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The two-in-one slurry sampler which is now recognised internationally. |
Multotec Extends Reach With Products And Territory Coverage
Interesting trends within the
minerals processing sector include suppliers
extending product ranges and territories covered,
companies traditionally involved only in product
supply entering the projects sector and mines
looking to suppliers to provide significantly higher
levels of support due to the skills shortage.
Johan Engelbrecht, managing director of Multotec
Process Equipment, tells Mining Weekly that Multotec
is no different and has diversified both in terms of
product range and territories covered.
International and African expansion was achieved
during the last decade by Multotec with wholly owned
subsidiaries being established in Australia, Chile,
Canada, Ghana and Zambia. Engelbrecht says in some
cases this was achieved through acquisitions and
joint ventures. He is quick to add that Africa
remains Multotec’s oyster, and the group has been
active in Africa for more than thirty years.
Multotec’s product diversification
programme followed a similar trend in the last decade and
was achieved through acquisition, joint ventures, strategic
alliances and securing new licence agreements as well as
through in-house product development.
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“Our focus continues to be providing the best and lowest
life cycle cost mineral processing solution to our
customers, and it is through this commitment that we have
continued to expand and grow as a group to fulfil our
customer needs,” Engelbrecht says.
Multotec is a recognised supplier internationally of rubber
mill liners, scrubber liners and rubber screen panels, and
continuous expansion takes place at the company’s Spartan
plant as demand increases for its quality products. Multotec
Rubber has an extensive reference base of rubber mill liners
both in Africa and internationally. Engelbrecht says the
company operates the latest state-of-the-art equipment in
Africa, which includes presses ranging in size from 3500 ton
to 1000 ton, and the largest warming mill in the country.
Others areas of growth include the supply of rotors and
stators. Engelbrecht says Multotec identified a market need
for quality rotors and stators, and currently supplies and
installs a whole range of these components to the industry.
“To ensure a sustainable supply of quality products, we made
a significant investment in our own facility where both
rotors and stators are produced under stringent quality
control procedures,” he says.
“We also started diversification in solids liquid separation
equipment through the acquisition of Seprotech who was the
local distributor for Siebtechnic centrifuges,” Engelbrecht
says. This distributorship was converted to a licence
agreement and these well-known centrifuges are now
manufactured locally.
Filter presses are also supplied either from an in-house
design or the well-known Ishigaki filter press, and
Engelbrecht says by offering these two options the customer
is able to select the most appropriate equipment for his
application requirement.
A complete range of magnetic separators was added through
the acquisition of Magnapower in 2008 and these products
find extensive application in dense medium separation as
well as in the iron ore industry and the mineral sand
industry.
As a major supplier of sampling equipment, Engelbrecht says
it was a natural diversification for Multotec to look at
including on-line analysis in its market offering. “This we
achieved through a minority interest in Scanmin Africa,” he
says.
“Research and development remains one of our core
differentiators, and innovation and product development is a
continuous process at Multotec with customers benefiting
from upgraded and enhanced products,” Engelbrecht says.
Typical examples include the Saddle Top frame for
polyurethane screen panels which significantly reduces
maintenance requirements, the Multotec SX7 coal spiral with
an integrated rougher and cleaner stage in one piece of
equipment and the two-in-one slurry sampler which is now
recognised internationally.
“The loss of skills on the mines has meant that suppliers
are expected to provide higher levels of support including
operations and process support as well as various levels of
service and maintenance contracts,” Engelbrecht says.
In order to satisfy this need Multotec established and
maintains a branch network in southern Africa which offers
customers both sales and support services. Branches are
situated in Lepalale, Rustenburg, Middelburg, Secunda,
Richards Bay, Kimberley, Kathu and Cape Town. A similar
service is provided from Botswana, Ghana and Zambia with
these operations responsible for supporting the surrounding
regions.
Engelbrecht says this model of customer support will be
rolled out where the demand exists, and this will include
expanding the international footprint.
Engelbrecht believes that Multotec has a unique advantage
and this is that the group can add process knowledge and
support to a normal maintenance and service contract. “The
group has more than forty process engineers and it is this
high level of expertise and experience which really makes
the difference for customers.”
“We do not simply sell a product, our entire business model
is based on providing the most appropriate and cost
effective solution for a given application, and this is
where our major value add resides,” he says. “With the mines
concentrating on their core business an opportunity was
created and Multotec with its strategic approach to
solutions provision is already well positioned to supply
exactly this sort of market offering.”
A typical example of this is Multotec Wear Linings where
complete wear solutions for materials handling applications
are provided. This includes the design and specification of
the appropriate wear resistant material for the application
as well as the installation.
In summary, Engelbrecht says Multotec now offers customers a
diverse product range, territorial and service support
exactly where required and the critical component of process
knowledge and expertise. “This has, in essence, moved
Multotec away from being simply a product manufacturer and
supplier into a total solutions provider in the minerals
processing sector.” |
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