The South African arm of US engineering giant Martin Engineering, Martin Engineering South Africa, is planning to use the upcoming inaugural Zambian International Mining and Energy Conference (Zimec) to relaunch its Zambian business.

Zimec is the first of its kind in the former Southern African powerhouse, which had an economy heavily dependent on the copper riches that the country hosts. The conference will showcase the mining potential in the country as well as the potential for energy-related projects.

Martin Engineering South Africa MD Hannes Kotze reports that the company is by no means new to the Zambian mining industry; however, it lost market share after mining majors started exiting the country following the fallout over attempts at nationalisation in the 1970s.

“It is definitely a strategy of Martin Engineering South Africa to expand its business outside the borders of South Africa. Zambia holds infinite inherent potential for mining companies that will need quality-engineered materials handling products. Martin Engineering is seriously interested in taking advantage of this need,” says Kotze.

He explains that Martin Engineering South Africa is responsible for overseeing all company business undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa, up to Nigeria as its western boundary and Kenya as its eastern boundary. The company’s French operation oversees other parts of Africa.

This drive into Zambia may have come at the best time for the company, which recently launched a new range of belt cleaners and air cannons that are garnering significant interest in the South African mining industry.

“Although the product is not new to the industry, Martin Engineering has done extensive research and development to improve its belt cleaner offering to the industry. This was done on mines in the copper-intensive South American mining industry,” says Kotze.

An improvement to the product is the new tungsten blade that is embedded in a polytetra- fluoroethylene exterior shell.

“In the past, the company would install belt cleaners on the mines and be called back within three weeks to replace the blades. This was due to the high acid content on some mines being extremely corrosive and eating away the blades after only a few uses. Martin Engineering has tested its new range of belt cleaners in highly acidic conditions and is satisfied that it has found a blade which will not be corroded by acid,” says Kotze.

The new design also incorporates a linchpin, which makes installation quicker and less labour intensive. With the previous model, it would take a technician 15 minutes to disassemble a row of belt cleaners and a further 15 minutes to reassemble the new ones. Under testing conditions, Martin Engineering reports, it took a factory shop worker, who had no previous work experience with belt cleaners, 20 seconds to disassemble a row of belt cleaners.

“These two factors provide mines with a significant cost-saving option, which the company is confident will garner significant interest,” says Kotze.

One of the past criticisms of mining industries such as Zambia’s is that it is heavily dependent on one commodity. However, this does not trouble Kotze.

Although Martin Engineering South Africa’s belt cleaners are used extensively in the coal industry in South Africa, it is a multicommodity product. The company has installed belt cleaners at gold mines and platinum mines, as well as silica mines, adding to its confidence that this product can be used in any industry. Being developed in South Africa ensures that it is geared towards tough African working conditions.

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