Farmers across South Africa have relied on Drotsky’s dependable hammer mills, feed mixers, and pellet machines since 1962.
The very first hammer mill was built by Gert Drotsky, and over the years, the company has kept up with the latest technology in a changing sector. Today, Drotsky’s machines are used by commercial farmers, pharmaceutical companies, and the sponge industry.
What many people do not know is that the machines they trust are assembled by women.
Izak Wolfaardt, Drotsky’s Mechanical Engineer, says that the first female welder started at the company in 1985. In those years, the male welders would frequently strike. One day, they did not show up again, but Juliet was, as usual, outside cleaning the walls. Mr Van der Ryst then told his staff that she was reliable and at her post every day, and they should accept her and make her a welder.
This is how Juliet learned to weld and paved the way for women at the company. She worked for Drotsky until 2019.
At this point, three other female welders are employed at Drotsky, and each of them has a story.
Bongeka joined them after a company board member spotted her outside the local grocery store.
“He liked her attitude towards him and the way she handled him,” says Izak.
He then asked her what job she did, and Bongeka burst into tears. She told him that she had just lost her job at the store. Without thinking twice, she was then offered a position as a welder at Drotsky.
The other two women who excel at welding, Thandi and Thembi, pitched up looking for work on the farm. Thandi first started working as a farm helper and later also qualified as a welder. Thembi first looked after cattle before she also started working in the factory.
Drotsky believes in investing in the future of their business and their staff. They are currently training another 18 women as welders. For the company, it is important to take care of their people, and they provide a nice lunch for all their employees every day.
Izak says that there is another unwritten rule in the company, which is that management understands that the women in their company also have families and children and that they need to handle problems that arise at home.
“We understand that a mother needs to be there when, for example, a child falls off a jungle gym. So, our door is always open when they want to come in and say they urgently need to go home,” explains Izak.
Other women at Drotsky include the competent receptionists, the woman who cooks for the entire company every day, the woman in charge of the parts store, and the woman running the plasma cutting machine.
“People think that in a factory, the welders must be men, and they must be strong, but the women are so much better, they basically dominate in the factory,” adds Izak.
“Our female welders are much more loyal to the company. The men come and go, but the women who work with us have been loyal Drotsky employees for years.
“Women are neater, more loyal, and more reliable,” laughs Izak.
Drotsky wants to wish every iron lady a happy Women’s Month.
