M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / Iscor Mining is facing key challenges due to the intensification of international market competition, deteriorating commodity prices and escalating input costs. Its parastatal history and protected environment during the years of isolation, was not a conducive environment for the development of a high performance organisation. Iscor management recognised this challenge and embarked on a programme to kick-start improvement on all its operating units. This programme delivered on expectations, but signs of weaknesses in the organisation's ability to sustain the improvements were starting to emerge. The potential for further improvements were shown to be far more than anticipated, however the organisation was limited by cultural and leadership issues in its ability to turn the identified performance improvement potential into business results and shareholder value. The existing organisational capabilities were evaluated for its potential to unlock the identified value against a chosen management model, and the areas of biggest concerns identified were in leadership behaviour, business process design and organisation culture. The biggest gaps in organisational capabilities were shown to exist in areas of leadership, core business process design and organisational culture issues. Thirteen actions for change is proposed to close the identified gaps.

The blast furnace process for the reduction of iron ore to pig iron faces problems such as emission of air pollutants, high investment cost and the current major problem of decreasing supplies of coke. Coke is used in large quantities to promote a combination of direct and indirect reduction within the furnace. Due to the lack of good coking coal within South Africa, and dwindling supplies worldwide, new iron-making processes, are being developed using coal and/or natural gas to replace coke as the reductant. The new processes allow efficient use of carbon, fed in the form of coal pellets (coalbased processes) or natural gas (gas-based processes), as the reducing agent. Presently, most coal-based processes Use an excess of coal, up to 500% stoichoimetric addition, and are run at temperatures up to ±1200°C, although reduction tends to proceed at ±850°C. This project developed a low temperature process using mixed pellets of fine waste iron oxide and fine domestic coal with a natural carbonaceous binder (a by-product from local pulping industry). Reduction tests performed on composite pellets in a tube furnace and thermobalance indicated, upon analysis by X-Ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscope, that reduction occurred gradually at 900°C. Implementing induction heating of bulk pellets reduced heating times substantially. Induction heating also resulted in direct reduced iron [DRI] containing 75 - 80% metallic iron. Energy consumption based on coal usage amounted to 23.71 GJ/ton DRI, which compares with the calorific consumption of most coal-based processes, i.e. coal consumption range between 15 and 25 GJ/ton DRI. Energy consumed during induction heating amounted to 9.94 GJ/ton DRI, as electricity. This energy consumption value does not take into account the efficiency of the primary energy required to generate electricity. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Founded in 1928, Iscor was intended to make South Africa self sufficient in the provision of steel while providing employment for poor whites. Economic considerations prevailed when Iscor began replacing expensive white labour with cheaper black labour. From 1934 to 1948 black labour was employed to curtail costs. While being replaced by black labour, white employees' salaries and fringe benefits remained better than those of their black colleagues. Affordable houses were provided for white employees while blacks were housed in overcrowded compounds. No medical or pension benefits were made available to black employees or their families, while white employees enjoyed both. White employees were provided with what were arguabley the finest sports facilities in the country while black facilities were neglected. With the National Party victory in 1948 more emphasis was placed on the employment of Afrikaans speaking white South Africans at the expense of blacks and English speaking whites. / History / M.A. (History)

Founded in 1928, Iscor was intended to make South Africa self sufficient in the provision of steel while providing employment for poor whites. Economic considerations prevailed when Iscor began replacing expensive white labour with cheaper black labour. From 1934 to 1948 black labour was employed to curtail costs. While being replaced by black labour, white employees' salaries and fringe benefits remained better than those of their black colleagues. Affordable houses were provided for white employees while blacks were housed in overcrowded compounds. No medical or pension benefits were made available to black employees or their families, while white employees enjoyed both. White employees were provided with what were arguabley the finest sports facilities in the country while black facilities were neglected. With the National Party victory in 1948 more emphasis was placed on the employment of Afrikaans speaking white South Africans at the expense of blacks and English speaking whites. / History / M.A. (History)