Pat Dickens: A Partner of Possibility

Centurion Systems’ sprawling, labyrinthine manufacturing facility in North Riding, Johannesburg, is a shrine in honour of human ingenuity, a vast monument of the marvels that humankind can accomplish if given the correct tools. For within the 15,000m² premises, a veritable agora of great minds interface with some of the most advanced and sophisticated equipment that the world of engineering has to offer to design and produce our winning access automation solutions. 

From the R & D wing where engineers go about their important work in scholarly silence to the hive of activity that is the factory floor, every square inch of the building speaks of a truly world-class facility.

The company’s manufacturing base recently hosted pupils and teachers from the Ferndale High School who were split into four groups and led on an extensive tour of the facility conducted by none other than MD Pat Dickens himself as well as business development department head Ant Williams, network engineer Tim Dickens and trainee project manager Corne Janse van Rensburg.

The pupils, who are all interested in pursuing a career in engineering or related fields, were introduced to some of the advanced software and equipment – which includes robotics and state-of-the-art SMT machines - used in the design and manufacture of our products.

Asked how the factory tour came about, Pat explains that it formed part of a youth development initiative of which he is an active member.

“I am part of an organisation called Partners for Possibility (PfP) which was started in Cape Town by a lady called Louise van Rhyn. The idea is to get business leaders in the industry to partner with school principals to help them run their schools more professionally. At the end of last year, I therefore partnered with Ferndale High School which serves the Randburg, Ferndale, Bryanston and surrounding areas”.

He went on to say that one of the organisation’s goals is to improve the pass rate of the learners, where learners become fully engaged in a learning experience that will transform them into well-balanced citizens having a strong set of ethics and values that will be cherished by future employers.

“In that vein, I asked the grade 10, 11 and 12 learners who are particularly interested in pursuing an electrical or electronic career to visit CENTURION in order to see a typical company involved in things electrical”.

In total, around 60 learners attended the factory tour.