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South African Diamond Cutters Turning Into Dinosaurs.
South Africa’s diamond cutting firms are shedding jobs as they grapple with squeezed margins in a sector the government hoped would expand and create more employment.
Diamond officials told Reuters today nearly a fifth of cutting and polishing jobs had been lost in Johannesburg, center of the industry in South Africa.
"We have been faced with huge retrenchments since January.
To date we have had retrenchments of around 400 members," said Shadrack Motloung, of the United Association of SA trade union, which represents diamond cutters.
That has brought employment in Johannesburg down to around 1 800 cutters, with around 600 cutting jobs elsewhere in the country where the situation is not as serious, he added.
The government is seeking to boost local diamond cutting as part of a wider strategy to reduce exports of raw materials from its mining industry and process them locally to boost jobs and economic growth.
A new diamond law passed last year, but not yet implemented, will create a state diamond trader to expand the supply of rough diamonds to new cutting and jewelery firms.
The head of a major diamond cutting factory in Johannesburg, who declined to be named, said there was a imbalance between the high price of rough diamonds and revenues from selling the finished product.
"In general there’s still good demand, the problem is that people are not prepared to pay. The rough prices in certain categories are very expensive, it’s just not profitable," he said.
His factory, one of the largest, has shrunk its workforce by natural attrition, but might have to start forced job losses if the business fails to improve.
"We still have to watch the situation, if things deteriorate we might have to take other measures to take care of the business," he told Reuters.
De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, warned in late July that higher interest rates, rising fuel prices and geopolitical instability would make it tough for its second half sales to match those of a year earlier.
In May, an official with De Beers marketing arm, the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) told Reuters a price rise for rough diamonds of just under 2% in February may have weakened sentiment among cutters and jewellery makers.
De Beers is 45% owned by mining group Anglo American.
The Johannesburg manager of the diamond cutting factory said he hoped De Beers would take some action to lower prices, but prices were unchanged at a sale last week.
"Maybe they can do something because prices are too high at the moment. Most people are unhappy," he said.
MacDonald Temane, chair of the South African Master Diamond Cutters Association, said a delay in putting in place the government’s new diamond law was not helping the industry.
"There’s really been a bit of a destabilising effect where there is uncertainty because implementation has not happened.
People don’t like uncertainty," he said.
A source in the mining ministry said there were many elements of the complex diamond law that had to be put into place, including input from the National Treasury on a proposed export duty. The law might be implemented by the end of year or early next year, he said.
These retrenchments and layoffs in the Diamond Cutting Industry in South Africa come as no surprise to me. It has already occurred in other major Diamond centers such as New York, Antwerp, and Israel. The high cost of diamond rough coupled with the non-commensurate sell prices of the polished diamonds combined with the cost of labor has made diamond manufacturing a money losing proposition. Major diamond cutting centers have now gravitated and taken root in India and China where the cost of labor is cheap and the labor force highly intelligent and motivated.
Here in New York, for example, the number of experienced and highly competent diamond cutters is but a fraction of what it was back in the 80's when I worked at the bench. The uncertainty of having consistent work/income is driving young people away from considering this noble profession.
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Kirtikumar veljibhai ponkya
Contact no.: +27 0763781800
Email : kirti_patel71@yahoo.co.in
_______________________________________________________________________
CAREER OBJECTIVE:
To obtain a suitable career position with a growth oriented and progressive company, where I can utilize my skills and knowledge in much better way.
EXPERIENCE SUMMARY:
Industry work-experience of fourteen years includes analysis and development of systems and implementation in Manufacturing in leading Diamond Industry in India.
Total Experience of 14 years includes training & field work in
1. Diamond basic knowledge & practical part (rough to finish ) trainer
2. AGS 000 polisher,..HEARTS & ARROWS, AGS000 CHECKER & REPAIR SPECIALIST
3. polish assortment colour, purity, sieve, size
4. Rough & polish purity plotting (ALL SIZE).
5. Sarin, , dia mark-z operator & trainer.
6. Handled Makeble stone dept for maximum yield.
7. Stones Quality checking in any stage.
8. Helium operator for size upto 20 ct. (oxygen, pacor)
9. Follow-up of stock, Yield calculations of stones in process & reporting of all shipment.
Last 02 (Two) years managing the process from Rough to finish.
This includes polish Sorting, reparing, pricing, Bruting, Blocking sorting, Blocking / Bottom Fixing, Checking ready for Bottom Stones.
Estimation of yield in rough.
Calculation of yield for full & / or partial Bottom finish Lots / Shipments.
Production planning also Follow-up of stock.
Resolving problems of worker on the shop floor (without involvement of management whenever possible)
Studying manufacturing reports and giving feedback to both management and section heads.
Motivating workers & supervisors to achieve better results.
Handled SCK department of sawn goods making 0.50 cts & bigger size stones for 6 months generating best results (September 2005 to February 2006).
Eleven months AGS000 polishing
EMPLOYER’S HISTORY:
SEVENTI LAL BROS : 12 years POLISHING dept head
Rosy blue south Africa: 2 years
Position Handled : Last position as 2nd Line Management.
PRESENT EMPLOYER:
Rosyblue South Africa. : Since july 2005 till date.
RosyBlue is largest Manufacturer & Exporter of Diamonds having branches over 15 countries including India.
CURRENT JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
Planning with helium. sarin
2nd line management of the factory.
Polish checking & repairs to get more profit .
AGS polishing, all certified lab polishing
SALARY:
CURRENT : 180,000 ZAR = 23,000 USD yearly package + other facilities
SKILLS:
Reporting: All types of manufacturing reports which can help Management for monitoring stock, yield and production.
Setup: Capable to start / setup section with proper & effective system giving best results.
Management & profit improvement: Can do profit improvement from shipments of large goods with best management.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor of arts from south Gujrat University
COMPUTER PROFICIENCY/ SKILL SET:
Operating System : Win’95/98/2000/Xp
Language : C++
GroupWare : SDMPL
Packages : Ms-Office – 2007
QUALITIES
Honest, Loyal, Hard working.
Good Communication skills.
Confident.
Committed team player, encouraging total participation.
PERSONAL DETAILS:
Date of Birth : 2nd
Nationality : Indian
Language Known : English,Hindi and Gujrati
Permenent Address : 501,meghdoot a/61
anandnagar
c.s road
dahisart – 400068
mumbai
India.
Present address ; No 22, “ BY DIE HECK”
Six fountains,
Nr Silver lakes, Trade center
Pretoria (east)
Gauteng
South Africa.
Posted by: kirti .v. ponkya on March 15, 2007 2:12 PM
13 yrs experience in diamond polishing and cutting.(specialist in heart and arrow)
and worked for MNC company in mumbai as
assistant production manager in following depts
Rough,sawing,table,bruting,blocking,fgf,bottom,
top & grading
Posted by: shivakumar on March 27, 2007 5:29 AM
11 yrs experience in diamond polishing and cutting.(specialist in heart and arrow)
and worked for japneese company in mumbai as
much experienced in grading and can handle bottom & top dept
Posted by: shanmuga sundaram on March 27, 2007 5:32 AM