Alicia Vadivelu

At Nestlé South Africa's Estcourt Factory, I lead utilities, maintenance, and capital projects from conceptual engineering through commissioning and handover. I installed and commissioned a ZAR8M deaerator and delivered infrastructure upgrades across steam, refrigeration, and processing systems.

I spearheaded a ZAR8M factory-wide energy monitoring project that achieved 100% area-level and 60% line-level metering, contributing to a 12% reduction in energy use and 3% reduction in water use. As site Energy Champion, I also led initiatives that reduced energy usage by 10% and water consumption by 7.5%.

I improve plant uptime through maintenance strategy optimisation, root cause analysis, risk-based prioritisation, and SAP PM/MM asset management. I've acted in a maintenance leadership capacity, leading a 13-person maintenance and operations team while supporting contractors, budgets, shutdown planning, and compliance for boilers and ammonia refrigeration systems.

Earlier at Eskom's Komati Power Station, I investigated complex boiler issues, analysed energy performance data, and developed conceptual CAD designs for maintenance upgrades. I'm PMP and Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified, and I care about continuous improvement, people development, and practical engineering outcomes.