PROCESS solutions is now the focus of Weir Minerals Africa, as it works to bring its growing range of services and products closer to customers in Africa and the Middle East.
Regional Managing Director Gavin Dyer said the company is investing continuously in both physical and human resources – building its footprint of branches and service centres across the continent, while drawing in process engineering skills to bolster its capacity to optimise plants.
His new leadership team of experienced experts are driving the company’s sales and service focus, to bring a wider range of offerings closer to the market and ensure that the business is solidly customer-focused. With Marketing Director Rajen Govender driving the strategic marketing effort and handling the relationships with key customers, William Cumming focuses on the ‘home ground’ and most neighbouring countries, as Sales Director for South Africa and SADC.
Sub-Saharan Africa from Zambia upwards – and also the Middle East – is the jurisdiction of Pieter Jordaan, Sales Director for the rest of Africa. The company’s process department is headed by JD Singleton; as Process Director, he manages the over-arching process engineering offering that will add value at service centre, branch and mine site level across the geographic footprint.
“The work of this team will raise the profile of the wider product range and ensure that customers are achieving the best possible returns from this technology,” said Dyer. “There are still areas where Weir is known largely as an original equipment supplier in the field of slurry pumps. Our new structure and capacity will help alert customers to the many opportunities available from Weir Minerals Africa to improve plant efficiencies and performance.”
Singleton said Weir Minerals Africa’s services and products span a range of mine processes from the run-of-mine tip to the tailings dams, including equipment such as crushers, pumps, cyclones, linings, hoses, conveyors and valves. This positions Weir Minerals Africa increasingly as a total solutions partner rather than a mechanical engineering company focused on pumps.
“We have engaged more process engineers in our team, and with these skills can optimise mine operations from pit dewatering and jaw crushing, right through to screening, process functions within the mill, and even tailings disposal,” Singleton says.
Another key aspect of the current strategy is to build on Weir Minerals Africa’s extensive footprint in Africa and the Middle East, allowing better responsiveness to customers’ needs.
“Our growing branch and service centre network provides the necessary springboard for the process engineers to get access to customer sites quicker and more often,” said Jordaan.
Cumming said the strategic placement of more engineers now gives customers the opportunity to have site evaluations and plant audits more readily. By providing services like condition monitoring and better inventory strategies, unplanned breakdowns can be avoided and downtime reduced.