METALS-PROCESSING SERVICES
Dickinson ZIS was established primarily to expand refractory and aluminium smelter services in KZN and throughout Southern Africa
Photo by: Bloomberg
Joint venture (JV) specialist furnace and industrial services provider Dickinson ZIS has made significant progress in providing global smelters with personalised smelter services since its establishment last year, says metals smelting and mineral processing services company The Dickinson Group aluminium smelter services MD Clinton Pretorius.
The black-owned company is a JV between Gauteng-based The Dickinson Group’s aluminium smelter services division and KwaZulu-Natal-based aluminium smelter services company Zikhuthaliseni Trading.
Pretorius says The Dickinson Group decided to join forces with Zikhuthaliseni Trading as both companies are considered leaders in their fields of expertise and there are synergies in terms of their services.
“By joining forces, we have actively strengthened our collective resources and geographic position in a difficult industry to provide a world-class turnkey service offering for the primary aluminium industries.
“With the combined experience and expertise, Dickinson ZIS’s vision is to be Africa’s leading aluminium solutions provider of smelter and refractory services,” he states.
Pretorius notes that, within the next year, Dickinson ZIS will create a significant number of jobs in South Africa as the company secures long-term business with global aluminium companies such as Australia-based base metal and coal mining company South32.
Once the company has ensured that its home base is strong enough, it will expand its smelter services globally, he adds.
Zikhuthaliseni Trading was founded in 2008 and has the required experience to provide aluminium smelter services, civil works services, general building services, steel fabrication services and refractory services.
The company employs more than 130 people and Pretorius says it used to provide a range of specialist services for South32’s previously operational Bayside and Hillside smelters, in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as other major services, including pot hood fabrication, pot delining and relining, oxygen lancing, metal recovery, sorting and cleaning, as well as plant maintenance.
The Dickinson Group, founded in 1910, has extensive experience in the provision of specialist furnace and industrial services to the mining, metals smelting, mineral processing, power generation and petrochemical refining industries, says Pretorius.
“As a result, Dickinson ZIS has a range of inherent strengths to ensure its success in the industry, including The Dickinson Group’s established footprint, with operations throughout sub-Saharan Africa and a team comprising 800 staff members who are experienced in providing specialist furnace and industrial services,” says Pretorius.
He adds that The Dickinson Group has the required experience to execute greenfield and brownfield aluminium smelter projects in countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Dubai, Iceland and Brazil. The company has the know-how and resources to undertake turnkey refractory and potroom mechanical projects and maintenance services.