Modern Mining August 2023

SUPPLIERS TO MINING INDUSTRY

to assist in compliance for delayed start-ups, and alarms to ensure that any mobile equipment oper ated on mines complies with safety standards.” Quality control at Pilot Crushtec is strictly con trolled and the same applies to OEMs from whom the company imports equipment. Marais says the company works very closely with its OEM partners to ensure feedback is provided from practical use of the equipment and continuous development takes place to make equipment as robust and reliable as possible. Madlala says that, given the unique safety chal lenges in the mining industry, Zest WEG ensures its products adhere to the highest safety standards. “To guarantee the durability and robustness of our prod ucts, we invest in modern designs and strict quality control during the manufacturing process. With at least 2% of WEG’s revenue spent on R&D, we con sult various stakeholders, including those in mining, to ensure our products meet top-end requirements. Our products are also manufactured and fully tested in accordance with various international and local standards.” Commenting on the challenges of operating in Africa, Yatras says “Logistics across the African con tinent remain a challenge, as do energy constraints, and rising manufacturing costs are something we constantly have to focus on to ensure we are a reli able supplier.” Du Toit says IPR has a well-established logistics network and partnerships to handle the transporta tion of large or complex machinery to remote mining sites. “We work closely with experienced freight forwarders and logistics providers who specialise in handling heavy equipment, and this ensures our pumps and ancillary equipment are delivered safely

also provide proper training and guidelines to cus tomers on the safe operation and maintenance of our equipment,” Du Toit says. He explains that IPR employs stringent quality control measures throughout the production process to ensure the durability and robustness of products. High-quality materials are used, rigorous testing is conducted and advanced engineering techniques are employed by the pump OEMs. “Additionally, we collaborate closely with custom ers to understand their specific requirements and customise our solutions accordingly, ensuring opti mal performance and longevity in challenging mining environments,” he adds. Marais agrees that safety remains a fundamental and says the company’s equipment includes many safety features. “As a basic example, our conveyors include guarding, wrap around walkways, angle iron handrails and trip wires. These may seem like small and insignificant extras but for mine safety officials they’re essential to ensure site safety,” he explains. “Our mobile machines come equipped with IC Units

The Lokotrack ® LT300HP™, from Pilot Crushtec, features the Nordberg ® HP300™ cone crushing unit, which provides optimised performance, efficiency and high capacity in crushing.

Sandvik Crushers combine extremely high performance with low total cost.

38  MODERN MINING  August 2023