Specialist mining engineering and project management company Roymec Technologies is working with Zambia’s mining and minerals sector to implement government initiatives aimed at “getting the sector to regain its world-class status” as a top producer of minerals, particularly copper, says Roymec sales director Hoosen Essack.

“The Zambian government has emphasised the importance of the mining sector to the country’s gross domestic product and overall growth initiative,” he says, adding that Roymec has been involved in the Zambian mining and minerals sector for more than ten years, supplying equipment to several metallurgical plant projects on the Copperbelt.

In 2010, Roymec supplied flocculant plants for integrated copper and cobalt producer Mopani Copper Mines, owned by joint venture company Carlisa Investments Corporation, which comprises Glencore, First Quantum Minerals and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines, says Essack.

In the same year, nonferrous metal mineral resources developer China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group ordered pinned media bed clarifiers for its Luanshya copper mine and, in 2011, accepted the delivery of SX dual-media organic coalescing filters for its Chambishi copper mine. Further, base metals miner First Quantum Minerals ordered pinned media bed clarifiers for its Kansanshi copper mine, also in 2011.

“Our equipment is fundamental to base metals processing. Filtration, screening and sedimentation processes are core to base metals copper and cobalt plants and, being at the forefront of solids/ liquids separation processes, with equipment supplied to more than 30 countries worldwide, we are able to provide world-class solutions to Zambian processing operations,” adds Essack.

He says Roymec’s approach to doing business is innovative, adaptive and flexible, as this “benefits our clients in reaching their goals and surpassing their own targets”.

In pursuit of enabling clients to achieve their targets, Roymec ensures that it stays at the forefront of equipment supply by developing value-added engineering solutions for clients, says Essack.

Roymec’s flexible business model enables it to invest a large portion of its turnover into research and development to continue improving its product offering, he adds.

Essack says Zambia’s broad spectrum of mineral resources, which include copper, cobalt, gold, gemstones and iron-ore, as well as a variety of industrial minerals and potential energy resources, including uranium, coal and hydrocarbons, presents good investment opportunities in the country’s minerals extraction and processing sector.

“While copper and cobalt are the key commodities produced in Zambia, the mining industry also engages in the production of lead, zinc, silver and gold. “The Zambian government has projected yearly copper production to reach 900 000 t in 2014, up from 763 000 t recorded in 2013,” he concludes.