Joseph Bonga

Joseph is a highly experienced Mechanical Engineering professional, with 22 years progressive experience in the Railway sector – with knowledge and understanding of rolling stock, wheels and wheel related components, structural testing of railway vehicles. In addition to his B.Tech Mechanical Engineering degree, Joseph attended the University of Applied Science in Germany, where he received Advanced professional training in Maintenance Management. He also holds a government Certificate of Competency – [GCC] - (Factories) since 2013, and registered with ECSA in 2008.

Over the years he has built skills and expertise in areas including Structural integrity testing of railway vehicles (wagons and locomotives), failure analysis, Maintenance, asset management, team management, maintenance systems, quality management, digitization (building of digital twin of brownfield plants at the mines). With his specialist technical areas being wheels and wheel related components, gears and pinions, lubrication and bearings. Joseph salvaged corroded wheels which would have been scrapped by machining them and reevaluating them using FEA saving in excess of R10million rand.

He has over 15 years Safety Management experience, and lead a Safety committee with all SHE representatives reporting to him in one of Transnet's depot. He is a driven and highly analytical individual with strong leadership competence.

Joseph

Lectured "maintenance management" at TUT as well as "multidisciplinary concepts in railway Engineering" at the university of Pretoria. As a consultant, he worked for Anglo American where he built a digital twin for brownfields plants. He conducted factory acceptance test and installation acceptance test for conveyor belts.

Engineering manager - Railway Infrastructure Projects

Overseeing maintenance Team (Both Electrical and mechanical). Designing of Railroad vehicles. Managing CSC Production.

Project Manager - Anglo American

(2021-10 - 2022-10)

• Scanning of brownfield plants data (Point cloud data)
• Scanned data processing
• Building of Data Management System
• P&ID Redrafting
• Conduct quality and factory acceptance of conveyor belts

Principal Engineer (Wheelset and Materials) - Transnet Freight Rail

(2014-01 - 2022-10)

• Managed Technical Specification of wagons and locomotives Bearings
• Managed Technical specifications of wheels and axles
• Managed Technical specifications of Rail welding
• Managed Technical specifications of lubrication, gears and gearcases
• Conduct failure investigations of all failed components
• Manage Rolling Stock Test and Development Centre facility in support of the business objectives of key stakeholders and clients
• Manage safety of driven machinery
• Manage technical audits of wheelset-related components for Transnet engineering and potential suppliers
• Formulate and execute strategies aligned with the needs of all key stakeholders
• Ensure compliance with Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 (1993), National Railway Safety Regulator Act 12/2002 and all environmental laws and practices applicable to the management of the facility
• Manage personnel (including cross functional Engineering Teams i.e Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical, Metrology and Team Quality/Section Managers for each section. Team size = 60)
• Developed and implemented appropriate Mechanical Engineering testing, measuring and evaluation solutions
• Compile and manage operating and capital budgets
• Resource planning, optimization, acquisition and allocation
• Manage opex and capex of the facility
• Sign off designs of new locomotives

Facility Manager (mechanical Testing Lab and Fatigue testing lab) - Transnet Freight Rail

(2007-01 - 2014-01)

• Structural testing of Railway vehicles
• Manage Rolling Stock Test and Development Centre facility in support of the business objectives of key stakeholders and clients
• Sign off all lifting equipment installation
• Schedule wagons and test coach maintenance
• Developed and implemented appropriate Mechanical Engineering testing, measuring and evaluation solutions
• Compile and manage operating and capital budgets
• Manage opex and capex of the facility

Junior Manager (Engineering) - Spoornet (Group of Transnet Co-operation)

(2006-03 - 2006-12)

Promotion to a senior management role at Transnet Freight Rail

• Maintenance and testing of railway equipment according to set specifications
• Maintenance of test coaches which are used as accommodation for test engineers
• Establish project resources
• Manage projects according to time/ budget
• Project scheduling
• Conduct feasibility studies
• Delegate tasks according to project member's competence
• Supervise subordinates projects
• Receive job request
• Write up test procedure
• Report writing
• Monitor and follow up
• Manage test coaches (safety, scheduling and maintenance)
• Write technical specifications

Senior Engineering Technician - Spoornet (Group of Transnet Co-operation)

(2002-01 - 2006-02)

Promotion to Junior Manager role. To provide a metrology service to clients ensuring reliable, traceable and available testing equipment/facility/ data. To practically verify FEA results.

• Establish project resources
• Manage projects according to time/ budget
• Project scheduling
• Conduct feasibility studies
• Delegate tasks according to project member's competence
• Receive job request
• Write up test procedure
• Report writing
• Monitor and follow up
• Manage test coaches (safety, scheduling and maintenance)

Engineering Technician - Spoornet (Group of Transnet Co-operation)

(1999-01 - 2001-12)

Promotion. To provide a testing service to internal and external clients, ensuring accurate and reliable test results, acquire and analyze the data. Report to the clients about the test outcomes.

• Schedule the projects
• Perform feasibility studies
• Implement Project
• Sign off project
• Maintenance scheduling on a mechanical test rig
• Perform maintenance on a test rig
• Maintenance of test coaches which are used as accommodation for test engineers

Grade 12 - Phahama High School in Randfontein (S.A) (1993)

National Diploma - Mechanical Engineering - Durban University of Technology (S.A) (1998)

Mechanical Engineering Degree - Mechanical Engineering - Tshwane University of Pretoria in Pretoria (S.A) (2001)

Advanced Professional Training - Maintenance Management - University of Applied Science in Augsburg (Germany)