Hi, I’m
Thabane Fihlela
Project Engineer
Alberton
Summary
Proficient Project Engineer with 15 years of experience driving over more than 10 projects to completion. Skilled in overseeing technical staff and checking that projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and according to specifications.
Overview
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Tiger Brands King Foods Potchefstroom
Project Engineer
04.2024 - Current
Job overview
- Provided technical expertise throughout all phases of the project, ensuring accurate execution of designs and specifications.
- Maintained records for each project and engineering discipline.
- Monitored installation of materials and equipment for compliance with drawings and specifications.
- Completed construction tasks while providing safe working conditions, staying on budget and meeting project deadlines.
- Reduced project timelines with proactive planning and close monitoring of progress.
- Identified technical risks within managed projects.
- Ensured quality control for all aspects of the project, reducing defects and rework.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration to achieve project goals.
- Determined and scheduled priorities as required to progress engineering work.
- Developed detailed project plans to ensure timely completion and deliverables were met.
- Improved communication among stakeholders through regular updates and meetings.
- Negotiated contracts with suppliers to secure favorable terms and save costs.
- Evaluated change order requests in response to out-of-scope work activities.
- Identified risks and implemented mitigation strategies, minimizing potential issues during the project lifecycle.
- Managed budgets effectively for multiple projects, ensuring financial targets were met.
- Managed project budgets with precision, preventing cost overruns and ensuring financial integrity.
- Established robust monitoring systems to track project progress, enabling timely interventions when necessary.
WSP Africa Group (Power Unit)
Project Quality Specialist
10.2022 - 06.2023
Job overview
- Preparing and implementing quality assurance policies and procedures
- Performing quality documents review, reject or approval thereafter
- Identifying and resolving workflow during projects implementation
- Ensuring that quality standards and procedures are adhered to
- Addressing and discussing issues and proposed solutions with the project team
- Documenting quality assurance activities and creating audit reports
- Making recommendations for improvement
- Components Factory Acceptance Testing witnessing and approval.
Eskom
Senior Technical Advisor
10.2017 - 08.2019
Job overview
- Liaising with Engineering, Operating, Outages/Projects and Production Departments in ensuring that projects/outages activities are assigned to correct Maintenance Section, executed, and closed out
- Maintenance Senior Person representative during Outage Planning, Execution and Close out meetings
- Quality Management System is implemented during planned and breakdown maintenance
- Performing quality documents review, reject or approval thereafter
- Identifying and resolving workflow during projects implementation
- Ensuring that quality standards and procedures are adhered to
- Maintenance related occurrences/incident/events are allocated to correct Maintenance Section monitored and closed out
- Member of Plant Safety Regulation and Operating Regulation for High Voltage System
- Senior Person during Generator phasing gear check and declaring unit ready to synchronize to the National Grid Control.
Manager - Dust Emissions Recovery Team
01.2016 - 09.2017
Job overview
- Team formation - Ensuring that all the stakeholders involved in emissions control are identified and responsibilities and accountabilities outlined
- Ensuring that plant defects affecting emissions control plants are identified, prioritised and executed promptly
- Ensuring that emissions reports are ready for morning Management Committee meeting daily
- Ensuring that generating units' bidding to allow for emissions control plants shutdown and repairs, are approved by the GM before submission to Generation Production and Sales Department for scheduling
- Ensuring that all awaiting plant defects/notifications enters the outage schedule for planning and execution
- Report to Chief Air Pollution Officer regarding emissions escalation incidents
- Member of Lethabo Power Station Senior Management Committee
- Dust Emission Recovery Team outage representative
- Senior Person during Generator phasing gear check and declaring unit ready to synchronize to the National Grid Control.
Production/Maintenance Integration Manager
01.2013 - 12.2015
Job overview
- Custodian of the Generation Production and Sales System
- Custodian of SAP Plant Preventative Maintenance
- Responsible for approving plant permit to work, i.e., Plant Safety Regulations and Operating Regulation for High Voltage System
- Overseeing the implementation of Quality Management System
- Management and Control of Forced Outages
- Chairpersons of daily production meeting
- Daily tracking and monitoring of priority one defect notifications
- Reporting of daily risks to the Power Station Manager
- Recovery manager during on short duration Unplanned Capability Loss incidents
- Chairperson of critical spares management forum.
Reliability Basis Optimization - Work Management Project Champion
01.2011 - 12.2012
Job overview
- Setting up the project team that included, Production, Procurement, Engineering, Operating and Maintenance Departments
- The project deliverables included: Identification of plants functional locations, Classification of plant components in terms of criticality, Identification of components parts and spares thereof, Performing failure mode analysis on plant components, Development of Safe Working Procedures, TIP's and QCP's, Development of Process Control Manuals for both Routine and Outage Maintenance, Development of SAP Preventative Maintenance orders for Routine and Outage Maintenance, Provide advisory service to project Team Leaders and Managers, Development of Plant Maintenance KPI's (Leading Metrics) for different Departments within Generation Group, Preparation and presentation of Leading Metrics for weekly and monthly Business Performance Reviews, Senior Person during Generator phasing gear check and declaring unit ready to synchronize to the National Grid Control.
Manager - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.2001 - 12.2010
Job overview
- Managing a team of Senior Supervisors and Technicians that execute electrical maintenance during running plants, outages and projects
- Providing leadership to the section
- Human capital skills development
- Handling stuff disciplining matters
- Monitoring and control of routine and outage maintenance costs
- Recruitment and retention of staff
- Managing SHEQ and Budget control
- Senior Person during Generator phasing gear check and declaring unit ready to synchronize to the National Grid Control
- Member of Lethabo Daily and Weekly Production Meetings
- Member of Lethabo Tender Committee Squad Check Meeting
- Member of Lethabo Plant Safety Regulations, Operating Regulation for High Voltage System and Pulverised Fuel Firing Regulations Examining Committee
- Member of Lethabo Recruitment Drive Committee
- Overseeing the planning, scheduling, resource allocation, quality requirements, risks mitigation and execution of all electrical maintenance activities during Outages and Projects.
Senior Supervisor - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.1998 - 12.2000
Job overview
- Plan and schedule daily, weekly, monthly and yearly Preventative Maintenance orders
- Estimate the time and materials needed to complete tasks
- Maintain records and documentation relating to completed tasks
- Supervise electricians as they work, providing guidance and instruction as needed
- Ensure that work complies with all safety requirements
- Perform electrician tasks as needed
- Ensures compliance to Plant Safety Regulations and Operating Regulations for High Voltage System
- Block Permit holder as a Responsible Person for permits above during Outages
- Outage Coordinator for all electrical maintenance activities during outages.
Principal Engineering Assistance - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.1996 - 12.1997
Job overview
- Project implementation coordinator for electrical related projects
- Outage Coordinator for electrical outage scope of work
- Block Permit Holder for electrical plants under permit to work
- Responsible for all electrical critical spares availability and serviceability
- Plan and schedule daily, weekly, monthly and yearly Preventative Maintenance orders
- Estimate the time and materials needed to complete tasks
- Maintain records and documentation relating to completed tasks
- Supervise electricians as they work, providing guidance and instruction as needed
- Ensure that work complies with all safety requirements
- Perform electrician tasks as needed
- Ensures compliance to Plant Safety Regulations and Operating Regulations for High Voltage System.
Education
SWINTON ROAD TECHNICAL COLLEGE
National Diploma - Electrical Engineering Heavy Current
PRETORIA UNIVERSITY
Programme Certificate - Management Development Programme
PRETORIA UNIVERSITY
Advanced Programme Certificate - Engineering Management
ESKOM ACADEMY OF LEARNING
Generation Leadership Programme for Senior Technical Managers
Skills
Building of organisational culture
Personal Information
- ID Number: 7301245374082
- Criminal Offences: Nil
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: South African
- Driving License: Yes
Othercourses
- Basic Process Troubleshooting
- MS Office (Excel, project, word, power point and outlook)
- SAP (PM1, PM2, MR1)
- NEC Family of contracts
- Contract Management Principles
- FOREX
- Critical Path Method
- Conflict Management
- Dealing with difficult people
- People supervision
- Negotiations
- Mentoring and Coaching
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act
- Fire Fighting Level 2
- First Aid Level 3
- Turbine and Boiler Plant Courses
- Power Plant Chemistry
- Welding Appreciation Course (SAIW)
- Plant Safety Regulations and Operating Regulations For High Voltage System
References
- Vusi Mokoena, Eskom, Operations Manager, 0729120062
- Lisa Godlo, Eskom, Maintenance Manager, 0789853900
Timeline
Project Engineer
Tiger Brands King Foods
04.2024 - Current
Project Quality Specialist
WSP Africa Group (Power Unit)
10.2022 - 06.2023
Senior Technical Advisor
Eskom
10.2017 - 08.2019
Manager - Dust Emissions Recovery Team
01.2016 - 09.2017
Production/Maintenance Integration Manager
01.2013 - 12.2015
Reliability Basis Optimization - Work Management Project Champion
01.2011 - 12.2012
Manager - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.2001 - 12.2010
Senior Supervisor - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.1998 - 12.2000
Principal Engineering Assistance - Electrical Maintenance Section (EMS)
01.1996 - 12.1997
SWINTON ROAD TECHNICAL COLLEGE
National Diploma - Electrical Engineering Heavy Current
04.1997
PRETORIA UNIVERSITY
Programme Certificate - Management Development Programme
04.2000
PRETORIA UNIVERSITY
Advanced Programme Certificate - Engineering Management
04.2003
ESKOM ACADEMY OF LEARNING
Generation Leadership Programme for Senior Technical Managers
04.2003
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