M.Comm. / Iscor is the largest iron and steel producer in Africa in terms of crude steel per anum (Bloomberg, 1999). Iscor has two main divisions namely the Mining division and Steel division. The Mining division is responsible for the mining of the raw materials such as iron ore, coal and dolomite. Some of these raw materials are exported and the rest is supplied to the Steel division. Approximate 8,9 million tons of iron ore is exported annually (McKic, 1999). The Steel division converts the iron ore into iron pigs, steel and finish hot and cold rolls at the Newcastle and VanderBijlpark Works. During the financial year ending June 1998 Iscor produced 6,5 million tons of crude steel (Alberts, 1999). The question is sometimes asked; why are some companies able to turn their ideas into appropriate actions, thereby creating a competitive advantage resulting in superior performance? The answer is that successful companies have the specific identities, attitudes, competencies and sets of values and beliefs not possessed by other companies. These attributes of winning companies are collectively known as organisational culture. Organisational culture exists in every organisation and can be either positive and/or negative. One of management's focuses is to change the existing organisational culture into the ideal organisational culture applicable to specifically that organisation. The process of change should be implemented over an extended period of time.

Mini-study project (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The traditional role of the procurement functions within large organizations has changed significantly over the last couple of years. Moving away from a function purely directed at rendering a supply of material service to the relevant plants, the procurement departments are now a vital link in the chain to improve global competitiveness. In this changing role, procurement is expected to work closely with the organization's internal operations, as well as with suppliers to ensure that opportunities for gaining competitive advantages are fully explored. The procurement manager and his team will have to focus on building links to ensure that the organization's goals and objectives are met. This paper serves to describe the changes made by Iscor Steel to ensure that its procurement department is adequately equipped to manage these new challenges. The changing face of the department, its organizational structure, the operational methodology and focus are explained. The methodology of modem supply chain cost reduction initiatives undertaken by Iscor and its suppliers is explained and the results thereof are presented. The paper highlights the successes achieved by Iscor in transforming the traditional service orientated procurement function into a world class, continuous business improvement orientated department. The success revolves around changing the organizational structure in such a way as to equip the procurement function with the commercial and technical expertise to focus on specific commodities in such detail that maximum cost and efficiency advantages are realized. As an example, the latter part of the paper gives a detailed explanation of one of the tools used by the procurement department to minimize cost and maximize efficiency, and describes in general the considerable success achieved by using these tools. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tradisionele rol van die aankopefunksie binne groot organsisasies het geweldig verander oor die laaste aantal jare. Dit het wegbeweeg van 'n funksie wat uitsluitlik gemik was op die verskaffing van materiaal aan betrokke aanlegte. Die aankope departement speel vandag 'n belangrike rol in die verbetering van 'n maatskappy se internasionale kompeteringsvermoê. In hierdie veranderende rol word van die aankopefunksie verwag om baie nou met die interne bedrywighede van die maatskappy, sowel as met die verskaffers saam te werk om te verseker dat geleenthede vir die benutting van kompeterende voordele ten volle ontgin word. Die aankopebestuurder en sy span moet fokus daarop om bande te bou wat kan verseker dat die organisasie sy doelwitte bereik. Hierdie studie ondersoek en illustreer die veranderinge wat deur Iscor Staal gemaak is om te verseker dat die aankopefunksie toegerus is om hierdie nuwe uitdagings te hanteer en te bestuur. Die veranderende funksie van die aankopedepartement, die organsisasiestruktuur, die bestuursmetodologie en die nuwe fokus word beskryf in die studie. Die metodologie van moderne kosteverminderings inisiatiewe binne die verskaffingsketting van Iscor en sy verskaffers word verduidelik en die resultate daarvan weergegee. Hierdie studie reflekteer die suksesse wat Iscor behaal het deur die verandering van die tradisionele diensgeorienteerde aankopefunksie na 'n wêreldklas aaneenlopende besigheidsverbeterings georienteerde funksie. Die sukses wentel rondom die verandering van die organisasiestruktuur op so 'n wyse dat die aankopefunksie toegerus is met kommersiële en tegniese kundigheid om te fokus op spesifieke kommoditeite sodat maksimum koste en effektiwiteitsvoordele verwesenlik word. 'n Gedeelte van die studie gee 'n gedetaileerde verduideliking van een van die metodes wat deur die aankopefunksie gebruik word om koste te verminder en effektiwiteit te verbeter en beskryf in die algemeen die sukses wat behaal is deur hierdie metodes te gebruik.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study investigated the nature of a steel production process in South Africa. The Iron and Steel Corporation of South Africa (Iscor) was analysed within various theoretical approaches within the sociology of science and technology. Iscor follows the production processes that are based on a particular paradigm practiced throughout the world by steel-making organisations. The study aims to unlock this paradigm by using specific theoretical (ANT, SCOT and SSR) and disciplinary (MOT) approaches. Each approach provides a unique analytical dimension to the study: the influence of various human and non-human actors, the influence of social pressures, the historical evolution of the current practices and the management of risk. The study explores how Iscor adheres to mainstream scientific work. Hence there is a focus on endogeneous approaches - "processes of technological change and their outcomes are part of what has to be explained and understood" (Rip et ai, 1995). It is also noted that the technologies are derived from practical experiences and processes of scientific research. There is an ongoing attempt to formulate an understanding between technical and social content of steel-making processes because automated plant machinery continue to replace manual labour. Finally, the study investigates how dominant steel-making technologies within lscor's Vanderbijlpark (VP) and Saldanah Bay (SB) plants have evolved to achieve a position of stability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie het oorsake van die staal produksie proses in Suid Afrika geondersoek. Die Yster en Staal Korperasie van Suid Afrika (Yskor) was geanaliseer binne die verskillende teoretiese benaderings in die sosiologie van wetenskap en tegnologie. Yskor volg 'n produksie wat gebaseer is op 'n spesifieke paradigm wat deur alle staal vervaardigde organisasie wereld wyd gepraktiseer word. Die studie beoog om hierdie paradigm te ontbloot, deur spesifieke teoretiese (ANT, SCOT and SSR) en disiplinere (MOT) benaderings te gebruik. Elk van hierdie benaderings sal 'n unieke analiese demensie voortbring aan die studie: die invloed van verskillende menslike en nie-menslike aspekte, die invloed van sosiale druk, die geskiedkundige evolusie van die huidige praktyke en die bestuur van risikos. Die studie ondersoek hoe Yskor riglyne volg in die wetenskaplike veld. AI te mits is daar 'n mikpunt op endogeniese benadering - "tegnologiese prosese verandering en die resultate wat deel vorm van hoe die proses verduidelik word en verstandbaar moet wees" (Rip et al, 1995). Dis is dus duidelik dat die tegnologie verkry word deur praktiese ondervinding en wetenskappe navorsing prosese. Daar is voortdurend pogings om die verwantskap tussen tegniese en die sosiale inhoud van die staal vervaardigings prosese te formuleer, deurdat auto-matiese mashienerie all deurgans oorneem van werkers. Laastens die studie ondersoek hoe die dominante staal vervaardigde tegnologie binne in Yskor Vanderbijlpark (VP) en Saldanha Baai (SB) verander het om 'n stabiele stands poort te verkry.

D.Phil. (Sociology) / In this thesis I am examining the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and Solidarity‘s responses to technological changes at the ArcelorMittal (formerly known as Iron and Steel Corporation of South Africa (Iscor)) Vanderbijlpark Plant in the south of the Gauteng province between 1989 and 2012. As part of the restructuring plans of the Apartheid government, Iscor South Africa was privatised in 1989. At that time the plant was also in a process of restructuring, which included technological changes and work reorganisation, the objective of which was to prepare Iscor South Africa and the plant for competing in a global steel market. Therefore the subsequent technological changes in the plant were also part of the plant‘s positioning in the global competition of the steel market. The ownership of the plant by ArcelorMittal International after 2006 meant that the plant was fully integrated into the global steel market because it became part of the other global plants of the ArcelorMittal International Group in other parts of the world. Technological changes and work reorganisation led to a massive displacement of workers at Iscor South Africa. For example, in 1988, Iscor had about 59 000 employees and this number was reduced to about 9 300 employees in 2010. The key objective of the thesis is to conduct a sociological analysis of trade union responses to the technological changes at ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Plant. One of the discoveries of this thesis is that both trade unions – Solidarity and NUMSA- were not proactive in responding to technological changes at the plant. They argued for more consultation on technological changes, training, and deployment of workers who had been displaced by machines, work reorganisation, and retrenchment packages for retrenched workers. Solidarity, a predominantly white workers‘ union, with its skilled workforce did not use its membership‘s strategic location at the point of production to help it proactively to respond to technological changes. On the other hand, NUMSA, a predominantly black union which was part of a vibrant antiapartheid movement with traditions of grooming worker intellectuals, did not respond proactively to technological changes at the plant.Even after the wave of restructuring and technological changes of the 1990s to early 2000s, both unions did not move away from a reactive approach towards a proactive approach to production technology. The two unions did not combine reproduction and production issues in their bargaining strategies. The unions were still focusing on wages or reproduction as a strategy of engaging factory owners. Production in the form of technological changes and work reorganisation was not being addressed by the union and yet changes in production processes play a major role in determining the number of workers in a plant and the profile of the workforce as shown in this thesis. The reactive responses of both trade unions and a focus on wages is theorised as reproduction reductionism. This means that unions tend to focus on wages and other spheres of income such as politics of ‗upward mobility‘ which play a central role in reproducing workers and their leaders. The focus on these issues means that the unions are prioritising reproduction over production. This then leads to management of the plant having free reign in the sphere of production and technological changes.

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)