Quality: From Compliance to Performance

In November 2024, teams across LTA Autecon’s Oil & Gas coastal region celebrated World Quality Week with the theme ‘Quality: From Compliance to Performance’. This theme emphasises the shift from merely meeting compliance standards, to driving performance through a strong and entrenched culture of quality.

Assistant Site Manager Fadiel Meyer, who participated along with many of his colleagues, supports this initiative, as celebrating World Quality Week helps to embed a mindset which motivates LTA Autecon’s people to innovate, collaborate and improve. This echoes and reinforces the company’s own well-known operational ethos and motto ‘Home without harm, everyone everyday’.

“It is vital to ensure that our teams are constantly sensitised to – and aware of – the need for quality in all that they do. It is also important to utilise these initiatives to celebrate the work our teams do, and to show them our appreciation. Our people take these initiatives to heart!” he enthuses.

Celebrating quality through creativity and collaboration

At LTA Autecon, the practice of celebrating World Quality Week began in 2020.

In 2024, it became a uniquely coastal initiative at four of the LTA Oil and Gas sites, in which teams were encouraged to proactively contribute ideas, take ownership and drive quality performance across all projects. The initiative was driven by two of the company’s Quality Co-ordinators: Dean Pierce in KwaZulu-Natal and Randal Jacks in Cape Town.

During weekly alignment sessions leading up to World Quality Week, teams were asked to recommend quality-related initiatives. Management and staff buy-in – and interest – ultimately resulted in many exceptional projects.

Standout examples included:

• Quality pledge noticeboard: a collaborative pledge noticeboard, where both employees and management made personal commitments to quality improvements. This helped to reinforce a shared dedication to maintaining the highest standards across all operations.
• Custom hard hat stickers: designed by the Island View site team to commemorate World Quality month, these were a fun and impactful way to show the team’s commitment to quality on-site.
• Digital awareness displays: teams rolled out digital awareness displays across various workstations. These displays served as constant reminders of goals and achievements.
• Live quality query registers: a real-time digital tool was created for team members to share complex quality issues and collaborate on solutions. This tool allows teams to address concerns quickly and efficiently on a shared platform, connecting employees across various locations.

• Recognition of outstanding performance: individuals who went above and beyond in maintaining high-quality standards were recognised and celebrated with special awards. These awards highlighted their exceptional contributions to quality and their impact on project successes.

Safety in quality, quality in safety

LTA Autecon’s safety slogan, ‘Home without harm, everyone everyday’ – which as mentioned has become an integral part of the company’s culture and brand over the years – featured prominently during the company’s World Quality Week celebrations.

Meyer says the two go hand in hand: “A quality project has a core safety aspect to it – and a safe project is always of high quality. After all, we never forget that in the oil and gas sector, we work in a volatile environment, with little room for error,” he points out.

Ensuring – and celebrating – client buy-in

Meyer says that ensuring the safety of clients and their staff is closely aligned with ensuring the safety, longevity and sustainability of oil and gas production plants: “This is the foundation of everything we do on a daily basis – and have done as LTA Autecon for more than 40 years. Our clients know that we do not compromise on safety.”

To make the World Quality Week initiative even more impactful, key stakeholders from client partners were invited to join the celebrations. Their presence underscored the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility in achieving quality excellence: “Our clients set the benchmarks and targets, and we work with their guidance. When we invite them, we are celebrating achieving their targets – or exceeding them. We are also showcasing future initiatives. During times like this, we discover commonalities with clients, and can align our goals: not only when it comes to day-to-day production, but for the long term.”

An example of how LTA Autecon Oil & Gas coastal region has met clients’ operational targets is its impressive welding rejection rate – which is maintained well below internal and client key performance indicators (KPIs) across the country.

Looking ahead, Meyer says that the coastal region management team and staff are excited to continue building on their achievements, further entrenching quality in everything that they do:

“Celebrating Quality Week remains a priority for us, demonstrating that LTA Autecon is constantly evolving to meet the needs of a changing environment, supported by our unwavering focus on quality and safety. The industry is changing: for example, we are seeing a shift towards automation and digitisation. As an organisation, we need to ensure that we stay current and relevant,” he concludes.