Pierre Vermoter has 23 years of experience in the mining, maintenance and construction sectors. He currently works for Murray & Roberts in cementation in their mine engineering design office. He is an accomplished mechanical technician with 16 years of ‘hands on’ technical experience. He has also spent some years in technically associated planning, procurement and sales, and then in mechanical and structural design.
Pierre says that the most fascinating development in the industry is the gradual and continuous automation of mining. He believes this mechanization and the introduction of new innovative mining technologies improves the safety and the productivity of the mining industry overall.
Pierre chalks up his success in the engineering field to having a range of skills and focussing on achieving the required outcomes. He said:
“Career success can be attributed to a result driven, ‘can do attitude’. I have the ability to take ownership of a project and work independently. Specializing in rotating equipment has defined my work style of precision and quality and is driven by attention to procedure and pride in my work. My technical skills are further complimented by an analytical predisposition and a high level of English and computer literacy.”
Pierre recently graduated through the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT), earning an Advanced Diploma of Mechanical Engineering Technology. The course provides students with a current look at the technologies revolutionizing the Mechanical Engineering industry.
Pierre said EIT’s course gave him “an all-around boost” in terms of his general engineering knowledge; it provided him with a deeper understanding of other engineering disciplines.
“Mechanical Engineering, on a career level, generally finds the practitioner focusing in one particular area and many of the other disciplines get forgotten and left behind because they are not utilized on a daily basis. I’ve now found that a lot of my knowledge has been refreshed and I’ve found I’ve had answers at hand, whereas previously, I had to reference a specialist or do further research. My research has become more focused and better targeted as I have a better grounding now.”
Pierre said that finding out the Engineering Institute of Technology was not only internationally recognized, but locally recognized by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) was the validation he needed to register for the course.
And how does he stay motivated whilst having to work and study? He says he simply doesn’t procrastinate. “It has to be done...so I get it done!”