Modern Mining November 2015

CONSULTANTS/ PROJECT HOUSES

Broad range of specialised skills gives VBKom the edge Falling commodity prices have placed the majority of mining companies under severe pressure and many are scrambling to restructure and fine tune their operations to allow them to survive in the current difficult market. One mining consultancy which can help them achieve these goals is Centurion- based VBKom, which combines traditional in-depth mining engineering skills with particularly strong industrial engineering, risk management and project management offerings. Modern Mining recently spoke to several of the company’s principals and engineers.

F ounded in 2008 by five mining engineers keen to create a new forward-thinking and innovative mining consultancy, VBKom has since established itself as a strong, medium-sized player in the marketplace and counts among its clients ‘blue chip’ companies such as Kumba Iron Ore and Anglo American Platinum, mid-tiers such as Tshipi é Ntle Man- ganese Mining and many juniors. A feature of the company is a high level of client retention. Says CEO Manie Kriel, who was also one of the co-founders: “We place a particular emphasis on developing close rela- tionships with our clients and some of them – Kumba’s Sishen mine is an example, as is Afrisam with its aggregate quarries – have been with us virtually since we started. With others – such as Kudumane Manganese Resources – we’ve travelled the entire project cycle journey with them from exploration through to mine construction and operation.” He adds that another trademark of VBKom is its readiness to embrace change and innovation. “This is who we are – it’s built into our DNA,” he says. “There are tried and tested methods in the consulting space and we have a total mas- tery of these but we’re also highly flexible and adaptable and ready – indeed determined – to use fresh approaches and new technology to bring solutions to our clients. For example, we have really strong IT skills within the company. You name it – whether it’s Whittle, Surpac, Mine 2-4D, Talpac, Micromine or XPAC, we have proficiency, and even our own in-house scripting and programming ability. We also maintain close links with the University of Pretoria, where some of our people lecture, and are always on the lookout for outstanding

Nolo Lahasa

students who we can recruit. It’s important to bring youth and energy into the business on a regular basis.” One of the recruits from Tukkies is Lehlohonolo (‘Nolo’) Lahasa, who joined VBKom on graduating four years ago as a mining engineer. “Entering the mining field straight from university was quite challeng- ing for me, a black female, since mining is in many ways a conservative industry but VBkom helped me every step of the way and gave me all the support I needed,” she says. “I’m now totally comfortable in my position and virtu- ally consider myself a mining industry veteran! I’ve been given considerable responsibility by VBKom and handle the mine planning work for one of our major clients.” VBKom used to operate through several related but independent companies, each with its own branding. At one stage there was VBKom Consulting Engineers as well as VBKom Deep, VBKom Rehab, VBKom Namibia and VBKom Projects. Earlier this year, the decision was taken to amalgamate the vari- ous companies (with the exception of VBKom Namibia, which necessarily has to remain as a separate company) into a single entity, VBKom. Explaining the change, Eduan Pieterse, a

“We place a particular emphasis on

developing close relationships with our clients.”

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42  MODERN MINING  November 2015