REGULARS - PERSONALITY PROFILE
Passionate about quality woodworking machines
Donald Fuchs , the director of Donald Fuchs Machinery ( DFM ), lives by his philosophy of always being honest .
By Dineo Phoshoko
WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A DIRECTOR AT DFM ? To oversee good service to the South African economy and the people within the wood working industry .
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR TENURE AS DIRECTOR ? WHAT HAVE YOU ACHIEVED SO FAR ? To continue to supply the industry with top quality woodworking machines and provide a reliable service .
Building the company up with no outside financial support , the company was built on honesty and trust .
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES , IN YOUR OPINION , THAT THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS TO OVERCOME ? The training of artisans . We are definitely short of high quality skilled people .
I would recommend that we select immigrants with first class wood working skills , allowing them into the country to train people .
EXPLAIN HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN YOUR CAREER AND HOW YOU ENDED UP WHERE YOU ARE TODAY .
I started the company with the knowledge of what goes on in the woodworking industry . I managed to get 28 secondhand machines on consignment from customers , I then patented and restored them and sold 26 of them . From that day on I never looked back .
WHAT QUALIFICATIONS ( AND FROM WHERE ) DO YOU HAVE ?
Christian Brothers College in Bloemfontein , qualifications : qualified by experience ( QBE ).
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS INDUSTRY ? My step brother , Wilfred Fuchs , was one of the first people to start manufacturing Tungsten saws in South Africa . He asked me to come and work for him and that is where my journey in the woodworking industry began .
DO YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU DO AND WHY ? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR JOB ?
I ’ ve enjoyed what I ’ ve been doing since 1968 , and the opportunities as well as the places in the world this industry has taken me .
Donald Fuchs is passionate about supplying quality woodworking machinery to the industry .
" I believe South Africa is on the brink of a major development and we have taken steps to meet these requirements ."
Working with all the people I ’ ve meet over the years is my favourite part of the job .
WHAT IS YOUR MISSION STATEMENT ? To continue to supply quality woodworking machinery and build long lasting relationships with our customers .
HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF DFM GOING ? WHAT DO YOU STILL WANT TO ACHIEVE , AS DIRECTOR AT THE COMPANY AND AS AN INDIVIDUAL ? I see a bright future for DFM with the people working at the company . I believe South Africa is on the brink of a major development and we have taken steps to meet these requirements .
WHAT BIG PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN PART OF ? Putting Homag on the map in Africa . Also , our subsidiary company N & D has done a good job of introducing high quality Nanxing machines into the industry with the confidence of the end user .
WHAT IS YOUR WORK PHILOSOPHY ? To be honest !
NTSAKO KHOSA
54 APRIL / MAY 2018 //