Quintun’s ability to see and do things differently as an Engineering Manager helps RCL FOODS do MORE.

Passionate and skilled people like Quintun van Vuuren help us to create more impact for our customers at RCL FOODS. We love getting to know MORE about the incredible people at RCL FOODS so we sat down with Quintun to find out about his career journey so far…

Quintun believes in being an authentic leader and creating an environment for his teams to grow.When asked which of the RCL FOODS values resonate with him the most, Quintun said,“Respect for People, I am passionate about leading people and empowering my staff to achieve something they thought was impossible. I share in the joy when they achieve it as if it were my own!”

His love for Engineering began when he would help his dad build up 4×4 vehicles as a young boy. Already then, he knew that he would do something in the mechanical or electrical engineering field.

Quintun completed his electrical trade in 2000. He spent nearly 2 years in London at Rockwell Engineering, and joined up with SAR Electronics in South Africa in 2003. Quinton’s journey at RCL FOODS started in 2007 as an artisan at the Mill in Pretoria West. He was grateful to work under experienced mentors and was fortunate enough to be able to complete his National Diploma in Electrical and Mechanical engineering. In 2013 he completed his Government ticket which Quinton considers to be one of his best career decisions. Quintun is thankful for Engineering manager Christo Barnard who took him under his wing, and also Gerhard Steenberg who mentored him.

Quintun was promoted to electrical maintenance manager in 2014. He left for 18 months in 2015 to gain plant engineering experience and returned to RCL FOODS in 2017 at the Bronkhorstspruit Speciality site where he was appointed plant engineer.

Moving to a new site at Speciality Centurion at the end of 2019 was exciting, despite the need for two different cultures to merge, and they soon became aligned as a powerhouse engineering team. Quintun was honoured to be appointed as Engineering Manager for Speciality from April 2021.

As engineering manager, Quintun maintains constant communication with different teams throughout the day. His workday is filled with planning or attending meetings and assisting on breakdowns. The manufacturing industry, like many others, has been heavily affected by the pandemic and one of the challenges Quintun faced was the shortage of material worldwide and higher prices.

During his interview, Quintun shared that he is excited for what’s in store for him in the next 3 years. He looks forward to doing more coaching of the junior staff as well as planning and developing better engineering systems, and scoping projects for business improvements in the RCL FOODS environment.

When asked what message he has for the aspiring Engineers of the world, Quintun had this to say: “My advice is to keep on improving, to become a better version of yourself, and to identify a mentor to coach you. Most importantly – have fun and enjoy life!”

We are grateful for extraordinary people like Quintun who do MORE in their commitment to their work at RCL FOODS.