FLSmidth, which will have a major presence at the forthcoming Electra Mining Africa 2012 show in Johannesburg from 10-14th September, states that it is actively focused in Africa on entrenching its global business strategy to be recognised as a one source, full service and solutions provider. The company says: “This is being achieved via the provision of a spectrum of world class products and drawing from a substantial in-house technology base to provide solutions to customers’ unique requirements.”
“We believe this capability goes beyond what most other companies in our arena are able to offer,” Managing Director for FLSmidth in South Africa, Peter Lohrmann, says. “In fact, we’re being called upon to develop technology solutions to such an increasing extent that we’re seeing our company actually transitioning from a supplier of equipment to a single source solutions provider, capable of designing, operating and maintaining systems – effectively a full scope solutions provider. We have differentiated ourselves in the African market by providing full lifecycle support for our products from a local base, ranging from a strong design capability over spare parts supply to technical support teams which can be deployed to customer sites anywhere in Africa within 24 hours.”
The company is anticipating that its future growth will take place primarily in the minerals sector, although it remains active and leading in the cement industry. For this reason, FLSmidth will gradually develop its organisational structure to serve six key industries – coal, iron ore, fertiliser minerals, copper, gold, and cement. “Minerals extraction is on a growth curve and many minerals are already in limited supply, which in turn causes higher prices,” Lohrmann says. “FLSmidth’s minerals business experienced a record order book in 2011 and the vast potential in minerals appears to be continuing. We’re going to use this momentum to become a market leader and preferred supplier in processing and handling of minerals in selected industries.”
Although the local company has been evolving over time to internally entrench its capabilities as a single source solutions provider to the mining industries, it continues to enhance its technology and equipment solutions through group acquisitions aimed at achieving this very objective and “filling the equipment technology gaps”. Through the September 2011 acquisition of Canada-based Knelson, FLSmidth has added the FLSmidth Vertical Stirred Mill (VSM) to the complete line of equipment offered. FLSmidth Knelson manufactures and installs equipment for the recovery of precious metals such as gold and platinum, as well as the enhanced gravity separation of base metals and industrial minerals. Alistair Calver, General Manager and Director for FLSmidth in South Africa, comments that FLSmidth Knelson’s global presence is substantial, particularly in the gold industry where it is recognised for the Knelson gravity concentrators. The FLSmidth Vertical Stirred Mill is available in sizes ranging from 10 litres up to the 2,500 litre model and Calver says this product now has the opportunity to realise its maximum potential with the backing of a big organisation.
“Our strategy to enhance our product and technology is not only being accomplished through acquisitions,” Terence Osborn, capital sales and marketing manager for FLSmidth in South Africa, adds. “Investment into research and development accounts for around 1.5% of the Group’s revenue and we aspire to launch a minimum of one new invention or innovation every year. The company completed pilot trials in North America on its High Pressure Grinding Roll (HPGR) technology. HPGR technology was the last piece of comminution equipment that was needed to complete the FLSmidth crushing and grinding product range. “Locally, we’re building a small scale production HPGR plant for one of the country’s platinum majors,” Osborn notes. “HPGR technology is not new, having been around for about 25 years which in mining terms is not at all long. The rapid advancement and subsequent interest in these technologies has only really occurred in the past seven years. HPGR’s are widely accepted in the cement industry, in which FLSmidth has a substantial international presence. In certain processes, it has shown to lower energy consumption and improves the liberation and recovery of minerals.”