Modern Mining May 2021

COVER STORY

other manufacturer has ever done that before.” To feed the crusher chambers, Anaconda has provided its crushers with a wide and heavy-duty grizzly feeder that can deal with the harshest of feed materials. The feeder is lined with replaceable wear resistant plates and has a robust grizzly screen as standard. This will remove fines from the feed mate- rial and improve the performance of the crushers while reducing the wear on the crusher plates and blow bars. Below the feeder there is a two-way chute that allows the user to divert the screened fines either to a wide dirt belt or onto the heavy-duty main con- veyor, dependent on application. The main conveyor is of heavy construction with impact bars directly under the crusher discharge area and powered with twin hydraulic drives to convey the heaviest of loads. Meanwhile, the Anaconda mobile scalping screen range has been designed to deal with heavy duty applications where scalping away bulky overs at the first stage of screening is a key aspect. The finishing screen range has been designed to deal with appli- cations where retaining as many fines from a given material is of utmost importance. Prospects Having been in business for nearly 20 years in southern Africa, Beerthuis says the recent economic developments in the region have reduced the com- pany’s opportunities for organic growth within its existing fields of operation. The Anaconda range, he says, boosts Vermeer Equipment Suppliers’ offering, while complementing the company’s existing range of continuous surface miners. “We have entered this market segment because we believe that there are strong synergies between our Vermeer product line for the mining industry and the Anaconda product. Adding Anaconda to our offering means that, on the one hand, we are now able to reach mining customers processing miner- als and materials that cannot be processed by our Vermeer surface miners,” he says. “On the other hand, the Anaconda product allows us to extend our offering to existing customers of our Vermeer sur- face miners who are looking to further process their product.” Commenting on the competitive nature of the mobile crushing and screening market in southern Africa, Beerthuis is adamant that there is a place for the Anaconda product line in the market. However, he alludes to the fact that “with so many players in the market, the piece of the pie is getting smaller”. Beerthuis believes that, apart from the product itself, the growth of the Anaconda brand in south- ern Africa will hinge on unparalleled product support efforts of both the principal and the dealer. “I sensed a lot of cultural similarities between the Anaconda organisation and Vermeer Equipment Suppliers and I think we share the same business ethics, passion

for product, customer engagement and the desire to grow our businesses. Anaconda and Vermeer joining forces with a can-do mentality will certainly lead to a successful partnership,” says Beerthuis. From a service perspective, Beerthuis says Vermeer is known in the local market for providing “top notch” aftersales support in terms of parts sup- ply as well as equipment service, maintenance and repairs. “That is where we will certainly make a dif- ference. We truly believe that we are a supplier that can offer a little bit extra to the customer,” he says. “There are many opportunities for mobile crush- ing, screening, washing and stacking equipment in the mining, quarrying and recycling industries. We look forward with genuine confidence to finding and capturing these opportunities as we extend our market reach with this young, vibrant and forward- thinking company – Anaconda,” says Beerthuis. In conclusion, Joe McCormack, international sales manager at Anaconda Equipment, says: “We are very excited to be working with Vermeer Equipment Suppliers. The company has established itself for the past 17 years as a reliable partner of choice with strong relationship building and dedication to its customers. I look forward to seeing Vermeer build a strong network across the recycling, quarrying and mining sectors of southern Africa. Vermeer pos- sesses all the key values and core qualities we look for in a partner and I am eager to continue devel- oping a long-standing working partnership over the coming years.” 

Vermeer Equipment Suppliers has established itself for the past 17 years as a reliable partner of choice with strong relationship building and dedication to its customers.

Key takeaways  Vermeer Equipment Suppliers will for the first time offer crushing and screening equipment following its appointment as the exclusive distribu- tor of the full Anaconda Equipment range of crushing, screening, feeding, washing and conveying equipment in southern Africa  While the company has distribution rights for sub-Saharan Africa, it will focus on southern Africa for the first two years, before rolling out the prod- uct in the rest of the region  Countries of initial distribution focus include South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia  Anaconda’s key competitive edge is the fact that it is the only crusher range in the market with interchangeable chambers

May 2021  MODERN MINING  13