Modern Mining August 2024

SUPPLIERS TO MINING INDUSTRY

Pilot Crushtec’s 12,000 m 2 manufacturing facility is located in Jet Park near Johannesburg.

Decades of investment set Pilot Crushtec apart in customer support The true value in mining suppliers’ solutions lies increasingly in the aftersales support that ensures uptime, productivity and cost effectiveness, according to Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec.

T he company is the authorised distributor for Metso crushing and screening equipment across southern Africa and also manufactures its own range of crushing, screening and materials handling solutions under the Pilot Crushtec brand. In addition, the company recently added the Jonsson line of premium mobile crushers and screens to its portfolio. “Our commitment to quality goes beyond our equipment, to our support services and infrastructure” says Marais. “For almost 35 years, we have invested continuously in the skills, systems and facilities that allow us to deliver what our mining customers need, when they need it.” He highlights that this infrastructure has grown not only in scale, but also in complexity – responding to both technology developments and changing customer expectations. In terms of physical resources, Pilot Crushtec boasts a 12 000 m2 manufacturing facility in Jet Park near Johannesburg. Among other functions, this facility houses an inventory of spares valued at around R180 million and comprising some 34 000 different line items. “Ready inventory is a foundation for any highly responsive service function, and our dedicated people and sophisticated systems ensure our parts

and components can reach customers timeously,” he says. “With mines looking increasingly to raise efficiency and uptime, we work to ensure their machines are always producing.” He notes that the company’s dedicated focus on mobile and semi-mobile crushing and screening solutions has helped to underpin its depth of specialised expertise. It has stayed at the cutting edge of this technology by constantly investing in people and skills. Jorge Abelho, Director Technical Support at Pilot Crushtec, explains that the market is still short of the skills that the company needs to achieve its service benchmarks. For this reason, it provides its own technical training for staff on an ongoing basis – building a skills pipeline while also feeding the local economy with expertise. “After employing a qualified artisan or technician, it will take us at least another year to prepare that person to work competently on our range of equipment,” says Abelho. “During that time, they usually undergo about six intensive training courses and up to 200 short courses online.” Pilot Crushtec’s in-house training programme also embraces university graduates, bringing them into the workshop for six months’ experience,

Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec.

Jorge Abelho, Director Technical Support at Pilot Crushtec.

64  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | AUGUST 2024