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The potential for bio-ethanol fuel from molasses in the Southern African sugar industry

- Agwa-Ejon, J. F., Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Agwa-Ejon, J. F. , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Ethanol production , Bio-ethanol , Molasses
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:4918 , ISSN 978-1-890843-29-8/14 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13018
  • Description: This paper investigates the technical advancement in the production of ethanol in Southern Africa and examines the utilisation of ethanol and of the by-products derived from its production process. Although numerous studies have identified the use of ethanol as an alternative energy source especially in Brazil and the USA, very little data and analytical attention has been given to Southern Africa. This paper therefore builds on that and on the study done on alternative energy in Southern Africa such as the coal to liquids processes by Sasol. The paper demonstrates that the expansion of bio-ethanol as an alternative fuel would result in the reduction of Greenhouse gasses emissions and an increase in the rural economic development in the Southern African region. In conclusion the paper emphasises the need for a speedy upgrading of the ethanol technological methods in order to expand the use of bio-ethanol as an alternative energy. In addition the paper strongly recommends the supplementation of coal for the generation of electricity, as well as the progressive replacement of petroleum fuelled vehicles with the ethanol blend or the complete replacement with ethanol-fuelled ones.
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The impact of technology on small, micro and medium scale enterprises in Gauteng South Africa

- Agwa-Ejon, John, Mbohwa, Charles

Financial challenges faced by SMMEs in Gauteng South Africa

- Agwa-Ejon, John, Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Agwa-Ejon, John , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2015-06-08
  • Subjects: Small business - South Africa - Finance
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:5232 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14652
  • Description: Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are not spared from the global economic and financial turmoil which periodically occurs worldwide and therefore they must adjust their financial needs to accommodate such dynamic phenomena. This is particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa. It is important to note that SMMEs are major contributors to the economy, as they provide employment opportunities and create economic wealth resulting in the reduction in poverty and increased employment. In order to succeed and prosper, SMMEs need to establish a sound financial management function, and therefore it is vital to investigate the financial challenges these firms are experiencing. This paper reveals a better and deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the financial difficulties encountered by SMMEs in the Gauteng Metropolitan area. The data used in the study was gathered by administering structured questionnaires to businesses within Gauteng, selected randomly through a probability sampling method. The analysis of the results was based on descriptive statistics arrived at through SPSS tools. The results indicated that most SMMEs in the Gauteng Metropolitan are not supported adequately especially in the areas of financial management skills and expertise. Recommendations were made for firm owners to have workshops and proper training on the financial matters. A one stop shop centre for SMMEs to have access to financial information and support as well as remedial action on policy matters was also recommended.
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The impact of research and innovation on SMMEs in Gauteng Province South Africa

- Agwa-Ejon, John Francis, Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Agwa-Ejon, John Francis , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2015-03-19
  • Subjects: Small business - South Africa
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:5233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14661
  • Description: Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) have always played a key role in the economies of major industrial societies in both Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment levels. Their survival and growth depended mainly on extensive research and innovation. As we enter the 22nd century, globalisation has become an influential force in world trade. It is important to view SMMEs as instruments capable of responding to globalization. While it is true that globalization creates opportunities for SMMEs to be effectively involved in global markets, it also poses numerous challenges and problems. While their flexibility and adaptability promise their success in global trade, SMMEs can only achieve this through effective research and innovation, hence making them competitive in terms of price, quality of goods and their ability to meet delivery requirements. Research and innovation is particularly important especially in the developing countries such as South Africa where SMMEs are important contributors to the economy. They provide employment opportunities and create economic wealth resulting in poverty reduction and increased employment. In order to succeed and prosper, SMMEs need to establish continuous research and innovation strategies in-order to allow them to evolve and adapt to the global stature. This paper therefore seeks to reveal a deeper understanding of the strategies being used to encourage SMMEs in the Gauteng Metropolitan area to invest in research and innovation. The study therefore aims to improve the level of research and innovation in Small, Micro and Medium enterprises in Gauteng province. The data used in the study was gathered by administering structured questionnaires to businesses within the Gauteng Metropolitan, selected randomly through probability sampling method. The analysis of the results was based on descriptive statistics arrived at through SPSS tools. The results indicated that most SMMEs in the Gauteng Metropolitan are not adequately involved in research and innovative activities due to various reasons including lack of skills and expertise. Recommendations were made for Business owners to have workshops and to share innovative ideas. A one stop shop centre for SMMEs to have access to new ideas and to learn more about the current trends in research and innovation was suggested. Finally policy matters were also considered and suggestions made to policy makers.
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Mitigating backdrop in operational efficiency : a case study

- Akinlabi, Stephen A., Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Akinlabi, Stephen A. , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Planning , Scheduling , Rail freight
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/215025 , uj:21355 , Citation: Akinlabi, S.A & Mbohwa, C. 2016. Mitigating backdrop in operational efficiency : a case study.
  • Description: Abstract: The main focus of this investigation was to identify the backdrop in the operational efficiency of a rail company in South Africa - Transnet Freight Railways (TFR) and profer solutions. Qualitative approach was adopted through the administering of questionnaires to respondents in Transnet company. Even though Transnet makes effort to resolve the problems, the outcome of the results still show that the system of schedling is not consistent to a specifc standard and the turnaround time is still between poor and fair. In addition, wagon and locomotives failures is identified as one of the factors contributing to the backdrop in the operational efficiency of the TFR system. It is therefore recommended that adopting a good maintenenace system to the wagon and locomotive may help to reduce if not eliminate failures of the wagons and the locomotive. This will consequently help to improve the backdrop in the operational efficiency of the TFR system.
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Evaluating operational challenges of road freight system

- Akinlabi, Stephen A., Mbohwa, Charles

Prospects of bamboo for structural designs in the building and manufacturing industries of Ghana

- Akwada, D.R., Mbohwa, Charles, Aigbavboa, Clinton O., Atepor, L.

Improvement of logistics and supply chain management in the cement industry in Nigeria

- Aniki, Abimbola O, Mbohwa, Charles, Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo

  • Authors: Aniki, Abimbola O , Mbohwa, Charles , Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Logistics management , Supply chain management , Cement industry - Nigeria
  • Identifier: uj:4744 , ISSN 2078-0958 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11730
  • Description: Worldwide, Logistics and Supply Chain play important roles and also contribute immensely to the economy of a nation. In this paper, research was conducted to investigate how logistics and supply chains are implemented in cement factories in Nigeria, identify the problem areas and proffer solutions. The study was conducted by administering well-structured questionnaires. According to the investigation, it was confirmed that most of the investigated companies based their logistical system only on road-link transport system for delivering products to their customers or end-users. Furthermore, the survey revealed that 73% of the respondents prefer to continue with the road-link logistics system. Though there is railway infrastructure in the country but due to research finding, the rail system is obsolete due to negligence and poor maintenance on this logistics system. A new railway infrastructure will have to be put in place for effective and efficient operation; and this is going to be costly for individual company to bear.
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Techno-economic assessment of lime production and usage in Ghananian industries

- Arkhurst, E. K., Mbohwa, Charles, Aigbavboa, Clinton O., Atepor, L.

Mechanical manufacturing industrial waste management in Ghana : the challenges and prospects

- Atsu, A.M., Mbohwa, Charles, Aigbavboa, Clinton O., Atepor, L.

Municipal solid waste composition determination in the city of Johannesburg

- Ayeleru, Olusola Olaitan, Ntuli, Freeman, Mbohwa, Charles

Characterisation of fruits and vegetables wastes in the city of Johannesburg

- Ayeleru, Olusola Olaitan, Ntuli, Freeman, Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Ayeleru, Olusola Olaitan , Ntuli, Freeman , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Fruits , Johannesburg market , Vegetables
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/388885 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/214113 , uj:21237 , Citation: Ayeleru, O.O., Ntuli, F & Mbohwa, C. 2016. Characterisation of fruits and vegetables wastes in the city of Johannesburg.
  • Description: Abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) composition study is very important as a baseline to utilizing fresh fruit and vegetables (FFVs) wastes in waste to energy (WtE) project. The aim of this paper is to determine the composition of various waste components at the Johannesburg FFVs market. The study was conducted during the summer in 2015 to evaluate the various components of fruit and vegetable wastes (FVWs) generated at the market. This was done in order to evaluate the amount of FVWs that are generated daily at the market as a starting point for waste to energy (WtE) proposition for the City of Johannesburg (CoJ). Two international standards: ASTM D5231-92 - 2008 (American Standard Test Method) and UNEP/IETC -2009 (United Nations Environment Programme/International Environmental Technology Centre) were used as yardsticks for the procedure used. Samples were classified based on their colours; green (vegetables and fruits), blue/purple (vegetables and fruits), tan/brown (vegetables and fruits), yellow/orange (vegetables and fruits), red (vegetables and fruits) and other wastes which include corrugated boxes, metals, woods, plastic crates and other composite wastes. Samples were further classified into 135 classes in which some were not available due to seasonal variation and the samples were manually sorted by hands. From the results of the analysis, fruits constituted 55%, vegetables 38%, corrugated boxes and cartons 3%, metals, plastics, woods and other wastes all constituted 1% each.
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Utilization of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) as compost: a case study of Florida, South Africa

- Ayeleru, Olusola Olaitan, Ntuli, Freeman, Mbohwa, Charles

Humanitarian space and security of humanitarian workers : a review

- Bayode, Abiodun, Mbohwa, Charles, Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo

  • Authors: Bayode, Abiodun , Mbohwa, Charles , Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo
  • Date: 2015-03-18
  • Subjects: Humanitarian space , Humanitarian assistance - Security measures
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:5125 , ISBN 9789881925398 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14088
  • Description: Humanitarian crisis leave the affected people in need of water, health care, and shelter. In order to promptly and adequately respond to the overwhelming needs of the vulnerable people, both the local and the international community has formed several humanitarian organizations, charged with the responsibility of providing aid and assistance to people affected by crisis, irrespective of their geographical location. Humanitarian organizations require safe passage to carry out their operations; the concept of humanitarian space was developed to ensure this. While preserving humanitarian space in conflict zone is proving challenging to humanitarian organizations because of various factors, it is however clear that the security of aid workers is a major concerns for aid organizations working in areas experiencing social change or armed conflicts. The rates of kidnapping, injuries and deaths of aid workers seems be on the increase, requiring aid agencies to be more security conscious and adopt measures to save guard the lives of their employees. Some measures taken recently by humanitarian organizations include suspending aid when and where the security of their employees is under threat and in some cases withdrawing completely from such environment. Thus, affecting the ability of aid organizations to carry out their mandate and as a result, those who are in dire need of relief and assistance suffer. For there to be an improvement in aid delivery, warring parties should respect the sanctity of humanitarian space and the ethics governing humanitarianism. This paper therefore present a review of humanitarian space and the security of humanitarian aid workers.
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Comparative analysis of the challenges of generic engineering logistics to humanitarian logistics in disaster response and relief support in South Africa

- Bayode, Abiodun, Mbohwa, Charles, Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo

  • Authors: Bayode, Abiodun , Mbohwa, Charles , Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Disaster management , Logistics management , Humanitarian response , Non-governmental organizations
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:4723 , ISSN 978-988-19252-0-6 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11548
  • Description: Logistics management has been extensively researched and implemented in the private sector, but gradually gaining traction in the humanitarian sector. Humanitarian organizations, particularly Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are the primary vehicle through which donors channel their contributions but many of these organizations face logistic challenges in effectively getting relief materials to the intended users. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key challenges affecting aid agencies in South Africa. A comparative analysis of the challenges of generic engineering logistics to humanitarian logistics in disaster response and relief support system in South Africa was also conducted. The findings from the research survey shows that there is an awareness of the importance of humanitarian logistics in the sector, but the results also show that only half (50%) of the participants of the survey reported that they have a logistics professional employed in their organization. Furthermore, only 50% of the participants of the survey indicated that their organization has a preparedness plan in place in the event of an emergency. Other challenges identified are: lack of funds; difficulty to obtain real time information and poor knowledge management system. The study also suggests that learning and forging closer ties with private organizations is an effective means of overcoming some of the identified challenges. In comparison to the generic engineering logistics, the humanitarian sector is encouraged to benchmark their operations with similar private sector to improve their services.
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Evaluating Maintenance Strategies Effectiveness on Overall Equipment Utilization

- Bupe, G Mwanza, Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Bupe, G Mwanza , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Maintenance , Equipment Utilization , Effectiveness
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference Proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/93052 , uj:20303 , Citation:Mbohwa, C. & Mwanza, B.G. Evaluating Maintenance Strategies Effectiveness on Overall Equipment Utilization.
  • Description: Abstract: The performance and competitiveness of manufacturing companies is dependent on the reliability, availability and productivity of their facilities. To ensure the plant performance achievability, maintenance managers need to have a good understanding about the maintenance systems’ effectiveness. The company understudy had been experiencing frequent breakdowns of critical machines, which negatively affected productivity. The researchers set objectives to establish the causes of machine breakdown, determine the level of plant utilization and availability, evaluate the percentage of sales lost due to downtime and determine the level of Mean-Time To Repair (MTTR). The hypothesis tests developed were based on the mentioned objectives as the major indicators of maintenance effectiveness. Direct observations, structured interviews, company records and published work were used to collect data. Spreadsheet modelling and Mega Stat were used for analysing the data. The results came double folded indicating that breakdown maintenance was not effective as it underutilized the plant’s equipment, lowered plant availability, decreased the sales and increased the level of MTTR.
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Assessment of waste management in the South African chemical industry

- Chauke, Sindisiwe, Mbohwa, Charles, Sobiyi, Kehinde

  • Authors: Chauke, Sindisiwe , Mbohwa, Charles , Sobiyi, Kehinde
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Hazardous waste , Chemical industry , Waste disposal
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/259302 , uj:27280 , Citation: Chauke, S., Mbohwa, C. & Sobiyi, K. 2017. Assessment of waste management in the South African chemical industry.
  • Description: Abstract: The Chemical industry are beneficial in improving human wellbeing by providing employment, better quality health, productive lifestyle and nutrition opportunities. However, the pollution from the industry has been associated with negative impacts on health and safety of humans, threatening the sustainability of the environment. Waste from the Chemical industry poses a significant threat to humans and environment when management is improper. Chemical waste generation and its management have been a serious problem ever since human habitation. Minimizing of waste and reuse are main issues relating to the management of chemical waste. South Africa backs the hierarchy of waste by encouraging production processes that are cleaner, minimizing waste, reusing, recycling and treating waste, making disposal the last option for the management of waste. Stringent hazardous or chemical waste control and management are required to avoid harm or damage to the environment and humans, while reducing liabilities. This paper gives an overview of the waste management of chemical waste in South Africa.
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Effectiveness of ISO 14001 in the South African chemical industry

- Chauke, Sindisiwe, Mbohwa, Charles, Sobiyi, Kehinde

  • Authors: Chauke, Sindisiwe , Mbohwa, Charles , Sobiyi, Kehinde
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Chemical industry , Environmental Management System , Environmental standards
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/259299 , uj:27279 , Citation: Chauke, S., Mbohwa, C. & Sobiyi, K. 2017. Effectiveness of ISO 14001 in the South African chemical industry.
  • Description: Abstract: The chemical industry is one of the important industry in the South African industrial base, continuously being pressured to operate in an environmental friendly manner. Business with a good environmental practice in the South African chemical industry has become a key aspect for investors, customers and other stakeholders. In response to this challenge, chemical companies have implemented Environmental Management Systems into their businesses and getting certified to the various international standards. The ISO 14001 has been the leading international standard with the key purpose of progressively controlling environmental impacts while ensuring that objectives and targets are met. ISO 14001 gives the competitive advantage in the marketplace and the company benefits economically covering the whole organization’s scope that including its products, operations, services, facilities, activities and transportation. South African companies have implemented the ISO 14001 EMS as a result of their response to the demand from customers and market for higher environmental reliability.
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Study on regulations, policies and permits for implementation of bioenergy systems

- Chingono, Talent, Mbohwa, Charles

  • Authors: Chingono, Talent , Mbohwa, Charles
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Bioenergy systems , Biomass energy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/218462 , uj:21774 , Citation: Chingono, T & Mbohwa, C. 2016. Study on regulations, policies and permits for implementation of bioenergy systems. Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 23-25 September 2016.
  • Description: Abstract: The popularity of the Organic Fuel comes mostly from its Economic and Environmental benefits, and it can be effortlessly changed over into vitality for direct warming applications or potentially power era frameworks. Bioenergy can possibly break the Cycles of Poverty by developing energy security, food security, work creation, wage diversification and rural advancement. Care is required in light of the fact that bioenergy could have both positive and negative effects on nearby nourishment security. The significance of building up the Renewable part is further underscored by its consideration as a coordinated vital venture in the National Infrastructure Plan. This is managed by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee, and is done for catalyzing development and development in South Africa. Renewable energy is likewise deliberately seen as a road through which the South African Government can react to the test of environmental change, enhance vitality security by broadening wellsprings of vitality supply, and impel green development through localisation and strengthening (DME 2003).Objectives were to take part in a complete audit of the national legitimate structures for bioenergy in South Africa. Controls, approaches and allows fundamentally explored and these will be supplemented by direct meetings with related Stakeholders. Existing Feasibility concentrates on that were completed for bioenergy Development were inspected and heightening elements were utilized to overhaul the expenses to reflect current costs. South Africa's Bioenergy Framework Main occasions were outlined and investigated and summarised. Recommendations were suggested.
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Social and environmental impact for sustainable bio-gas production by the city of Johannesburg

- Chingono, Talent, Mbohwa, Charles

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