Maptek has announced the appointment of Gideon Slabbert to the role of General Manager of Maptek in South Africa.

Slabbert replaces Nick Venter, who will join Maptek’s North American operations as Director of Sales and Technical Sales Support.

Slabbert joined Maptek in 2017 as BlastLogic Product Manager and demonstrated strong leadership and an intimate understanding of customer requirements and challenges in the region, according to Maptek.

As General Manager, he is keen to drive uptake of applications that will help embed digital and automation tools for mining operations in the region, the company said.

“I look forward to leading the team at a time when there is excitement around solving problems by making use of new technology,” Slabbert says. “Maptek is ideally positioned to partner with mining houses during the 4th Industrial Revolution to ensure that digital transformation adds value.”

Implementing change in the mining environment has always been a challenge, according to Slabbert.

“Maptek understands the pain-points for end users and mine managers associated with changing technology. It’s an aspect of site implementation that we take very seriously to ensure our customers get the utmost benefit from their investment.”

Slabbert believes mining challenges are complex and evolving, and that Maptek has the mining background and software development expertise to meet such a challenge.

“As a professional Mining Engineer with production and technology exposure, I have seen how technology can unlock unrealised value,” adds Slabbert. “Maptek is 100% committed to supporting our solutions, and advising customers around interaction and integration of existing systems, improved workflows and scripting services.

“Our sales and technical services people have geology, engineering, survey and IT backgrounds. Ensuring they stay up to date with the latest skills to provide industry-leading support is a high priority.”