NEWS ARTICLES

Across Africa's industrial heartlands, from the copper-rich provinces of Haut-Katanga to the mining corridors of North-Western Zambia, a critical reality has emerged: sustainable industrial growth depends not merely on natural resources or financial capital—it hinges on skilled human capital, particularly among Africa's youth.   As the skills gap continues to widen across mining, construction, energy, and logistics sectors—with youth unemployment reaching crisis levels—the Dickinson Group of Companies has unveiled DGC TalentWorks. This groundbreaking platform represents a fully integrated workforce development and deployment ecosystem specifically designed to transform Africa's untapped youth potential into skilled, certified, and job-ready talent for the continent's industrial future. ADDRESSING AFRICA'S YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CRISIS HEAD-ON   At the heart of DGC TalentWorks lies a response to one of Africa's most pressing ethical challenges: despite expanding industrial operations across the continent, youth unemployment remains persistently high. The disconnect between industrial growth and youth opportunity represents not just an economic challenge but a fundamental threat to social stability and sustainable development.   DGC TalentWorks confronts this challenge by strategically unifying two of the Group's core capabilities: DGC AFRICA Skills, the Group's specialised technical training and certification division, and DGC Workforce Solutions, its comprehensive labour broking, recruitment, and outsourcing arm.   This integration creates a seamless end-to-end solution that identifies, trains, certifies, deploys, and monitors young artisans and technicians across critical industrial operations. Rather than simply filling vacancies, DGC TalentWorks builds sustainable capacity—creating structured career pathways for Africa's youth while giving industrial clients access to locally-sourced, safety-compliant personnel precisely aligned with operational needs.   LOCAL YOUTH FIRST: COMMUNITY-TO-PROJECT EMPLOYMENT PIPELINE   A cornerstone of the DGC TalentWorks approach is its "Local Youth First" framework—a structured system for engaging young people from communities adjacent to major industrial projects. Rather than sourcing labour from distant urban centres or temporary agencies, the initiative partners directly with local schools, TVET institutions, and community leaders to identify high-potential candidates from project-affected communities.   These individuals enter comprehensive skills development programmes through DGC AFRICA Skills and are subsequently deployed on industrial projects under structured mentorship arrangements. This community-based approach delivers meaningful benefits on multiple fronts:   ·       Enhanced social license to operate for industrial clients ·       Reduced workforce volatility and absenteeism  ·       Strengthened community relations through visible employment pathways ·       Authentic compliance with local content regulations   By investing in local youth, DGC TalentWorks transforms communities from passive hosts of industrial activity into active participants in economic development, creating a virtuous cycle of skills development, employment, and community prosperity.   DIGITAL SKILLS VERIFICATION SYSTEM   A key technological component of the DGC TalentWorks initiative is its Digital Skills Verification System—a secure digital platform being developed to enhance credential validation and employment history verification across the continent's fragmented industrial workforce.   The current verification landscape is characterised by inconsistent documentation, limited cross-recognition of qualifications, and cumbersome paper-based systems that fail to serve either workers or employers effectively. DGC TalentWorks aims to address these challenges through a graduated implementation of digital verification tools.   In its initial phase, the system will focus on standardising documentation and centralising records through established digital processes. This foundational work will create a single, reliable repository for worker qualifications, training records, and employment history. As the ecosystem matures, DGC plans to integrate more sophisticated verification technologies, ensuring the system evolves in step with practical field requirements and technological capabilities.   For mining operations, this approach delivers immediate practical benefits through improved workforce documentation—providing site managers with better visibility of worker qualifications and specialised certifications while reducing the administrative burden associated with onboarding and compliance verification. For workers, it means greater recognition of their skills across employers and improved long-term employability.   The goal is not technological sophistication for its own sake, but practical, implementable solutions that address real workforce challenges across Africa's industrial sectors.   ESG-LINKED CONTRACTING FRAMEWORK   DGC TalentWorks is developing an innovative commercial approach that incorporates youth employment and skills development metrics into client engagement models. This framework positions DGC not merely as a service provider but as a strategic partner in delivering measurable social impact outcomes aligned with clients' broader ESG commitments.   The traditional industrial workforce model treats labour as a transactional input—focusing purely on cost and immediate availability. DGC TalentWorks proposes a fundamental shift toward a partnership approach where workforce development becomes integrated with broader operational and sustainability goals.   Under this evolving framework, regular performance monitoring related to youth employment and upskilling creates transparency and accountability. Quarterly reporting aligned with international sustainability standards enables clients to demonstrate tangible progress toward their ESG commitments. Most importantly, collaborative planning for progressive localisation and skills transfer ensures that immediate operational needs are balanced with long-term workforce sustainability.   This approach creates shared value by helping clients meet their own ESG commitments while delivering operational excellence. For mining operations facing increasing scrutiny from investors, regulators, and communities, this represents a practical solution for demonstrating meaningful progress toward sustainable development goals without compromising operational performance.   THE DRC: STRATEGIC FOUNDATION FOR CONTINENTAL IMPACT   The Democratic Republic of Congo has been strategically selected as the primary launch market for DGC TalentWorks. This decision reflects not only the country's extraordinary mineral wealth but also the convergence of intense industrial demand, high youth unemployment, and a growing national imperative for employment localisation.   The initiative builds on two significant milestones: the signing of a landmark agreement with the Regulatory Authority for Subcontracting in the Private Sector (ARSP), and the establishment of Club BTP & CMA, a professional body co-founded by DGC Africa Skills to drive the certification and nationalisation of Congolese technical labour.   Under this mandate, DGC TalentWorks has been authorised to: ·       Develop and certify vocational trainers according to international standards ·       Standardise trade tests across key industrial disciplines ·       Support the accreditation of technical training centres ·       Align certification frameworks with international benchmarks   Additionally, preliminary work has begun on concepts for a national registry of certified artisans—with the goal of enhancing transparency, traceability, and workforce readiness verification across the private sector. This registry would serve as a trusted source of verified talent for industrial operators while creating improved employment pathways for Congolese youth.   SCALING ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA   While the DRC serves as the launchpad, DGC TalentWorks embodies a scalable model designed for pan-African impact. Zambia has been identified as the next strategic market for implementation, leveraging the Dickinson Group's established operational presence and deep understanding of the country's industrial landscape.   Each subsequent market expansion will be calibrated to address country-specific contexts, including localisation policies and regulatory requirements, youth unemployment challenges and skills gaps, labour mobility frameworks, and the complex dynamics of public and private institutional partnerships. This tailored approach ensures that while the core methodology remains consistent, implementation is always contextualised to local realities.   The overarching vision extends beyond individual countries toward a pan-African youth employment and skills mobility framework. This would enable standardised certification and cross-border deployment of young talent while ensuring skill development occurs locally, benefiting host communities and national economies. The goal is not to create a homogenised approach that ignores cultural and regulatory differences, but rather to establish common standards and practices that facilitate both local development and regional mobility.   COLLABORATIVE PATH FORWARD   DGC TalentWorks represents an evolving ecosystem rather than a static solution. Throughout 2025-2026, the company will actively engage with: ·       Industry operators seeking sustainable workforce solutions ·       Government institutions responsible for youth employment and skills development ·       Educational and vocational training providers ·       Development agencies focused on economic empowerment ·       Industry associations and professional bodies   This multi-stakeholder approach recognises that no single entity can solve Africa's youth employment challenges in isolation. By bringing together diverse perspectives and capabilities, DGC TalentWorks aims to create a model that delivers measurable youth employment impact, shared value, and long-term workforce sustainability across sectors.   The initiative will culminate in a formal presentation at the prestigious 2026 Africa CEO Forum, where DGC will outline its proposal for a continental youth employment and skills accreditation framework—directly aligned with Africa's broader industrialisation agenda and sustainable development goals. This forum represents an opportunity to expand the conversation from individual projects to systemic change—creating momentum for a continent-wide approach to youth employment in industrial sectors.   ABOUT THE DICKINSON GROUP   Founded in 1910, the Dickinson Group of Companies stands as a fifth-generation, privately-owned enterprise specialising in Asset Integrity Management, Industrial Solutions, and Human Capital Development. With operations spanning sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, the Group combines deep industrial expertise with innovative approaches to complex operational challenges.   With the strategic launch of DGC TalentWorks, the Dickinson Group reaffirms its commitment to Africa's sustainable industrial development—empowering Africa's youth to build the continent's future, one career at a time.   To explore partnership opportunities or learn more: www.dgc-africa.com  www.talentworks.dgc-africa.com  Published in the July/August 2025 Edition  

The SmartAsset Intelligence platform, which incorporates AI, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and smart sensors for operational optimisation, offers a modern solution to customers, says industrial and furnace solutions provider Dickinson Group of Companies (DGC) AFRICA. Justin Nothnagel believes that AI and smart monitoring systems can assist in producing timely interventions, so that issues can be detected before they escalate Adopting the platform benefits furnace and kiln operations in a variety of ways in industries such as manufacturing, metal and mineral processing, petrochemicals, cement and glass, states DGC AFRICA group commercial director Justin Nothnagel. “Digital innovation is creating a paradigm shift in furnace and kiln operations. With advanced data collection and analytics, plant operators can now move from reactive to proactive maintenance models. Machine learning algorithms detect anomalies early, preventing costly failures.” The platform enables operators to use solutions such as asset health monitoring for performance tracking, customised AI models to analyse root causes, digital twins for modelling and simulation, predictive analytics and maintenance forecasts, as well as smart sensors for monitoring temperature, vibration and/or structural integrity, he adds. “Smart technologies, such as embedded sensors and edge computing, collect and process data from critical furnace components in real time. Paired with AI models, they identify performance deviations and predict potential breakdowns.” This predictive capability ensures timely maintenance, minimises downtime and allows for condition-based repairs, which results in optimised furnace operations, increased uptime and improved asset life, he adds. Digitalisation innovations also ensure optimised energy use, thereby facilitating the realisation of sustainability goals, helping to improve product quality and cost reduction, owing to their ability to provide real-time monitoring and performance benchmarking. AI and the IIoT helps operators avert safety and operational risks through continuous monitoring of the environment and workers. They can also help to predetermine issues and reduce CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions, which often affect high-temperature industrial environments. “By detecting issues before they escalate, AI and smart monitoring systems facilitate timely interventions, preventing excessive wear and unplanned shutdowns. Through real-time analytics and control, furnaces can be tuned to operate at maximum efficiency, minimising fuel consumption,” says Nothnagel. Amid challenges such as “unsound” infrastructure, high costs, and return-on-investment concerns – in addition to a widening skills and training gap – DGC Africa equips organisations with solutions that help to mitigate or eliminate potential, controllable risks. Nothnagel notes that the company offers cloud-based, cost-effective deployment models, integration support for legacy systems, knowledge transfer with local expertise, and training programmes to upskill industrial workforces responsible for furnace and kiln operations. He suggests that the increased adoption of AI and IIoT solutions will continue, as automation has proven benefits associated with reducing environmental impact and enhancing worker safety. Published 8th August 2025, By Trent Roebeck, Edited by Nadine James - Features Deputy Editor READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Justin Nothnagel* discusses how DGC Africa’s inspection services support furnace reliability, safety, and operational efficiency. In the high-temperature environment of glass manufacturing, the integrity of furnaces is central to operational success. Any compromise in furnace performance can jeopardise product quality, disrupt production continuity, increase safety risks, and elevate operating costs. DGC's high-temperature endoscopy technology provides real-time, high-definition visualisation of furnace interiors at operating temperatures up to 1600'C Recognising these industry challenges, DGC AFRICA offers non-intrusive furnace inspection technologies designed to support predictive maintenance strategies and enable real-time operational insights. Where traditional inspection practices depend on scheduled shutdowns and delayed visibility, DGC AFRICA’s proactive approach, featuring high-temperature furnace endoscopy and infrared thermography, provides continuous monitoring of furnace health without interrupting production. This shift from reactive to proactive diagnostics empowers plant operators to address wear, defects, and energy inefficiencies before they escalate into critical issues. CHALLENGES Glass manufacturing facilities operate within a high-stakes framework defined by thermal stability, energy optimisation, safety standards, and high-throughput demands. Maintaining reliable furnace performance presents several persistent challenges: • Undetected refractory wear: Internal degradation often advances unnoticed between maintenance cycles.- • Unplanned downtime: Equipment failure can halt production unexpectedly, leading to costly delays and emergency repairs. • Thermal inefficiencies: Compromised refractory linings can lead to significant heat loss and higher fuel consumption. • Safety hazards: Structural failures pose serious risks to plant personnel and equipment. • Limited operational insight: Without ongoing condition monitoring, predictive maintenance strategies are difficult to implement. These challenges require precise, reliable, and technologically sophisticated solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing operational protocols. INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES DGC AFRICA provides furnace inspection solutions specifically engineered for the demanding thermal and mechanical environments typical of the glass manufacturing industry. By delivering real-time insights through advanced imaging and diagnostics, these solutions enable smarter operational decision-making and long-term asset management. FURNACE ENDOSCOPY This inspection method offers internal visualisation of furnace conditions during full operation, allowing operators to detect refractory wear, cracks, and thermal anomalies without halting production. The use of small-diameter probes and high-definition imaging systems ensures non-intrusive access to key internal areas with precise clarity. Key benefits: • Real-time monitoring during ongoing operations. • Early detection of structural and refractory deterioration. • Improved planning for maintenance and refractory procurement. • Extended furnace lifespan through data-informed interventions. • Reduced reliance on emergency shutdowns and reactive repairs. INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY As a complementary technology, infrared thermography enables external thermal analysis of furnace shells. This non-contact method identifies surface temperature anomalies that signal internal refractory wear or heat loss, providing actionable insights without disrupting production. Key benefits: • Continuous external monitoring of furnace shell temperatures. • Early identification of hot spots and compromised insulation. • Enhanced energy efficiency through optimised thermal performance. • Reduced operational risk via timely detection of overheating. • Predictive maintenance planning based on thermal data trends.   Together, these technologies form a diagnostic framework that supports predictive maintenance, improves plant safety, and enhances overall furnace performance. BENEFITS DGC AFRICA’s furnace inspection services go beyond routine diagnostics. They represent a strategic tool for plant operators seeking to improve performance reliability, and cost efficiency. By embedding predictive diagnostics into the maintenance cycle, clients gain the ability to transition from reactive problem-solving to proactive risk management. Operational advantages include: • Reduced downtime: Predictive insights enable scheduled maintenance, minimizing unplanned shutdowns. • Lower costs: Early detection reduces emergency repair expenses and improves resource planning. Increased asset longevity: Timely interventions prevent premature refractory failure. • Improved energy use: Thermal efficiency gains reduce fuel consumption and environmental impact. • Enhanced safety: Real-time monitoring mitigates operational risks and protects personnel. INDUSTRY PAIN POINTS The inspection solutions developed and implemented by DGC AFRICA directly address the core challenges faced by furnace-intensive operations. Table 1 outlines how these technologies align with the most pressing concerns in the glass manufacturing sector. Table 1 : How DGC Africa addresses the core challenges faced by furnace-intensive operations SUPPORTING GLASS MANUFACTURING In today’s competitive and resource-conscious industrial landscape, the ability to anticipate failure and mitigate risk is a defining capability. With increasing pressure to reduce downtime, improve safety, and optimise energy consumption, furnace inspections must evolve. DGC AFRICA collaborates with global technology providers to bring modern inspection tools to the African and international markets, supporting manufacturers in achieving high operational standards while reducing long-term costs. Through the integration of real-time diagnostics and proactive maintenance planning, glass manufacturers can elevate production reliability, extend asset life, and improve sustainability—all without compromising safety or output.   — * Justin Nothnagel, Director Business Development, DGC Africa, Vereeniging, South Africa Published in the May 2025 Edition of Glass International