WEIR FEATURE

Y FOR MI D A E R N ING R EI W

W I N S G P U

While rail and port bottlenecks, reliable power supplies and costs remain major issues, South Africa’s mining sector will be a key performer in national economic recovery. And as Colin Chinery reports, leading components and support specialists Weir Minerals are seeing a “positive energy” in the market place.

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Weir Minerals FEATURE

M

ining is a key economic sector for South Africa. It’s 8% contribution to GDP may put it in just fifth or sixth position but the mining industry remains a powerhouse and cornerstone of the national economy.

Not only is mining the biggest employer, but the demand for South Africa’s many commodities means it will play a lead role in the economic recovery of the country. And Weir Minerals Africa is already seeing the upturn.

Weir Minerals are specialists in delivering and supporting a wide range of components for mining, power and engineering industries.

Its world-class products include pumps, valves, hydrocyclones, wear-resistant linings and de-watering products. And within the mining sector the Johannesburg-based company’s end-to-end solutions range across every activity in mining, transportation, milling, processing and waste management.

We have the international quality ratings, and the systems and procedure ratings verifying our world class standards Weir’s high performance pumps and superior minerals processing equipment are designed and manufactured to the highest specifications for robust, reliable use in some of the world’s most hostile and demanding environments.

A strategy of continuous improvement sees an increasing efficiency of its pumps in areas such as product wear, with all products backed by a service and support programme. This embraces installation and commissioning, equipment monitoring, servicing, emergency repairs, customer training, consultancy and asset management. www.southafricamag.com

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Gaskets

Our very comprehensive range of products is held in our Meadowdale office and warehouse and is backed up by the extensive range carried by our parent companies DPH Germany, Hofert Germany and Hofert Italy, as well as a large number of other overseas suppliers.

DPH SA

is a major supplier to the Mining, Industrial and Automotive markets.

Hydraulics

PTFE Lip Seal Turbo Kit

Bearings Cast Iron Piston Rings

DPH SA is the leading supplier of high quality Oil Seals, O-Rings, Hydraulic Seals, Gaskets, Gasket Kits, Rubber Components and other diverse components to the Industrial, Mining, Agricultural and Automotive industries.

Weir Minerals is part of the Glasgow-based Weir Group which employs 8,700 people worldwide across three divisions. The others are oil and gas, power and industrial - each with closely aligned, independently successful companies with leading brand name products.

Formed two years ago from the merger of Warman and Envirotech, Weir Minerals’ South African engineering ancestry goes back more than a century, a powerful factor in its reputation for trust and dependability as well as engineering and after sales excellence, says marketing managerRene Calitz.

We opened in October last year and the growth has been phenomenal - in the first three months we exceeded our forecast for the whole year “We have the international quality ratings, and the systems and procedure ratings verifying our world class standards. And we’ve been around for one hundred years.

When you go back to the chap who sold you a dud, he might not be there anymore – no guarantees, warranties and after sales support and service.”

After a global recession that hit the mining sector very hard, there are now strong positives for the period ahead. World demand for minerals is growing and rising prices expanding production capacity.

What the long-term future holds for the South African mining industry depends to a large degree on the result of ongoing exploration activities and any future changes to mining regulations.

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Weir Minerals FEATURE

“Obviously the recession had an impact on us but not to the extent that it has had on the economy in general,” says Rene Calitz. “Part of the reason for this is the diversification of our product range - the greater the diversity the lower the risk.

So last year we put a lot of emphasis on products other than pumps, moving into areas such as slurry valves.”

Major investment in research and development has always been a Weir priority - in 2009/10 alone, R41.1-m (£3.010m) was committed to Weir Minerals Africa.

The Group’s main design centre in Sydney, and six other international design centres

are undertaking fundamental pumping R&D, using advanced computational flow dynamics software for hydraulic analysis and structural design.

“R&D is essential to the company’s core values, and we believe that the pump manufacturing industry is constantly exploring ways to improve on services and products,” says product manager for slurry pumps Rui Gomes “The basic design of pumps has almost reached its threshold, which means that the focal point of development is now on the materials being used in the manufacture, such as the metals and elastomers.”

AESSEAL速 is one o manufacture of m

www.aessea

LAbtEctA bearing isolator

South AfricAn brAnchES: Kyalami: + 27 (0) 11 466 6500

SW02 barrier fluid Water management system

Durban: + 27 (0) 31 903 5438 Cape Town: + 27 (0) 21 510 8831

Port E Richar

of the major specialists in the design and mechanical seals and support systems.

al.co.za

cDPh Slurry Seal SASWu South African Special Water unit

Elizabeth: + 27 (0) 41 374 4105 Secunda: + 27 (0) 634 4996 rds Bay: + 27 (0) 83 288 6616 Sasolburg: + 27 (0) 16 971 2446

Weir Minerals FEATURE

R&D initiatives have led to an upgrade programme for the AH range of pumps, improving centrifugal and expeller pump seals. Tests indicate a 15% to 20% improvement on sealing. Weir Minerals Africa has also introduced a new SRL slurry rubberlined range of pumps which handles coarse material with improved abrasion resistance, longer wear life and less downtime.

“During the recession we invested an unprecedented amount of money into R&D, as well as new products and product development that actually reduced wear and improved efficiencies,” says Rene Calitz.

“As the market leaders we strive to give our customers the best products and the best technology available so they can reduce costs and increase profitability.”

Another recessionary initiative has capitalised on a previously undisclosed niche - a pump rental store. “With less capital expenditure available we wanted customers

We are a quarter into 2010 and the progress we have made, the orders received and overall activity have been good and potential customers to have access to what we believe is the finest technology on the market. We opened in October last year and the growth has been phenomenal - in the first three months we exceeded our forecast for the whole year. What has been addressed is a very real gap in the market.”

A very different market gap, and one that is worrying the mining sector, is the serious lack of professional skills. A recent survey by executive recruitment firm Landelahni confirms that the industry had lost much of its skills development capability.

For Weir Minerals the skills issue is not just a lack of skilled labour as such says Rene Calitz. “It’s at a higher level - skilled engineers 10

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SIMMER ENGINEERING CC TEL NO: 270118653403 FAX NO: 270118652002 E MAIL: john@simmer.co.za We specialise in manufacturing pump parts and have supplied Warman parts for more than 30 years and Weir parts for more than 10 years.

I would like to thank them for their support and assure them of only our best service in the future.

and technical specialists where there has been a dearth.” Weir Minerals counters this with a ‘grow our own’ strategy including programmes for Graduate Development and Apprentices.

Meantime South Africa’s industry is braced for massive electricity price hikes - 24.8% this year, 25.8% in 2011 and 25.9% in 2012. Compounded these will double power costs by 2013.

For years South Africa has been subsidising power at well below global market rates.

And with almost no investment in new capacity or distribution the country faces frequent blackouts – and with the price hike - industry, business and domestic consumers, a massive challenge.

“There’s no doubt the power price increases are going to have a profound effect and we’ve done an analysis to see what the extent of the impact might be and

how we could possibly share the increased costs with our customers,” says Rene Calitz.

“Hopefully the electricity price increase won’t result in job losses, particularly in marginal operations in the gold mining industry where it becomes unaffordable.”

With recovery slowly taking off, what are Weir Minerals prospects for the rest of the year and beyond?

“We are very hopeful. We are a quarter into 2010 and the progress we have made, the orders received and overall activity have been good. If this is an indication of the trend for the rest of the year then we are most positive.

“It’s been a challenging period for the industry, and while I’m not saying we expect it to be buoyant this year there’s an increasingly positive energy in the market place.”END www.southafricamag.com 11