More about some of us
There is a published contact web page that should very quickly guide those unfamiliar with our business to where they can be helped or receive the information they seek. This sections that follow are a complement to that list and provide a wider set of names and more general background.
So you're expecting the Directors and Shareholders to appear first? Well, at Match things are different. We value output and so our Workshop guys come first!"
Factory and Production Management
This is where pretty much all the real action happens. This is the heart of the business. More than once we have had to inform the ignorance of misguided, well-suited, apparently educated, but in the end generally decent folk, that we look at traditional rank very differently to most. Every role and position at Match has its own set of internal customers that they must service and satisfy in the manner in which we expect external customers to be treated.
To emphasize this, we have a policy that ANY individual joining the business, whose duties are providing a service in support of Production (which covers ALL office bound functions from HR, Procurement, Finance, etc) must spend at least their entire first month (and if they don't earn the respect of the factory staff it will be longer), working shoulder to shoulder with the factory staff. Because it is here where these people ensure that those things that customers actually need and want, and are willing to pay for, are produced and manufactured.
So our most educated, presentable and clean staff, with Law and Marketing and Finance Degrees, and lots of letters behind their names, know that they work for the production staff. Their salaries are paid because of what factory workers guillotine, lazer, mill, turn, work harden, machine, polish, and heat treat, The very existence in the business, of an accountant, a lawyer, an HR or compliance officer, is made possible because of the actual output and production of these men and women.
Dean Radov
Head of Production
Dean has been in the CNC precision machining industry for over 30 years, most of which he has called Match Engineering home. Deans’ exposure in the engineering industry has gained him invaluable experience in both CNC Machining and Injection Molding. Dean knows every machine at Match intimately and understands how to get the most out of them. He has developed lots of custom tooling over the years and is able to achieve that which others usually think is impossible. He is responsible for all machining output at Match Engineering.
Dean has an enormous range of artefacts, components and parts for which he has designed the machining; grenade launchers, fire suppression systems, valves, high performance motors, and many customers have him to thank for the continuous improvement evoluion of their product. In so far as Match's own products are concerned, he has been instrumental in bringing the Conical Wedge Lock Washer, Match's home grown solution to counter the spontaneous loosening of bolted connections, to life.
Dean's day begins and ends with his team assessing the current flow of value through the workshop, (not how busy people are!), as we believe that the Lean Philosophy is built on two key enablers - Continuous Improvement by People whose opinions and duties are Respected. The factory staff do not have any cell phone policy restricting when they can communciate with the outside world, nor are there any imposed rules on smoke or toilet breaks. Self management is encapsulated in a single promise Look after the business, and the business will look after you!
When Dean is not at work he can be found with his family under the bonnet of a motor car or behind the wheel of a machine that he has built from scratch.
Serel Mabotja
Lead Milling & Wire Cutter Setter
Serel joined Match 32 years ago, and is one of our most respected leaders in the workshop. Any wire-cutting job must pass through his hands for approval and setting/configuration. Nearly all of our junior staff at some time have fallen under Serel's tutelage.
Serel has a quiet voice but when he speaks everyone listens.
Serel is one of 6 siblings and is blessed with three daughters. He is an Orlando Pirates supporter.
Xolani Phangela
Lead Turning Setter
Xolani joined Match 16 years ago, as a young 21 Zulu man, looking to find his place in the world. He is our go-to man for jobs that require turning, and he and Dean have trained all of the current Match turning staff.
He is one of the workshop's natural leaders, and is held in high esteem for his work ethic and problem solving skills.
Away from work, Xolani is a busy man, as he has 6 children and when he gets a chance he supports Orlando Pirates.
Zwelo Simelani
Lead Milling Setter
Zwelo has been with Match since he finished his studies and internship in 2014. Zwelo takes on all the more complex milling jobs, and is a key member of Dean's production team. He hails from Swaziland but we are glad that he has made South Africa his home.
Zwelo runs night shift production single handedly and is able to work independently and solve intractable machining problems. He and Dean often take 5-axis jobs and machine them more efficiently on a 4-axis machine with custom jigs - no mean feat.
Zwelo like quite a few of us, is blessed with only daughters.
Kimon Vamvakas
Customer Relationship Management & Business Development
Kimon is a metallurgist (ND. Eng. Metallurgy) and started his career off gaining invaluable experience at Frankwen Forge, after which he spent 10 years working in Germany at one of their most famous steel mills BGH Edelstahl (Special Steels), in Siegen, where he managed the primary & secondary metallurgy production departments. Kimon returned to SA 5 years ago when he joined the business. Kimon is responsible for our Business Development, Sales & Quoting, and the management of 3rd party suppliers. He has spent the last 4 years gaining experience in the world of precision machining and engineering, and most questions (and more) posed by customers can be properly answered on the spot without referral to production. In his youth, Kimon had provincial colours in 5 sports, but now he has mellowed and we can see why people refer to him as an "all rounder", his only sporting activity is getting the better of trout as the sun rises on cold winter mornings.
Anastia Swartz
Back Office Admin, Quality Management & Procurement
With a decade of professional dedication under the belt and an unyielding commitment to hard work,
Anastia is a formidable asset to the Match Engineering team. A steadfast and loyal
individual, she embarked on her career straight out of school, delving into the world
of office administration and procurement with an infectious enthusiasm that's
impossible to miss.
Now, as an integral part of Match Engineering, Anastia juggles the dual responsibilities
of back office administration and procurement with finesse. Her dedication to ensuring
the engine of the company runs smoothly is matched only by her willingness to
lend a helping hand wherever it's needed. This is evident in the fact that she was the driving force
behind Match's recent ISO9001:2015 Certification.
Outside the professional sphere, Anastia is a true embodiment of the work-hard-play-hard
ethos. When the workday is done, she seamlessly transitions into the role of a
loving family member. Whether it's firing up the braai for a hearty family feast
or donning the mantle of an umpire while her energetic nephews battle it out on
the cricket pitch or rugby field, Anastia is always ready to dive into family fun.
Anastia is not just a hard worker; she is also a harmonious blend of professionalism
and playfulness that keeps both gears and giggles in perfect sync.
Back Office and Finance
Every single person who works in a supporting role for our factory and production, MUST spend at least one month before they switch on a laptop or make a call, working in the factory.
Jessica Erens
Tax and Accounting
Jessica is based in Stellenbosch just outside of Cape Town.
After graduation with a B.Comm from Potchefstroom
she worked at Ernst & Young, then Barclays Business Banking and then was
the Finance Manager at PGBI Group Construction.
She is responsible for accounting, tax and cash management. Jessica
provides discipline and over-sight to the business and
ensures the business complies with the highest accounting standards and good governance.
Jessica trained and competed at the highest level in the swimming pool,
and she brings this same discipline to our business.
Pamela Jenkins
Debitors and Credit Management
Pam joined Match in January 1985. She is one of four children of the Founder, Mr Lew Jenkins.
Pam is responsible for managing our Debtors and Creditors in the accounts department and
also is responsible for Match's Social Media accounts.
Pamela is very committed to her work and a most notable quality is her love of being at work
where she provides a calming influence on those about her, or is there a special ingredient
in the baking she so generously shares with her colleagues?
When not at work, Pamela enjoys listening to music, watching movies, spending time with
and hosting her family, sitting out in her lovely garden, and most of all searching for new baking recipes.
Our Leadership
We see the overarching role of any Leader as the creation and fostering of an enabling environment that will help production and all supporting functions meet their obligations to our clients without jeopardizing health or causing harm elsewhere. Our role as leaders is to remove all reasonable impediments and obstacles that might interfere with production and to do so in manner which balances the needs of customers, staff, suppliers and shareholders in a sustainable manner.
Lynette Hibberd
Director
Lynette took over running Match Engineering with the death of her father, Mr Lew Jenkins, its founder, in 2013. Lynette has only ever worked at Match and joined the family business in 1981 after completing her studies as a Medical Technologist. She was afforded no privileges and started off learning the business from the vary bottom of the organisation until she ended up managing the business' finances, the position which she still holds.
Lynette loves all things beautiful, and is an avid gardener. She is married to her high school sweetheart and is the proud mother of two amazing children, is mother-in-law to their much loved partners, and doting grandmother to three beautiful little people.
Nico Jacobs
Chairman of the Board
Nico represents Match's BEE shareholders and provides board over-sight for the business. Nico holds a non-executive position in Match, but facilitates many of the strategic projects and new business development initiatives. Nico has held executive positions in various blue chip companies across Retail, Financial Services, FMCG and Telecommunications. He also holds personal interests in multiple business ventures across Commercial Property, Hospitality, Software, Manufacturing, Branding and Gifting. Much of the culture Match is adopting, and is developing, as in the manner in which it conducts itself with all our stakeholders and interested parties, emanates from Nico's foundational belief in the importance of pursuing a Noble Purpose and serving our community.
Ivan Uttley
Managing Director and Head of Quality
Ivan is a strong advocate of servant leadership, his role is to create an enabling environment for the people at Match
to succeed. He works for them, not the other way around. He has little regard for titles and rank.
Ivan has a B.Sc Engineering degree from UCT, and an MBA from INSEAD in France, and various odd qualifications from Wharton & Caltech,
like Gamification and Astro-physics. His 30 year career has taken him from New York to Toyko, and from London to Johannesburg with Paris, Houston and
Frankfurt in between.
He has extensive experience in strategy, business management, business restructurings and process engineering. Ivan is the custodian of Match's
Quality Management, conformance to ISO 9001/2015 standards and continuous improvement activities.
He is accountable for Match's quarterly business performance and with an eye on strategies to help the
business naviagate a demanding, competitive and risky world. He personally guides, oversees and verifies the
implementation of specific tactics and actions, in line with the business' strategy, with a particular emphasis on Product Development.
When Ivan is at play, he can be found setting off high powered Rockets, which he designs and builds with his teenage daughters, he has been known to behave strangely when deprived of loud music and dancing. He is extensively travelled and can be easily mistaken for a hippy, when dressed casually. To properly relax, Ivan needs the ocean whether on the surface or well below it.