Hencon Vacuum Technologies General Manager David de Oliveira
Tell us about your company’s products & services?
Hencon VT designs, manufactures, sells and supports a range of proven heavy-duty industrial vacuum systems to the mine and processing industry.
What are its applications?
These systems enable mines and processing plants to quickly and easily clean and recover bulk material spillage, especially in hard-to-reach places, such as under conveyors. They can also be used for the recovery of high-value materials such as fines in gold mines, where other conventional equipment is not effective.
What makes the product unique?
Not many companies make this type of equipment but, over and above that, we stay ahead of the pack by constantly developing our solutions to meet the growing and changing needs of our clients. Hencon VT custom designs many of the systems to match the customer’s specific requirements, which means that customers aren't only offered off-the-shelf solutions that don’t quite meet their requirements. Hencon VT also has the ability to offer the technology in custom vehicles and other mechanised forms that are not commonly available.
Where was the product developed?
Although industrial vacuums were originally developed in Europe many decades ago, our systems are completely designed and developed here in South Africa.
Has the product been imported or manufactured locally?
All our systems are manufactured in South Africa.
On which projects, if any, has the product been used successfully?
There have been several over the years but, more recently, we supplied three machines to De Beers Marine’s new offshore diamond mining vessel. We have also recently shipped two compact rail machines to Peru for underground use and a centralised system for use in a gold smelting plant at a mine in Mexico.
Is the product exportable?
Yes. As you can see from some of the projects mentioned above, we can and do sell our products worldwide.
About Hencon VT
Hencon VT was originally established in 2006 as a company within the Cosira Group of companies. In 2009 it became part of the Hencon Group of International companies. Since its inception, Hencon VT has always focused on developing this type of technology.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Because of changes in the mining and processing industry over the last few years, Hencon VT is working on an offering that will make all the benefits of this technology available to a customer without the capital and human resources requirements of owning the equipment themselves, all for a monthly fee.