THYSSENKRUPP Industrial Solutions, in a bid to further strengthen its longstanding business partnerships and expand its footprint in Africa, hosted four customer conferences during Mining Indaba 2018 in Cape Town recently.
During the conferences, senior management shared the company’s sustainable engineering solutions with more than 40 customers.
According to CEO for Sub-Saharan Africa Philipp Nellesse, the conferences were successful, with customers showing a keen interest, especially in the field of energy efficiencies and storage.
“We are deeply rooted in Africa with a long presence in South Africa that spans eight decades and a large installed base on the continent,” said Nellessen.
“One of the largest concentrations of Thyssenkrupp drum reclaimers is in operation at our customer of 45-year standing, an iron ore mine in Sishen, and we have supplied the largest drum reclaimers in the world to South Africa’s two new power plants. This having been said, our capabilities as a world-leading single-source solutions supplier is not as well recognised in Africa as in the rest of the world,” said Nellessen.
“We need to address this through heightening awareness around our engineering solutions that are focused on increasing mine and plant efficiencies.”
For Thyssenkrupp it goes far beyond business to the development and delivering of technologies that assist mines and plants to be more profitable. Their success means growth, job creation and upskilling, the development of local communities and ultimately the stimulation of economies in the African countries where these industries operate.
The growing trend of business–community collaboration will see outreach initiatives such as for example mines providing power or water to nearby communities.
“We want to be part of Africa’s solution and we want to make a difference,” said Nellessen. “To this end we are committed to focussing on increasing our presence on this continent, building on our long-term African partnerships as well as establishing new customer relationships and listening to customers to gain a better understanding of their individual requirements.
“This multi-facetted strategy will better position our various business units to provide bespoke solutions, from a single piece of equipment to an entire plant (feasibility studies, systems, services), that combine local experience and 200 years of global knowledge to ensure sustainable productivity and profitability for customers and end-users.”
The often-remote locations of mining projects have prompted customers to look for suppliers who can provide an all-in-one turnkey service – from the source of extraction to the ports for export.
According to Nellessen, the company is perfectly positioned to meet this requirement, with its Materials Handling business unit and its offering of stackers, drum reclaimers, transfer cars, and train- and ship loading and unloading systems.
“From the Minerals Processing business unit comes comminution and grinding expertise. Power and Energy brings turnkey biomass fired plant solutions, from boiler supply right through to building the complete plant around the boiler. Expertise and technology in the fields of electrolysis, polymers, base chemicals, fuel storage as well as modular solutions for chemical and fertilizer plants are the areas of expertise for business unit, Technologies and Polymers.”
Thyssenkrupp has a Service Centre, located in Chloorkop, Johannesburg. Originally established to refurbish and manufacture components for its High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGRs), significant expansion has resulted in the provision of a full servicing capability to OEM standards for all Thyssenkrupp brands and equipment.
“These competencies extend to customers in all major African countries and field service teams are dispatched to support equipment wherever and whenever needed, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the company said in a statement.
It also aims to address the loss of skills with the roll-out of purpose-designed technical training centres across Sub-Sahara Africa. The first training centre is currently under construction at its Chloorkop facility and is earmarked for completion in Q2 2018.
“The recent opening of an office in Accra, Ghana, bears testament to Thyssenkrupp’s commitment to position itself closer to its customers in the regions, bringing complete engineering solutions and rapid, reliable and flexible support and services to their doorstep.”