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Cable management company fortifying ties with Australia

11th August 2017

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

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South African cable management solutions company Strutfast aims to expand its operations and open an office in Perth, early next year, owing to the Western Australia capital being the recognised centre for mining operations in Australia and also hosting the head offices of many companies that own and operate mines across the African continent.

The company has been focusing on developing business relationships with Australian mining companies intensively for the past five years, having dealt with many companies developing and operating mines in Australia, Africa and South America.

Strutfast MD Tony Kinsella says establishing an Australian office is the next logical step for the global development of the company to not only be closer to many key Strutfast customers already active in Africa but to also continue building the company’s relationship directly with the Australian mining sector.

He adds that the Australian mining industry faces similar challenges to that of South Africa, with mineworkers and logistics operations having to travel long distances to site and work in harsh operating conditions because of the hot and dry weather, as well as a lack of infrastructure in underdeveloped areas around mine sites.

In line with strengthening its relationship with Australian companies, Strutfast will attend the Africa Down Under conference for the first time on September 6 to 8 in Perth, where it will showcase its cable management solutions, including its longbow cable ladder system.

“We like to fly the flag for South African manufacturing and emphasise our internationally recognised standard- and specification-compliant products,” Kinsella notes, adding that the company would like to disprove the misperception often held by international customers that South Africa does not manufacture products that are robust enough to meet global mining industry standards. This misperception is based on a generalisation that Africa, which is mostly underdeveloped, cannot compete with high-quality product manufacturers overseas.

This belief, Kinsella points out, is one of Strutfast’s biggest challenges when securing projects overseas – overcoming these perceptions and changing the incorrect view that South African manufacturers are incapable of world-class manufacturing to international accepted standards.

However, the company has succeeded in disproving this misconception, winning supply contracts from various Australia-based mining companies, which include shipping its cable ladder products to mining projects in Botswana, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia and further afield in Panama, South America.

“We are good at understanding and handling African project supply requirements and can navigate the continent with ease,” Kinsella says, noting that this is an advantage for Australian mining companies that are not familiar with African logistics and the myriad of business and local cultures encountered on the continent.

Strutfast’s portfolio comprises a full range of cable management solutions, complemented by 12 patented products and design registrations. This includes the longbow cable ladder system, which is manufactured using structural-grade steel and is designed, manufactured and tested to National Electrical Manufacturers Association (Nema) 20B and 20C standards. The North American standards are also recognised in Australia.

Kinsella highlights that Strutfast products are independently verified and certified to Nema standards, thereby offering Australia complete peace of mind when selecting Strutfast as a partner for cable management solutions.

Other Products
Strutfast is awaiting an approved patent application for a self-assembly heavy-duty cable ladder system, which has been in development since September last year.

This system is well suited to shipping and optimising costs, owing to its portable design, and ensures ease of handling and setup on site, explains Kinsella.

He expects prototypes, which are being developed in Dubai to be available for testing soon and that the system will be taken to market early in 2018.

Strutfast also has an edge-mounted cable ladder system for arduous cable support applications, such as long-distance mining conveyors, called Strongbow Extreme.

“Innovation is at the heart of our business and, as such, we are constantly developing new products to meet customer requirements,” states Kinsella.

Additionally, Strutfast offers a cable tray range, designed to shorten installation times and ensure easy assembly on site.

This tray system is designed to carry electrical cables in horizontal and vertical applications and is available in various finishes, including pregalvanised, hot-dip galvanised, stainless steel and glass-reinforced plastic.

Further, the company also distributes a metal framing system from US manufacturer Unistrut, which provides support structures for construction projects on mines.

The framing system is available in several channel profiles, material thicknesses and finishes, allowing for flexibility of various applications.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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