Capital Equipment News July 2018

Vernon Steenbok, GM Comminution at Weir Minerals Africa.

“Our Trio ® capacity range is from 50 to 1 500 tonnes per hour. Our vast product range is a big advantage because it allows us to customise every single solution without sourcing any components from other suppliers,” says Robus. “The innovative range of Trio ® equipment and tailored plant design is engineered for the most rugged and demanding applications. Our engineers have extensive experience and are able to advise, design and supply customised solutions from fixed, semi-mobile and trailer- mounted offerings, to best suit customer requirements.” Trio ® became part of the Weir Group in October 2014. Having been present in the African market via distributors since 2006, Robus says Trio ® products are now part of a very large installed base across the continent. After the acquisition of Trio ® , Weir Minerals Africa made several changes to take full advantage of the brand’s growth potential, but more importantly to maximise uptime and productivity for customers in Africa and the Middle East. One of the key resolutions, taken in mid-2015, was to engage directly with the market rather than via distributors. “We have since set up a highly experienced team to focus exclusively on our comminution

solutions – from application engineers, support engineers to sales, aftermarket support and project management staff – with vast crushing and screening experience to look after the Trio product range in the region,” explains Steenbok. Robus explains that there are several major benefits of going directly to market. He says that the major downside of going to market through a third party supplier is often the disintermediation, thus Weir Minerals prefers to service its customers directly, thereby strengthening relationships and developing a close understanding of its customers’ operations over time. “We believe we can offer our customers better service and solutions because we know the product better than anyone else, leveraging case studies from our installed base across the region,” says Robus. Steenbok reasons that dealing directly with customers also better informs the original equipment manufacturer’s research and development (R&D) by incorporating the “voice of the customer” and their ever- changing needs into research projects. “Our direct route to market helps us find quick solutions for our customers, especially in the current economic climate where uptime and productivity are key survival factors

for both aggregate producers and mining companies,” says Steenbok. Strong support structures The successful implementation of the direct route approach hinges on Weir Minerals Africa’s strong branch network across the region. The company boasts 19 sales and service centres in Africa which are strategically positioned to support its customers efficiently. “Weir Minerals Africa’s strong presence in mining regions on the continent and the Middle East is driving growth for our extensive comminution range of products. This is complemented by our significant investment into augmenting technical aftersales support and infrastructure in growth areas,” says Steenbok. “Aggregate and mining companies in the region are well aware of the prominent role that Weir Minerals Africa has played in their industries over the years, and they understand the value we are able to bring to their operations. We have built our reputation on strong technological performance and our value proposition of the lowest cost of ownership, which is key to the survival of any aggregate or mining operation,” concludes Robus. ❂

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