Modern Mining July 2020

ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS

build their businesses while contributing Zest WEG products and services to their growing economies.” This full representation allows partners to lever- age the power of the whole Zest WEG group, and to build local capacity in exciting new fields and sec- tors. Milan notes that mining has been a traditional focus for the company in countries outside of South African borders, but this is changing. Pursuing other markets “We are actively pursuing other markets, in particu- lar the oil and gas sector but also agriculture, water, general industry, cement and utilities,” he says. “On a global level, WEG has been active and successful in all industrial sectors for many years and has built a number of strong industry specific product portfo- lios backed by a sound knowledge base to aid the implementation our strategic plans.” There is also considerable activity in liquified natural gas (LNG), he notes, and strong inroads are being made through the company’s project team and through co-operation and collaboration with other WEG branches around the world. In addition, he expects the recovery in the price of crude oil to support the continuation of postponed projects and maintenance upgrades, creating a number of oppor- tunities in African countries which are strong in this sector. With the activity on the Copperbelt shifting from Zambia to the DRC, Zest WEG recently appointed local company Panaco as its VAR in the Katanga region where this company has two branches, one in Lubumbashi and the other in Kolwezi. In a strong signal of Zest WEG’s intention in Africa, Panaco was chosen for being well-established and a respected supplier in the region, with strong relationships in the mining sector and beyond. Zest WEG’s on-the-ground presence was fur- ther strengthened recently with the appointment of Magare Company Limited in Tanzania with opera- tions in Mwanza and Dar Es Salaam, and Repelectric in Nairobi, Kenya. Taylor says a number of other new appointments are being finalised across sub-Saha- ran Africa The continual building of capacity within Zest WEG’s African network is focused not only on tech- nical support and stock availability, but on appointing repair facilities that meet OEM standards. While accreditation is a meticulous process, it is vital to grow the number of repair facilities that meet these demanding requirements. “WEG accredited repair centres give us peace of mind that our products can be repaired to OEM specifications, for optimal performance and longer life. WEG offers all accredited repair facilities full access to the OEM mechanical and electrical design criteria for selected equipment on request, further supporting the end-customer’s loyalty to our quality products,” Milan concludes. 

ourselves firmly in the countries in which we oper- ate,” he says. “A key part of this is through partnering with local companies, and the transfer of skills to

WEG alternator at a hydro power plant in a gold mine.

Key takeaways  Celebrating its 40 th anniversary of doing business in Africa, Zest-WEG reit- erates its continuous drive to expand its network of sub-Saharan African partners  Zest WEG’s presence is increasingly focused on localised support to the end-user, driven by partnerships with in-country businesses who have the technical capability and capacity to market and support the company’s extensive range of products and services  With the activity on the Copperbelt shifting from Zambia to the DRC, Zest WEG recently appointed local company Panaco as its VAR in the Katanga region where this company has two branches, one in Lubumbashi and the other in Kolwezi  Apart from being an innovative product and service provider, Zest WEG has a substantial investment in local manufacturing and assembly facilities in South Africa

26  MODERN MINING  July 2020