Company Announcement - ServiTrade, headquartered in Maputo, provides fleet services, construction equipment, tools, site services and asset management solutions across multiple industries and government agencies across Mozambique. Acquired by AMECO, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fluor Corporation, in 2012, ServiTrade is now the largest full service supplier of integrated equipment and tools solutions in the country.
“The company’s main activity is the rental of heavy equipment to the oil & gas, power, mining, and infrastructure markets in Mozambique,” says general manager, Sergio Zandamela. “A full range of lifting, earth movement and transport equipment is available and the fleet is continuously upgraded in order to ensure the smooth functioning of an operation, improved provision of services, and quality assurance to clients.”
ServiTrade has 450 employees in six branches across the country and owns a fleet worth US $70 million.
In 2014, in order to provide clients with value added services, ServiTrade established a world class training centre in Tete in partnership with the National Institute of Employment and Vocational Training, part of the Ministry of Labour. The training centre is Mozambique’s first to provide a mix of heavy equipment operator training with simulators and practical training on equipment with a broad range of relevant courses over a period of 20 days.
The training centre ultimately provides qualified individuals to operate the same types of earth moving and lifting equipment provided by Servitrade. However, according to Zandamela, the training centre does not only offer training to ServiTrade and client employees, but also to members of the public, some of whom travel from around the region to enrol.
The training centre has two classrooms, each with a capacity for 20 students. Training is based on the number of applications received and the client’s requirements.
ServiTrade’s commitment to the local community is demonstrated by empowering local citizens by training them to become employable, qualified and skilled operators. Since its official opening by the former Minister of Labour, Ms Helena Taípo, in December 2013, approximately 412 local citizens have been trained by the centre and are now certified to operate heavy equipment.
“Mozambique is developing rapidly; by training local citizens, the country will be able to reduce its dependency on foreign skilled labour as qualified locals will be employable on future projects,” says Zandamela.
For example, over 95 % of ServiTrade’s employees are now Mozambican citizens. “ServiTrade will continue to contribute to the development of the country by supplying not only fleet and site services, but also by continuously training local citizens to become qualified operators who will be able to work as heavy equipment operators on any project in future,” concludes Zandamela.