MINING INDABA • competitive advantage is borne of our knowledge and experience of mining in Africa ”, according to Mann .
Finding clients is one thing but retaining them in an everchanging innovation and technology environment is another . For Kwatani , automation in the form of monitoring equipment health ensures client relationships are well maintained . “ You install a piece of equipment with a health-monitoring system for that machine . This allows for easier integration between machinery , resulting in more efficient operations for the mine . Time is money for a mine and if a machine effectively communicates its status , it will always run efficiently and efficient machines make for satisfied customers .”
Kukard says working with mines in different markets – be it Africa or elsewhere , has brought home just how varied the specification requirements are for every country . The company ’ s preferred model – with the exception of a project the company has been working on in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – is to do the design and engineering work based on the data provided by the client , and provide locally procured , major mechanical equipment , while the structural manufacturing is handled by the client ’ s appointed contractor .
When working with mines in other countries , compatibility and integration are the key issues . There are country-specific design requirements , varied electrical , civil and structural standards , local content legislation , special taxes and other industrial and government regulations – all of which need to be taken into account . “ This makes it tricky , but where there is a will , there is a way ,” says Kukard .
Whatever the specifics of the project , nothing is undertaken without getting all the paperwork in order , Kukard explained . “ Service level agreements ( SLAs ) are signed with consultants , who have an input and are directly involved in patent and intellectual property ( IP ), process technologies and equipment . We make extensive use of contractors for the provision and supply of site management services when we install projects in foreign countries . “ Non-disclosure agreements ( NDAs ) are enforced to protect clients ’ information when working on projects and we also sign NDAs that specifically pertain to patented technologies and products to ensure that we , in turn , protect our company IP ,” says Kukard .
Doing business on the continent will be improved significantly once the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA ) is implemented , says Elizabeth Jansen van Vuuren , public sector stakeholder relationships officer at MEMSA . The aim of the AfCFTA is to eliminate barriers to trade in Africa and boost intra-Africa trade .
“ Manufacturers across the continent have been looking forward to ramping up trade , but we need our governments to work together on the implementation of the AfCFTA .” The Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) Regional Mining Vision provides guidelines for optimising the benefits of mining on a regional level , and these fit in with AfCFTA . SADC has a huge , combined mining capital goods market , and if countries incentivised their mining industries to procure locally as well as regionally , new economies of scale would make investment in supply chains highly attractive . “ However , there are still cases of every country acting for itself , when we need to realise that we all benefit when our neighbours benefit ,” she says .
With or without a trade agreement , local manufacturers need market exposure to get the business . One way is to showcase locally developed and manufactured technology through the Technology
www . africanmining . co . za
African Mining Publication
AZMET AZ-CRP Plant under Construction ( DRC ).
Availability and Readiness Atlas ( TARA ), an online catalogue that provides global exposure .
TARA is a Mandela Mining Precinct project which MEMSA has taken the lead in running . The online database showcases locally developed and manufactured technology , so that local African and international mines can see what is being made in South Africa , Jansen van Vuuren says . “ We are busy on the final upgrade of the system , which is due to be launched in early 2023 . Lack of information should not be a barrier to local procurement , and the reality is that there is a gap in awareness of the quality , diversity and sophistication of local products . MEMSA ’ s 2022 Innovation Awards helped build awareness of our local research , development and innovation capacity , and we are already starting to plan for the 2023 edition .”
Localisation strategies are viewed as fundamental to changing the colonial , extractive structure of the South African economy ; this is not peculiar to South Africa , with many African countries putting policies and measures in place to foster local production for mining . In Ivory Coast , for example , which is still dominated by foreign ( non- African ) companies , local businesspeople are eager to partner with South African companies , says Molloyi .
There is still some way to go before these policies are fully adopted . “ Local content and localisation requirements are still an emerging science and different countries are using different approaches depending on their economies and priorities ,” says Jansen van Vuuren . Alignment among neighbouring countries could reduce the complexity for investors .
Incentivising local procurement is one way to transform the economy , another is making South Africa a more attractive and less expensive place to do business . This is where the Department of Trade , Industry and Competition ’ s ( dtic ) Standardised Coding and Product Identification System for the Mining Supply Chain comes in . The system allows products to be identified using a unique name and code and could address many of the inefficiencies in the mining supply chain . “ The government wants to ensure that the cost of doing business in SA is reduced for the supplier or the mining company . When we address supply-chain best practice , we also address the cost of doing business , increased efficiency and decreased costs , which is what all businesses strive for . Without a standardised product coding system , the same item ,
African Mining
Supplied AZMET Technology and Projects
African Mining • January 2023 • 33