NEW EQUIPMENT NEWS
Weba expands into Russia with Somex
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on materials handling operations, but Baller
notes that this is a learning curve that the
company has already undergone.
“In Russia, there are extremes in
weather conditions, from hot, humid
summers to freezing winters, which means
equipment has to accommodate the way
this affects the material being handled,” he
says. “If moist material freezes in a barge,
for instance, the particles being unloaded
could become larger chunks of 20–30
times the specified lump size.”
He notes that a range of other factors
must also be considered during the design
phase, including the lack of accessibility
to many mines during certain times of the
year. This requires that maintenance and
servicing must be carefully planned well
in advance of product delivery, to ensure
optimal uptime and continuous, cost-
effective operation.
“We are excited by the signing of this
new licensee agreement with Somex and
look forward to adding our expertise in
chute systems to assist mines and other
materials handling plants in Russia to lower
their overall cost of ownership,” Baller
concludes.
South African-based original equipment
supplier Weba Chute Systems has further
extended its footprint into the northern
hemisphere with the recent appointment
of a licensee in Russia.
Managing director of Weba Chute
Systems, Mark Baller, says the selection
of Somex as its partner in Russia is in line
with the company’s long-term goal of a
sustainable international business model.
“We have always been very selective
about the markets which we enter,” Baller
says. “We obviously seek those markets
that offer the greatest potential, partnering
with companies that have the best possible
fit to ensure a sustainable future there.”
This approach has proved very
successful for the business and Weba
Chute Systems already has extensive
representation across the globe with
licensees and agents in the US, Canada,
South America, Turkey, and Australia, as
well as throughout Africa. Significantly,
Weba Chute Systems has an established
reputation as an OEM with more than
4 500 of its custom-engineered chute
systems installed across the world.
“When we identified Russia as a
prospective market for us, Somex was
a partner that fulfilled our demanding
requirements,” he says. “Somex operates
20 offices across the Russian territory
and has an extensive range of products
and services which have synergy with our
custom-engineered chute and transfer
systems.”
Baller highlights that Somex also
has a solid engineering capability with
manufacturing facilities that produce
quality products, as well as an extensive
sales network across a spectrum of
industries where bulk materials need to be
transferred.
“Russia is important because it is one
of the largest producers of raw materials
globally, with a relatively untapped market
where Weba Chute Systems would be of
immediate benefit to many operations,” he
says. “Many of the plants that we visited
in Russia are state-of-the-art facilities with
high-tech equipment and best-practice
efficiencies. However, on the materials
handling side, there is a huge need for
improvement and we can bring the skills
and technical knowledge to optimise these
operations.”
Weather conditions in the northern
hemisphere place vastly different demands
Mark Baller, managing director of Weba
Chute Systems, says the selection of Somex
as its partner in Russia is in line with the
company’s long-term goal of a sustainable
international business model.
NOVEMBER 2018
13