FLSmidth is poised to expand extensively into the minerals arena, a key corporate strategy that is only likely to be challenged by the skills shortage.  So says Peter Lohrmann, newly appointed MD of FLSmidth South Africa, who took over management of the company following the retirement of the company’s former MD Dave Reid. “We have excellent products and a substantial in-house technology base, which we harness to provide solutions to customers’ unique requirements. We believe this capability goes beyond what most other companies are able to offer. In fact, we are being called upon to innovate technology solutions to such an increasing extent, that we are seeing our company actually transitioning from a supplier of equipment to a single source solutions provider, capable of designing, operating and maintaining systems – a full scope solutions provider.”

FLSmidth today employs more than 11 000 people worldwide and has a turnover in excess of $ 3.5 billion. FLSmidth in South Africa has seen rapid growth the last couple of years and the company today employs more than 600 people. This success is attributed to good products, pioneering technology and world class technical support from the international parent company. FLSmidth’s South African office’s customer and user bases are located in Sub Saharan Africa and the company says it has has differentiated itself in the African market by providing full lifecycle support for its products from a local base, ranging from a strong design capability, to technical support teams which can be deployed to client sites anywhere in Africa within 24 hours.

Its customers are becoming increasingly global and although this has its challenges, Lohrmann says FLSmidth is working very profitably in many remote locations including the DRC and Tete in Mozambique, as well as in Armenia and the Middle East.

Lohrmann joined the company in 1983. He also ran the FLSmidth company FLSmidth Buffalo, a Witbank-based world class supplier of feeding and crushing equipment for mining and general industry.

In 2008, Lohrmann came over to FLSmidth’s head office in Roodepoort as deputy MD. Commenting on becoming MD, Lohrmann says: “I’m anticipating a pretty seamless transition, having worked side by side with Dave
on many issues and served with him on the Board of FLSmidth South Africa for several years. The only significant change I face in this new role is the rapid pace at which the company is expanding.”