Under the TLT-Turbo umbrella, local ventilation firms, TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM have embarked on an ambitious expansion strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa.  This move follows the announcement of TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM working in collaboration with their majority shareholder, German based TLT-Turbo to provide a Total Ventilation Solution to Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA).

TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM will collaborate closely as they expand their reach to develop the SSA market, offering a complete range of fans – from auxiliary, axial and radial fans to large surface fans – for applications in the mining industry, as well as a broad range of industrial ventilation and process solutions. This offering will also include custom designed ventilation solutions to suit any specific requirements and meet unique challenges.

These ventilation solutions have a broad range of applications including mining, power generation, industrial processes, construction, oil and gas, as well as rail and off-highway vehicles. TLT ACTOM will sell and support the full range of TLT-Turbo fans in the sub-Saharan market, including the new high performance and efficient 1400 mm and 1600 mm TLT MechCaL fans.

TLT MechCaL will sell and support its 1200 mm and smaller auxiliary fan products in the region, as well as its large composites blades and radial composite fans.

“TLT-Turbo having been present in this market for some time have gone out and showcased our products and there has been interest expressed by firms in the region wishing to see how our products work and the ways in which our innovations can improve their operations,” says Luther Erasmus, Group MD for TLT MechCaL & TLT ACTOM.

“We believe that we have a lot to offer as a result of the specific research, developments and innovations that have gone into our product offering. Efficiency with less energy usage will be, in my view, the biggest selling point in a region where power usage is a major concern for any operation as the cost per kilowatt hour is quite high in some countries.” Erasmus notes that a fan that is a mere 4% to 5% more energy efficient can drastically reduce the total cost of ownership.

Clients in sub-Saharan African countries will also be able to benefit from the full range of additional services offered by both TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM. This includes maintenance and refurbishment of process, power and primary and secondary mining fans, as well as other value added services as part of a Ventilation-on-Demand solution.

This venture combines the global resources and expertise of TLT-Turbo with the client base, distribution network and product innovation of TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM.

Product availability in line with precise requirements and on-the-spot costing will be managed by means of a central product configuration system that the TLT MechCaL and TLT ACTOM sales teams will be utilising to provide clients with up to date information and optimal delivery turnaround times.

“We are currently moving towards becoming compliant with the relevant legislation applicable to the various countries we are targeting. This includes making the necessary amendments to fan components such as motor types, fan sizes, safety specs, performance specs and operating frequencies,” Erasmus explains.

This is not the first time that either company has supplied ventilation solutions to clients in this region but the move places emphasis on a focused approach with more efficient distribution models and solutions tailored for the market – both in terms of product design and delivery.

“We have already shipped and installed both surface fan and auxiliary fan solutions for the mining industry in Zambia and Zimbabwe. We are now aggressively targeting expansion into the West African markets, including new mining projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mali, as well as mining ventilation opportunities in the DRC.

In addition to these we are also pursuing services and refurbishment opportunities in the power, cement and processing industries in the above countries. This is very encouraging as together both companies seek to offer a complete product range from the smallest fan to the largest ventilation solution,” concludes Erasmus.

This move forms part of a larger company objective to be shipping 80% of all products internationally by 2020.