Modern Mining July 2022

COVER STORY

John Deere targets African mining While equipment supplier John Deere has a range of products that is synonymous with the construction and agricultural sectors, the company has recently made inroads into the mining and quarrying sectors and is on a drive to expand its African mining footprint.

“ J ohn Deere is now delivering construction and mining equipment directly into Africa because we understand the region’s exponential growth potential. The projected growth rate of the Africa’s population is projected to average around 2.5 billion people by 2050, which sets the scene for high infrastructure development demand across the continent. As a result, the region remains a key priority for us,” Griffiths Makgate, Construction and Forestry sales manager for John Deere Africa and Middle East tells Modern Mining . The equipment manufacturer’s fleet of machines, which includes backhoe loaders, wheel loaders, motor graders, crawler dozers, articulated dump trucks and excavators, helps with infrastructure development such as roadbuilding, land clearing, removing rocks, constructing waste dumps, site development, quarrying and mining applications. The company has been manufacturing equipment

Above: Inside the cab of the 1050K Crawler Dozer.

Right: John Deere 1050K Crawler Dozer in action.

for 185 years and its construction equipment is well respected across the globe because it offers optimal uptime, increased productivity and low daily operat ing costs. In March 2021, John Deere announced the expansion of its construction line-up to 18 countries in Southern and Western Africa – areas that have a strong mining focus. Discussing the company’s African mining growth strategy over the next few years, Makgate says that John Deere is working closely with its dealers – Senwes, AFGRI Equipment, TATA and Mascor – to ensure a wider coverage across the continent. John Deere currently covers Africa and Middle East through its wide dealer network. “Given that our main focus is ensuring we have a more extensive footprint within the continent, we have increased the number of new dealers across Africa. The dealers are focusing on establishing a strong sales and aftersales presence and are work ing to ensure that customers have product and parts available on time. Moreover, our technicians are con tinuously trained to ensure they deliver a high level of service,” he says. With the mining industry’s uncompromising attitude towards improved efficiencies, increased productivity and ultimately greater tonnages deliv ered, the robust product range available from John

John Deere 670G Motor Grader.

8  MODERN MINING  July 2022