Johannesburg-based heavy-duty slurry pumps manufacturer Pump & Abrasion Technologies is developing several new products and materials that will benefit the company’s existing and prospective clients, says sales and marketing director James Pienaar.
He tells Mining Weekly that the company is committed to providing the mining industry with high-quality products and services.
“We consider Pump & Abrasion Technologies to be a highly innovative company, with a vision to lead the market from the front, rather than simply following trends. Our main objective is to continuously improve our offering to the pumps industry through a strong focus on design and advanced materials,” says Pienaar.
Founded in 2004, the company has since supplied countless mine sites with its Battlemax slurry-pumping solutions, as well as its Battlesub submersible and Battlestream clearwater pumps.
With a keen focus on quality and service, Pump & Abrasion Technologies has worked on several contracts with mining groups, including a three-year contract with a blue-chip chrome producer operating on the western and eastern limbs of the Bushveld Complex, in the North West and Limpopo provinces respectively. The company is responsible for pump maintenance and the supply of spare parts and new pumps for ongoing and future projects.
Pump & Abrasion Technologies also renewed its contract with a platinum-group metals (PGMs) recovery firm. The contract, which has been extended again owing to the success of the previous year’s contract roll-out, covers the PGMs firm’s six operations.
Suppliers of high-quality pumping solutions face the challenge of having to compete with low-cost, low-quality products currently entering the market from foreign and local manufacturers. Pienaar states that this approach will cost users in the long run.
“Many well-intentioned clients are looking purely for the lowest initial purchase price, without realising that they will actually lose more money in the long term when parts wear out prematurely. This increases the total cost of ownership, instead of the expected decrease,” he elaborates.
Pienaar assures Mining Weekly that Pump & Abrasion Technology’s products are of a high quality. This commitment to quality has helped the company maintain its ISO 9001 certification.
“Some suppliers compromise on quality standards to increase profit margins, which [results in] customers [losing] value for money. However, Pump & Abrasion Technologies would rather walk away from ‘low-price business’ than supply low-quality products.
“We pride ourselves on our product and service excellence and believe that we create a strong identity for our Battlemax brand through a clearly differentiated offering, compared with the inferior standards of some other products,” Pienaar concludes.