Quarry Southern Africa November 2018 | Page 12

BUSINESS ELECTRA MINING DRAWS LARGE CROWDS By Eamonn Ryan and Ntsako Khoza Electra Mining has grown exponentially over the past few years in terms of the scale and variety of companies, products and solutions showcased. W There was an expansive collection of machines, winches, robotics, mechanics, engines and pumps. 12_QUARRY SA| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ith more than 850 exhibitors at Electra Mining Africa 2018, the five-day biennial expo held from 10 to 14 September drew almost 30 000 visitors from across South Africa, neighbouring SADC countries and as far away as South America, Turkey and Iran. Visitors experienced the latest innovations across sectors such as mining, industrial, electrical, power, transport and related industries and saw many new products and technologies unveiled at the show via hundreds of live demonstrations. A regular programme of free-to-attend seminars provided delegates with insight and knowledge. An innovation at this year’s show was the assignment of different themes to each of the days: day one focused on the future of skills development in South Africa and saw the launch of the Artisan Training Centre; day two celebrated ‘all that’s new’ with new product and technology launches, as well as the digital revolution; day three was Proudly South African; day four was dedicated to safety; and day five to diversity in industry. This year’s show introduced an Artisan Training Centre established in partnership with the SAJ Competency Training Institute and the South African Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). The facility provided a fully-functional workshop to discuss training options available to artisans and where training institute students demonstrated their skills including welding, boilermaking, millwright, electrical, welding, fitting and turning, CNC programming, as well as jig and die making. This coupled with an expansive collection of machines, winches, robotics, mechanics, engines, pumps and the