Multotec continues to expand in Mozambique

Being locally registered in Mozambique and well-staffed with 26 highly trained and qualified Mozambican nationals, Multotec Services Mozambique Limitada has secured supply contracts for processing equipment with some of the country’s major role players. “We were the first mineral processing company to establish a facility in Tete province – back in 2011,” says Thinus Kruger, Multotec’s Regional Manager for East Africa. “We now have a solid presence with our full range of mineral processing solutions, as well as maintenance and fabrication services.”

Kruger emphasises that the company’s global strategy is to be located close to customers, not just in-country but as near to operational sites as possible. “Our branch is situated within 20 to 100 km of all our major customers, making for fast response times in terms of maintenance and support services and for the delivery of emergency spares,” he says.

Multotec Services Mozambique’s customer base now includes four major coal players, a graphite mine and a heavy minerals mine, as well as mineral separation plants and harbours. So well equipped is the branch that it is also used as a base for servicing customers in Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Among the full fleet of vehicles to enhance customer service is an eight-tonne crane truck for collection and deliveries, a personnel transporter, double-cab vehicles for service support, two forklifts, an equipped standby trailer, and a rugged HDPE welding trailer for overland installations of HDPE pipes.

Situated just off the main road between Tete and Moatize, the Multotec facility is just 10 km from the airport and 15 km from customs, and boasts a 1,000 square metre fabrication workshop with a bending break, guillotine, pedestal drill, power saw and a variety of welding machines. “Leveraging the local team’s combined 60 years of experience in mineral processing, our company in Mozambique offers long term maintenance contracts, supply contracts and fixed price agreements to suit customer requirements,” says Kruger. “We also conduct small to medium-scale steel fabrication and specialise in the manufacturing of steel chutes, launders, steel pipes and general fabrication work, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminium and welding and installation of HDPE pipes.”

The range of work carried out for customers encompasses service exchanges and refurbishment on cyclones, the retro-fitting of belt cleaners, samplers and cyclone clusters, and preventative or reactive maintenance of screening and other process equipment. Quality of services is ensured by ongoing investment in local employees through training on-site and advanced training in Multotec’s South Africa-based training centre, which hones employees’ skills in installing and maintaining Multotec products, as well as in the ceramic lining of equipment.

This focus on skills has allowed the company to develop a depth of expertise that – in addition to a commercial manager, accountant and human resources officer – also includes a metallurgical process specialist, an engineering and fabrication specialist, ten artisans or technicians, four HDP pipe welders and nine artisan assistants and installers. The company’s capacity is enhanced by technical support from the Multotec head office in South Africa.

“We regularly fly our Multotec equipment specialists to Mozambique to assist with on-site training for our customers, as well as to conduct audits on their installed Multotec equipment,” says Kruger. He expects that employment numbers in the company are likely to rise over the coming year as business grows, and a full bursary is being provided for a local university student in the field of teaching education.