Plant Equipment and Hire October 2019 | Page 34

IN CONVERSATION Rham Equipment’s LHD is a firm favourite within the underground mining equipment space. KEVIN REYNDERS: LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELDS South African equipment manufacturers should be afforded more room to manoeuvre, Kevin Reynders, managing director of Rham Equipment, tells Leon Louw. The mining industry, like most of the other economic sectors in South Africa, has been under pressure over the past two years or so. The unemployment rate keeps heading north. Mines in South Africa have become extremely deep and more difficult to mine. Therefore, we need to create a circular economy so that mines become more profitable. Using locally manufactured equipment to mine in South Africa can help drive down costs, increase productivity, and create jobs in the mining and manufacturing sectors. 32 OCTOBER 2019 Kevin, Rham Equipment has become a leading local manufacturer of underground mining equipment in South Africa. Why is the local manufacturing of equipment important for the country? Work in progress at the Rham workshop in Olifantsfontein. www.equipmentandhire.co.za