South Africa-based privately owned and managed structural steel, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, piping and platework (SMEIPP) construction company Redis Construction Afrika, which will exhibit at the 2015 Investing in African Mining Indaba, in November, announced that it had been awarded a steel, mechanical and piping contract for the construction of the Asanko gold mine, in Ghana, by gold miner Asanko Gold and engineering procurement and construction management company DRA.

Redis Construction Afrika MD Paul Edwards says that the company views the contract as a milestone in its West African and pan-African growth strategy.

“The contract is the culmination of focused relationship building and proves our worth in the construction contracting and project delivery arena across Africa. We are excited and confident about our future in Africa and believe that Asanko’s project is an ideal opportunity to prove ourselves in West Africa particularly,” Edwards states.

Redis’s scope of work for the Asanko gold mine includes supplying and erecting 1 000 t of structural steel and 1 300 t of plate work, the erection of 2 000 t of mechanical items and the installation of 7 000 m of high-density polyethelene overland piping. Project completion is scheduled for October 2015.

He adds that, since its establishment in 2006, Redis has established a reputation for excellence and a solid safety record throughout the continent. Despite challenges associated with working in the frequently harsh and logistically demanding environments typical in Africa, he says, the company has built a reputation for high-performance project delivery.

Redis has had a presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2006, where it has secured repeat contracts for several blue-chip mine owners.

“We have also recently completed a highly successful mineral sands construction project in Kenya, and further project work is under way constructing a sugar refinery in Port Harcourt, Nigeria,” Edwards explains.

He adds that diversifying the business into other geographical regions on the continent is part of the company’s risk mitigation and growth strategy. Edwards explains that Redis adopts a strongly collaborative approach to client relationships, with an understanding that its clients typically invest significant sums of money and assume substantial risk when undertaking projects in Africa.

“We are not just contracted to build plants, but are also committed to working with clients to ensure the overall viability of the end product. The company’s successful project delivery is based on building trust with clients and working towards a common goal. With DRA, we believe there will be a good organisational fit, a similar work ethic and a clientcentric focus,” comments Edwards.

Meanwhile, representatives from Redis will attend the 2015 Investing in African Mining Indaba, which the company believes is an important platform for companies active in Africa’s mining industry which want to interact with one another and keep abreast of the latest developments.
“We see the indaba as an opportunity to widen our network and, more importantly, as an opportunity to consolidate existing client relationships. “It is a chance to touch base with all our clients and obtain feedback and updates on current projects,” Edwards tells Mining Weekly.

He adds that the company will use the indaba to showcase its capacity for high-performance project delivery in mining across a range of commodities, as well as its “exemplary” safety record.

“By demonstrating our footprint in Africa and our extensive experience, we hope to showcase Redis as Africa’s SMEIPP company of choice,” he explains.

Edwards believes the indaba will also discuss opportunities in mining on the African continent, adding that Redis’s extensive experience on the continent puts the company in a good position to contribute to dialogue and to provide solutions for the growth of the industry.

“We believe we have a lot to bring to the table from a construction perspective – from project inception and the design stage onwards. Our overarching aim in this regard is to save our clients time and money while ensuring quality,” he concludes.