Atlas Copco dealer Zenith Mining & Industrial Supplies recently secured an order from one of their longstanding key mining customers in the Northern Cape for the supply of five Atlas Copco HiLight light-emitting-diode (LED) H5+ light towers mounted on double axles.

“We sold our first Atlas Copco units, the older generation QAX20 generators with lighting stands, to the mine almost 20 years ago,” says Zenith founder and director John O’Connell.

He adds that by ensuring that the dealership keeps up to date with the latest technology from Atlas Copco, Zenith now supplies the mine with the “cutting-edge compact and efficient HiLight LED units”

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The mine currently boasts the largest installed base of Atlas Copco light towers (30) in the area, and continues to grow its light tower fleet in line with plant expansion.

O’Connell, having established Zenith in 2001 to service customers across the Northern Cape region, approached Atlas Copco for a dealership deal with Zenith joining the Atlas Copco dealer network in 2002.

“Doing business with the mines in our area since day one has put us in tune with our customers’ ever-changing and diverse needs,” he notes.

Initially supplying Atlas Copco pneumatic hand-held tools during the early dealership years, Zenith soon expanded its portfolio to include Atlas Copco compressors. O’Connell confirms that the company currently looks after more than 100 Atlas Copco compressors. The company’s extensive diesel portfolio includes Atlas Copco HiLight light towers and large stationary 1 000 kVA generator plants.

The heavy-duty IP67-rated LED lamps have an “unrivalled” life expectancy or lamp durability of 50 000 hours. The flagship H5+ unit features an impressive 20 lux average and up to 5 000 m2 effective lighting coverage.

The five recently ordered H5+units were available ex-stock and just had to be fitted on to the locally built double axle trailers. Trailer fabrication, which takes roughly two to three weeks, was outsourced by Atlas Copco to Anglo Welding.

O’Connell notes that, with power supply becoming increasingly erratic, Zenith identified the need for more compact, mobile and efficient generator plants rather than the stationary machines. Featuring a small footprint, high efficiency and rugged reliability, Atlas Copco’s QES generators “fit the bill perfectly”, delivering fast, reliable, predictable power. Zenith has supplied the mine with trailer-mounted Atlas Copco 30, 40 and 60 kVA QES generators.

Atlas Copco’s QES generator range offers a “textbook balance between performance and affordability” to seamlessly meet standby power requirements on mines and plants. With a 100% load step capability, these machines have the ability to work in temperature extremes between –25 ºC and 40 ºC. With a market-leading 500-hour service interval and a short sub-two-hour service routine, these generators will contribute to increased uptime and high levels of production and productivity on the job site.

O’Connell also applauds Atlas Copco for “being in the forefront when it comes to sales and technical training offered to distributor staff on a regular basis”.

Meanwhile, in 2017, Zenith secured the prestigious Atlas Copco dealer of the year title. Being awarded the title for the third consecutive year in 2020, he says, was a surprise. “However, it was really a huge team effort and everybody at Zenith and Atlas Copco played a role in our success. In today’s tight and competitive economy, you absolutely have to have a tight bond between your customers and suppliers as well as your own staff. This we have managed to achieve and it has paid off in spades.”

Atlas Copco Power Technique power and lights, portable energy product manager Zandra van der Westhuizen points out that being awarded the Atlas Copco dealer of the year title means successfully ticking several “crucial” boxes, adding that “keeping these boxes ticked for three years in a row illustrates consistency and true commitment”.

Van der Westhuizen explains: “John and his team are great to work with. Working hand-in-hand with Atlas Copco staff, they go out of their way to assist and support customers and are always willing to help; nothing is ever too much for them!”

Moreover, O’Connell discusses the advantages of being a dealer for both Atlas Copco’s Power Technique and Compressors Technique business areas: “When partnering with a company like Atlas Copco there are challenges; balancing the corporate world with what we are trying to achieve at ground level is not always easy,” he says.

However the positives of being associated with a “renowned company” like Atlas Copco most certainly adds value.