Motion Control’s editor had a chat with new SAFPA president, Uven Moodley to find out more about his background, and what his plans are for SAFPA.
Uven started out in the hydraulics industry in 1992 straight out of school, in an admin position at Hyflo. Here he was given the opportunity to study and earned a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. He fulfilled many roles during his time at Hyflo, and managed various projects. He then moved to Danfoss for two years, learning more about the mobile hydraulics business. In 2006 he was headhunted by local OEM, Smit Capital Equipment, which specialises in designing drilling rigs, where he eventually rose to the level of director and equity partner. In 2018 he went full circle in the hydraulics business by moving to HYDAC. He has recently established a new company, HK Mining Solutions, in partnership with HYDAC, and will be targeting the mining industry.
Uven is married with a daughter who is studying at Stellenbosch. In his spare time he enjoys going to the gym, reading crime series and business books, and watching sport.
He says when he became president, the first thing he did was to go to SAFPA’s Member Value Proposition Survey to see what the SAFPA members want. The two most important things were technical training sessions and social events. So these are in the pipeline. Uven and the committee members are encouraging technical talks by key suppliers into the hydraulic and pneumatic industries.
Another area of focus will be new legislation affecting the fluid power industry.
On the social side, soccer events are popular, with the next one being in November. He believes these events contribute to team spirit and networking, and bring out people’s competitive spirit. Cycling and golf events are also on the cards. He would also like to boost SAFPA’s presence on social media and get members to join SAFPA on their existing platforms. This is a good way to attract younger members. He says that SAFPA’s LinkedIn site, especially, has some good reads.
“My goal is to keep our existing membership, and grow it by targeting hydraulics and pneumatics companies that are not already members,” he concludes.
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