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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
MAY 2017
32
As part of its strategic consolidation in
response to ongoing changes in South
Africa’s heavy engineering industry, the
DCD Group is consolidating aspects of
its manufacturing capacity and expertise
into its Gravico Heavy Engineering joint
venture.
According to DCD CEO Digby Glover, the
move comes after detailed market studies
and follow years of depressed market
conditions – particularly in the minerals
and industrial sectors.
“The South African manufacturing
industry is changing substantially, and
manufacturers are re-evaluating their
strategies and developing new ways to do
business,” says Louw Kriel, MD of Gravico.
Kriel says Gravico’s strategy for the new
economy is focused on developing and
applying value-adding technologies, rather
than relying on a market upswing or short-
term cost containment measures.
“Gravico is instituting a long-term cost
management and operational improvement
culture by investing in technology,” says
Kriel. “We will offer our own products
instead of just manufacturing capacity, and
will concentrate on the expansion of sales
territories and coverage. We will also
prospect and exploit new market niches
on a continuous basis, where no single
customer can dominate capacity.”
The company focuses on the design,
manufacture
and
distribution
of
components and structures used in the
mining and industrial sectors – with
a product portfolio including mining
excavator and dragline buckets, dump
truck bowls and excavator booms and
arms. There is also capacity for the
manufacturing of materials handling
equipment such as manipulators, ship-to-
shore cranes and loaders.
b
Gravico’s strategy for new economy
MINING NEWS
Louw Kriel, MD of Gravico.
Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group, a world leader in mining tyre services
and a global independent tyre dealer, has expanded its presence in
South Africa through the acquisition of the South African operations
of Tyre Corporation.
“Tyre Corporation is a recognised market leader in underground
mining tyre services and sales, and we are excited to bring its
capabilities and strengths to Kal Tire,” says Dan Allan, senior vice
president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “We have been building our
business in parts of Africa since 2009, but this acquisition goes a
long way for us to ensure a long-term sustainable business in South
Africa.”
Tyre Corporation has been operating in South Africa for 12 years
with fully equipped branches throughout the country. To continue
its growth, access to capital was essential. Tyre Corporation is
confident that Kal Tire is the right organisation to acquire its South
African operations and continue to build on the strong reputation
it has developed.
“We are very pleased to be joining forces with a company like
Kal Tire which has such a strong reputation in the industry and
understands the mining tyre business,” says Patrick Brown, sales
director, Tyre Corporation.
Kal Tire provides full-service customised mining tyre solutions
across five continents. With 45 years’ experience in every type of
mining operation, and a strong balance sheet, the organisation is
positioned to properly support and fund the working capital needs
of a venture of this magnitude, as well as continued growth.
More than 800 Tyre Corporation team members across 80 South
African mine sites will be welcomed into Kal Tire.
b
Kal Tire acquires Tyre Corporation in South Africa
Eaton appoints new sales
director for Africa
Power management company, Eaton, has
appointed Malvin Naicker as director of
Sales for its Africa region, effective April
1, 2017.
Naicker has more than 15 years’
experience in sales, management and
electrical engineering and previously
worked for Schneider Electric, Siemens
and Mondi Business Paper.
He is an electrical engineering graduate
from the Durban University of Technology
and recently completed a Management
Excellence Programme at the Gordon
Institute of Business Science.
Naicker succeeds Neil Primrose who will
be repatriating to the United Kingdom to
take up the role of Head of EMEA Sales for
Eaton’s Energy Storage Division.
b
Optimising process plants to achieve the best possible efficiencies
and throughputs needs not only good equipment; it needs skilled
and experienced operators who have both a theoretical and practical
grounding in process-related disciplines.
This requires bridging the gap between theoretical learning and
practical experience, a task that Multotec has tackled head on with
its substantial investment in a new, modern training facility at its
Spartan head office in Gauteng.
“While there are not many companies prepared to put their money
where their mouth is when it comes to this type of facility, Multotec
believes firmly in the value of practically orientated skills training,” says
Brent Combrink, Multotec’s process engineering training facilitator. “The
Training at Multotec raises skills bar for
optimal plants