About OIM Consulting

We transform companies, empower individuals and impact communities.

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OIM Enables Clients To Achieve Sustainable Success

We enable businesses to develop highly effective supervisors / front-line leaders, and cultures that create long-term profitability. While we work across multiple sectors, key areas of focus are mining and manufacturing.

We equip businesses with the tools so that their people can effectively execute their responsibilities.  Our core offering is to improve the competency levels of supervisors and front-line leaders (particularly within mining and manufacturing) and enable our clients to achieve sustainable success through the development of their people and culture.

OIM Consulting’s history is deeply rooted in socio-economic development and investing in people.   Originally founded as a non-profit organisation focusing on creating a better life for everyone in South Africa, we have evolved into a consultancy that takes an integrated approach to business performance. We partner with clients to create long-term value and shape their companies into sought-after investment opportunities, employers of choice and solid business partners.

What We Are About

At OIM Consulting, we strive to make a meaningful contribution to the long-term prosperity of our clients, consultants and employees; and to make a difference in the lives of the individuals and communities we engage with every day.

We enable customers to achieve sustainable success through the development of their people and culture by enhancing their competencies and equipping them with the tools to effectively execute their responsibilities.

Our unique integrated approach to performance improvement is based on original thinking and incorporates a host of fundamental practical leadership and business principles that, unlike quick-fixes and ad hoc interventions, have stood the test of time. We believe this makes our clients’ organisations stronger, more focused and resilient, and thus better equipped to deal effectively with ever-changing business requirements and global competition.

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What We Do

OIM Consulting offers an integrated service offering and a comprehensive solution to operational, organisational and people challenges. 

Our interventions give our clients the ability to grow, build competitive advantage and establish a solid business reputation. To this end, we offer what we call “a balanced ecosystem” of culture, people and operational solutions. 

The OIM Consulting Integrated Approach:

Through this we:

The outcomes are a high-performing workplace culture, optimised processes and systems, focused and effective employees, and labour peace and stability. Sustainability is achieved by teaming up with clients to customise solutions, implement the desired changes and ensure knowledge transfer.

“Supervisors are pivotal in their teams’ effectiveness and determine the operational performance of the organisation.”

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Why Choose us?

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SETA Accreditation

OIM Consulting has been accredited by Services SETA as a Skills Development Provider to offer the following SAQA unit standards:

Receiving the SETA accreditation means that an OIM Consulting has been accredited as having the necessary capacity and ability to provide quality training in line with South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and Quality Council for Trade and Occupations (QCTO) standards.

SETA stands for “Sector Education and Training Authority”, and is a body that is responsible for overseeing skills development and quality training within South Africa across various industries and sectors.

The main purpose of a SETA is to improve and develop skills within its sector, to identify skills development needs, and to ensure that national standards are maintained.

What is the purpose of SETA Accreditation?

The purpose of SETA accreditation is to make sure that education and training is of a high standard and quality and that it is relevant to the needs of the industry sector in question. If a training provider has SETA accreditation, it means that the training provider’s courses comply with the NQF standards, and that the courses offered have been evaluated to ensure that they are in line with these standards.

SETA accreditation also aims to ensure that there is uniformity of similar courses offered by different training providers. 

SETA accreditation provides the assurance that a training provider will be capable of providing relevant training and education that is in line with national standards. It also signifies that the courses being offered are relevant to industry needs and will equip learners with the skills that they will need in the workplace.

SETA accreditation can only be attained by a training provider if it successfully completes the stringent application and evaluation process.

Benefits of a SETA Accredited Programme:

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Our Leadership Team

Arjen de Bruin

MD: OIM Consulting

With operational consulting experience since 1991, Arjen de Bruin has successfully led business improvement projects for several prominent South African companies in industries such as financial services, manufacturing, retail and debt collection, as well as the public sector. During this time, he gained extensive expertise in process redesign, production management, process automation, business specifications and call centre optimisation.

Frank Hickman

MD OIM Leadership Consulting

Frank Hickman has 26 years’ consulting and project management experience in various industries. He specialises in process design and productivity improvement but has also worked extensively in areas such as employee relations, performance improvement and conflict resolution.

Ben Nel

OIM Director

With a consulting career spanning 26 years, Ben Nel can lay claim to extensive expertise in production management optimisation, process analysis and improvement, process re-engineering and call centre optimisation in most industries.

Francois Bedeker

OIM Director

With more than 20 years’ experience, Francois Bedeker has spent most of his career in management consulting. As an industrial engineer with an MComm in business management, he has been involved in projects covering business strategy, procurement transformation, operations management, facilities deployment, value engineering, productivity improvement, process re-engineering, systems integration, business modelling, supply chain management and the development of business reporting and measurement. He has consulted in a range of industries including financial services, manufacturing, mining, utilities, chemicals, transport, agriculture, food, textile and logistics. In addition to consulting, Francois has experience as a technical manager responsible for product development, production process improvement and quality assurance with a manufacturing concern; and has managed the internal consulting unit of a logistics business.

Marianna Seyffert

Principal Consultant: Leadership

Marianna Seyffert is a registered psychologist with 25 years’ experience in the field of organisational development and consulting. She is currently completing her doctorate in consulting psychology through UNISA. For many years, she worked as a management consultant on a national and international level obtaining valuable experience in the world of business, management and organisational development. Before joining OIM, Marianna worked extensively in the mining industry and public sector, where she consulted on large scale organisational restructuring projects, gaining experience in culture and change management. Part of her recent experience in change management included an international culture and change survey for Old Mutual Emerging Markets and an employee engagement initiative for KWV.

Sean Pienaar

Principal Consultant

Sean Pienaar boasts more than 25 years’ experience in management and consulting positions.  He has been involved in projects covering business strategy, operations management, productivity improvement, process re-engineering, systems integration, business modelling, and the development of business reporting and measurement.  He has consulted in a range of industries including financial services, manufacturing, mining, government, and information technology.  Since joining OIM, Sean has played a major role in developing the company’s offering.  He has worked on several prominent client projects, including Gold Fields, Kolomela, PPC Zimbabwe, and Black Rock Mining Operations where the comprehensive OIM supervisory methodology has been implemented.

Our Alliances

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OIM Leadership Consulting, a specialised division, strives to enable growth through organisational culture and leadership development. 

A student society that promotes student development in the field of management consulting at Stellenbosch University.  OIM Consulting has been a partner since 2017 partnering to help achieve their vision, providing vac-work, adjudicate case studies, and subject matter experts on their pro-bono work.

Wits Mining Institute is at the forefront of mining innovation, reviewing all the latest technologies and other aspects that impact the mining industry. Since OIM Consulting’s focus is mainly on the mining sector, OIM partnered up with the Institute in 2019 to be at the forefront of where the industry is going.

OIM Consulting is proud to sponsor Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA), an organisation that creates an empowering network to inspire, support and develop the progression of women working in the South African mining industry. We look forward to continuing our partnership with WiMSA as they work towards their vision of a gender-balanced mining industry in South Africa.

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Our History

Partnership with Wits Mining Institute

Form partnership with the University of Witwatersrand’s Mining Institute to create benchmarking of supervisory competencies and further enhance our flagship offering.

2019

OIM Group restructured and rebranded as OIM Consulting

OIM Group is streamlined into two specialised divisions of Management Consulting and Leadership Consulting and rebranded as OIM Consulting.

2018 / 9

Stellenbosch University partnership

A partnership with the University of Stellenbosch Consulting Society is formed to strengthen OIM’s talent pipeline.

2017

OIM Group Established

To enhance our client offering, OIM’s service offerings are re-organised into one central company to focus on the core business areas of: operational optimisation, people management and organisational performance. Operationally, OIM Group consists of three divisions: Leadership Talent, Operations Solutions and Performance Improvement.

2013

OIM Operations Solutions established

OIM establishes a JV with a group of senior operations management consultants with proven expertise in a range of operational effectiveness and continuous improvement solutions.   OIM Operations Solutions further extends the integrated business improvement offering of OIM.

2010

OIM Leadership Talent established

OIM’s service offering is enhanced by a JV between OIM’s Talent Management and leadership development company, Dreamcoat Network to form OIM Leadership Talent.

2009

Expansion of service offering

OIM’s services offered are reorganised to further streamline the integrated approach to performance improvement and develop the focus of its client offering.  Manufacturing solutions and operations capabilities are added, along with the business lines of Talent Management (2006), Value Chain Solutions (2007), and Research and HR Outsource (2008).

2006 - 2008

Integrated approach

OIM begins to develop a more formalised and integrated approach to business performance improvement in various areas.   In line with its more integrated approach, OIM’s methodology and client offering expands significantly from 1999 to 2006.

1997

Shift in focus

OIM begins to shift its focus from workshop facilitation to consultation and training.  Our employee involvement and communication methodology are the main tool used for the improvement of organisational and operational effectiveness.

1995

New methodology

OIM’s employee involvement and communication methodology is further improved, with a creased focus on leadership and organisational development.

1992

Consultation and meditation

True to our NGO roots, OIM mainly facilitates workshops in conflict resolution, mediation and management-union relationships for major organisations. In the process, we begin establishing our employee involvement and communication methodology as a business improvement tool.

1985 - 1992

OIM established

The commercial consulting firm, Operational Improvement Management (OIM), is founded by Prof Tusenius to focus on the public and private sector, building on the NGO initiatives to establish a just, prosperous and equal-opportunity South Africa.

1985

Well-known academic and business consultant Prof Robert Tusenius establishes organisations to bring about change in our country by focusing on bridge-building and development programmes for political, economic and student leaders from different cultural backgrounds.  In 1982, these are incorporated into another NGO, The Trust for Peace and Prosperity, that continues to contribute to the establishment of a just, prosperous and equal-opportunity South Africa.

1974 - 1984