A restructuring and fleet renewal programme at Cape Town-based Burma Plant Hire has put the company on track for further growth in the construction, mining and other sectors. Significantly, the company is a Level 2 contributor to BBBEE.

In addition to its traditional base load work in the construction and landfill space, in recent years Burma Plant Hire has expanded considerably into mining contracting on opencast operations – and is seeing a resurgence in interest following improvements in commodity prices.

The addition of quality brand dozers, loaders, excavators and articulated dump trucks for mining operations is part of Burma Plant Hire’s fleet revitalisation. There has also been an investment in 30 new tractor-loader-backhoes (TLBs) for construction applications, says Izak van Niekerk, divisional head designate at the Raumix Materials Division of holding company Raubex. “We have focused on strategic locations where we are building critical mass and investing in equipment that will boost our flexibility and responsiveness.”

Burma Plant Hire managing director, Theuns Burger highlights that the company’s depth of expertise in plant management is enhanced by its sophisticated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system – built up over the years to integrate and streamline its operations.

“Having these systems in place allows us to respond quickly and effectively to customer requirements, and to maintain a very close working relationship with our original equipment manufacturers (OEMs),” says Burger.

He emphasises that serving customers today is not just about providing well-maintained, fit-for-purpose equipment; it is also about collaborating with customers to meet stringent compliance requirements in safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ).

“Our reputation for customer service is built on adding value to our customers’ operations, which includes working with them to manage and mitigate business risk,” he says.

Burma Plant Hire’s experience and its substantial fleet of equipment have recently allowed it entry to a number of new markets including renewable energy projects in wind and solar power generation in the Western Cape and Northern Cape.

Burger says Burma Plant Hire’s strong relationships with OEMs not only facilitate optimal uptime and performance, but ensure that their machine configurations meet customers’ compliance requirements at all times.

Part of its commitment to quality and performance is pursued through Burma Plant Hire’s in-house training and certification of its complement of almost 400 operators, who can also benefit from the company’s driving simulator.