SOUTH AFRICAN SUPPLIERS
Growth at home and abroad
South African mining nous and a favourable local procurement policy are seeing equipment orders boom for those in the local METS space , Dan Gleeson reports
South Africa ’ s mining regulations may have boggled international investors for more than a decade , with many institutional funds putting their money elsewhere out of fear , confusion or ignorance .
Yet , for those in-country equipment and service suppliers acquainted with current legislation , the political backdrop has started to change , arguably for the better .
This sees them with plenty of domestic and overseas mining opportunities , which they are taking advantage of .
Locally made
As Kim Schoepflin , Chief Executive Officer of Kwatani , explains , South Africa ’ s Mining Charter stipulates that 70 % of goods procured by mines must be locally manufactured .
“ As a leading South Africa-based OEM , which imports very few components or materials , Kwatani scores well on this requirement ,” she told IM .
The reality is that South African mines also prefer dealing with OEMs capable of providing quick turnaround times as well as prompt service and technical support , she said . This is another trend favouring domestic suppliers .
An important aspect of Kwatani ’ s strategy is its longstanding commitment to transformation , reflected in its status as a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment ( B-BBEE ) Level 2 accredited company .
“ Since 2015 , we have been the country ’ s most transformed OEM in our class ,” Schoepflin said . Such a status scores highly with mining companies when it comes to its procurement strategies .
“ Our local supply chain contributes to our B- BBEE score , as most of our suppliers are small companies located within a 10 km radius of our facilities ,” she explained . “ In addition to managing the quality of their goods , this allows us to support the growth of these local businesses .”
Kwatani , which has just become a part of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions , has also invested in its local 17,000 sq . m production facilities , which are close to OR Tambo International Airport , near Johannesburg . This helps on the international sales front , as does the fact its operation is ISO 9001:2015 accredited . The latter makes Kwatani one of only 5 % of South Africa ’ s manufacturing firms holding such accreditation , according to Schoepflin .
With over 17,000 vibratory units installed across the globe and references in almost 50 countries , in all key commodities , Kwatani represents a homegrown success story .
Multotec , as a company that complies with B- BBEE requirements , has benefitted from the Mining Charter ’ s focus on local suppliers and procurement , but , as Group CEO , Thomas Holtz , points out , the company still needs to deliver “ world class and competitively priced products ” to meet client expectations
“ Underpinning this success is our expertise in assessing the requirements of each application , to design and construct the most appropriate solution for those conditions ,” Schoepflin said . “ As an experienced OEM , we ensure mine operators can source vibrating screens that are engineered to cater for their specific plant and application requirements . Our four decades of inhouse research and development continuously improves the efficiency of our vibratory screen and feeder designs .”
For example , when a South Africa-based diamond operation contacted Kwatani to improve the performance of its de-grit process , the company designed a custom vibrating screening solution to meet the specific performance criteria while fitting into the customer ’ s existing plant footprint . This resulted in Kwatani designing and supplying several large double-deck multi-slope screens , which , it said , significantly increased the client ’ s feed rate and improved the dewatering capability .
The solution had relevance beyond this lone installation .
“ This tried-and-tested multi-slope configuration is now part of Kwatani ’ s multi-slope screen range for similar drainage and dewatering
14 International Mining | JANUARY 2022