PFE International's all-women team

Pictured in the PFE Extrusion factory are from left plant manager, quality manager Nokulunga Mkhize, plant manager Melanie Nadar and production and SHEQ manager Tracy Ranjit.

This tightly run ship is steered by three dynamic women - plant manager, Melanie Nadar, production and SHEQ manager, Tracy Ranjit and quality manager, Nokulunga Mkhize.

The three started working at PFE Extrusion within months of each other and have developed a close-knit unit based on trust, respect and an intuitive knowledge of what each of them is thinking - all in a highly technical and male dominated field.

Just five of the 39 strong team that works two shifts a day during a 48 hour week in the meticulously neat and highly automated operation are women. "It's a team effort at PFE Extrusion. You never leave when you drive out the gate," smiles Nadar, who is quick to explain that they have learnt the ropes together, under the guidance and mentorship of Dr Medy Zarrebini, head of parent company PFE International, who remains a much-admired role model and active part of the company.

Nadar joins PFE

Nadar was the first to join in 2006. PFE International had sold its investment in SAFYR, the machine extrusion and staple fibre manufacturing operation it had relocated from the United Kingdom in 2001 to purchase leading local carpet manufacturer, Van Dyck. That company was struggling to contain the spiralling costs of imported raw materials, spurring the Zarrebinis to open PFE Extrusion to provide fibre and yarn that would enable the company to become vertically integrated.

Zarrebini had offered her a job as his personal assistant when he set up SAFYR. Upset, she refused and informed him that she wasn't a typist! His response was that in the UK, a PA probably knew the most in any factory. Eventually he persuaded her to accept, promising to guide her and show her the ropes. He was true to his word.

Nadar's experience in the textile industry stood her in good stead. After completing four-year public relations qualification at the Durban University of Technology, she joined Pan Textiles in Hammarsdale in 1996. A year later, she moved to Lotus 2000, a Singaporean owned textile operation as group liaison officer. With 1,700 employees in plants in Hammarsdale and Umzinto, she had her work cut out for her.

In 2001, when Lotus 2000 closed, she joined SAFYR. Today, Nadar handles everything from the procurement for yarn and fibre manufacturing to managing the payroll and overseeing human resources. "I'm the mother and the mentor. I put out fires and I make sure that the support structures are in place. I am also the gardener," she laughs as she looks over the meticulously neat plant with its beautiful gardens filled with bright flowers.

"I am very goal driven which is important, especially in a male-dominated industry, so I need to be out there and prove something. It is important to be a role model," she says.

Mkhize's story

Nokulunga Mkhize joined PFE Extrusion in early 2007. Born in Johannesburg, she spent her early years in Ladysmith before moving to Hammarsdale where she completed her matric in 2003. Her first job was in a Nando's outlet. She then worked as a supervisor in a local supermarket whilst studying management through UNISA.

Her next move was to SAFYR and then to PFE Extrusion. Although she admits that she didn't know much about the textile industry at the outset, she has come a long way and is quite at home in the sophisticated laboratory alongside the plant. With cutting edge equipment for testing fibre and yarn properties - both on and off-line - this plays a critical role in the success of the company. New polymer types and master batches are tested, new fibres innovated, and trial batches produced for research.

Mkhize works closely with Ranjit who carries a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders.

Ranjit knows

Before she comes to the factory, she says she knows exactly what has happened the night before. If anything goes wrong on a night shift - which thankfully seldom happens for this young mother of two - she says she is just a phone call away.

Ranjit was probably the only one who started out with a keen interest in chemistry. After matriculating in 1996, she moved to Johannesburg where she worked at a chemical company as a junior quality control analyst. A quick learner, she soon earned a promotion to a more senior position. Whilst working, she was also studying analytical chemistry through Unisa.

Her next move was to Hammarsdale and SAFYR and then PFE Extrusion. For six months, she studied production and operations at Damelin but is proud to say that her most valuable knowledge has been gleaned on the factory floor. She also completed courses needed to implement the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditations of which the company is particularly proud.

Ranjit works in a world of just-in-time delivery, careful production planning - and load shedding. Given the nature of the technology used, it can take as long as six hours to get the plant up and running again after an outage. Hence, she carefully works around load shedding schedules to ensure that no-one is idle during down time. "We clean filters and carry out maintenance so the time is utilised to the optimum," she says.

Although 80 percent of production goes to Van Dyck, the number of outside customers is growing and the company is targeting the production of innovative products to service niche markets. Product is dispatched to a wider range of customers including manufacturers of filter cloth, bathroom mats, cosmetics and companies requiring artificial hair.