The diversification of South African mining operations into international markets is testament to the belief that specialised mining skills and services are transferable to new territories and terrains. And according to metallurgical consulting company Hape Coal Services MD Rhulani Maluleke, the benefits work in both directions.

“If you establish a reputation in your own country you will have a solid base from which to expand,” says Maluleke, whose company has offered process engineering services since 2008. “Then you will be in a position not only to offer local skills to international projects, but to acquire knowledge and experience that you can bring back into the country.”

Hape recently collaborated with management consulting services provider Global Mining Corporation (GMC) on three copper mining operations in Chile, providing management services and ensuring operation optimisation. “We worked on the Cerro Colorado, Spence and Escondida mines with GMC, a truly global organisation. Developing an operating model in this context provided invaluable experience.”

Maluleke’s company is also the sole supplier to a Czech-based company, Enelex, a relationship that grew out of a hunger for innovation and new technology. “When you’re thinking on your feet, you begin looking for new developments in the international markets and bring the technology home,” he says.

In the interest of local development and infrastructure, Hape has consolidated its broad experience to design and construct an independent coal laboratory in Delmas, Mpumalanga. “We don’t know of any other company that could produce an ISO 17025-accredited coal lab so efficiently.”

On the back of a global recession, Hape’s success has stemmed from a willingness to explore new markets and new territories, while remaining focused on developing its domestic offerings. “We’re a young, fully black-owned company that’s looking to diversify. There’s nowhere we can’t go, and that’s our strength,” says Maluleke.