Marthinusen & Coutts, a division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, is consolidating its role as an integrated electrical and mechanical services provider across Africa, and internationally.

Together with subsidiary, ACTOM Turbo Machines, the division offers the full range of maintenance, repair and special manufacturing services of electric motors, generators, turbo machinery and other high speed mechanical rotating equipment.

Richard Botton, Divisional CEO, Marthinusen & Coutts, says both Marthinusen & Coutts and ACTOM Turbo Machines have a long and proud history of serving customers on the continent.

He ascribes the ongoing success to a combination of diligent planning, a culture of problem solving and providing innovative solutions; a sense of urgency, industry-leading skills, and having the necessary infrastructure and resources in place, both in South Africa and in strategic African countries.

Marthinusen & Coutts is unique in that it is the only independently owned service provider that is capable of providing extensive maintenance, repair and special manufacturing solutions for all electrical and mechanical rotating machinery.

“We are well positioned to carry out critical projects both in Africa and globally, having access to all our resources in South Africa as well as our well-equipped facility in Zambia, which provides immediate services to our customers in that region, with all the sought-after advantages of a local facility, plus the full backup of M&C and ACTOM’s resources in South Africa,” Botton says.

Marthinusen & Coutts has an extensive reference base of successfully completed projects, innovative maintenance solutions, record turnaround time breakdown repairs, and numerous on-site maintenance contracts.

He is quick to caution about the difficulties of providing maintenance services in African countries, with some companies lacking the necessary infrastructure, expertise and extensive experience that Marthinusen & Coutts is known for on complex projects and emergency repairs.

“A critical factor is that Marthinusen & Coutts has been involved in Africa for more than a decade, and as such have a sound knowledge of what it takes to deliver a quality solution to our customers in the countries in which we operate,” Botton says. “It is our in-depth understanding of African conditions that allows our teams to get there, make a plan, manage and execute projects; and that is on an ongoing basis with numerous repeat customers.”

The key differentiator for Marthinusen & Coutts is its rapid response time, inherent sense of urgency, culture of dedicated customer service and ability to mobilise quickly and efficiently in tackling critical projects. “We understand our customers’ business needs and that they cannot afford unscheduled downtime.

Many of these projects are vital to ensure regular power supply to mining projects and other sectors, so our speed, understanding and service delivery are all essential,” Botton says.

In addition, all Marthinusen & Coutts branches have direct access to the Centre of Excellence in Cleveland, Johannesburg. Critical equipment at this facility includes a 32 ton balancing machine, extensive testing capabilities and a fully equipped machine shop including CNC machines.

“While these advantages give us the competitive edge, Marthinusen & Coutts is also adept at thinking out of the box and renowned for its flexibility and ingenuity,” Botton says.

“Our long-term strategy is to become the preferred integrated electrical and mechanical services provider for the power generation and mining industries in Africa and across the globe,” Botton notes. “What gives us the leading edge in terms of these African contracts is that we can leverage the other divisions within the ACTOM Group to provide us with additional manufacturing capability, products, and expertise,” he concludes.