Modern Mining May 2019

CRUSHING, SCREENING AND MILLING

heavily in our own research and development, not just through monitoring the equipment but in conducting innovative testing for continuous product improvement,” he says. The company’s R&D leads to expert reports being published in peer-reviewed forums, thereby sharing valuable insights with indus- try. An example of this is at the South African conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics hosted by the Vaal University of Technology last year. Schoepflin emphasises the company’s commitment to developing local skills while ensuring that the highest levels of quality are maintained in its manufacturing process. Kwatani is one of only 5 % of local manu- facturers with ISO certification. It is also working with the South African Mineral Processing Equipment Cluster (SAMPEC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to pioneer the processes to verify local content. 

Above: Kenny Mayhew- Ridgers witnesses the loading and securing of a screen prior to its despatch to the customer. Left: Kim Schoepflin, CEO of Kwatani, dwarfed by one of the large 4,3 ton screens manufactured for a local coal mine.

for maintenance scheduling on these large machines and assists in avoiding unplanned downtime. Kwatani’s service technicians and mechani- cal engineers also work closely with customers on site analysing data and testing concepts to improve performance and life-span. “We invest

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