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Two employees, four decades and a factory’s worth of institutional knowledge
When a technical, family-run specialist like Duva Chemicals talks about institutional knowledge, it isn’t an abstract asset on a balance sheet, it’s the memory held in people’s hands, habits, and voices. Two employees, Factory Manager Lynne Leyds and Electropolishing Foreman Sam Masekela , who have worked at Duva Chemicals since the 1980s, were recently recognised at a staff awards function held at the company’s premises in Johannesburg’s industrial hub, Chloorkop, Kempton Park. involved long hours, hands-on problem solving and a strong work ethic.
Lynne and Sam’s combined service spans more than eighty years and traces the company’s evolution from a compact unit in Wynberg, Johannesburg into an internationally active supplier of stainless-steel pickling, passivation and bespoke chemical plants. Together their stories reveal how craftsmanship, pragmatism and long- term client relationships have kept Duva relevant in a demanding industry. A legend in the making Lynne arrived at Duva Chemicals in 1985 after leaving a job in fashion retail. She remembers the early days as “being thrown in at the deep end” a steep learning curve that
What began as a production and customer-facing job subsequently expanded into operations management, reception, invoicing and mentoring. Lynne became the person clients called when they needed practical advice or a fast fix. She helped support innovations such as Duva’s pickling paste for targeted weld repairs, a game-changer for fabricators who need touch-ups rather than full-immersion treatments. On site, Lynne starts each day with a “toolbox talk,” allocating tasks, checking mixtures and ensuring work meets Duva’s exacting standards. Fortunately, she’s as
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Issue 4 – 2025
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