Company Announcement - Specialist vibrating equipment supplier Joest is racking up a string of successful orders in Africa as it continues to expand its product and service offering on the continent. “We have supplied six vibrating screens to a gold mine in Liberia, eight vibrating screens to a gold mine in Mali and 15 vibrating screens to a gold mine in Burkina Faso,” Yashin Ramdhin, General Manager: Sales, says. “We have also supplied screens to Tanzania and have had vibratory feeders go into a coal mine in Mozambique. We are optimistic that our growth in Africa will go from strength to strength. This is largely due to the excellent reputation that the Joest brand has gained over the years. A particular advantage of Joest’s equipment is the increased lifespan, structural integrity and ease of maintenance of the equipment, which is particularly important in remote areas in Africa.”

Joest offers a full selection of specialist equipment to meet its customers’ total vibrating screen and feeder requirements. Ramdhin says the company’s specialist vibrating equipment forms part of a tailored solutions approach to cater for a wide range of duties, “which allow our customers to reduce downtime and achieve production efficiencies at the lowest operating costs.” He adds that what gives Joest its leading edge in this highly competitive market is “our skilled people combined with our ‘Engineered Solutions’ approach. We work from the ground up, and everybody in the company is involved in a holistic sense in promoting the brand. The Joest pedigree is based on its staff, engineers and its engineering philosophy.” Ramdhin explains that Joest is looking in particular at the sub Saharan market in addition to various parts of West Africa. “This is accomplished by working in tandem with the mining houses and engineering companies who are active in the African market.”

All products are shipped from Joest’s Spartan, Johannesburg facility. “A lot of companies are finding it easier to procure products directly from South Africa rather than importing it into Africa or attempting local manufacture. After validation testing, we ship our products fully assembled so all the customer needs to do is simply install it.” “We keep track of the equipment throughout the delivery process as well as keeping in close contact with our customers, whereafter we provide hot and cold commissioning as well as personnel training. This is to ensure the smooth handover of the equipment and that it is working according to our specifications. It guarantees that we have happy customers at the end of the day, in addition to a forging a long-term relationship with our customers.” Joest plays a key role in the commissioning of its equipment on site. “This is an essential service we offer to ensure the optimum performance of the equipment once in operation,” Ramdhin notes. In terms of aftermarket support, Joest supplies everything from “OEM parts, Joest drives and replacement machine bodies.”

In addition, the company also maintains regular contact with all of its customers. “That ranges from a telephone call to a face to face visit,” Ramdhin notes. Looking at challenges in Africa, he adds that “while travel can be challenging and logistics an issue, it is having a solid understanding of the supply chain requirements for individual countries that ensures Joest’s ongoing success. “As an African company, we fully understand the socio-economic aspects and cultural sensitivities of conducting business in Africa. Joest’s philosophy of ‘Engineered Solutions’ ensures that we fully understand each customer’s specific needs, delivering a customised solution, which ensures that downtime is dramatically reduced.

Joest is a locally owned and operated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that designs and fabricates vibrating screens and feeders in-house. It has a 38-year track record of developing and supplying the African mining bulk materials handling market. Joest’s technology is characterised by its robustness and longevity tailored to the customers’ specific application and processing needs in the harsh and demanding African mining industry.

With thousands of installations throughout the continent, Joest’s machines are engineered to lower the total cost of ownership. They are commonly found in mineral sands, coal, gold, diamond, platinum, iron ore and manganese operations, with 24/7 customer service provided by the company’s service centres and branch network in all the major mining areas, supported by an experienced in-house design and technology team and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Joest’s 9 000 m2 headquarters in Spartan, providing customers with a common point of reference for all their vibratory equipment needs.