Plant Equipment and Hire November 2019 | Page 34

IN CONVERSATION Sandro Scherf, founder and CEO of Pilot Crushtec (right) and sales and marketing director, Francois Marais. PILOT CRUSHTEC: MOBILE AND MODULAR The first complete Pilot Modular plant using Metso equipment in South Africa was installed a few months ago. Leon Louw caught up with Sandro Scherf, founder and CEO and sales and marketing director Francois Marais. P ilot Crushtec is one of those feel good South African stories, of which there is a lot more than what South African’s give themselves credit for. Scherf himself is a stalwart in the crushing and screening industry and has been at the forefront for almost 30 years (the company will turn 30 in April next year). Scherf was one of the first true believers in mobile and modular equipment in South Africa, and although it took a lot of convincing and sweet talk, his idea eventually started making sense 32 NOVEMBER 2019 to the mining and aggregates industries, who are normally not that enthusiastic in accepting new ideas. Today, Pilot Crushtec equipment has a presence on many open pit sites across Africa. One of the company’s solutions is their Pilot Modular range which provides an instant solution for turnkey requirements. The range is premised on standard, pre-designed, pre-built modules that can be quickly configured to provide solutions for crushing and screening requirements. The standard modules are ready to run, and the mostly available ex-stock and can be delivered within days in most cases. A quarry owner, for example can walk into the Pilot Crushtec office, discuss his requirement, have a plant configuration designed and have the plant installed and fully operational within eight weeks of order. The company has successfully navigated its way through the vagaries of a volatile market and with renewed vigour, looks set to take the market by storm. Leon Louw asked Scherf (SS) and Marais (FM) a few questions. www.equipmentandhire.co.za