Brief biography

Siegfried Eckleben was born in Weimar, Germany, on Labour Day, May 1st, 1944. It started with labour and he has been labouring ever since. His family fled the Russian Zone of post war Germany in 1949 and emigrated back to what what was then South West Africa, where his father had been born during German colonial times. He grew up and attended school in what is now Namibia and then studied electrical engineering at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

His work as an engineer took him to several countries in Southern Africa, North and South America, Australia and Europe. He has now established a domicile on one of the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic – and another residence south of the equator in Namibia.

The enigma of the universe and concepts such as eternal and infinity both awed and frightened him since childhood and eventually drove him to write the first part of his first book, about the probable origin and evolution of the universe up to planet Earth. The peculiarities of the humans that he was confronted with in various countries convinced him of the overriding importance of genetics and motivated him to write the second part of the book, about the evolution of life on planet Earth up to the present. The ongoing obvious and crass overpopulation of the planet by humans and their domesticated animals has occupied him for some years.

Siegfried speaks five languages and has written newspaper articles in Afrikaans, English, German and Portuguese.

 

 

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PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM VITAE

                                             

Siegfried Eckleben

 

01.05.1944 in Weimar / Germany

German

 

Fluent in afrikaans, english, german,portuguese and spanish (speak, read and write)

 

Matriculated December 1962 at Swakopmund High School, Swakopmund, South-West-Africa.

 

B.Sc. (Electrical Engineering) degree in December 1966 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

 

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

 

TSUMEB CORPORATION LTD., Tsumeb/South-West-Africa

Two years post-graduate pupilage with Tsumeb Corporation Ltd. a base metal mining and smelting company in South-West-Africa, spending approx. 3 months in each maintenance department of the com­pany.

Appointed "Section Engineer (Smelter Services)", responsible for maintenance of electrical reticulation at 2.4 kV, 500 V and 380 V, producer gas, compressed air, fresh and reclaimed water, diesel and sewage systems, as well as all boilermaking and welding for a Smelter producing 70.000 tons of refined lead and 35.000 tons of blister copper per year.

Obtained Government Certificate of Competency for Mines (Electrical) by correspondence.

Promoted to the post of "Electrical Engineer" involving line responsibility for two section engineers (Instrumentation and Utilities Sections) and in a staff function the co-ordina­tion of all design, maintenance and operation of Electrical Equipment on the company's three mines, concentrator, and smelter.

Interconnection of two local powerplants (totalling 30MW) with a recently established central supply authority, including change of distribution voltage from 2.4 to 11 KV.

Registered as Professional Engineer.

 

E.L. BATEMANS Ltd., Johannesburg/South Africa

Joined E.L. Bateman Ltd. as "Electrical Project Engineer", a posi­tion involving estimating, design and procurement for industrial and mining projects.

Tender for Sishen iron ore crushing, screening and handling plant. Value of electrical package US$ 19M.

 

PROCESS PROJECTS (PTY) LTD., Johannesburg/South Africa

Joined Process Projects (Pty) Ltd. as "Electrical Site Engineer", responsible for supervision of electrical and instrumentation erection for a complete cement production line at Matola, Lourenço Marques, Moçambique (Total investment approx. US$ 20 million).
(This company went into liquidation in August 1973).

 

DOW CHEMICAL GMBH, Stade/Germany

Joined Dow Chemical GmbH as free-lance "Construction Supervisor", responsible for supervision of electrical and instrumentation contracts, mainly on extensions to existing plant.

Biological effluent treatment plant.

 

FERTECO MINERAÇÃO S.A, Minas Gerais/Brazil

Joined Ferteco Mineração S.A. as "Planning & Control Engineer", responsible for erection scheduling, controlling of procurement and in­vestment for an iron ore concentrator and pel­letizing plant. (Total investment US$120 million).

Promoted to "Electrical Superintendent", re­sponsible through four engineers for the super­vision of electrical and instrumentation erec­tion, commissioning; and subsequently maintenance of the entire plant, comprising open-cast mine, crushing and screening, concentra­tor, pelletizer, storage and blending yards.

 

KRUPP INDUSTRIETECHNIK, Duisburg/Germany

Joined Krupp Industrietechnik as "Project Engineer" responsible for supervision of electrical / instrumentation erection and commissioning of two iron ore concentrator plants for Altos Hornos Zapla, Jujuy, Argentina.

Diploma recognized by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Transferred to subsidiary Krupp Industrias Mecanicas Ltda., Belo Horizonte/ Brazil for the electrical part of the coal and coke storage and blending installation for the Açominas steelworks, comprising 2 waggon-tippers, 3 buc­ketwheel stacker-reclaimers, crushing and screening plant, blending system and approx. 8 km of belt conveyors.

Appointed "Site Manager", responsible for super­vision of mechani­cal and electrical erection of the above package, a total of 6.000 tons of equipment with an order value of approx. DM 80 million.

Assumed project management in addition to site management for the above project, i.e. responsible for all technical and contractual activities thereof.

Supervision of erection and commissioning of a semi-mobile crushing plant for Cape Portland Cement Co., Piketberg/South Africa.

Temporary transfer to subsidiary Krupp Australia Ltd., Melbourne, Australia for project management and award of contracts in the mining and materials handling fields.

Participation in contracts administration for Misurata Steelworks, Libya.

"Technical Coordinator" for electrical / instrumentation part of modernization of Hadisolb rolling mills, Heluan/ Egypt.
Contract value approx. 180 million DM, electrical / instrumentation package 25 million DM.

 

PHB WESERHÜTTE AG, Bad Oeynhausen/Germany

Joined PHB Weserhuette AG as "Head of Electrical Department", responsible for design, procu­rement, contract adjudication and administration through to commisssioning of electrical and instrumentation systems for materials handling projects.
(This company went into liquidation in December, 1987).

Semi-mobile crushing plant and overland belt conveyors with
10 000 tph copper ore capacity for Kennecott Copper Co. near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

 

AEG Aktiengesellschaft, Frankfurt/Germany

Joined AEG Aktiengesellschaft as "Sales Mana­ger, Materials Handling Equipment" in the Industrial Systems Division, respon­sible for project identification, follow-up, preparation of offers, negotiations, procurement and after-order project management for elec­trical and electronic systems in the material handling and open cast mining industries.

Engaged to build up sales force for the newly-created "Environmental Technology Group" in a similar function as before in the "Materials Handling Group ".

USW-seminar "Economics for Engineers and Scientists" at Schloß Gracht near Cologne.

Nominated "Technical and Commercial Director" for the two AEG subsidiaries in Brazil, AEG Sistemas Industriais and AEG Serviços Tecnicos; companies active in energy and industrial systems, with an annual turnover of 20-40 Mio DM and approx. 250 employees; responsible for:

 - sales of components, systems and turnkey installations:
 - engineering and contracts management;
 - production of electrotechnical and electronic components .
 
- technical services, e.g. erection, service and maintenance.

Nominated sole "Managing Director" of the a.m. companies in Brasil, accumulating the responsibilities for buying, personnel administration and finance, i.e. total responsibility for the business of these enterprises.

Sale of upgrade control system for iron ore processing plant of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce comprising 7 PLCs and 4 Process Computers against intense competition. Value of order US$ 2.5M.

 

KRUPP FÖRDERTECHNIK, Duisburg/Germany

"Electrical Coordinator" (in-house consultant) for KRUPP Fördertechnik, responsible for the integration of 6 electrical departments at 5 geographic locations resulting from the merger of the KRUPP, O&K and PWH activities in the materials handling fields.

 

Own Consulting Office, Duisburg/Germany

Established own consulting business.
Main activity: Sales representative for General Electric Canada for german-speaking Europe, i.e. Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland; with the aim of building up and developing sales of
  -
AC & DC Motors and generators
  - power rectifiers
  - Mine Hoist, Grinding Mill, Compressor, Pump and Fan,
    Motor & Drive Systems

Other major clients:   Krupp Fördertechnik
                                  MAN Fördertechnik

3 Orders for large synchronous motors + starting gear won within 15 months against intense european competition. Total volume US$ 4.1 mio

 

GENERAL ELECTRIC, Frankfurt

Sales Manager, Motors & Standalone Drives for Europe, Africa & Middle East:
Establishment of a sales organization and market development for the european and ancillary markets.

 

MAN TAKRAF Fördertechnik, Leipzig

 

Managing Director, MAN Servicios Tecnicos, Chile: Founding and establishment of a subsidiary company in Chile to provide after sales service for the plants supplied by MAN TAKRAF Fördertechnik to the Chilean market.

 

Managing Director, MAN TAKRAF South Africa (Pty) Ltd: Founding and establishment of a subsidiary company in South Africa for sales, local fabrication, supply and erection of materials handling plant and equipment to the Southern African Market.

 

Retired voluntarily at age 57.

(Should have done so at 50!)

 

 

 

SHORT PROFESSIONAL R E S U M É
____________

 

Siegfried ECKLEBEN, born May 1st, 1944 in Weimar / Germany

"Matriculation Examination", Swakopmund High School, Swakopmund / Namibia (1962)

"B.Sc.Electrical Engineering)", University of Cape Town, South Africa (1966)

1970 : S.A. "Government Certificate of Competency
            for Mines (Electrical)"
1979 : "Planning and commissioning SIMATIC S3"
1983 : "Planning SIMATIC S5-130"
1984 : "Commissioning Simoreg K/M"
1987 : "Simulation of PID-control on PC's"
1989 : "Dolog AKF for Modicon A350/A500"
1989 : "Economics for engineers and scientists (USW).

6 years maintenance and operation of eletrical plant in underground and opencast mines, ore concentrators, pelletising plants, smelters.
4 years preparation of offers and sales for the electrical part of industrial installations.
7 years erection supervision, commissioning and site management.
5 years project management.

3 years management of an overseas subsidiary of a leading international electrical group.

application of common PC-software

afrikaans          (speak-read-write)
german             (speak-read-write)
english              (speak-read-write)
portuguese      (speak-read-write)
spanish            (speak-read-write)

Assignments in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Moçambique, South Africa, USA.

International and North American standards.
Mining and materials handling systems, crushing, grinding and screening plant, environmental technology.
Erection supervision, commissioning, project management of industrial systems.
Large motors and drives.
Business administration under high inflation conditions.