Dirk Francois Els
Cut Knife,SK
Summary
- Proven skills in financial management.
- Proven record of leading and developing multiple service departments.
- Proven record of high diagnostic capabilities.
- Over 10 years experience in people management in a high pace stressful environment.
- Controlling workshops with 60+ people. Journeyman , Assistants, Planners, Parts stores, Sectional Foreman. Measuring performance (KPI) of employees. A Natural leader of people.
- Computer skills on MS Office, Excel.
- Strong background with OEM negotiations and warranty claims. Had to deal with good will claims quite a lot on major failures after warranty is expires.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Service Manager
Pattison Ag
05.2022 - Current
- Company Overview: John Deere dealer
- Coordinate with corporate service and parts manager to streamline departments
- Training employees in service department to better run a business
- Creating operational processes and using new technology to streamline business
- Creating yearly and quarterly budgets
- Dealing with customer complaints
- Communicate with equipment suppliers on any operational problems
- Search for new customers
- Doing customer visits on farms with stores to promote our value as a dealership
- Interview and hire new people if needed
- Measuring people performance and discussing it when necessary
- Discipline fairly where necessary
- Performing employee reviews
- Ensuring safety standards are met
Service Manager
Pattison Ag
07.2019 - 04.2022
- Company Overview: John Deere dealer
- Responsible for the budget and money spent in my department, within the workshop environment and field repairs
- Creating yearly and quarterly budgets
- Dealing with customer complaints and billing
- Search for new customers
- Doing customer visits on farms to promote our value as a dealership
- Interview and hire new people if needed
- Measuring people performance and discussing it when necessary
- Discipline fairly where necessary
- Organize workflow of technicians
- Performing employee reviews
- Ensuring safety standards are met
- John Deere dealer
Heavy duty mechanic
Pattison Ag
08.2016 - 06.2019
- Company Overview: John Deere dealer
- Perform for first line troubleshooting on machines
- This includes mechanical, hydraulic and electrical
- Diagnostics is what I specialize in
- Perform out of season inspections on machines and draw up parts lists to quote the customer on repairs
- Perform major repairs on machines
- Teach and train young apprentice mechanics
- Speaking to customers when out in the field for repairs
- Assisting where possible with operating factors of the machines
- John Deere dealer
- (Got promoted to service manager)
Workshop Manager (Expatriate)
Teichmann mining & plant hire
01.2016 - 05.2016
- Company Overview: Congo central Africa (FIFO 8week on 2 week off)
- Responsible for the budget and money spent on the site, within the workshop environment and field repairs
- Having daily safety meetings with workshop employees
- Measuring people performance and discussing it when necessary
- Discipline fairly where necessary
- Having meetings on site with mining clients
- Meeting client’s targets
- Having monthly skype meetings with senior management about targets and budgets
- Yearly meetings with all our managers in one board room with all our figures on the board for everyone to see
- Setting up and meeting with suppliers
- Negotiate discounts and discuss plant issues
- Responsible for shipping parts to site so that scheduled work in the workshop and breakdowns in the field is done timeously
- Flying in emergency parts to site
- We had between $1.7m-$2.5m of parts on site at all times in stock
- (Not exact nr as it is confidential)
- Congo central Africa (FIFO 8week on 2 week off)
- (Left this job to move my family to Canada for their safety)
Workshop Foreman (Expatriate)
12.2014 - 11.2015
- In the field, breakdowns, I am called upon to assist with various first line fault finding
- This includes, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical
- I look after the mechanical, electrical and the welding on site
- I had to control about 60 workshop employees
- Ensuring repairs and scheduled maintenance on earth moving plant gets done timeously
- Checking and signing off of job cards
- Reporting any issues to the Plant Manager
- Assisting him with coming up with solutions
- (Got promoted to Workshop Manager)
Workshop Manager
SPH Kundalila
06.2012 - 11.2014
- Company Overview: Rustenburg in South Africa
- Responsible for the budget and money spent on the site, within the workshop environment and field repairs
- Having weekly meetings on site with mining clients to ensure we are meeting their targets
- Having monthly meetings with senior management about targets and budgets
- Setting up and meeting with OEM suppliers
- Negotiate discounts and discuss plant issues
- Handling any warranty issues
- Monitor plant performance to ensure that they are running efficiently
- Measure people performance
- Discuss and discipline if necessary
- Interview and hire new people if needed
- I had between $750K-$1m of parts on site at all times in stock
- Rustenburg in South Africa
- (Left to earn US$ in central Africa to get enough money to move to Canada)
Senior mechanic(Working foreman)
MCC mining and contracts
01.2010 - 05.2012
- Company Overview: Umtata in South Africa
- Doing various first line troubleshooting
- Organizing repairs and maintenance schedules
- Submitting monthly stock sheets to head office
- Umtata in South Africa
- (Left as our work was nearing completion and we were getting laid off)
Workshop foreman
Rob Civils
01.2007 - 12.2010
- Company Overview: East London in South Africa
- Scheduling work for mechanics out in the field and workshop
- Ensuring all parts are available for repairs and services
- Doing various first line troubleshooting
- East London in South Africa
- (Left because the company closed down due to recession)
Heavy duty mechanic
01.2005 - 12.2007
- Doing first line troubleshooting in the field and workshop area
- Performing major technical repairs and preventative maintenance
- Teaching and training apprentice mechanics
Apprentice mechanic
01.2002 - 12.2005
- Assisting and learning from senior mechanics
- Completing my red seal trade
Education
No Degree - Mechanical Engineering
DAM Technical College
Pretoria11-2012
No Degree - Heavy Duty Technician
Olifantsfontein
Johannesburg11-2005
Grade 12 - N3 In Mechanical Engineering
Port Rex Technical High school
01.2001
Skills
- Multitasking and organization
- Inventory coordination
- Communication
- Staff training and development
- Critical thinking
- Operations management
- KPI monitoring
- Crisis intervention
- Revenue opportunities
- Operational efficiency
- Staff development
- Policy and procedure enforcement
Websites
Certificates And References
DALE CARNEGIE Management training.
Journeyman technician certificate.
Red seal safety certificate.
Any certificates and references needed can be sent on request.
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Afrikaans
Native or Bilingual
Xhosa
Professional Working
Timeline
Regional Service Manager
Pattison Ag
05.2022 - Current
Service Manager
Pattison Ag
07.2019 - 04.2022
Heavy duty mechanic
Pattison Ag
08.2016 - 06.2019
Workshop Manager (Expatriate)
Teichmann mining & plant hire
01.2016 - 05.2016
Workshop Foreman (Expatriate)
12.2014 - 11.2015
Workshop Manager
SPH Kundalila
06.2012 - 11.2014
Senior mechanic(Working foreman)
MCC mining and contracts
01.2010 - 05.2012
Workshop foreman
Rob Civils
01.2007 - 12.2010
Heavy duty mechanic
01.2005 - 12.2007
Apprentice mechanic
01.2002 - 12.2005
Grade 12 - N3 In Mechanical Engineering
Port Rex Technical High school
No Degree - Mechanical Engineering
DAM Technical College
No Degree - Heavy Duty Technician
Olifantsfontein
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