Engineering and project delivery company Amec reports that its global resources provide it with a definite advantage when dealing with challenges hindering the execution of mining and metals projects in South Africa and Africa.

In Africa, the biggest industry challenge is the availability of skilled personnel. The mining sector is active and, therefore, competitive when it comes to the employment of skilled workers, says Africa MD Colin Kubank.

“Because skills are in short supply, there is a greater demand for skilled individuals and we have to offer more to acquire the best people in terms of the job challenge, remuneration, or professional growth opportunities,” explains Amec Mining & Metals engineering manager Hugh Browner.

The big drain in skilled resources started in the 1990s but became a significant issue for the mining projects industry when the market became increasingly active leading up to 2008. A lot of talented South Africans left for other countries – that left the country with limited resources. There is also not a lot of new talent being introduced into the industry, notes the company’s business development executive Liam Cafferty.

Amec is a global company with major operation centres in the UK and the Americas, and offices and projects in around 40 countries worldwide, which is why it is easier for them to deal with the skills challenge in Africa. “If we are looking for a skill that is not available locally, we are able to take advantage of staff that have the appropriate knowledge in one of our overseas offices,” explains Kubank.

However, this does not only apply to Africa, says Browner, as any Amec branch is able to source skills from within the Amec group.

All Amec’s offices use standardised systems and procedures, which enables them to work together effectively. Standardisation enables the company to easily split up projects between different offices, while providing an extended working day as a result of Amec’s offices being in various time zones, says Kubank.

The company has developed its own in-house systems that are constantly being improved. In terms of project delivery and control, the company makes use of an integrated system called Convero, which is adaptable to manage projects of any size. The program manages aspects like project costs, progress tracking, document control, design productivity and schedule control, Kubank explains.

Convero is also Web-based, which enables clients to gain access to information on a project’s progress from anywhere in the world, Browner adds.

The Johannesburg branch is currently working on two projects that have been secured by Amec offices in Canada, says Cafferty. “This is the result of the office being located closer to the client and, also, because we have on-continent/logistics knowledge that benefits projects in Africa,” he explains. Amec also works with its Perth team in Australia and other international offices regularly.

One of the main aims of the Johannesburg office this year is to expand to include a broader base of experts, says Browner. In line with this aim, Amec recently appointed Vilashika de la Guerre as a commercial and risk manager responsible for managing all commercial functions within the Johannesburg office.

Browner explains that, this year, Amec will be more selective about the contracts into which it enters. De la Guerre will review all contracts and assess the risks of each one to prevent the company from entering into contracts that may be financially disadvantageous.

When appointed, De la Guerre said: “I am pleased to be joining a global company of Amec’s stature and look forward to assisting the growth of Amec’s Vision 2015 strategy and its plans in South Africa and Africa more broadly”.

Although the outlook for the industry in 2012 is positive, there are some barriers to investment in South Africa that are leading to investments being made in mining projects taking place in other African countries, says Kubank.

He adds that Africa is probably one of the last underexplored and underexploited areas from a mining and metals point of view and, as a result, more mining activity can be expected in Africa over the next few years, with Amec well placed to support the industry.

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