Kwatani offers in-house expert design and detail engineering know-how,
including the FEA modelling competency.
it is vital to meaningfully measure exactly
what ‘local content’ means in the mining
environment.
“We can proudly say that Kwatani’s
screening machines are locally
manufactured,” Schoepflin says. “Our
equipment is designed in our own in-house
facility by our competent engineers and
are built under stringent quality control
conditions in our Spartan plant. This allows
us to contribute significantly to job creation
and economic transformation.”
While the charter has certain local
content requirements, the devil is in the
detail. Government agencies like the South
African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and
the Department of Trade and Industry (dti)
are working with industry on a system to
verify local content.
“The process of determining a
supplier’s level of local content is complex,”
Schoepflin says. “It is vital that the right
tools are developed to place all players
on an even playing field. Measuring local
content must be meaningful and accurate,
if it is to be effective.”
She notes that Kwatani’s long history
of manufacturing locally has brought many
benefits to mining customers.
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
Condition monitoring, advanced testing and measuring technology assists
customers to achieve a continuous supply of production
Kim Schoepflin, CEO of Kwatani.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
The company has a legacy of more
than 43 years and can point to fit-
for-purpose screening machines
installed across a wide spread
of commodity sectors
including coal, iron ore and
other heavy metals.
“A key benefit of being
a fully local OEM is that
we can control quality,” she
says. “With our suppliers
close by, this facilitates close
collaboration, quick turnaround and
integration into our quality systems.”
Schoepflin highlights that the
long-term relationships with local
suppliers means that everyone in the
supply chain is committed to quality
manufacture. This enhances the quality
of the final product, while raising the
capacity of even the smallest players in
the supply chain.
By investing continuously in its own
local research and development, Kwatani
ensures that its screening machines stay
at the cutting edge of technology. This
means recruiting and developing experts
in both mechanical and metallurgical
engineering. Local skills also fill all other
aspects of the business, from technical
and financial to administration and
marketing.
AUGUST 2019
35