MANUFACTURING
Kim Kemp
Fabrication staff bending up box sections for rigid box frame chassis.
The person who is giving you the machine is there for you. After a phone call, Dezzi is here— it makes life easy.” Another benefit Shozi adds is that there is no cost involved in having to keep spares on the premises because of the mine’ s proximity to Dezzi’ s vast stores holding.
The harsh working environment involving moving tonnes of rock necessitates the machines being serviced every 250 hours, so Shozi elected to take out a Dezzi service plan. He cites an instance how, within an hour of making a call to the OEM regarding a pedal issue on one of the machines, the problem was resolved by a Dezzi technician.
Gutzeit adds,“ We have a rigorous inspection routine where we not only service the machines, but we also inspect and do a bit of greasing every week. Because of our proximity to the mine, we have included this in our service plan, as the preventative maintenance in this industry saves a lot of money.”
Another mine where the equipment is being used to its fullest is Edendale Quarries, located in Matatiele, in KwaZulu- Natal, near the Lesotho border.
Freddie Nicholls, quarry manager of the dolerite open mine / quarry, supplying into the building and road infrastructure
We have a saying in this company,‘ Just bring the spots and we’ ll make the guinea fowls’.”
Desmond Gutzeit – founder
market, has several pieces of a mixed fleet evident on the mine. Nicholls says that the decision to add Dezzi to the mix was based on his introduction to the OEM back in 2002 where, in his previous position on a crushing facility, he was exposed to a Dezzi 20-tonne dumper. Then, a year later, he adds, Edendale Quarries purchased a similar Dezzi dumper as well as a 2300 Dezzi loader.
He says that when he started working at Edendale Quarries in 2015,“ those same machines from 2002 were still here”. They have since been traded in on a new 25-tonne dumper.
“ Why Dezzi? Well, they are very rugged, the factory is local, and the service we get from Carl and the team is excellent.” He points out that such is the service, that that morning Gutzeit had dropped off tips for his TLB on the way to the interview.“ I phoned him yesterday afternoon at 16:00 and this morning they were dropped off.”
Nicholls adds that the relationship with the OEM goes back to a sound relationship that the business has enjoyed over the years with founder patriarch, Desmond Gutzeit.“ When I was a youngster in 2000,‘ Uncle’ Des’ s courtesy was great, and I even got to work in the Dezzi workshop to do a Dezzi gearbox there, at no cost.” He adds that the parts back-up“ is brilliant” and explains,“ If I phone today and need a part urgently, I collect it and am back before the close of business.”
Pragmatically Nicholls emphasises,“ That’ s if there is a problem. Realistically, there isn’ t a piece of equipment in Africa that doesn’ t have a problem at some stage. The equipment comes with an under-service warranty and because I have worked with them for a long time, they trust me to do the first service. Thereafter, I do all the maintenance on the machines and they do all the major services.”
Nicholls adds with a chuckle that the new machines are“ really comfortable and more developed, with a lekker soft seat and an air conditioner and radio”.
18
SEPTEMBER 2018