Johannesburg-based drilling and grouting services provider Rosond, which will exhibit for the first time at the 2015 Investing in African Mining Indaba, says it will use the exposure provided by the event to expand its South African and African market.
Rosond operations director Ricardo Ribeiro tells Mining Weekly that the company attended the indaba for the first time in 2013 as a visitor. This year, however, Rosond will exhibit its core competencies, as well as its drilling and grouting services, which it offers to the African minerals exploration industry.
According to the company’s website, Rosond provides niche services and boasts a well-skilled and experienced staff complement of 2 000, who are able to meet client requirements.
The company offers several in-house training courses for its employees on its own manufactured surface and underground hydraulic drilling machines. It also runs comprehensive skills development and training programmes for employees, which are developed and offered by in-house staff, with educational facilities at strategic locations.
“Further, we have an ongoing mentorship programme for younger employees striving to master their trade and profession, enabling them to develop within the company,” Ribeiro explains.
Rosond’s training programmes are also presented at its training centres in Carletonville and in the Northern Cape. These centres provide training for Rosond’s on-site operational staff, with specific emphasis on its permanent staff.
The training comprises theoretical and practical content, which include pack grouting and diamond drilling. Training is conducted using real machinery in simulated scenarios. Rosond offers training on various levels – from the induction to the intermediate and advanced levels, with the duration of the training varying from three days to two weeks.
Rosond also has underground instructors, who provide on-site training for those enrolled in its six-month assistant machine operator course, as well as its six-month machine operator course. Two instructors oversee the participation of trainees for both courses.
The company says it aims to establish comprehensive training centres throughout South Africa in the near future.
More than 1 000 Rosond employees have been trained since the inception of the training centres in 2010.
“We believe that a knowledgeable and happy leadership team and workforce is the greatest asset for a business. “By encouraging innovation, improved performance and continuous learning through an equal-opportunity environment for our employees, we believe that Rosond will continue to attract high-quality and diverse talent into our business,” says Ribeiro.
Meanwhile, Rosond has phased out its conventional surface exploration drilling rigs and replaced them with modern-type top-drive, high-performance drilling rigs. The machines are manufactured in-house for increased reliability and decreased downtime.
“When it comes to the drilling rigs, our clients are secure in the knowledge that we do everything in-house, from manufacturing, maintenance and logistics to delivery,” says Ribeiro, adding that Rosond has been building its own drilling machinery for 20 years, which he believes gives the company considerable know-how and technical expertise.
“In addition, our on-site data collection and systematic evaluation of on-site parameters, using a computer-based productivity programme, has also resulted in a superior service provision for the mining industry,” he elaborates.
Rosond also has a logistics division that offers streamlined and efficient operations with a centralised procurement system. The company has a highly developed com-puterised system that tracks orders, enabling clients to check available stock in real time.
The logistics division, which comprises more than 200 vehicles, also accommodates emergency requirements, with the company’s fleet meeting clients’ needs as quickly as possible.
Ribeiro highlights that Rosond will showcase all these aspects at the indaba. “Our aim is to expose existing and potential clients to our capabilities, and for us to be informed of any new or upcoming projects in the market in which we can hopefully participate.
The Investing in African Mining Indaba will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 9 to 12.