Technology Transfer 

Vision

To further the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s vision of ‘‘Prosperity through Mobility’’ by becoming the leading centre for the development and transfer of relevant transportation technologies for the department.

Mission

The mission of the Technology Transfer Centre is to package innovative solutions and empower transport officials through research, and training.

Objectives

The Centre will pursue the following objectives:

  • To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the department by sourcing and packaging relevant research for local conditions.
  • To implement and/or coordinate research aimed at solving transportation problems affecting the department and province.
  • To ensure a well trained workforce by assessing training needs, developing relevant training materials and facilitating training.
  • Provide material testing facilities and services for purposes of quality assurance, research and training.
  • Maintain, collect input for, carry out analysis and report on the results of infrastructure management systems.
  • Encourage national and international linkages and partnerships in order to reduce duplication of services, and share training costs and expertise.
  • To provide software support for infrastructure management systems within the department.
  • Contribute to the growth of the national pool of technical personnel by developing and supporting programmes that enhance interest in maths and science in schools.
  • To provide a "One Stop Shop" for transportation resources by setting up and operating a technical resource centre in collaboration and association with the main departmental resource centre.
Services

To address the objectives outlined, the T2 Centre is divided into four components namely, Research and Liaison, Laboratory and Field Testing, Infrastructure Management Systems, and Technical Training Centre. Administrative support, though not separate in itself, can be considered as the fifth component since its functions include the management of the Resource Centre. Detailed functions of each of the components are outlined below

Research

The department faces many challenges that impact negatively on its ability to deliver on its mandate of providing a safe and efficient road network in the province. There is a need to carry out research in order to explore ways of meeting the challenges.. Some areas that have been identified as potential targets for research include:

  • Innovative solutions to cope with an aging blacktop network under limited funding situations.
  • Cost effective construction alternatives in areas with poor construction materials.
  • Labour based methods of road construction relevant to local conditions.
  • Assessment of new products/techniques and their adaptation to suit local conditions.
  • Road safety issues
Technical Training Centre

Maintenance needs in the province continue to increase each year at a rate much higher than real term budget increases. At the same time, the progress of clearing backlogs in infrastructure provision remains slow. It is therefore imperative that available resources are utilized as efficiently as possible.

Departmental efficiency is dependent upon a well trained workforce. The shortage of skilled technical manpower is as much a departmental problem as it is a national one. The following factors have intensified the need for comprehensive and extensive internal training programs:

  • Skills flight as a result of retirement, severance packages and immigration.
  • High staff turnover at lower technical levels.
  • The increasing involvement of the department in new construction with a workforce largely trained for maintenance.
  • Additional demands on management brought about by new legislative requirements (e.g. PFMA).

The Technical Training Centre will perform among others the following functions:

  1. Assess training requirements
  2. Develop training materials
  3. Conducting central and on-site training courses for technical and managerial staff
  4. Provide IT training
  5. Provide mentorship to technicians and graduate engineers
Laboratory and Field Testing

The Laboratory and Field Testing component will perform the following functions:

  • Provide material testing facilities and services for purposes of quality assurance, research and training.
  • Collect data as part of pavement performance monitoring and for input into the infrastructure management systems.
Infrastructure Management Systems

The Infrastructure Management Systems component will maintain, carry out analysis and report on the results of infrastructure management systems in the department. These include :

  • Pavement Management System (PMS)
  • Gravel Road Management System (GRMS)
  • Bridge Management System (BMS)
  • Traffic Counting System (TCS)
  • Accident Management System (AMS)
Administrative Support

Every year hundreds of reports, manuals and other documents are produced by various components of the department. The documents are usually not properly catalogued nor housed in a single location. As a result, potential users are often unaware of the existence of relevant reports or cannot locate them, a situation that often results in duplication of efforts and general inefficiency. There is a need for a central repository for departmental reports, transportation information, research updates, relevant legislative news as well as training opportunities. The T2 Resource Centre was set up under Administrative Support to address this problem. The Resource Centre performs the following functions:

  1. Provide information on new and existing technologies.
  2. Publish a quarterly newsletter.
  3. Provide a lending library for publications, CDs, videos, manuals, and other publications.
  4. Adapt and distribute technical publications and user manuals.
  5. Maintain information databases.

Additional functions of Administrative Support include:

  1. Provide human resource management and developments services
  2. Provide procurement services
  3. Provide financial management services
  4. Render office services
T2 Structure

 

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