Air Products BEE – more than bare compliance
In the comparatively short space of four years, Air Products South Africa has shown its commitment to the objectives of black economic empowerment (BEE) by gaining a rating of 66.47% for the year 2008/2009. In an audit carried out by the verification agency, Ingcazi Ratings, the company was achieved Level 4 status. This makes Air Products a Value Adding Enterprise, which means that companies procuring from Air Products South Africa qualify for a 25% enhancement, which is 125% of the BEE procurement parameter normally attributed to Level 2 contributors to BEE.
In 2007, Air Products South Africa was rated at 61.06%, which gave the company Level 5 contributor status. As a good corporate citizen, the company fully embraced the spirit of BEE, which has been demonstrated by year-on-year improvements it has made in the BEE codes of good practice. In 2008, the company moved its BEE rating from 61.06% to 66.47%, this also being achieved on the back of improvements in the majority of the codes of good practice.
Mike Hellyar Managing Director of Air Products South Africa (Pty) LTD comments “we have made a concerted effort over a number of years and embraced the principles of BEE and are extremely proud of our Level 4 achievement”
Air Products has identified education as a particular area of focus and believes that the future prosperity of the country will be to a large extent dependent on how well the country educates its citizens. Among the recent projects in this area is the support given to the Siphesihle Primary School in Madadeni near Newcastle. The school has had it future transformed through an Air Products donation of classrooms and a fully functioning kitchen to support the schools feeding scheme.
Mike Hellyar adds that “although it is important to observe the laws of the land our commitment to BEE goes beyond this as we at Air Products believe that our future depends on our ability to harness the talent and energy of all our people and therefore we will continue our focus on education both internally as well as externally, supporting projects to provide opportunities to disadvantage communities and individuals”.
Published on January 21, 2009 in Company News |