Modern Mining December 2021

officially opened its nearly R20-million Technical Training Academy at its Chloorkop, Gauteng base, which not only develops the technical skills the company needs, but has also been central to help- ing clients meet their skills development initiatives in areas where they operate. “We have had some instances where customers have asked us to help train artisans from their com- munities. They are trained in our Technical Training Academy. Once they have gone through our appren- ticeship programme, they can be fully employed in the client’s business,” concludes Van Rooyen. 

chain drive, take-up assembly, rakes and towers. Once the parts were installed, the equipment was commissioned and the machine was put back into operation on time.” Service and training thyssenkrupp has over the years established close relationships with its customers, enabled by not only its workmanship, but a strong aftermarket regime. From an aftermarket point of view, the company has a strong regional focus. In South Africa thyssenkrupp has offices in Gauteng, eMalahleni, Lephalale and the Western Cape. This is complemented by regional branches in Zambia, Ghana and Mozambique. “We try to be as close as possible to our custom- ers, which reduces response times. We have service capabilities across these areas and in case of any issues, we can respond quite quickly. We also try to keep consistency in terms of who goes to see the client from a technical standpoint – this builds history and knowledge at customer operations,” explains Van Rooyen. The company also strives to integrate into its customers’ communities. Apart from its techni- cal and aftermarket capabilities, one of the ways it has achieved community integration is through its training regime. In November 2018, thyssenkrupp

Key takeaways  There is an increasing trend in the industry to sweat existing bulk materials handling assets, including stackers, drum reclaimers and other stockyard machines  thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has seen an increase in enquiries for mid-life refurbishments  Compared with new capital projects, the main benefits of going the revamp route are the reduced lead times and costing  thyssenkrupp recently successfully completed a mid-life refurbishment on two 10 000 t/hour shiploaders operating at Saldanha Bay  The company also recently completed a run of mine bridge reclaimer revamp project for Sasol’s Twistdraai Export Plant

December 2021  MODERN MINING  11