About BLD Improvement Engineering
About me
Let my work do the talking
Recognized for turning around bottle-necked, sub-optimal processes to achieve sustained growth beyond design capacity
My Skills
What helps people, helps business – Leo Burnett
Extractive Metallurgy
Plant Maintenance
Mining
Process Improvement
Chemical Engineering
Work History
Sept 2022 - Current
Self Employed, Durban, ZA
BLD Improvement Engineering
Process design, development & engineering
- Novel Rare Earth extraction methods
- Hydrogen gas industrial uses & cost analysis
Oct 2017 – Aug 2022
Tronox KZN Sands, Durban, ZA
Senior Process Improvement Engineer
Process engineering lead – Fair breeze mine expansion project
- PFD, PID, Process design criteria review & preparation
- Brownfields process integration
- Mine plan optimization to maximize throughput
- Application of theory of constraints / de-bottlenecking
- Capital process value-engineering
Oct 2015 – Sept 2017
Tronox Pigments Holland B.V., Rotterdam, NL
Operational Improvement Analyst
- Organized information by studying, analysing, interpreting and classifying data to develop dashboards, KPI monitoring tools management progress reports.
- Led multi-disciplinary, continuous quality improvement program to improve manufacturing cost performance and innovation project pipeline.
April 2012 – Aug 2015
Tronox KZN Sands, Empangeni, ZA
Mine Environmental Rehabilitation Superintendent
- Laid the foundations for a highly successful R50Million, multi-year mine rehabilitation project ultimately aiming to become the first mine to achieve full mine closure from the governmental authorities.
- Demonstrated flexibility working with internal team members to remedy personnel or technical issues and pre-emptively coming up with solutions.
Oct 2008 – May 2012
Exxaro KZN Sands, Richards Bay, KZN
Senior Process Metallurgist
- Saved $1M per annum by researching and implementing a final product sampling and bulk bagging project cost-saving initiative and creating fresh new approaches to long-standing problems.
- Demonstrated knowledge of company's mission, purpose, goals, and ability to help employees successfully achieve them..
May 2001 – Oct 2008
Anglo-American Namakwa Sands Mining & Processing Operations, Saldanha & Vredendal, ZA
Business Improvement Manager / Furnace production manager / Metallurgist
- Worked with site leads to resolve product and service quality problems in line with the ISO9001 process & improve operations and provide exceptional customer service.
- Resolved complaints and issues involving both external and internal quality complaints.
May 1996 – May 2001
AngloGold operations, Vaal River operations, ZA
Professional in Training – Metallurgy
- Metallurgical accounting
- Resin-in-Pulp and reclamation milling projects
- Gold leaching technology investigations
May 1996 – May 2001
Anglocoal operations, Kleinkoppie, ZA
Professional in Training – Metallurgy
- Commissioning of a coal fines flotation collumn
- Optimization of frother/Collector reagent suites.
Education
Bachelor of Science: Chemical Engineering
University of Cape Town – Cape Town, South Africa
1995-02 – 2000-09
Post-Graduate Management Development Program
University of Stellenbosch School of Business – Cape Town, South Africa
2005-02 – 2005-09
AICHE Online Short Course: HAZOP studies
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
2006-03 – 2006-03
Short Course: Energy Management
Certified Energy Management – Potchefstroom
2006-03 – 2006-03
Short Course: Sampling & Sampling Statistics
University of Witwatersrand – Johannesburg, South Africa
2009-05 – 2009-05
Online Short Course: Data Analysis
University of Cape Town – Cape Town, South Africa
2019-02 – 2019-06
Introduction to Scripting in Python
Rice University
2020-06
Micro course series – Residue/Tailings management
University of Western Australia
2021-08 – Present