Turning the ignition on great future
Mtyoko guides us along the long road he’s travelled at Mercedes
Gladstone Mtyoko, senior manager of Daimler Truck and Bus (South Africa) in East London, is a remarkable man.
He was born and raised in Mdantsane, in a family who he said “were not wealthy”, in a suburb (NU2) that was full of “tsotsis” (township criminals), yet he has reached one of the highest managerial levels in a company that is acknowledged as a world leader in the automotive industry – MercedesBenz.
Mtyoko has an MBA from Mancosa (Management College of SA), and a Diploma in manufacturing management from Rhodes University.
As an illustration of what young job-seekers can achieve with passion and commitment, Mtyoko shared his journey in a paraphrased question and answer session with the Daily Dispatch.
Q. When did your quest to get into things mechanical start?
A. When I completed primary school my father, who is still alive, told me that he felt I had an aptitude for machines, and he enrolled me at Buchule Technical High School, in Mdantsane. For a youth those were the dark days of the 1987 protests.
Q. How did you get into motor manufacturing?
A. In 1991 I started an apprenticeship at MercedesBenz South Africa. I loved the work. In 1994 I was promoted to a quality auditor in the quality management division, and in 1997 product technical development in commercial vehicles. Big machines became my passion. So much so that I got a heavy duty licence so that I could drive them. It added to my work experience.
Q. At what stage did you realise that you had the ability
to lead people?
A. It happened over time. I worked in several areas, always with people. I had several roles. I was manager of product documentation and engineering change management, managed quality aspects and was also the divisional manager of passenger car assembly, from January 2012 until April 2017. Throughout this journey from apprentice to management I realised that success did not depend solely on my efforts, but on my ability to work with, and eventually lead a team of people. My success and my division’s success are thanks to a team effort.
Q. You said commercial vehicles are your passion. When did you change away from cars to commercial?
A. I spent three years on commercials from 1997 and then returned in 2017 as senior manager of DTBSA Commercial Vehicles. Between that I spent valuable time in development liaison, working closely with Germany, and in 2004 in change control, monitoring and preparing production and working with local suppliers. In the time I learnt how to speak German. In 2007 I became the first Black African to head up quality control.
Q. Are there specific things that stand out in your career, to which you can attribute your rise in the company?
A. Mentorship is essential. I had two excellent mentors, the last being Dr Uwe Schauer. I was taught not to micro-manage, and by their example to give people the space to innovate. Also the true understanding of the German saying “the best or nothing”. South Africa demonstrates that. During the time when I was divisional manager responsible for quality management, our plant team received the prestigious JD Power & Associate Quality Award for producing vehicles yielding the fewest defects and malfunctions for six consecutive years.
Q, Disruption and 4th Industrial Revolution (D4IR) are the current buzzwords. In your industry what do you predict is the next D4IR event.
A. Driverless vehicles, both cars and commercials. It has already happened.
Q. Outside the company what are your other highlights?
A. My family. My wife Neliswa and daughters, Siyakudumisa, Mbasa and Sinegama. I am also able to give talks to young professionals. I simply tell them the story of my life, from NU2 through to senior management. I believe in the saying that “chance favours the prepared”, and I have always tried to be ready.
He passed on the following advice.
“You can’t do it on your own.”
He said look around when you join a company and find the person who can teach you the most. Impress them. Let them know that you want to be mentored by them. Stand up and be counted, succeed and celebrate that success.
I got a heavy duty licence so that I could drive them [big machines and cars]