomulti-axis and motion control drivesfor sophisticated tasks. SINAMICSoffers the optimum drive for each andevery application.

Lindiwe Pantshwa,Siemens IT Solutions and [email protected]


Serviceexcellence isbest describedas a culture

Claire Carradice is SIS’s ServiceExcellence Operations Analyst with theprimary focus of analysing and makingimprovements to the division’s servicedelivery standards.

SINAMICS launchAddressing the drive technologiesindustry requirements

Our Industry Sector Drive Technologies colleagues who were involved in the SINAMICS launch, back row from left: André le Roux and RenashRampersadh. Front row from left: Rob Ritchie, Divisional Manager, LD/MC Drive Technologies and Rowan Dickason.


30 Amongst

In support of the Universityof Stellenbosch BusinessSchool’s (USB) annualfundraising gala dinner heldearlier this year, ourcolleagues at SiemensEnterprise Communications(SEN) sponsored a table atthe event.

Hosted by the USB Alumni Association,the objective of the event was to raisemoney for the Future Fund whichprovides bursaries for MBA studies andother forms of financial support fordeserving and previously disadvantagedUSB students.

This support includes financial assistancefor MBA students to attend the annualCase Competition presented during theNational Black MBA AssociationConference in the USA and for theparticipation in an annual MBAinternational study tour. Another FutureFund project, the Cyber Café, providesstudents without computers with 24-hour access to online facilities.

The Fund also contributes towards theUSB’s Management Programme for Non-profit Organisations, allowingparticipants to attend this programme ata reduced fee.

A highlight of the gala dinner was akeynote address by the Honourable ChiefJustice Pius Langa. The USB alsoannounced its Alumnus of the Year, anaward that gives recognition to USBalumni who have excelled in theirorganisations and who have broughtcredit to the business school. This yearthe award was presented to Pieter Uys,recently appointed Vodacom CEO.

In conjunction with our Siemens Namibiacolleagues, our local Siemens EnterpriseCommunications (SEN) team took theopportunity to showcase their HiPathOpenScape Unified Communicationssolution to the southern African ICTcommunity, key customers and operatorswho recently attended the Telecom NamibiaICT Summit held in Windhoek.

In active support of our colleagues atSiemens Namibia, who are regarded as themarket leaders for enterprisecommunications in the Namibian market,the SEN colleagues in South Africa providepre-sales support, marketing and serviceactivities. Under the theme of this year’stwo-day conference and exhibition, “SharingCollective Wisdom”, the aim was to highlightand encourage the exchange of knowledgeand experiences. Fred Maurus, DivisionalManager Technology Management andMarketing at SEN, presented the newsolutions for Communication enabled

With increasing competition andpressure on performance andproductivity, companies cannot affordanymore to be disconnected fromtheir customers and their company’sresources.

Information flow and fastresponsiveness require tools to handleeffective communication at any time,being in the office or on the move.Our Siemens EnterpriseCommunications (SEN) companyprovides exactly these tools with theirextensive mobility solution portfolioincluding wireless LAN for data andvoice and fixed-mobile convergence,which bridges the gap between thepublic cellular GSM network and the‘private’ enterprise communicationnetwork.

Seamless, transparent and easy to use,mobile communication was recentlydemonstrated to 50 differententerprise customers at the SENCommunication Innovation Centre inMidrand. Fixed-mobile convergencewith the HiPath Mobile Connectproduct from SEN has attractedoverwhelming interest.

Combining the enterprise wireless LANand the GSM environment, it utilisesthe PABX as the central routing hub.Seamless handover, roaming andcontinuous access to the companyresources, independent of location,reduces cost and increasesproductivity.

Large corporate companies waist a lotof money when its employees phoneeach other via the cellular networkwithout using the fixed free of chargePABX connection - HiPath MobileConnect eliminates this misuse.




Supporting theUniversity ofStellenboschBusinessSchool’s socialinitiative

At the Stellenbosch Business School’s annual fundraising gala dinner, from left: Raymond Padayachee, CEO, SEN; Ralf Seidel, IT Manager,University of Stellenbosch Business School; Pietie Trout, University of Stellenbosch; Sascha Spengler, Director Sales: Wireless, SEN; Joe Smit, ITManager, University of Stellenbosch and Waldi Van Zyl, SEN Divisional Manager: Services.

John Halstead, Divisional Manager: Direct Sales, SEN (right) interacting with customers atSEN’s recent mobile communication session.

On the move and still stay in touch

Business Processes (CeBP), based on theUnified Communications platform HiPathOpenScape, at the summit. The HiPathOpenOffice solution, a SME communicationplatform with integrated unified

Improve business processes with Unified Communications

Billy Ruyobeza (left), SEN’s SADC Business Manager, provides delegates at the TelecomNamibia ICT Summit with a live demonstration of the HiPath OpenOffice.

communications functionalities, was alsoexhibited.


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Our offices in Port Elizabeth (PE) have afresh and modern new look on theoutside and new technology on the inside.

Says Martin Taverner, Regional Manager ofour Industry Automation (IA) and DriveTechnologies (DT) divisions based at ourPE office, “One of the conditions for therenewal of the lease was that the landlordextend the reception area and upgradethe front of the building”.

In addition to the building’s newlyrenovated appearance, the interior wasrevamped with modern furniture as wellas a new reception desk designed topromote the high-tech nature of ourcompany. Other changes made included alarge Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)system which can keep the officeoperating for at least six hours in case of apower failure.

Enhancingcustomersatisfaction Our colleagues at Siemens EnterpriseCommunications (SEN) once againparticipated as a sponsor at the annualContact Centre World Africa conference andexhibition held at the Sandton ConventionCentre.

Contact Centre World Africa is a directorlevel conference that tackles strategiccontact centre issues, from brand integritythrough to outsourcing. This year theconference covered key industry topicsranging from in-house versus outsourcedcontact centres to anticipating andresponding to customer serviceexpectations as well as balancing costefficiency and customer satisfaction levels.

These topics were comprehensively coveredby the panel of guest speakers, who had awealth of knowledge to share with theconference delegates regarding theirexperiences and trends within the industry.

Members of the SEN Contact Centre FocusGroup attended the conference and weregiven the opportunity to interact with theirfellow colleagues within the industry,enabling them to further assist keycustomers in understanding the contactcentre industry and its unique challenges.

Fancy yourself a writer?Then publish and be applaudedLaunched in 2002, the “Publish and be Applauded” programme aims to reward employees’ efforts to positivelyrepresent our products, services and technology solutions by means of articles in relevant trade and technicalpublications. Should a technical article be published, a financial reward of between R1,500 and R3,500 will beawarded based on an evaluation by internal and external adjudicators and its relevance to the Siemens brand.

For more information visit the Corporate Communications homepage on the intranet or contact: [email protected]

Martin Taverner, IA/[email protected]


New look for our PE office


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Our Human Resources (HR) colleaguesrecently hosted Open Days at Siemens’office locations country-wide to allowemployees an opportunity to familiarisethemselves with the new HRorganisational structure as well as todiscuss any HR related query face-to-facewith the various HR representativespresent. Approximately 600 colleagues

Fostering open communication at the HR Open Days

From left: Agnes Freeks, HR; Elize Müller and Vishal Beharilal, HR Business Admininistration; Bruce Atherton, Regional Manager of the Siemens Pinetown branch; Sharon Thotharam, HR; winnerof the OSRAM re-chargeable lantern in the KwaZulu-Natal raffle competition, Japie Nel; Rene Benade, HR; Nicolette Barnard, HR Functional Specialists Manager, and Nico Loubser, HR.

From left: Sharon Thotharam, HR; Mark van Antwerp, Managing Director, OSRAM SouthAfrica; one of the Gauteng raffle competition winners of the OSRAM re-chargeablelanterns, Ayanda Boco from the Siemens Service Centre; and Nico Loubser, HR.

From left: Sharon Thotharam, HR; with Gauteng raffle competition winner, Hylton Keshwarfrom Siemens Park. Hylton receives his goodie hamper, courtesy of Interface, from NickyBooysen, Interface Finance Consultant and Valerie Leeming, Interface Executive Director.

From left: Lance Cowley, the winner of the Interface hamper in the Port Elizabeth rafflecompetition, receives his prize from Elize Müller, Manager of the HR BusinessAdministration team.

From left: Stuart Gray, Managing Director of Siemed Services at the Albert Luthile Hospitalwith Zama Matherijwa, winner of the Interface hamper and Agnes Freeks from HR EmployeeOperations.

attended the Open Days, of which ouroffices at Isando boasted full attendanceby all staff in addition to highattendance records at our Wadeville,Pinetown and Siemed offices.Employeeswho visited the Open Days also receiveda ticket into the HR raffle competitionwhich was held per region. Ayanda Bocofrom the Siemens Service Centre, Berty

Mostert from our Cape Town branchand Japie Nel from our Pinetown officewon the OSRAM re-chargeable lanternswhile Lance Cowley from our PortElizabeth office, Hylton Keshwar fromour head office, Siemens Park inMidrand and Zama Matherijwa fromSiemed located at the Albert LuthileHospital in Durban won the goodie

hampers sponsored by personal financepartner, Interface. Based on the goodresponse from attendees, the HR OpenDays will be hosted on an annual basis.

Nico Loubser, Human [email protected]


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