african review july 2014

Europe €10, Ghana C1.8, Kenya Ksh200, Nigeria N330, South Africa R25, UK £7, USA $12

July 2014

Ghanaian commerce andeconomy

P37

P24

www.africanreview.com

Markets and deals for diesel

generatorsA

frican Review of Business and Technology

July 2014Volum

e 48 Num

ber 6w

ww

.africanreview.com

Construction:Morocco’s booming aggregatesmarket P58

Transport:Road safety initiativesfor Kenya P32

Business:Investing in SouthAfrican oil & gas P20

50 yearsServing business in

Africa since 1964

ATR July 2014 Cover Spine_Layout 1 6/20/2014 5:17 PM

S01 ATR July 2014 - Start_Layout 1 6/19/2014 3:48 PM

UP FRONT

3

REGULARS

FEATURES20 Business

Commercial and technological developments in South African oil and gas exploration; andGhana’s transition from an import-driven to an export-driven economy

28 TechnologyData centre solutions and Internet service provision in Ghana; and protecting IT equipmentfrom power surges

32 TransportRoad traffic safety initiatives in Kenya

34 PowerNigeria’s complex power infrastructure; and an overview of market developments for dieselgenerator businesses

50 ConstructionStandards of production of paints in Kenya; processes for asphalt manufacture in Nigeria;Morocco’s aggregates market; and the construction of a new airport to serve Zambia's CopperBelt

63 MiningDiamond recovery; gold extraction and processing; and measures to improve safetyunderground

04 Agenda: Public and private sectordevelopments

14 Bulletin:Corporate presence atnumerous African events

68 Solutions:Minerals equipment andpackaging technologies

Contents

Europe €10, Ghana C1.8, Kenya Ksh200, Nigeria N330, South Africa R25, UK £7, USA $12

July 2014

Ghanaian commerce andeconomy

P37

P24


Markets and deals for diesel

generators

Construction:Morocco’s booming aggregatesmarket P58

Transport:Road safety initiativesfor Kenya P32

Business:Investing in SouthAfrican oil & gas P20

50 yearsServing business in

Africa since 1964

Editor’s Note

Main cover picture: Hatz DieselInset, bottom left: CCGT/SDLGInset, top left: Emmanuel Yartey

P30

P52

This issue of African Review of Business and Technology primarily represents the economicsignificance of power, construction and mining. However, there are also articles addressing

such areas as transportation and technological development. Beginning with business, frompages 20 to 26 there are articles on the development of South African oil and gas exploration, andthe rebalancing of the Ghanaian economy through initiatives set on ameliorating the West Africannation’s import/export trade profile. The technology section stays in Ghana, and over pages 28 to30 offers analysis of solutions for data centres and at enterprise connectivity. For transport, thisissue looks east, to Kenya, with a report on an initiative aimed at improving road traffic safety onpage 32. The power section begins with an exploration of Nigeria’s complex energy infrastructureand requirements, followed by an overview of commercial developments in genset marketsaround the continent, between page 34 and page 48. From page 50 through to page 62, this issueaddresses construction matters - including paints production in Kenya, asphalt manufacture inNigeria, the operation of excavators in Morocco, and the building of a new airport to serveZambia’s Copper Belt. Mining, from page 63 to page 66, rounds up the features, with a focus ondiamond and gold mining, and measures towards improving safety underground.

Andrew Croft, Editor

African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014

Audit Bureau ofCirculations -

BusinessMagazines


Managing Editor: Andrew [email protected]

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Hiriyti Bairu, Sindhuja Balaji, Lizzie Carroll, Ranganath GS, Prashant AP, Rhonita Patnaik,Louise Quick, Zsa Tebbit, Nicky Valsamakis, and Ben Watts

Publisher: Nick Fordham

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Advertising Sales Manager: Jane WellmanTel: +44 114 262 1523 Fax: +44 7976 232791 Email: [email protected]

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Head Office: Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, University House,11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place,London SW1W 0EX, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0)20 7973 0076 Middle East Regional Office: Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLC, Office 215,Loft No 2/A, PO Box 502207, Dubai Media City,UAE, Tel: +971 4 448 9260, Fax: +971 4 448 9261Production:Nathanielle Kumar, Donatella Moranelli, Nick Salt and Sophia WhiteE-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

Chairman: Derek FordhamPrinted by: Wyndeham Grange LtdUS Mailing Agent:African Review of Business & Technology, USPS. No. 390-890 is published 11 times a year for US$140 per year byAlain Charles Publishing, University House, 11-13 LowerGrosvenor Place, London SW1W 0EX, UK. Peridicals postagepaid at Rahway, New Jersey. Postmaster: send addresscorrections to Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, c/o MercuryAirfreight International Ltd, 365 Blair Rd, Avenel, NJ 07001.

ISSN: 0954 6782

Serving the world of business


There were fuel efficient, lowemissions technologies andadvanced precision farmingsolutions at the SIAM 2014Moroccan InternationalAgricultural Show, heldrecently in Meknès.Established equipmentimporter SOMMA presentedNew Holland’s TD5 tractor,which was launched at lastyear’s edition of the show andis now available with factoryfitted loader. Also exhibited was the new TD4040F orchard tractor, the TT, TD and TD5 range oftractors, and a BC5000 baler. The main draw, however, was the precision land management(PLM) display module, illustrating the benefits of advanced farming technology.

Efficient farming with precision land management New Holland’s PLM specialist Ezio Garesio, together with a representative from the brand’stechnological partner Trimble, made presentations every day of the show. They demonstratedthe features and benefits of the guidance solutions, the PLM software to analyse yield data andfine tune inputs, and the telematics systems to synchronise in-field working betweenmachines. Visitors to the stand could also view the informative PLM display module and learnmore about the ways New Holland’s advanced precision farming technology can help themmaximise their farm’s efficiency and minimise costs.

Ansaldo Energia has been working inEgypt since 1983, building both

substations and hydraulic/conventionalsteam power stations. In March 2011, thecompany was awarded a turnkey (EPC)contract for the fast-track supply of fourAE94.2 gas turbines rated 150MW for the6th October Power Project (600MW opencycle). Ansaldo Energia completed theproject according to a very short timetableof just 14 months. In June 2013, AnsaldoEnergia was awarded the 6th OctoberPower Project Extension contract worthmore than US$327mn by the CairoElectricity Production Company, asubsidiary of the Egyptian ElectricityHolding Company.

The 6th October Power ProjectExtension is located inside the fenced-offarea around the High Voltage Lab, 25 kmfrom Cairo. The plant is situated next to theexisting one, which was completedaccording to a very short contracttimetable in 2012, with warranty periodexpiring in July 2014. This rapidity was oneof the main factors in the customer’sdecision to renew its confidence in ourcompany. The new 6th October PowerProject Extension will offer the possibilityof completing the combined cycle plant inthe future by adding the steam turbinegenerator and air condenser system.

With this new order, Ansaldo Energiaconfirms its North African leadership in thesupply of open cycle plants, with a total oftwenty seven units delivered in the areasince 2007.

4

NEWS

According to Azem Project Development and Frost & Sullivan, Aluminium production in theGulf Co-operation Council (GCC) is estimated at about 3.5mn tonnes, which represents aboutseven per cent of global total output. Further, the aluminium downstream industries in Qatarhave become important to suffice the demand from local and other international markets. Withhigh quality and competitive products, the industry will contribute significantly towardsachieving the industrial diversification of Qatar.

Speaking about non-oil development in GCC countries, Venkatesan Subramanian, vicepresident and global leader, metals & minerals, at Frost & Sullivan, said, “Major Government-based oil companies and investment bodies are venturing into the Aluminium industry in theGCC to diversify and take advantage of the low cost utilities. This industry can further boost theGDP and offtake the risk put forth by diminishing oil reserves in the region.”

The total investments in Qatari aluminium downstream projects are about US$329.6mn, withproduction capacity close to 260,000 tonnes per year for different types of aluminiumproducts. The total demand for such products is more than 2.8mn tonnes in the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA).

Fast-track plantconstruction in Egypt

The 6th October Power Project Extension is located 25km from Cairo


Agenda / NorthAluminium smelter capacities driveGGC downstream growth

Precise and powerful products forMoroccan land management


SIAM was well-attended, with much interest in fuel efficient,low emissions technologies and precision farming solutions


Anewly-established fruit processing plant inSalima, 90km from Lilongwe in Malawi, is

setting the trend by being a 100 per cent renewableenergy international standard processing facility. Theplant’s team visited and worked with over 100processing facilities around the world, to ensure adesign driven by the highest possible qualitystandards.

In order to produce high-quality purees and juices,the designers focused on processing capabilities aswell as adherence to international hygienestandards. The resultant facility comprises a structurethat is constructed from high grade steel and block-work and is fully sealed from the elements. Theinclusion of a Ditec Alimax high speed roll up doorfrom Apex Strip Curtains & Doors was in line withthis focus on quality control.

The plant will initially focus on varieties ofmangoes, pineapples and bananas demanded bythe major fruit drinks market, and once established itwill produce and process in excess of 100,000 Mt offruit per annum.

Apex Strip Curtains & Doors is the official distributor in southernAfrica for the Italian-manufactured Alimax range of high speeddoors and received the contract to supply the 3.6 metre wide, 3metre high roll up door from the consulting engineers for theproject’s EPCM contractor.

“Alimax roll up doors are very popular in the food and beverageprocessing and packaging industries because of their ability to

rapidly open and close, thus ensuring minimal changes intemperature and humidity,” Wim Dessing, managing director of ApexStrip Curtains & Doors said.

The fruit processing facility comprises a 10,000 m2 structure withreception area, ripening, processing, packaging, storage anddispatch areas. Apex Strip Curtains was requested to provide a highspeed door for fitment between the packaging and storage area.

6

NEWS

According to Uganda's Rural ElectricityAgency (REA), the country has had increasedcoverage for both low voltage (LV) andmedium voltage (MV) lines, with a total of6,200 km of MV power lines and 3,500 km ofLV reticulation networks built in its attemptsto extend access to electricity to rural areas.The agency adds that a further 3,500 km ofMV power lines and 825 km of LV are underprocurement, while many other projectssupported by several development partnershave been implemented.

The Ugandan government recentlylaunched what it dubbed "Vision 2040" -whereby it plans to have universal access ofelectricity by all Ugandans.

Officials at the country’s Ministry of Energysay electricity has, for a long time, beenconstrained by supply - and that, by the year2000, rural electrification was at a dismal oneper cent, although the trend has improvedand rural connections to the national gridhave gone up to seven per cent, with nationalcoverage now at 15 per cent.

REA says, in its most recent review, that tooperationalise Uganda's Vision 2040 further, ithas developed a Rural Electrification Strategyand Plan (RESP) 2013-2023 outlining its ten-year agenda to accelerate electricity accesswhile ensuring programme efficiency andsustainability.

"The plan proposes sub-dividing the

country into grid service territories to enableeffective service delivery. Under this initiative,the country has been divided into 13 serviceterritories based on economic viability andgeographical location," it notes, adding that ithas also developed initiatives to enableincreased connection to electricity.

The Agency cites the Output Based Aid(OBA) project funded by the GlobalPartnership on Output Based Aid (GPOBA)through the World Bank (IDA), and theEuropean Union (EU) through KfW, theGerman government-owned developmentbank.

Geoffrey Muleme

Energy-efficient facility preserves Malawian fruit

A Ditec Alimax high speed roll up door, from Apex Strip Curtains &Doors, has been installed at a fruit processing plant in Malawi


Agenda / EastREA highlights rural electrification



S02 ATR July 2014 - Agenda_Layout 1 6/19/2014 3:52 PM

Savannah Resources has commencedits 2014 drilling programme at the

company’s 80 per cent owned, 180 km2Jangamo heavy mineral sands project,located in southern Mozambique.

Savannah’s CEO, David Archer, said,“With the commencement of the fieldseason in Mozambique, we are uppingthe tempo of activities with anextensive drill programme over ourflagship Jangamo mineral sands project.The programme has been designed toexpand on the highly positive resultsfrom the 2013 drill programme and testthe prospectivity of the two mainmorphological zones identified, whichare thought to be prospective formineral sands. We believe that theproject has the potential to generatesignificant value for the company andits shareholders and look forward toreporting on this drilling programmeand results in due course as we buildtowards defining a potential JORCcompliant resource by the end of 2014.’’

The drilling programme The project is covered by a series ofnorth-east trending Quaternary dunaland fluvial deposits, many of whichhave confirmed heavy mineralmineralisation. The area has threemorphological zones, composed of twoinland dunes (red sands) which are thehighest areas, separated by a low lyingarea (alluvial sands) with differentsedimentary characteristics.Approximately 4,000m of drilling hasbeen planned and will focus onexpanding the high grade areas ofheavy minerals identified during the2013 drilling programme and definingthe stratigraphy and prospectivity ofthe red dune sand systems which coverextensive areas throughout thetenement.

8

NEWS

South Africa’s past decade of logistics costs and efficiency is reported in the 10th State of Logisticssurvey for the country, published by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) incollaboration with Imperial Logistics and Stellenbosch University. The structure of the publicationhas remained similar over the 10 years. This year’s survey thus looks back over a decade ofmeasuring logistics costs while for the first time providing a forecast of the current calendar year’scosts. In 2012 the absolute cost of logistics was R393bn (US$37.576bn) (showing that thecorrectness of the estimate for 2012 published in the 9th State of Logistics survey wassatisfactory. Logistics costs are estimated to have been R423bn in 2013 and are forecasted to bebetween R456bn and R470bn in 2014, depending on fuel inflation.

Logistics costs as a percentage of GDP have remained at astable level of 12.5 per cent for 2011 to 2013 and areforecasted to show a slight increase in 2014 depending onthe magnitude of fuel inflation. A deeper investigation ofindividual cost components and cost drivers show that theincrease in logistics costs is perhaps not so much the resultof deteriorating efficiency in the industry but thedisproportionate growth in cost drivers – especially fuel.

The survey reports that South African supply chains havemoved beyond survival to optimised mode, where costs,inventories and lead times have been minimised withinindividual supply chain functions. End-to-end integration ofsupply chain functions is the next major shift required inSouth Africa to make business more customer-centric andcompetitive. An integrated supply chain approach unlockslogistics efficiencies that were previously unavailable, asillustrated by Nissan SA’s recent successes. The public sector needs to create an enablingenvironment for effective logistics. Appropriate logistics infrastructure and a greater drivetowards intermodalism are key enablers to reduce costs and improve performance in SouthAfrica’s logistics industry. Investment in rail, road, port, pipeline and airport infrastructurecontinues to be a high priority for the country with hundreds of billions of rand invested annually.

“As is the case globally, funding for mega infrastructure projects is a significant constrainingfactor, thus public private partnerships (PPPs) are becoming essential to realise the country’sambitious infrastructure expansion plans,” according to the survey.

The country’s national road network remained in a good condition between 2009 and 2013under the jurisdiction of SANRAL. Unfortunately, many provincial road networks havedeteriorated considerably – partly due to the accelerated wear caused by trucks carrying rail-friendly freight. The survey states that by focusing first on upgrading ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’sections to a ‘fair’ condition will save more vehicle operating costs than upgrading ‘fair’ roads to a‘good’ or ‘very good’ condition. Smart Trucks, a product of the performance-based standards (PBS)initiative driven in South Africa by the CSIR, is a road transport project that holds great promisefor increasing transport efficiency in tandem with modal shift imperatives. Demonstrationprojects have shown average improvements in fuel efficiencies of 14 per cent along with a drasticreduction in road wear and larger payloads which result in fewer trips.

“The global economic situation and rising cost drivers spell out increased competition andtighter margins. Thus driving down the cost of logistics, making South Africa more competitiveand capitalising on growth potential in Africa and global commodity markets will require no lessthan bold steps forward,” states the survey. Greater supply chain integration, modal shift,transport efficiencies and successful PPPs will require proactive effort, courage and innovationfrom both the private and public sectors.

Drilling underway atJangamo, Mozambique


Agenda / SouthA decade of SA logistics costs info



According to Ferrex plc, high ironvalues have been returned from

rock samples collected as part of themapping programme in February2014 to increase the mineralised areaat its 309 sq km Mebaga DSO IronOre Project in northern Gabon.

Of these, 13 rock samples collectedfrom float blocks and rare outcropsof iron-enriched Archean bandediron formation (BIF) at Mebaga weresubmitted to the Set Point laboratoryfacility in Libreville for preparation,with pulps freighted to Set Point inJohannesburg for analysis. Sampleswere assayed using the industry-standard technique for iron ore oflithium borate fusion with XRF finish.

Ferrex managing director DaveReeves said, "At the beginning of theyear we were delighted to reportthat mapping activities undertakenin February 2014 had discovered twonew areas of high grade iron oremineralisation at Mebaga, 7km eastand 3km west of the area we drilledin 2013.

The assay results from rocksamples taken from these areasconfirm the potential for additionalextensive significant DSO grade ironore mineralisation within the licencearea.

“Looking ahead for the project, thenext drill campaign, which will targetextensions to the previously definedmineralisation and the west ridge, isexpected to commence in early Q32014. In addition, we have recentlyreceived approval from the GabonMinistry of Economy for theproposed Anglo American andKumba transaction and believe thatdue diligence on this transaction isentering its final stages.”

Nigeria is hosting the World Pension Summit‘Africa Special’, which brings together leadingplayers from Africa’s pension industries, as wellas key figures from across politics, businessand finance to exchange expertise andincrease international cooperation on thecontinent.

Held in Abuja, the event also marks the 10thanniversary of the enactment of the PensionReform Act 2004, and the formation of theNational Pension Commission (PenCom) asNigeria’s regulator for pension matters. Sinceits formation, PenCom has worked to create amore conducive regulatory framework forNigeria’s pension sector, which – with in

excess of US$23bn of pension funds undermanagement – will play a key role in Nigeria’seconomic development.

Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, acting directorgeneral of PenCom, said, “We are delighted tobring the World Pension Summit to Africa. Anumber of African nations are experiencingstrong economic growth supported by therising investment in natural resources androbust private consumption. As a result, therole of the pensions industry in providing astable consumer savings vehicle for Africa’sgrowing middle classes, and the investment ofcapital from its pension funds, is of increasingsignificance.”

10

NEWS

After the CTIC incubator in Senegal and the Ebène project in Mauritius, Orange has backed astart-up incubator in Niger. Orange Niger and its local partners have helped to set-up CIPMEN, asmall- and medium-sized business (SME) incubator designed to encourage the creation of newand innovative companies in the country.

CIPMEN was designed to support small- and medium-sized enterprises from their launchphase until they reach a level of maturity and turn enough profit to fend for themselves in thelong-term. The purpose of CIPMEN is to help innovative SMEs grow on a market where manycompanies fail to see the light of day, and to bridge the gap between the informal sector andthe larger national and international companies. Niger offers few suitable support mechanismsfor upcoming businesses, despite the central role that companies play in creating jobs for youngpeople, helping to form a middle class, and in creating and redistributing wealth.

The incubator will help companies in future-oriented sectors such as Information andCommunication Technologies, renewable energy and the environment. The project, initiated byOrange, is a pilot programme which should enable the launch of other regional initiatives in Niger.

Caverton Offshore Support Group - which provides marine, aviation and logistics services tolocal and international oil and gas companies in Nigeria - has taken delivery of a new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, the seventh in its fleet. As part of the company’s earlier statedplans to embark on fleet expansion, the new aircraft adds to the growing fleet of Caverton’sAgusta Westland helicopters thus making it the largest fleet in sub-Saharan Africa.

The new helicopter is dedicated to the Shell Petroleum Development Company contract,which the company won in 2010 through a competitive bidding process.

The aircraft was manufactured in Italy and is pre-equipped with a forward-looking infra red(FLIR) camera, which allows airborne pipeline surveillance to be carried out and imagesstreamed in real time to base stations. It also has thermal imaging systems which are used forsurveillance and threat detection.

High iron ore gradesfrom Mebagan inGabon


Agenda / WestOrange backs new Niger business

PenCom’s African pension summit

Caverton takes AW139 helicopter



12

Engineering, managementand specialist technicalservices firm Aureconrecently acted as overallprogramme manager for anarchitectural designcompetition focused onarriving at a winningdesign for the plannedupgrade of Entrance 2 at the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI) LowveldNational Botanical Gardens in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.

“The competition formed part of the on-going commemoration of the SANBI’scentenary anniversary and was endorsed by the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA)and the Mpumalanga Institute of Architects (MPIA),” says Louwrens Vermaak, Aureconproject manager.

Judges were looking for a vibrant new design that would replace the existing entrancefacilities with a single signature entrance complex.

Additionally, the new design needed to have an authentic, contemporary character thatwould incorporate existing plants or trees in the surrounding area.

“The competition focused on identifying a design that would lend the gardens its ownunique brand identity that would attract additional visitors to the gardens,” says Vermaak.

Architects aim to revive botanical gardens

Visitors from 30 nations attended the 2014editions of Africa’s Big Seven (AB7) and theSouthern African International Trade Exhibition(SAITEX), which together represent the singlebiggest food & beverage and businessopportunities expo on the African continent.AB7 and SAITEX both took place late-June atGallagher Convention Centre, Midrand inJohannesburg. Show organiser John Thomsonof Exhibition Management Services citesstagnating first-world economies and decliningmarkets as drivers for global companies toexplore Africa as the ‘New Frontier’ for business.And Africa’s Big Seven is an ideal businessplatform for Africa’s food and beverage industry.“The show has become an effective platformfor hooking up prospective suppliers, customersand partners interested in doing business inAfrica,” Thomson said.


The Lowveld Botanical Gardens in Nelspruit, South Africa

30 nationalitiesat AB7, SAITEX


NEWS

August3-7UIA CongressDurban, South Africawww.uia2014durban.org

13-16EcoafribuildJohannesburg, South Africawww.ecoafribuild.co.za

13-16Interbuild AfricaJohannesburg, South Africawww.interbuild.co.za

September2-4Propak West AfricaLagos, Nigeriawww.propakwestafrica.com

3-5Agrifoodtec East AfricaNairobi, Kenyawww.agrifoodteceastafrica.com

9-12East AfripackNairobi, Kenyawww.eastafripack.com

10-11Banking & Mobile Money COMESANairobi, Kenyaaitecafrica.com

11–14Business Opportunities andFranchise Expo (BOFE)Johannesburg, South Africawww.thebereed.co.za/bofe

15-19electra miningJohannesburg, South Africawww.electramining.co.za

16-17NigeriaComLagos, Nigerianigeria.comworldseries.com

October1-3Zimbabwe Mining andInfrastructure IndabaHarare, Zimbabwe zimminingindaba.com

7-9Trans AfricaJohannesburg, South Africa www.transafricaexpo.co.za

13-17AfriMoldJohannesburg, South Africa www.afrimold.co.za

21-22MENA MiningDubai, UAEwww.terrapinn.com

28-30Power NigeriaLagos, Nigeriawww.power-nigeria.com

Events / 2014


S03 ATR July 2014 - Bulletin_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:24 PM

14

NEWS

Bulletin / EventsAfriMold joins forces with SAAutomotive Week Two manufacturing trade shows; South

African Automotive Week (SAAW) and

AfriMold, will be co-hosted between 13-17

October 2014 at the Gallagher Convention

Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, South

Africa; South African Automotive Week

working group chairman and National

Association of Automotive Component

and Allied Manufacturers of South Africa

(NAACAM) director Robert Houdet

confirmed the co-hosting arrangement was

a logical step that was in the interest of the

industry, saying, “The events complement

each other and their co-habitation will

boost value to industry participants and

create an even more powerful showcase of

South Africa’s manufacturing capability,.’

Atlas Copco’s hydraulicattachments at Hillhead A range of versatile and cost-effective

construction and quarrying equipment

produced by Atlas Copco and shown at

Hillhead, a biennial British exhibition for

global enterprises, included everything

from handheld pneumatic tools to the

company’s large SD2500WS paver; one of

the key exhibits, the versatile and efficient

down-the-hole FlexiROC D55 drill rig, is

just as suited to quarry blast hole drilling

as for mining operations, offering

productivity and flexibility beyond

conventional quarry drill rigs, which can

be equipped with a range of Atlas Copco

DTH hammers, well-known for their high

performance in terms of speed, reliability

and longevity.

Business opportunities &Franchise Expo reaches Africa Now in its 21st year, the Business

Opportunities and Franchise Expo (BOFE),

presented in partnership with Eskom, has

contributed significantly toward

include two new products demonstrated

for the very first time – the QH441 and

QS331 mobile cone crushers, both featuring

Sandvik’s new hanging screen.

African ministers addressfinancing for minedevelopment Government ministers from Angola,

Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali,

Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia,

meeting in London in the UK, are working

to support an initiative to create shared

value through mining; discussions have

centred on Africa's requirement of almost

US$100bn each year to improve the

continent's infrastructure, against the fact

that only half of this amount is currently

being spent on roads, railways and port

facilities - with the African Development

Bank appealing for investors, hoping to

raise US$3bn in a new infrastructure fund,

called Africa50.

Export workshop returnshighlight trade at SAITEX Re-introduced at the 2014 edition of SAITEX

in June, the Southern African International

Trade Exhibition, an import/export

workshop held at the Gallagher Convention

Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, was

arranged to cover the fundamentals of

trade for beginners - and to facilitate

discussion of proper planning and

execution, efficiency and compliance,

optimisation of operating procedures,

incentives, finance, logistics, markets,

marketing, and training and support; “This

workshop is an essential and invaluable key

to entering the world of international trade,

and provides a rare short-cut to gaining the

required knowledge quickly and easily,” said

Stephen Oehley, director of South African

Trade Promotions, organiser of the

workshop.

developing entrepreneurship in South

Africa and is beginning to expand its reach

on the continent, with trade representatives

from several African countries looking to

bring contingents of both exhibitors and

visitors to this year’s show; the 2014 BOFE

expo will take place from 11-14 September

at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northriding,

Johannesburg, South Africa.

Solar firm highlightsaffordable electricity atSE4ALL launchMobisol, which provides solar

electrification through microfinanced

mobile technology, participated in the

recent launch of the Sustainable Energy for

All (SE4ALL) Decade by showcasing its

sustainable solar electrification model at

the official Africa launch of the initiative in

Rwanda, where a 200Wp Mobisol solar

home system and bright LED lights have

been donated to and installed at Gicumbi

Health Centres in the rural north of the

country; an official field trip to the Gicumbi

Health Centres promoted a focus on the

importance of energy to women and

children’s health, with Mobisol Rwanda staff

demonstrating Mobisol’s electrification

model on site, contributing to the

improvement of the facilities’ premises with

the Mobisol solar home system and over a

dozen much-needed lights in the maternity

room, pharmacy and other locations.

Sandvik shows total solutionsfor construction and miningMany product launches and live

demonstrations of mobile crushing and

screening equipment offered evidence of

Sandvik’s commitement to the global

quarrying and construction industry, with

the firm emphasising areas of expertise and

service that transcend the traditional

supplier–customer dynamic; the firm’s most

recent innovations, on show at Hillhead,

African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014 www.africanreview.com


16

NEWS

Bulletin / EventsPhilips roadshow highlightsbusiness interest in Morocco Royal Philips recently unveiled a stunning

lighting makeover of the historic, Wilaya

building in Casablanca, Morocco, as part of its

fifth consecutive pan-African Cairo to Cape

Town roadshow, with its latest range of LED

luminaires installed, providing a palette of

16mn colours to highlight the Wilaya’s features

whilst allowing energy savings of up to 80 per

cent over an estimated lifetime of up to

100,000 hours (compared to 12,000 hours

with conventional lighting solutions); Philips is

committed to significantly expanding its

business footprint in Morocco, where it has a

regional office, by addressing local needs with

meaningful innovations throughout the

Maghreb; and the company is making

substantial investments in hiring local talent,

brand building and opening a new office in

Casablanca in the second half of the year to

broaden its reach and expand the range of

product offerings and customer services.

Durban set to host global eventfor architecture Taking place 3-7 August, UIA Durban 2014

Congress is expected to attract about 6,000

delegates from around the globe with a

strong local contingent in attendance;

architects, designers, urban planners and

place makers will convene over a week-long

discourse on the theme, ‘’Architecture

Otherwhere’’ - with the sub themes ‘Resilience,

Ecology and Values’ also under scrutiny.

the key issues faced by East Africa’s

increasingly dynamic financial services sector;

its two-day conference programme, on 10-11

September, provides a valuable educational

forum for the financial services sector,

updating CXOs and IS managers on latest

international developments in payment

technologies, best practices in IT project

deployment, and latest trends in customer

service delivery.

Would you like to see 38,000mining customers?There were 38,000 people at the biggest

mining, industrial, machine tools and

electrical trade show in southern Africa in

2012, a huge number of potential customers

in one place, and a persuasive reason to

exhibit at Electra Mining Africa 2014; this

premier showcase brings new products to

market with resounding success - with on-site

sales, plenty of sales leads and brand visibility

delivering a great return on investment for

exhibitors and providing a world-class event

for visitors keen to see the latest in products,

services, technologies and trends across the

mining, construction, industrial, power

generation and machine tools sectors.

World Economic Forumpromotes skills in West Africa The World Economic Forum recently

launched Africa Skills Initiative, a

multistakeholder programme that brings

together private and public sector leaders to

shape national and regional skills and

employment policies in an effort to increase

competitiveness and labour productivity and

promote inclusive economic growth; the

Africa Skills Initiative uses the Forum’s Human

Capital Index, which provides an overview on

how well countries are leveraging their

human capital and establishing workforces

that are prepared for the demands of

competitive economies.

Dedicated to delivering productportfolios for packagingHeld next 2-4 September 2014 in Lagos,

Nigeria, Propak West Africa presents solutions

and services for packaging, printing and

plastics in the West African region, providing

an international platform for industry

suppliers to promote their portfolios to senior

buyers; the event runs in conjunction with

Print Expo West Africa, Pro-Plas West Africa,

Pro-Label West Africa, Food Processing West

Africa, and Digital Printing West Africa.

An international approach toagriculture at AgriFoodTecAgriFoodTec East Africa, which is scheduled

for 1-3 September 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya, is a

trade fair for the agricultural, food and food

processing sectors, representing the solutions

for food and food processing sectors, which

can play a significant role in economic

development; the host country Kenya is an

ideal location for this inaugural show, offering

access to the East African Community, an

intergovernmental organisation

encompassing 135mn people, to which the

emerging countries of East and Central Africa

such as Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and

Rwanda belong.

East African businesses getready for East AfripackEast Afripack is a key exhibition for firms

involved in processing, packaging and

converting in the East Africa region;

scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, 9-12

September 2014, the show offers a unique

opportunity to get in touch with companies

seeking technological upgrade in a rapidly

expanding area.

Models for banking andsuperior financial servicesNow entering its eighth year as a leading

banking forum for the region, AITEC Banking

& Mobile Banking COMESA 2014 addresses

Wilaya City Hall inCasablanca, Morocco



17

The challenges in civil aviationquality management African countries are reported to be still

facing challenges in compliance with the

requirements on quality management

systems of the International Civil Aviation

organisation (ICAO), according to Michel

Jarraud, secretary general of the World

Meteorological Organisation (WMO),

attending the second bureau of the African

Ministerial Conference on Meteorology

(AMCOMET) in Harare, Zimbabwe. Jarraud

said out of 17 members of the Agency for

Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and

Madagascar (ASECNA), only seven have

recently undergone external audits and are

working on the non-conformances identified.

"Others have started the process and in total

11 members are certified with a number at

advanced stage of the quality management

countries that have reported as having

commenced assessment," Jarraud said. Dr

Joseph Mukabana, WMO director of the

regional office for Africa told the AMCOMET

meeting that the Nairobi declaration which

established the body requested that all

necessary steps be taken to ensure that

National Meteorological Services in Africa

meet the ICAO requirements regarding the

quality management systems whose deadline

was November 2012.

"However, it will be reported that many

African countries have yet to meet the

deadline," Mukabana said.

The ministers at the Nairobi meeting urged

the WMO and the African Union

Commission to support the African National

Meteorological Services meet the ICAO

requirements regarding quality management

systems and competency assessments.

system implementation," Jarraud said.

Jarraud added that training activities are

being implemented. However, he added that

the deadline for compliance with

competency assessment for personnel

serving international air navigation was 1

December, 2013.

"The deadline is rather limited with only a few

Michel Jarraud, WMO secretary general (second fromright) says African countries still need support in civilaviation quality management mechanisms

Bulletin / EventsNEWS

African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014www.africanreview.com


18

NEWS

Bulletin / EventsMinister opens prestigiouswater and construction show In Accra, Ghana, at water and construction

trade show Water Africa and West Africa

Building & Construction 2014 - held 2-4 July -

over 80 exhibitors attend to display their

goods and services to the West Africa market

- and to Ghanaians, in particular, with Ghana’s

Minister of Water Resources, Works & Housing,

the Honourable Collins Dauda, as official

guest of honour. The seminar programme was

designed specifically to represent the most

important topics of the day facing providers

of infrastructure for the water and sanitation

sector and organisations in the building and

construction industry - with key support from

the Ghanaian Government. Presentations

during sessions and at the seminars,

alongside exhibition support, has come from:

● Ministry of Water Resources, Works and

Housing.

● Ghana Water Company Limited.

● Water Resources Commission.

● Water Research Institute (CSIR).

● Community Water and Sanitation

Agency.

● Ghana Institution of Engineers.

● Ghana Institute of Architects.

● Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

● Ghana Real Estate Developers

Association.

Commercial endorsement to complement

public sector support has been forthcoming

from: Interplast, Inefly, Nesstra Ghana, ABB,

Hilti and Suvinil Paints, DEM and Wacker.

MTN programme promotesdigitisation of education For the third consecutive year, MTN

employees united under the theme of

“Investing in education for all”, to cast the

spotlight on the digitisation of teaching and

learning during the company’s annual

employee volunteer programme, 21 Days of

Y’ello Care, held 1-21 June.

In Kenya, MTN Business employee volunteers

oversaw the supply of connectivity for a

NOC Libya brings oil companiestogether in London The 3rd New Libya Oil & Gas Forum gathered

a delegation of over 200 executives at the

end of May 2014 from the National Oil

Corporation Libya, governmental officials,

and international oil companies operating in

the country and their service providers.

Co-organised by Oliver Kinross and IRN, it

was held in London, in the UK. Having been

hosted successfully under the patronage of

the Libyan NOC for the two previous years, in

Rome (2012) and Istanbul (2013), the meeting

proved again to be a key platform to facilitate

high-level discussions. The event focus was

on the oil and gas business in the country,

highlighting investment opportunities, future

development prospects, and plans for both

the upstream and downstream sectors.

Onshore and offshore operations were closely

examined by the key on field companies BP

Libya, Nafusa Libya, Shell and Oando.

Organisations in attendance at this year’s

meeting included: Shell, BP, Total, Libya

Holdings Group, Oando, Shell

International Trading and Shipping

Company, Crosco, OMV, Sipex Libya,

Technip, BP Libya, Total SA, BB Energy

Group, British Arab Commercial Bank Plc,

Shell International Upstream, Yokogawa

Middle East & Africa, Occidental Libya Oil

and Gas, Petrofac International Limited,

Statoil, Total E&P Libya, Egyptian Drilling

Company, GE Oil & Gas, OMV Pakistan,

Statoil, ExxonMobil, Gazprom Neft, and

Hess Corporation Libya. The forum was

sponsored by IESCO, Libya Holdings,

Serinus Energy, NRC, Veritas Academy,

TransSahara Group, Melron Endustri,

IHRDC, BACB, and Edgo - with Oando Group

as a gold sponsor. The meeting was also

supported by the Libyan British Business

Council, the Middle East Association, the

Italian-Libyan Chamber of Commerce and

Cedigaz.

digital library they created as part of their

Y’ello Care activities at the Maralal Primary

School in Samburu County. The library gives

more than 2,000 learners and 72 teachers at

the school access to digital content for better

learning and teaching. In Uganda, MTN

volunteers setup community ICT Hubs in the

Central, North and East Regions, with

computers, Internet connectivity, electricity,

furniture and Microsoft-certified training. MTN

employees contributed towards the purchase

of the necessary ICT and associated

infrastructure, as well as the refurbishment of

existing structures housing the hubs.

As with their colleagues in Uganda, MTN

volunteers in South Africa raised funds for their

Y’ello Care activities. Some of the fundraising

activities included auctions, quiz competitions

and a half marathon. As part of their

programme, MTN employees in South Africa

helped refurbish a library at the Diepsloot

Combined School, north of Johannesburg. The

school also gained a computer lab. In West

Africa, MTN Cameroon employees contributed

funds towards the building of classrooms for

Central African Republic refugee children - and

provided learners with educational material.

The employee volunteers in Cameroon also

partnered with the UNHCR, Plan Cameroon and

Ministry of Basic Education to introduce

underprivileged children at six social care

institutions to the use of ICT and social media.

To ensure they remain connected beyond the

duration of the programme, each centre was

equipped with a computer and Internet

connectivity. In Guinea Bissau, MTN

employees rolled up their sleeves and

assisted in the construction of community

schools in Bor and Camura. Employees

helped the communities with construction

materials and also carried out some voluntary

work in the construction. MTN employees in

Ivory Coast focused on improving access to

education in primary schools. They built,

refurbished and supplied equipment to

schools in Abidjan, Tikakro and San Pedro.



S04 ATR July 2014 - Business _Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:13 PM

Africa’s untapped oil and gas andtechnological advances have arousedunprecedented interest in

hydrocarbons off the coast of South Africarecently. The tough physical conditions of theareas that oil and gas firms want to exploreand controversial moves by the governmenton the regulatory side mean that players inthe industry have their work cut out, however.

Interest in South Africa’s offshorehydrocarbons has mushroomed since thediscovery of hydrocarbons in the Karoo Basin,a 600,000 sq km region in Central andsouthern South Africa, just a few years ago. In2009, exploration of the area got underway.Hydrocarbons firms are also ramping upactivity in the Orange Basin, a 37,000 sq kmarea off the west coast of the country.

There has been an influx of big players tothe sector in the last couple of years. Shell hasbeen the most upfront about its desire toexplore and exploit shale gas reserves in theKaroo. At the end of last year, the companysaid it was willing to invest US$1bn in thecountry to this end. In 2012, Ireland-basedFalcon Oil & Gas announced it had made anagreement with Chevron to tap explorationopportunities in the Karoo.

In February 2014, fellow energy giant Totalannounced its intention to spend millions ofdollars on both exploration and drilling in thecountry. The French hydrocarbons firm has ashared exploration permit with CanadianNatural Resources applicable to South Africa’ssouthern coast. Drilling is due to commence

later on in the year, according to Christian desClosieres, Total’s South Africa CEO. Total isinterested in obtaining a further explorationpermit, something it is currently in talks withthe government about.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil announced inMarch that it intends to carry out three yearsof offshore exploration from early 2015 acrossan area spanning 50,000 sq km, from theEastern Cape to just north of KwaZulu-Natal.At times the area in question stretches asmuch as 400km away from the coast.

Others have entered South Africa too. InAugust 2012, Cairn India, which operatesIndia’s largest onshore oil field, came to ajoint agreement with PetroSA to explore foroil and gas in the 20,000 sq km Block 1 of theOrange Basin. In the same month, Anadarkoalso signed a deal with PetroSA to exploreBlock 5/6 and Block 7 off the coast of SouthAfrica. In November 2013, Sasol inked anexploration deal with PASA to explore

offshore Zululand and Durban basins. InFebruary of this year, Sasol also said it waskeen to get involved in the shale gas industryin the Karoo Basin again.

Untapped potentialTechnological advances are part of the reasonwhy hydrocarbons companies are lookingafresh at the country’s potential. They includenew seismic imaging techniques. These aresuperior to conventional seismic approachesin that they use all of the information thatseismic data provides, which ultimately giveshydrocarbons companies more detailedinformation before drilling a well. There havealso been dramatic advances in deepwaterdrilling technology over the last few years,which promise to make exploration of SouthAfrica’s offshore reserves an easier task. There isnow the technology to drill at as much as a3,000-metre water depth. Over the last 30years, drilling capacity has improved about

South AfricaBUSINESS

20

An unprecedented interest in hydrocarbons The most recent commercial and technological developments affectingoffshore oil and gas exploration in South Africa

There have been advances in deepwater drillingtechnology which promise to make exploration of

South Africa’s offshore reserves an easier task


Technological advances are part of the

reason why hydrocarbonscompanies are

looking afresh at the country’s potential


South AfricaBUSINESS

22

tenfold. How individual oil and gas companieswill deploy new technology in South Africa isalready starting to emerge. For example, Totalplans to deploy technologies including roboticsubmarine scanning, three-dimensional sonarsurveys, and sediment core sampling.

Elias Pungong, Africa oil and gas sectorleader at Ernst & Young, also thinks that risinginterest in Africa’s gas reserves as a whole alsoplays a role. “The East African gas jamboree isa game changer – there have been hugediscoveries in Mozambique, Tanzania andEthiopia,” he says.

Alwyn van der Lith, director of energy andnatural resources at KPMG, also thinks thatMozambique in particular has been influential.“Gas discoveries in Mozambique have resultedin major companies relooking at this regionand linked to this is the expectation that thereshould be oil and gas offshore in South Africa,if there is gas in Mozambique and oil and gasin Botswana,” he says.

The imminent activity in the hydrocarbonssector is a big deal for South Africa. Theindustry has been neglected for decades.There was limited exploration of the areasusing conventional techniques in the 1960sand 1970s but efforts proved less than fruitful.Apartheid also prevented hydrocarbonsexploration from taking off, according toMansour Mohammed, a sub-Saharan Africaresearch analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

“South Africa was not attracting a lot ofinvestment during that era. At that time therewas also more than enough interest elsewherein sub-Saharan Africa such as Angola andNigeria. New acreage in South Africa just wasnot on the agenda,” says Mohammed.

Regulatory challengesHydrocarbons companies moving into SouthAfrica face considerable uncertainties andchallenges. A big issue is regulation. TheSouth African state is set to makecontroversial changes to legislation that oiland gas firms staunchly oppose.

“Regulatory issues are the biggest concern.It’s a challenge for companies operating inSouth Africa,” says Mohammed.

A new Mining Petroleum and ResourcesDevelopment Act, which is currently underpublic consultation, is due to come into forcesoon, replacing the existing 2002 Act. Oilcompanies have criticised the proposed Actfor giving less than generous terms forhydrocarbons exploration and operationsthat are ultimately high risk. They also arguethat the Act is too standardised, with blanketrules being applicable to mining andhydrocarbons activities across the board,from coal mining to shale gas fracking.

Furthermore, there is concern that thegovernment may be taking advantage of

rising interest in the hydrocarbons sector togain a larger slice in the industry withoutputting in due investment. The governmentcurrently has a 10 per cent participation stakein the sector, but the Act could alter this tothe government having a 10 per cent lifetimecarry. This would ultimately mean thegovernment would not be obliged tocontribute to exploration expenses.

“The Bill entitles the state to a free 20 percent stake in all new energy projects, as wellas a seemingly unlimited additional share atan ‘agreed price’,” says Van der Lith.

“Specifically, the ‘agreed price’ element iscreating uncertainty and this will not bewelcomed by investors, especially the oil andgas industry. Investors need clarity to makeinformed decisions.”

Van der Lith argues that the legalenvironment in South Africa, although farfrom ideal, needs to be placed in a regionalcontext. “The legislation elsewhere in Africa isnot better - in that a number of countries arecurrently busy with amendments to theirlegislation and other countries havelegislation or practices that also result insimilar uncertainties. Thus, if you want toinvest in Africa, South Africa is, in my view, notmore uncertain or more certain than otherAfrica countries in terms of oil and gas.”

Paul Eardley-Taylor, head of Standard Bank’s

energy, utility and infrastructure operations,argues that it is important to remember thatSouth Africa, up until now, has had practicallyno oil and gas sector. “The legislation has reallybeen aimed at the mining industry up untilnow, because there was never the belief thatSouth Africa had oil and gas. So now legislationwill be catching up with the industry reality.”

Another potential difficulty facinghydrocarbons firms is the tough physicalenvironment off of South Africa’s coast. “Thesea conditions leave a very small window toplan and execute projects,” says Mohammed.“The weather can be really bad, with highwaves and strong winds and this impactsexploration activity.”

The extent of South Africa’s hydrocarbonsendowments is also far from clear. In 2011,the US Energy Information Administrationestimated that the Karoo held 485 thousandcubic feet (tcf ) of technically recoverablenatural gas, which would make it the fifthlargest natural gas site in the world. Thisestimation has since dramatically shrunk to40 tcf, although experts claim thatexploitation would still be lucrative based onthis much more modest number.

“There has been 400mn barrels of oilequivalent discovered through oil explorationdrilling since 2009. We need to see howthings develop now and translate excitementinto material discoveries,” says Mohammed.

Van der Lith is similarly cautious. “We knowthat certain organisations have explored thisin a number of areas offshore, and have notfound significant resources. It was reportedthat the entire offshore acreage is eithertaken up or under application whichindicates, to some extent, that the appetitefor offshore exploration is there,” he says. ■

The sea conditionsleave a very small

window to plan andexecute projects”

- Mansour Mohammed, sub-Saharan Africa researchanalyst, Wood Mackenzie


The US Energy Information Administration estimated thatthe Karoo held 485 thousand cubic feet (tcf) of technicallyrecoverable natural gas (Image: Ed Schipul)


S05 ATR July 2014 - Business 01_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:15 PM

GhanaBUSINESS

24 African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014 www.africanreview.com

It is palpably true that any nation whichdepends heavily on importation of foreignitems and exports far less than its local

items will definitely experience low economicgrowth and for that matter have a weakcurrency.

Recently, the Bank of Ghana, in anattempt to save the cedi currency fromdepreciating too fast, injected US$20mninto critical areas of the economy in order toshore up the currency. But that was atemporary stop-gap measure.

Since the beginning of the year, the cedihas suffered more than three per centdepreciation against other currencies, asdemand for the dollar by local firmsimporting goods totally outstripped thesupply, thereby worsening the country’sinflation outlook.

According to the Ghana Stock Exchange(GSE), “In 2012, when the cedi depreciated byalmost 20 per cent, the Bank of Ghanaincreased interest rates, limited the net openpositions of local banks in currency trading,introduced new 30-, 60- and 270-daygovernment bonds to mop up liquidity,restricted local banks from holding nine percent reserves against non-cedi deposits inforeign exchange and instructed a 100 percent local Ghana cedi cover for all bankvostro accounts.

“Those measures temporarily halted thedecline of the cedi, which was seen as a boldattempt to stem exchange rate fluctuations.

“The new Ghana cedi was introduced onJuly 3, 2007 after four zeros were knockedoff, making it the highest-valued currencyunit issued by any sovereign country inAfrica in 2007.

“At that time, US$1 was sold at GHC0.91. InDecember 2008, US$1 was sold at GHC1.10. InJune 2009, US$1 was sold at GHC1.40; inDecember 2010 it sold at GHC1.47 and inDecember 2011 it sold at GHC1.64.

“At the beginning of 2013, US$1 wasexchanged at GHC1.88 and ended the year atGHC2.16, a 15 per cent decline,” it says.

On 7 January this year, the central bankannounced the prohibition of foreigncurrency transactions in the country in orderto stabilise the falling cedi against the USdollar. The Bank of Ghana outlawedcontracting foreign loans by companies fortheir operations and also banned commercialbanks from guaranteeing foreign loans forbusinesses, among other stiffer measures tohalt the decline of the cedi.

Government measuresAs reported by Graphic Business, a state-owned business weekly, recently: “Thegovernor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr KofiWampah, is upbeat about the directives,when strictly enforced, would ‘make the cedicurrency more attractive and, therefore,

instead of going to buy dollars, you will ratherbuy treasury bills and other Bank ofGhana/government papers, and so on’.”

Inflation maintained its steady rise to closeat 13.8 per cent in January this year. TheJanuary figure is 0.3 per cent higher than the13.5 per cent recorded in December last year.Also, the monthly change rate for January2014 was 3.9 per cent against the 1.0 per centrecorded in December 2013.

Professor Cletus Dordunoo, a former boardmember of the Ghana Revenue Authority,says Ghana has one of the most fragileeconomies in the world.

Dordunoo, who is now an economic andpublic policy analyst at ClayDord ConsultancyServices, says Ghana has not been in a goodstate since the days of the first president, DrKwame Nkrumah.

“In our 56 years of independence, we havenever put the wheels of the economic growthon the road. The economy has not been ableto sustain steady supply of water or energy,particularly electricity,” he says.

Bringing a nation backinto balanceGhana’s transition from an import-driven to an export-driven economy

Manufacturing is the “exhaust” of any

booming economy

A trader at the Ghana Stock Exchange


BUSINESSGhana

25African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014www.africanreview.com

Dordunoo is quick to blame the situationon successive governments’ sole target ofsingle-digit inflation which had adetrimental effect on other sectors of theeconomy. “We have to have multipletargeting. Unemployment itself is a miseryto the economy.”

According to the economic analyst,manufacturing is the “exhaust” of anybooming economy and he charges thegovernment to make that its vision.

Dordunoo says he is not surprised thatGhanaians are indifferent to payment of taxbecause the results are not visible enough:“Ghanaians are very wise people that if theysee the value of their taxes, they willcontinue to contribute.”

He adds that the government needs towiden the tax net in order to get more peopleto contribute.

Dordunoo says Ghana’s current import ismore than 50 per cent of the country’s GDPand advised that “we need to produce moreitems and export appreciable quantity ofthem for the needed foreign exchange”.

He says the country receives foreignexchange from foreign direct investments(FDI), loans, grants, remittances from

Ghanaians abroad, etc, but indicates they arestill not enough to ensure an independenteconomy. “We must have a plan policy fordevelopment we can all own – a nationaldevelopment plan.”

On his part, Alhassan Andani, managing

director of Stanbic Bank Ghana suggests thecountry must identify and focus on theproduction of additional export commoditiesto boost foreign earnings to help stem thedepreciation of the cedi against the dollar.

“We need to diversify the economy and

The increase of cocoa production could help reverse the fall of the cedi (Photo: Tulane Public Relations)


focus on the production of more exportcommodities to rake in more foreignexchange,” he says, and added that a boostin cocoa production, non-traditional exportsand oil production could help reverse thefall of the cedi.

According to Andani, the government’seffort to address the budget deficit must besupported through prioritised spending tocut the budget deficit.

“Government should invest in areas thatwill bring in additional revenues,” he suggests.

He says in 2014, the bank will focus onsupporting small and medium enterprises(SMEs); personal and business banking toreach more customers; and financial literacyservices for the unbanked.

According to Andani, there is also a plan todouble the bank’s finance to the agriculturesector in 2014 from the current level of aboutGHC56mn (US$18.77mn).

“Stanbic Bank wants to be part ofgovernment’s efforts to revamp agriculture,particularly the poultry industry,” he says,adding that the bank had invested incommercial maize and soya farming.

Indeed, Ghana’s problem has to do with its

people’s penchant for imported items theycan easily produce in their own country.Currently, Ghana imports rice amounting toUS$500mn per annum, as admitted byGhanaian president John Mahama.

Mahama estimated that about US$1bn wasspent on the importation of only seven itemsper annum, although those items could besourced or produced locally.

The items include rice, vegetable oil, sugarand frozen foods, the importation of whichamount to about half of the foreignexchange the country earned fromexporting cocoa beans.

President Mahama says the reduction insubsidies on utilities and petroleum prices

was to protect the integrity of the economyand save some funds to support pro-poorinterventions, adding: “We need to sustainthe measures we put in place; we have tomove the informal sector to modern times.”

But Professor Nii Noi Dowuona of theFaculty of Agriculture at the University ofGhana says the fundamental problem facingthe majority of Ghanaians is their strong tastefor foreign items.

“[The] majority of Ghanaians need to bementally-oriented to appreciate their own,since that is the only way government will beable to succeed in its plan of producingsubstantial local items for local consumptionand the rest for export,” he adds.

Dowuona, who was also former generalsecretary of the Convention People’s Party(CPP), bemoans the rapidity with whichprevious governments, after the overthrow ofDr Kwame Nkrumah, divested virtually all thestate-owned enterprises he established toforeign investors.

He says Ghana has since beenexperiencing these economic difficultiesbecause “The African Personality” has beenrelegated to the background.

“The time has come for Ghanaians to thinkGhanaian so as to be consummate Ghanaiansin terms of how they perceive things andtheir willingness to unearth their inventivetalents for the good of the country and thecontinent. It is only by such a change inattitude that all of us can expect theappreciation of the cedi to an enviable levelcomparable to the major currencies in thedeveloped nations,” he says. ■

Emmanuel Yartey

GhanaBUSINESS

26

We need to diversify the economy and focus

on the production ofmore export

commodities to rake inmore foreign exchange”

- Alhassan Andani, managing director, Stanbic Bank Ghana


Ghana imports rice amountingto US$500mn annually

President John Mahama


MININGGhana

27

GPS to Modernise Ghana’s Mining Industry


Geo Professional Services (GPS) Limited,a reputable international miningcompany is working tirelessly to help

in Ghana’s ongoing economic transformationthrough its major activity in modern systemof gold mining, its related services and otherbusiness activities of the company.

Indeed, GPS Limited has come in handy ata time Ghana’s economy is facing enormouschallenges mainly because of the country’simport – driven economic paradigm.

As GPS Limited prepares to contribute itsquota to help reshape the economic destinyof Ghana, it is simultaneously carrying thelocal workforce along with it in order totransfer technology to them.

The mining industry in Ghana accounts forfive per cent of the country’s GDP andminerals make up 37 per cent of total exports,of which gold contributes more than 90 percent of the total mineral exports. Thus, themain focus of Ghana’s mining and mineralsdevelopment industry remains focused ongold. Ghana is Africa’s 2nd largest goldproducer.

Ghana has an estimated 1,600 tonnes ofgold reserves. Its production grew 17 per centfrom 2011 to 2012, primarily due to risingprices encouraging greater output. Officialgold holdings in the nation are 8.7 tonnes,amounting to 8.4 per cent of total foreigncurrency.

In an interview with “African Review,”Ramazan Kafarov, C.E.O and chairman of GPSLimited says his company executes amultiplicity of business services with financialgroups, individuals, investors who are willingto invest in different sectors of Ghana’seconomy such as the mining industry,especially gold mining.

According to him, “our modus operandi isto give these investors advice as far asinvesting in Ghana is concerned to ensuresmooth business operations.”

Kafarov says they have experiencedgeologists from the former Soviet Union, nowUkraine, Russian Federation, Kazarstan,Uzbekistan and Belarus who are working ingeological missions all over the world,prompting him to establish a body called

“Institute of Mineral Resources of countries ofAsia, Africa and America» here in Ghana.

GPS Limited are also collaborating withGhana’s Geological Survey Department toset up a joint geological laboratory of highinternational standard capable ofproviding geological tests for all miningcompanies in Ghana.

The company has already brought all thegeological equipment like Atomic AbsorptionSpectrophotometer, Vibratory Sieve Shaker,Planetary Mill, Jaw Crusher, Analytical balanceWeight to the country for the laboratory.

Kafarov says geology is one of hiscompany’s strongest activities and that theyare working assiduously with nationalassociations of geologists of Ukraine andRussian Federation which will afford hisInstitute of Mineral Resources to collaboratewith Lomonosov State University of Moscow(Faculty of Geology) of which there is anagreement being that, students graduating inthe Moscow State University could come toGhana to do their internship in geology forgold prospecting with GPS Limited on itstwelve licensed areas.

The twelve licensed areas located inAshanti Region, Central, Western Region andBrong Ahafo Region and covers more than1000 sq m in total.

Kafarov says GPS Limited also offer miningservices in all technical aspects of goldmining as well as dealing in heavy dutymachines for mining from the RussianFederation, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Germanyand Thailand who are the manufacturers.

He says because his company’s operation isuniversal, “we have specific machines for goldprospecting for specific terrains. “It meansthat for different solid and specificscharacteristics of mineral resource must bechosen and calibrated appropriate machinesand equipment.

“If a mining company needs suchmachines, we will be able to make themavailable for such a business entity to operatewith. Alternatively, if such a company has notgot the expertise in mining, we will give it allthe legal, geological advice to ensure thatprofitability is ensured. Our company

possesses mining support license and alltechnical and intellectual facilities to helpmaintain uninterrupted, efficient and reliableservices to companies in Ghana,” C.E.O of GPSassures.

Undoubtedly, GPS Limited is bringing intothe Ghanaian business environmentespecially the mining industry state – of – the– art machines and expertise to help effectthe necessary transformational change in theprospecting and mining of different minerals.

A handbook of the company entitled “JointLaboratory of Geological Survey Departmentof Ministry of Lands and Natural Resourcesand Geo Professional Services Limited” saysamong others that. GPS Limited is proposingthrough Public and Private Partnership (PPP),the establishment of Chemical and AnalyticalCentre in Accra within the premises of theGeological Survey Department.

“The location of the Analytical Centre inAccra will provide sufficient economic andtechnical advantages for execution ofagreements with the government and privatecompanies working in Ghana andneighbouring countries. As the country is inthe process of economic development thepresence of an Analytical Centre will providenot only geological and ecological surveys,but also services for quality control ofindustrial goods and food. It will also give usopportunities to train national specialists andbuild capacity of the country.”

For many years that Ghana has beenexporting gold, the country will in a fewmonths to come, experience massive valueaddition in gold because Ghana’s PreciousMinerals Marketing Company (PMMC) Limitedare collaborating with GPS Limited to build(deleted) gold refinery with a laboratories,office facilities and bank on the premises ofthe PMMC Limited. Work is ongoing.

According to Kafarov the refinery willrender the gold to triple nine purity ofbanking metal and refinery after receiving“good delivery” from London Bullion MarketAssociation will be the first refinery in WestAfrica that can provide such service. ■

By Emmanuel Yartey and Pavlo Machulin

S06 ATR July 2014 - Technology_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:28 PM

The benefits of operating containeriseddatacentres is a ‘hot’ topic on the marketnowadays, with solutions offered to

meet the demand for more high densityresources and quick deployment. Newenvironmental conditions are now beingapplied, too, to infrastructure deployments,even as the corporate budgets for facilityservices are decreasing.

Innovation for efficient operationThe Automation modular datacentresprovide a solution for these trends and arebuilt fully customised.

Depending on the requirements, variouscooling systems can be applied, such as directexpansion, chilled water, adiabatic coolingand fresh air cooling. The innovative designand equipment are a guarantee for fastdelivery times, reliability and 25 per cent lessoperating costs.

Over the past decade, several of modelshave been designed and installedthroughout Europe. Within the Telecommarket segment the current installed baseranges over 600 units.

Containerised datacentres, sometimesreferred to as IT-in-a-Box, are build accordingto customers’ requirements and specifications.They feature acoustical insulation to avoidnuisance for the direct environment, or

specific robust equipment to ensure a smoothoperation even in the toughest conditions(temperature and altitude).

Pretesting of the IT configuration isexecuted in the factory allowing a plug &play solution for the customer anywhere inthe world.

Markets and customersAutomation customers are key players on theglobal market and public sector. Marketsegments are oil & gas, mining,telecommunications, military, governmentand education.

Last year, Automation acquiredinternational recognition, winning theprestigious ‘Modular Award’ of the‘DataCentre & Cloud Awards 2013’ andbecoming runner-up in the DatacentreSolutions ‘Facility Product of the Year2013’ category. Furthermore, Automationhas also been nominated for the‘Datacentre Dynamics EMEA Awards 2013’in the ‘The Most Extreme Data CentreDeployment’ category.

Jo Aelbrecht, Automation CEO, said, "Thestrength of the design is the result of our in-depth know-how, our years of experienceand the acknowledged competenceAutomation has been developing out of thebusiness unit ‘Power’.

“This engineering knowledge led tothe development of the competencecentre ‘Datacentre Facilities’ and ourcurrent successes."

Adapting solutionsThe partnership formed by Automationand GITS is critical to distribution anddeployment.

Abdul-Bassit Munagah Ibrahim - CEO GITS,commented, “As a system integrator, werecognised the need for flexible solutionswithin the West-African continent andsynchronised our ideas with this CompetentCentre for Containerised solutions. We areconvinced that these prefabricated solutionswill be adapted fast in our region.“

Automation delegates also participatedin an Economic Mission to Nigeriaorganised by Flanders Investment & Tradeduring the first six days of June, at whichbusiness opportunities were discussed inLagos and Abuja.

Nigeria is considered the fastest growingeconomy in Africa; it has been expanding at8.8 per cent over the past decade. Notably,Nigeria’s growth has been fuelled by a strongperformance of its non-oil sectors. The focusof Automation in this country will be ontelecoms, government, education, securityand construction. ■

DataTECHNOLOGY

28

Developing and sellingdatacentre solutionsSystem Integrator GITS works in a partnership with engineering companyAutomation to deploy containerised datacentres in West Africa


Big Data is the future of business consumer relationships asbusinesses, governments, researchers and organisations across allindustries attempt to harness burgeoning masses of complex datato advance applications and services. Held mid-June in London, inthe UK, the 2014 Cloud World Forum, co-located with Big DataWorld Congress, looked at how organisations are analysing theirBig Data, to make more intelligent personalised choices abouttheir customers and also at the risks Big Data poses.

In particular, Susan Doniz, Global CIO, Aimia examined how Cloud,Big Data and next generation IT technology can help companies

build relationships with their best customers.“Cloud computing technology and SaaS models are allowing us

to simplify and commoditise the technology that Aimia’semployees use daily where we want it and how we want it, makingus more flexible, responsive and effective,” Doniz said. “But moreimportantly, they are enabling us to offer similar benefits to ourcustomers – including a drive to standardisation, flexible pricingmodels, and scalability to manage periods of surging data or thesheer volume and variety of data generated from the relationshipswith their own customers.”

Cloud World Forum rides the Big Data wave


TI Sparkle, the international services arm of Telecom Italia Group, isworking in partnership with Dolphin Telecom to ensure the provisionand the development of Internet connectivity services in West Africa

through a newly-established Internet Protocol Point of Presence (IP PoP) inAccra, Ghana. A point of presence is an artificial interface betweencommunicating entities. An IP PoP acts as a form of service access devicefor telecommunications networks = enabling, for example, a cell phone, toobtain service from a commercial wireless provider.

The arrangement between TI Sparkle and Dolphin Telecom commitsthem to the provision of cost-effective, high-quality, secure global IPconnectivity solutions to telecommunication line controllers (TLCs) oroperators, Internet service providers (ISPs) and other service providersthat are connected to Accra through major international cable systems.

Through this fully-protected IP hubbing node in Accra, customers cangain access the world’s most popular content hosted in Europe or in anyof the multiple and dispersed point of presence of Sparkle Global IPtransit backbone. In addition, customers will be able to exchange theirintra-regional traffic locally, instantly improving performance by savinghundreds of milliseconds with respect to any other European IP hub.

“Through the strategic relationship with a relevant player like DolphinTelecom, we are able to establish the first Tier 1 IP gateway in West Africaand bring the Internet thousands of miles closer to customers in theregion with impressive improvement in terms of quality of experienceand latency,” said Elisabetta Ripa, CEO of TI Sparkle.

“Our partnership with TI Sparkle is a proof of our commitment inbridging the internet divide in west Africa and a response to the increasinglocal demand for high quality and protected IP connectivity solutionsfollowing the recent development of the IT segment in the region,” addedAbdel Mageid Elzain, managing director of Dolphin Telecom.

The technology underpinning this connectivity project is Seabone, TISparkle's global IP transit backbone, which enables connectivity acrossthe globe over a fully-owned, redundant and scalable fibretelecommunications network. ■

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TECHNOLOGYInternet

29African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014

A GhanaianIP gateway

www.africanreview.com 29African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014www.africanreview.com

Through its strategic relationshipwith Dolphin Telecom,

TI Sparkle has establishedthe first Tier 1 IP Gateway in West

Africa, bringing the Internetthousands of miles closer

to customers in the region withimpressive improvement

in terms of quality of experience”



Unstable power and voltagefluctuations are common in SouthAfrica, and with the summer season in

full swing, lightning strikes are increasinglyfrequent in certain areas. Power surges anddips, as well as massive voltage fluctuationscaused by lightning, can damage sensitiveequipment and can cause data loss orcorruption on computers, servers and storagedevices. This leads to loss of productivity andrising costs to replace and repair equipment.While large organisations typically have fullsurge protection solutions in place tosafeguard against this damage, the SmallOffice Home Office (SOHO) market tends tooverlook this and regards it as an unnecessaryexpense. However, the cost of surgeprotection is minimal compared to the cost offailed or damaged equipment.

Problems and productivityThe effects of unstable power, includingvoltage surges, dips and lightning strikes, cannegatively impact a variety of electronicdevices. In fact, voltage problems canpotentially damage computers, printers,phone and data lines, and even fridges,microwaves and other miscellaneousequipment. Lightning strikes have thepotential to completely ‘blow’ equipment dueto the massive surge in voltage they cause. Inaddition, small dips and surges, common inSouth Africa’s unstable power environment,can degrade equipment over time,shortening its lifespan, causing damage andpremature failure.

While some of this equipment has noparticular impact on productivity andbusiness, it costs money to repair or replace,and is an unforeseen expense in manyinstances. In addition, there is also asignificant inconvenience factor involved, andshould insurance claims need to besubmitted, weeks can pass before productreplacements or funding is delivered.

While the majority of users in South Africaare aware of the problems with powerfluctuations, there is a misconception that asimple surge protection plug is sufficient.These plugs do provide some level of

protection, with a single surge protect at theplug. However, as soon as lightning hits thisequipment, the fuse will blow, and the plugmust be replaced if it has to continueproviding protection. These plugs protectequipment that is plugged only into them,leaving phone and data lines vulnerable topower dips and surges. An uninterruptedpower supply (UPS) can also assist withproviding protection, but in the SOHO marketthese are typically only connected to servers,and do not provide protection for desktopsand other electronic equipment.

Lower costs for lifetime protectionEffective surge protection solutions areavailable for a wide range of equipment,providing layers of protection to minimisedamage. These include multi-plug strips thatfeature surge protection at the outlet as wellas at each plug point on the strip. The stripsensure that only on the third surge orlightning strike will the dangerous powervoltage reach any item of equipment. Fordata and telephone lines, specialised surgeprotection equipment is available, andautomatic voltage regulators can be added toprotect equipment from both dips and

spikes. In addition, multi-function surgeprotection, with plugs as well as phone-linesockets, and notebook surge protectors forACs, phone and network lines, provideprotection for multiple devices on a singlepiece of equipment. When purchasing thesesolutions from a reputed supplier, they arenot only cost-effective, but also offer alifetime warranty. The warranty will allow theuser to replace the item at no cost shouldlightning strike and blow the fuse in theprotective equipment.

When it comes to protecting sensitiveequipment, as well as data and otherelectronic devices, from the dangers ofunstable power, a multi-layered solution ismost effective. A combination of a UPS forservers, along with specialised surgeprotection for plugs, notebooks, data andphone lines, is the most effective. However,users must examine their needs and the setup of their office, and seek the assistance ofpower solution experts, in order to design themost effective and cost-effective solution fortheir business. ■

Elrica Quick, APC specialist at Drive ControlCorporation

Storage and data solutions TECHNOLOGY

Swept by a surgeThe importance of surge and lightning protection for small technologyfirms operating in South Africa

Lightning strikes can completely ‘blow’ equipment due to massive surge in voltage


TECHNOLOGYIrrigation

31

At the core ofBUSINESS


KBL just entered the Limca Book of Records and was awarded theAward of Excellence at ACREX 2014 for its Lowest Life-Cycle Cost Pump.Do tell us about this.KBL’s all-women Coimbatore plant set a benchmark and bagged aprestigious award by the Limca Book of Records for its project MahilaMission 20. The project achieved a milestone of assembling a pump in atime of 17.25 seconds, making it a national record. The silver jubilee ofthe Limca Book of Records, dedicated to the cause of empoweringwomen, honoured the entire ladies workforce of Kirloskar BrothersLimited, Coimbatore plant. The award was offered in the presence ofnumerous dignitaries, leaders, decision makers and bureaucrats fromvarious participating companies.

The Coimbatore plant is run efficiently by the all-woman workforce andhas been receiving numerous awards in various categories. We arehopeful that this trend will continue.

After the setting up of value-added service facility in Egypt, what nextdoes KBL have in mind for the region?The service facility is an investment in the region and we are hopeful itwill drive more business towards the organisation. This is our effort to letour customers know that we are here for the long run and that we arecommitted to the best work from KBL.

Our effort in the region will continue to grow. This service centre willalso serve as a place for training of the local engineers to operate andmaintain the pumps better. It will help reduce incidents of breakdownand damage to the equipment and, thus, reduce costs incurred tomaintain these critical installations.

What are KBL’s future strategies for the region?KBL is committed to a very long-term engagement with the region andEgypt in particular. It will be our effort to grow the business on goodpractices. We believe that our investments will also improve ourconnection with people and our commitment to a greater engagementextends to this level.

We are convinced that the potential of the region is still unexploited,especially in the use of energy efficient technologies to manage waterresources. With the experience that KBL has in this field, it is now time fora comprehensive dialogue on planning the use of these in the long run.

It is our effort that we pool in our resources with that of think-tanks andtechnology institutes to help formulate policies and strategies that give usoptimal solutions for the region.

As more and more Indian companies are entering Africa, what steps isKBL taking to retain its position in the region?It is our work that speaks for itself and we have an intrinsic position inthe minds of decision-makers as a credible organisation that will makeall efforts to develop and deliver the best fluid handling solutions. It iswith this knowledge that we prepare ourselves as well as work on the

ground in any of the countries that we are present in. Our irrigationproject in Senegal is valuable to the country and has helped reduce theimport bill on rice by almost half, releasing a large amount of foreignexchange to be used for other critical requirements in the country.

The one thing that we definitely do is to engage with planning for thecountries. We recognise that each country in Africa has uniquerequirements and we believe we are capable of providing optimisedsolutions for each country. Equipped with more than 700 engineers, KBLhas the bandwidth that works in R&D as well as delivery on the ground.

We are also engaged in a process of creating critical partnershipswith institutes that will strengthen our delivery on the ground. We believethat our work should speak for itself and till now it has not failed us.

What CSR activities is KBL conducting in Africa at the moment?Our CSR is based on the concept of ‘teach to fish’. We believe that wehave to train people to become skilled as it will help increasing our localemployment and create educated users. So as a policy, our work isaround creating skilled people in countries of Africa. KBL’s global visionplaces a lot of importance on the countries of Africa. It promises to beone of the most potential markets for our products. ■

By strengthening the local workforce in Africa, Kirloskar Brothers Limited have created a niche for themselves in thecontinent, says Shipra Tripathi, head of Corporate Global Marketing and Communications at KBL

Shipra Tripathi heads the Corporate GlobalMarketing and Communications for KirloskarBrothers Limited. She was also responsible forcreating the CII-Conclave on India Africa that takesplace every year in India. Author of several articleson the growing economic engagement betweenIndia and Africa as well as India and SoutheastAsia, Shipra has travelled to over 30 African and

Southeast Asian countries and has developed close contacts there. She is aCII Certified EFQM Assessor and holds a post-graduate degree inInternational Relations from the University of Delhi.



Wherever its operates globally, Scania, one of the world’slargest buses and trucks manufacturers, commits to ensuringthat road traffic safety remains one of its cardinal obligations.

Since its subsidiary, Scania East Africa, began operating in Kenya inMarch 2014, Scania has been keen to be part of the team developingsustainable transport in Kenya and eastern Africa.

Scania had operated in Kenya since 1988 through its distributorKenya Grange Ltd, with solid results. However, the new subsidiaryrepresents a long-term commitment to Kenya and eastern Africa, anda determination to keep reflecting the opportunities and challengesinherent in the transport industry in the East African Community(EAC). The company is cognisant of the region’s rapidly improving roadnetwork, growing middle-class - and the growth in demand for safer,better and more comfortable bus transportation, in addition to therising demand for more efficient and better systems for transportationby heavy duty and related trucks. “Going forward, Kenya will have amore mature transport industry and Scania wants to be part of thisdevelopment and also help in ensuring that the developmenthappens,” said Christopher Podgorski, vice president trucks at Scania.Podgorski reflected on opportunities and challenges in the industry:transport is vital in society moving goods and providing mobility forpeople and hence helping in creating wealth and development. Yetchallenges abound.

Globally, about 3,400 people die on the road daily this translating toabout 1.24mn deaths each year and between 20 and 50mn injuredpeople. 92 per cent of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries despite the fact that these countries have only 53per cent of the world’s registered vehicles. The proportion of roadtraffic deaths in vulnerable road users is greater in low-incomecountries than in high-income countries, and this has to do with lackof or poor infrastructure, speedy rise in number of vehicles, lack ofrules enforcement, speeding, discourtesy and drunk driving amongothers. Actions must be taken in these countries, Podgorski said. Since2007, 88 countries have reduced the number of road traffic deaths

suggesting that progress can be made if sufficient political will andcommitment is provided; yet in another 87 countries the number ofroad traffic deaths has increased despite the fact that the number ofdeaths at the global level has remained stable. He identifiedinfrastructure, vehicle and driver as the three elements that obviouslyimpact road transportation and traffic safety.

A focus on drivingTo improve road safety, Scania is keen to focus on drivers by providingthem with technical support and solutions. This way the companyengages the community and influences human behaviour. “Focus onthe driver” remains Scania’s maxim; “we firmly believe the driver is thesingle most important asset for a haulage company and a Society keento improve road safety and reduce needless fuel consumption,”observed Podgorski.

Scania conducts driver training for every new vehicle bought, withrefreshers for old Scania vehicle drivers, and also runs Scania Drivercompetitions - to demonstrate responsibility, contribute to a saferenvironment and help in reducing its customers ’ ‘fuel and vehiclemaintenance costs, as well as protecting the general environmentfrom pollution. According to Per Holmstrom, Scania E Africa’s MD,Scania’s Africa development strategy is closely allied to helping theregion deal with its roads, which are now full with heavy duty trucksand buses, consequent competition and an increased number of roadtraffic accidents. It seeks to help citizens whilst helping customers toimprove profitability through fuel efficiency and real uptime.

“Apart from manufacturing the most fuel-efficient engines, thecompany trains, and coaches drivers on the right driving tactics, attitudeand speeds for the best fuel efficiency. Through providing maintenanceand repair skills, we sustain uptime and ensure that the vehicles areproductively at work and not parked by roadsides or garages,” explainedHolmstrom - who also reiterated the importance to the company ofrunning a fully-fledged subsidiary here to keep efficiently providingreliable and genuine spare parts for the market and clients and tosustain its unique driver training and mentoring. ■

Fred Ndung’u

Road HaulageTRANSPORT

Committed to safetyScania East Africa contributes to efforts towards better conditionsfor road traffic in Kenya

Scania has revamped itsapproach to East African markets

Christopher Podgorski, Vice President Trucks, Scania, demonstrates vehicle safetyfeatures to MIchael Kamau, cabinet secretary at the Kenyan Ministry Of Transportand Infrastructure

S07 ATR July 2014 - Transport_Layout 1 24/06/2014 09:18

With a population of more than165 million that is growing byapproximately 3 per cent per

year and an economy growing at closeto 7 per cent, Nigeria’s complex andoften insufficient power infrastructurehas found itself under increasing strainin recent years.

Despite the intentions of the country’sgovernment to expand its power gridand domestic gas supply, a lack ofinvestment and a sluggish commitmentto follow up on such developments hasleft many businesses and individualswith limited access to the power theyrequire to help maintain the buoyancyof Africa’s largest economy.

The model the country has adoptedto maintain its power supply consists ofa complex mixture of grid, mini-gridand smaller genset applications.Nigeria’s large gas reserves, however,has led many experts such as GrahamChristie, General Manager of CumminsEnergy Solution Nigeria, toacknowledge gas as the fuel of thefuture for Nigeria.

Self-generation through diesel orpetrol generators in Nigeria isestimated close to 6,000MW, but thesecan often prove to be expensive tooperate due to fuel costs.

“When we do the calculations, wefind a gap between generators runningon gas and diesel,” Christie remarks.“Gas costs half the price of diesel, sothere definitely an opportunity tochange customer’s preference to gas.”

Christie says that diesel stands at

around 52 Naira per kWh with a blendof diesel and gas 40-45 Naira kWh,compared with natural gas at 12-14Naira per kWh, and compressed naturalgas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas(LNG) at around 28 Naira per kWh.

Increasing the gas networkNigeria’s minister of petroleum DiezaniAlison-Madueke recently announced aproject to construct the nation’slongest gas pipeline from Calabar viaAjaokuta to Kano State through aPublic Private Partnership (PPP)scheme. The minister said that 500 kmof new gas pipelines had already beencompleted and commissioned, which

PIONEERINGNigeria’s gas industry

Gas is fast becoming the fuel of choice in Nigeria as the country attempts to maintainits status as Africa’s largest economy through its complex power mix.

“People consider 3 factors – lowest cost, simplest solution and

a readily available fuel source”

Modular Power Station, supportingNigerian Bottling Company in Lagos


Power GenerationPOWER


included the doubling of the capacity ofthe Escravos to Lagos Pipelines System(ELPS) between Escravos and Oben, aswell as extensions of the ELPS fromOben to Geregu and River Imo to Alaoji.

The federal government has alsobeen overseeing the construction of thestrategic EastWest pipeline, while theLagos end segment of the ELPS projectis said to be close to completion.

This shoring up of gas supplies willbe a welcome relief to many Nigeriancitizens, of whom a growing numberare relying on gas-powered gensets fortheir daily power demands.

According to Christie, Nigeria’spower grid system struggles to providereliable and consistent power. In thecapital Abuja, the majority of thepopulation has access to an average of16-18 hours of power supply from thegrid, while most areas in Nigeriareceive only 40-60 per cent of itssupply from the grid.

With customers demanding morefrom their country’s power grids, thefederal government has turned to anumber of privatisation programmes atexisting power station and across thedistribution network. Despite this move,mini-grid solutions remain one of themost popular options for consumers,and this is an area in which Cummins ispresently very active within Nigeria.

“People consider 3 factors – lowestcost, simplest solution and a readilyavailable fuel source,” Christieremarks. “We see a lot of potential forour business of grid enforcement forpeak hour shortages and due to thecost of overcoming distribution cableparalysis, mini-grid practices havebecome the most viable option.”

Cummins is looking to increase itsinvolvement in the mini-grid market, asit looks to secure embedded support fordistribution companies in the country.

“Our mini-grid solutions have anoptimal size of 60MW, while the morepopular have a capacity of between 10-20MW, with supply available indifferent areas for customisedcustomers — industrial as well asresidential,” says Christie.

Many businesses and individuals relyon firms such as Cummins for theirpower supply through mini-gridnetworks and capital purchases and,therefore, guarantees must be put intoplace to ensure power supply issecured and business can continue asnormal. According to Christie, thecompany has demonstrated a reliabilityrate of up to 99.8 per cent and claimsthat over the past 12 months downtimeon one of its projects has measured nomore than 13 seconds.

Cummins offers support to local companies who wish to distribute gensets to residential and industrialcustomers. Once commissioned,Cummins can offer OperationalMaintenance support/ Aftermarket ongas genset-powered mini grids or onsingle sets.

Count on CumminsCummins has been supplying gas-powered gensets to the Nigerianmarket for 10 years and in 2013Cummins Energy Solutions Nigeria wasestablished as a dedicated Cumminsgas dealer to tap into the country’sgrowing demand for gas-poweredgensets and mini-grid applications foruse across industrial/commercial areas.

Through its partners it is able tosupply processed CNG and will soon beable to supply liquefied natural gas(LNG). The company is hoping to seeCNG supply to areas within 200km ofthe plants, whereas the reach of LNGwill increase this to 1,500km,depending on the storage available forLNG, Christie notes.

While the model remains uniquelyNigerian, Christie says it also hasmuch potential in other Africancountries – especially in gas-richcountries such as Angola and with Biogas projects in Kenya.

“What is required is more distributedpiped gas funding,” Christie remarks.“However, 90 per cent of the countriesin Africa have the potential to embracethe mini-grid system via Bio andNatural Gas.” ■

To find out more email: [email protected]: +27 83 556 4651

10MW Power Station outside of Lagos

1750Kw set in sound attenuated Power Box


POWERPower Generation


S07 ATR July 2014 - Transport_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:46 PM

POWERGenerators

37

Cleaner, more reliablesources of powerHow engine makers have helped customers meet shortfalls, when gridsupply is not available to provide the basic or additional requirements forelectrical power


Interruptions to electrical power supply cancreate havoc and have economic impact.Electrical generators powered by diesel

engines provide reliable electric power whenthere is a failure of primary power supply,minimizing losses. With a growingdependence on technology andinterconnected systems that rely onelectricity, reliability becomes critical.Hospitals, data centres, water and sewagefacilities, fuelling stations, andcommunication and transportation systemsrequire continuous power. Diesel-poweredgenerators provide a steady supply of powerfor applications such as refrigeration, buildingoperations such as elevators and sprinklers,and to support computing, banking andbusiness networks.

Diesel-powered generators provide themost reliable form of backup power. Manyinternational building codes and standardseffectively require diesel generators for codecompliance because of the need for rapidresponse time, load-carrying capacity, fuelsupply and availability, and reliability. One ofthe most important and unique features ofdiesel-powered generators is rapid responsetime, with the capability to start quickly and

to handle a full electrical load within tenseconds of grid power failure.

Supporting the gridAdvances in clean diesel technology have ledto the introduction of prime powergenerators with low emissions, opening newnetwork grid opportunities in distributedgeneration and peak shaving. As demandincreases for clean, reliable power tosupplement fragile grids, investment inalternative energy sources such as hydro-electric, nuclear, wind and solar power havealso boosted demand for diesel-powered

generators. Wind and solar energy, whileclean, is intermittent, thereby necessitatingthe incorporation of stationary generators toprovide ongoing power reliability.

During certain periods of high electricitydemand, or infrastructure failure, shortages ofelectricity in various countries around thecontinent have resulted in rolling blackouts.One option for response and to preventinggrid failures is to bring on supplementalelectrical supply through the strategic use ofstand-by diesel generators in a “demandresponse” mode. During periods of peakelectrical demand, the generator owneractivates the building generator to take theelectrical demand off the grid - or, in someinstances, operates the generator to put powerback into the grid. Using diesel generators inthis way, load on the grid is reduced duringperiods of high demand, thereby avoidingprolonged use of emergency generators in thecase of an actual power outage. Other relatedsolutions include reducing demand on theconventional power plant through distributedgeneration - that is, producing electricity on-site with a diesel or natural gas generatorwhere it is used, bypassing the need for fullreliance on the grid. ■

There is signifcant ongoing investment in developinggenerator platform designs to meet market needs forsimplified operation and improved reliability across arange of challenging applications

S08 ATR July 2014 - Power_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:52 PM

In parallel with the recent unveiling and launchof the new Himoinsa HHW generator set series,the company’s after sales department hasorganised training courses for the technical teamsof Himoinsa’s various subsidiaries that will providein-depth information on the make-up andoperation of the new Himoinsa 4HD engine usedin the new HHW series.“We are striving not only to successfully launcha quality product but to ensure that our entireteam is prepared to apply technical solutions anddeliver a quality service for our customers,” saidJorge Torres, director of the after sales department.Featuring a Himoinsa alternator, engine, controllerand canopy, the HHW series has a power rangebetween 20 and 100 kVA at 50Hz and between

30 and 120 kVa at 60Hz. Professionals from the Technical Service ofHimoinsa’s subsidiaries in Poland, Portugal, Mexico,Panama, the Middle East and Spain attend thetechnical training course for the new HHW seriesheld at the Himoinsa China production centre.

38

YorPower, a British independent diesel generator manufacturer with a long history of servingcustomers in East and West Africa, has just delivered two 250kVA generators to a remote villagein The Gambia. Prior to the arrival of the YorPower units, the village had no source of electricityand the development of its inhabitants was being severely limited.

The generators were sourced by a UK-based charity and had to be fully ‘tropicalised’ tooperate in the extreme environment in The Gambia.

The full YorPower generator range includes generators rated at 50hZ and 60hZ, in both threephase and single phase configurations from 10-2200kVA. Diesel generator sets can be purchaseddirectly from its production facility and are typically powered by the latest Perkins engines,optimised to provide maximum fuel efficiency and built with a soundproof enclosure. YorPoweroffers competitively priced diesel generators to suit most power applications, through strongsupply partnerships. It also supplies used generators for customers who have a more economicalbudget, ideal for emergency generator applications and/or one off seasonal requirements.

Power solutions and data centre specialist Master Power Technologies, has recently investedresources in Zambia in order to better service its local sites.

“Having identified a need to meet the ever increasing demand for power solutions and datacentres in the region, the decision to invest in a full time direct presence was easy,” said NeillSchreiber, sales and marketing manager at Master Power Technologies. The Zambian team isheaded by Charlie Marshall, regional manager for Zambia. Currently there are offices in Kitweand Lusaka to ensure timeous technical support to the local customer base.

“The reaction to our direct presence here has been overwhelming. We are connecting with ourcustomers on the ground,” said Marshall. “We believe the investment in the region is paying hugedividends and sending a message that we are serious about doing business in this region.”

Schreiber added that “plans are under way to increase our presence here, to include warehousingof products and spares”, as the company sees Zambia as a springboard to the rest of Africa.


YorPower diesel generators forremote Gambian village

Himoinsa trains for its 4HD engine

Master Power Technologiescommits to Zambia


GeneratorsPOWER

Barloworld Poweradvises on parts

For some time, a concise explanation ofthe risks entailed in using non-genuine

parts for Perkins engines has been offeredby Barloworld Power on its blog(www.barloworldpowerperkins.com/blog).

Invaluable guidanceSuch advice is invaluable. The company’sguidance includes the following notes. Non-genuine parts are designed using reverseengineering (copying an originalcomponent). Manufacturers of non-genuine parts do not have access to Perkins’technical data and drawings, so these partsare designed and manufactured in isolationfrom the rest of the engine.

Moreover, in most cases, the materialspecification is rationalised, so there is a realrisk that these parts will not fit correctly.This can result in rapid wear, compromisedperformance, poor reliability, higher oil andfuel consumption and even componentdamage or engine failure.

Barloworld Power advises, also, thatsuppliers of non-genuine parts will onlyprovide a small range of the high-volumepart numbers.

They will not support the completePerkins engine range and will not becovered by the Powerpart warranty.Those using genuine parts benefit fromcomponents that are designed to worktogether to maximise component lifeand engine performance. Genuine partsare designed, also, to match theindividual engine characteristics acrossthe whole Perkins engine range, to fitfirst time and saving on costly downtime.Furthermore, genuine parts restoreoptimum power and fuel efficiency andare supported by the Perkins PowerpartWarranty, which indemnifies purchasersfor certain costs associated with repair,including: travel; labour; materials; andrelated engine damage caused by theinitial product failure.

With nearly 20mn engines producedby Perkins, of which more than half arestill running, Perkins products haveearned a reputation for reliability,dependability, flexibility, integration andlow cost of ownership.

Himoinsa’s after sales department has

organised trainingcourses for the technical

teams of the company’svarious subsidiaries


GeneratorsPOWER


The reliability records of standby power solutions can often becorrelated to their service and maintenance regimes. The quality andfrequency of preventative maintenance is particularly relevant in thecase of diesel generators. Jack Ward, MD of power provisioning specialistPowermode, says monitoring and maintenance programmes alsominimise the need for emergency repairs and ensure that when calledupon to do duty during power outages, standby power systems willwork to full capacity every time. “The investment made in a standby power solution is only as good as theservice it receives. In fact, if you budget a little less on the solution andmore on its maintenance you will be rewarded with a significantly morereliable and – overall - cheaper long-term cost of ownership,” he said. Ward says that when it comes to regular servicing and maintenance,many critical procedures are overlooked on a day-to-day basis by ownerswhose generator plants are frequently ignored until needed – oftenin an emergency.“The dynamics of the environment and nature of the equipment are themain factors to be considered. A standby power supply is an emergencypower solution which, by its very nature, it is not top-of-mind and normallyneglected by employees who are not dedicated to facilities management. “Only when the power grid fails does the standby power system gain inimportance in the eyes of staff members who rely on its reliability tocontinue to function and be productive,” he notes.Ward stressed that diesel generators - and uninterruptible power supply(UPS) systems - face challenging operating environments, including highvoltages, unstable power ranges, spikes surges and transient voltages. “In the case of generators, intermittent or periodic operation causes

stagnation of lubricant and fuel. Diesel engines require regular operation,ideally weekly for 20-30 minutes, to ensure optimum performance.”He added that generators are usually located outside in a yard, in aparking bay or receiving area and the enclosures are less than secureand open to the elements. Rodents are common companions. “It is precisely because the environment is less controlled and variablethat regular planned maintenance becomes vital – and mandatory.”Ward observed, also, that like their human counterparts, diesel generatorsneed regular exercise.“Units on continuous standby must be able to go from a cold start to fullyoperational status in seconds. This imposes a severe burden on engineparts. However, regular exercise keeps engine parts well lubricated, fluidlines unclogged and prevents harmful oxidation of electrical contacts.“Against this background it’s critical, from both operational and safetyperspectives, that servicing and maintenance be carried out by qualifiedtechnical personnel. Ideally, the task should be outsourced to a specialistfirm well versed in diesel generator technology, which differs significantlyfrom petrol engines or engines used in automotive or trucking applications.”

Preventative maintenance is key for diesel generatorsWhen it comes to regular servicing

and maintenance, many criticalprocedures are overlooked on a day-to-

day basis - generator plants arefrequently ignored until needed


POWERGenerators


Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power, which provides temporary powersolutions, has opened a branch in Johannesburg that will cater to severalcountries in Southern Africa, including the Republic of South Africa,Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Zambiaand Zimbabwe.Altaaqa Global brings its expertise, innovative technologies, industry-proven reliability and rapid deployment to the region, which is largelyknown for its thriving oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, and mineraland coal mining industries. Peter den Boogert, general manager ofAltaaqa Global, spoke of providing Southern Africa with the mostadvanced power plant packaged systems, remote monitoring, and fuel-efficient gas, diesel or dual-fuel-powered generators."Altaaqa Global and its sister company in Saudi Arabia have a totalcombined fleet of 1,400MW rental power plant generation readilyavailable to serve the Southern African region."One of the flagship innovations that Altaaqa Global will offer, he said,was the flexible operational mode that can switch from island to gridmode in just seconds. Furthermore, Altaaqa Global's energy rentaldynamic package allows its power plants to hook directly to the gridwithout the need for a substation.The global outlook for the rental power industry has been encouraging,and Steven Meyrick, board representative of Altaaqa Global, sees meritin capitalising on it through strategic market and geographic expansion."With this recent feat, we believe that we are on our way to fulfilling,even exceeding, the highly ambitious objectives we set at the launchof our company in 2012," Meyrick said, adding that Altaaqa Globalwould continue to pursue multi-megawatt independent power projects

(IPP) in various industries, in addition to heavily investing in humanresources, process and business optimisation, and product expansion.In line with its avowed corporate social responsibility programs thataim to alleviate the social needs of its immediate environs, AltaaqaGlobal will also continue to provide job opportunities, extend immediateassistance for school children, and conduct educational campaigns onenergy conservation and environmental stewardship in Southern Africa.Meyrick said, "One of the pillars of our sustainable business model isemploying and training local professionals in areas where we operate,and we are excited to extend that commitment to Southern Africa."

Owing to a growing demand for generator sets in Burkina Faso,Inmesol has recently signed a deal with Belkom Industrie, its newdistributor in the West African country, which specialises in the supplyof industrial equipment and services to international companies andpublic organisations. Its business ranges from the study and conceptof each project through to the final implementation, also covering thedistribution and purchase and sale of machinery manufactured bywell-known brands from around the world.

Belkom Industrie has its headquarters in the capital, Ouagadougou,the administrative and economic centre of Burkina Faso. SeveralInmesol generator sets from the emergency range arrived at theiroffices first, destined for various companies in the industrial sector.

How Altaaqa Global addresses Southern African markets

Paul Heyns, a power equipment engineering expertbased in Pretoria, who leads Altaaqa Global's salesfor Southern Africa

A new distributor forInmesol in Burkina Faso

Inmesol generator sets have been delivered toBelkom Industrie, the company’s newdistributor in Burkina Faso


GeneratorsPOWER


Generator manufacturer Inmesol is now present in Tanzania through JS Electromec, itsofficial distributor in the East African country. JS Electromec manages projects, sells,

installs, provides service and gives post-sales support to companies requiring electricalsystems and products, including generator sets. The company is located in Dar es-Salam, thecity with the largest population and the most trade in Tanzania. The city also has the country’s

major port, where Inmesol’s generator sets aredelivered. The JS Electromec facilities include alarge storage area and there is a workshop withequipment and technicians which enable thedistributor to guarantee very fast delivery.

This agreement with JS Electromec forms partof Inmesol’s export strategy, with which wecontinue to create alliances with distributorsthroughout Europe, Asia, South America andAfrica. Inmesol currently exports to 80 countriesaround the five continents.

The power sector in Nigeria is undergoingpositive reform, paving the way for significanteconomic growth in all industries. Thesuccess of the power sector will need robustcompanies with the financial capability andthe technical support of global technicalpartners in order to develop highperformance power solutions. JMG Limited (http://www.jmglimited.com)has always been a leader in Nigeria’s powergenerator industry. In order to leverage onthe dynamic changes in the country’s powersector, it has signed a partnership agreementwith Mitsubishi Turbocharger and EngineEurope BV (being the headquarters forMitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd productsin Europe, Middle East and Africa).The partnership enhances JMG’s capabilitiesto offer solutions in power plants,cogeneration, independent power projects,and gas turbines. Mitsubishi is well known for its enginetechnology capable of producing highefficiency power systems. It manufacturessuperior engines totalling 10 GW outputevery year and featuring the best fuelefficiency figures in the world. Mitsubishi isalso the owner of Pratt & Whitney, one of themanufacturers of gas turbines for powergeneration. The conglomerate is confidentabout the opportunities available in Nigeria’spower sector and is committed towardsexpanding its operations to the country.Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine EuropeB.V. (MTEE) sales and marketing managerMorten Brix visited Nigeria recently, duringthe Nigeria Oil and Gas Exhibition 2014 inAbuja, to celebrate Mitsubishi’s partnershipwith JMG and emphasise the company’sfocus on Nigeria.

Tshepo Mahloele, CEO of Harith General Partners, saidrecently that the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project(LTWP), which projected to add an existing 300MW oflow-cost wind energy to the national grid of Kenya, willsupport diversification of Kenya’s energy mix and reducethe country’s reliance on power production from oiland diesel power generators. HGP is a pan-African fundmanager for infrastructure development.LTWP will bring broader economic benefits to Kenya,too - and, specifically, to the Turkana area, whereunemployment is high - with jobs and economicdevelopment as well as electricity. The Kenyangovernment will save millions per year on importingfuel. The LTWP tax contribution to Kenya alone will beapproximately US$27mn annually and US$548mn overthe life of the investment.In Kenya, electricity is mainly generated from hydro,thermal and geothermal sources. Wind generationaccounts for less than six megawatts of the installed capacity. Currently, hydro power comprisesmore than 52 per cent of the installed capacity in Kenya and is sourced from various stationsmanaged by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

Inmesol opens up a new market in East Africa

Inmesol generator sets arriving at the facilities of its distributor in Tanzania

JMG and MitsubishiHeavy Industries worktogether in Nigeria

Kenyan power project set to reducereliance on engines

Tshepo Mahloele, CEO of Harith General Partners

Kohler Generators has introduced a 60 kWlight commercial generator, the Kohler 60RCL,which features a compact footprint andneighborhood-friendly sound levels. The unitis designed to keep businesses and large homesrunning when the power goes out.Contributing to the quiet sound levels of theKohler 60RCL is a patent-pending, three-fan,automotive-style cooling system. This keepsthe sound level during operation down to 61decibels, which is normal conversation level. With its quiet, compact design, the generator

is ideal for locations such as bank branches,restaurants, pharmacies and stores in stand-alone buildings or retail centres that rely oncritical power. It’s also suitable for larger-sizehomes with greater power needs, especiallythose in warmer climates with high air-conditioning demands.Many small businesses, especially gas stationconvenience stores, can realise an immediatepayback by having backup power during autility outage, by preventing building damagethat can happen when critical heating and

cooling systems are down, protecting inventory,and staying open to serve communityresidents.Like all standby generators, the new 60RCLautomatically turns on within seconds of apower outage. It provides reliable power forcritical systems like sump pumps, air-conditioning and security systems to delicateelectronics like computer equipment. The60RCL’s commercial-grade engine runs oneither natural gas or liquid propane, so there’sno need for refueling.

Kohler’s new light commercial generator


GeneratorsPOWER


According to the Diesel Forum (www.dieselforum.org) today’s prime

power diesel generators offer severalunique features, which support a widerange of applications:

Quick start-up time: 10 seconds orless. Other fuel sources may take up totwo minutes, which may be too long inmany emergency situations.

Power density/fuel efficiency: Due tothe chemical structure of diesel fuel,more energy is released per unit thanany other source of commonly usedpower. For the same size engine, a dieselcan produce twice the kilowatts of a gasengine generator. Greater power densitymeans less fuel consumption than othersources of fuel.

Continuous strength: Diesels providea steady supply of power and canhandle wide swings in power use.Turbine (jet) engines cannot easilyhandle these fluctuations. A dieselgenerator does not “flicker” or dip inpower output when appliances such as alarge air conditioner turn on, surge anddrain power. Gas and turbine enginescan slow down when strained, causingfailure of the electrical equipment. Tocompensate for such “straining”, usersmay install unnecessarily oversizedgenerators, causing significantinefficiencies and fuel consumption.

Disaster utility: When a disaster suchas an earthquake strikes, the first sourceof power turned off by utilities is naturalgas due to its explosive nature andvulnerability of pipes to rupture - leavingan uncertain supply of fuel. Dieselgenerators have their own storage forclean diesel fuel, which is readilyavailable and replenishable.

Reliability: There is no lack ofconfidence about the ability of a dieselgenerator to provide power quickly andcontinuously during a power blackout.

Portability: In addition to stationaryunits, diesel generators of various sizesand capabilities are highly mobile andavailable to be transported andpositioned in virtually any setting tomeet emergency power needs.

Durability: Some high qualityengines last 20,000 - 30,000 hoursbefore their first overhaul. That’sequivalent to one and one-half millionmiles in an automobile.

Launched at Middle East Electricity 2014,Cummins Generator Technologies is nowtaking orders for a new 1,250kVA generator.The Stamford P6 – LVI634G, 1,250kVAgenerator, which is the newest addition to theStamford product portfolio, boasting anefficient electromagnetic design and highlyeffective cooling system in a compact package.

The Stamford P6– LVI634G providescustomers with an alternative generator forstandby and island mode operation in the1,250kVA power node versus the StamfordPI734A. The PI734A is suitable for allcontinuous and prime power operationmodes including; paralleling to the grid,marine, CHP and critical protection.

The prestigeous 'Best In Show Award' was presented to YorPower Kenya recently for its standat the African power exhibition Power & Energy Africa, which was held in April at KenyattaInternational Conference Centre in Nairobi.

The award was presented by the show organisers and was received by YorPower Internationalsales director Ben Whitmarsh and YorPower Kenya operations director Mary Murimi.

The YorPower stand featured one of the company's best selling UK-manufactured canopieddiesel generators with a special show offer attracting a great deal of attention alongside apetrol powered portable generator.

YorPower manufactures, services and repairs generators both for industrial and somesticpurposes.

In addition to its own products, ranging from 10kVA up to 2200kVa, YorPower works withcustomers on units made by Volvo, Cummins, Deutz, Lister Petter, Scania, FG Wilson, JohnDeere, Honda, MTU, Perkins, and Kubota.

YorPower Kenya holds a large stock of generators at its premises on the Saku BusinessPark in Nairobi.

Wanco light towers use advanced technology toachieve superior illumination - exceedinggovernment regulations for worksite illumination.With four 1,000-watt light fixtures atop a 30-footvariable-height mast, Wanco light towers shine auniform light pattern across the entire job site.

The Wanco Light Tower’s high-output fixturesprovide the most illumination for the wattage anda more uniform light pattern, virtually eliminatinglight pollution. For faster job-site setup and lessdowntime, each light fixture can be aimedindependently without the use of tools, and thelights stay in place once positioned.

The telescoping tower assembly is reinforcedfor stability and safety. Two winches raise andextend the mast, with both power- and hand-operated winches available. The light tower mastrotates 360 degrees, and the lights can beoperated at any height, eliminating the need tomove the trailer frequently.

The power system includes a choice of low-RPM Tier 4i diesel engines and high-quality four-pole generators. A 30-gallon fuel tank provides extended run times of 60 to 70 hours betweenrefueling, depending on environmental influences. The translucent polyethylene tank offers aninstant view of fuel level, eliminating the need for a fuel gauge.

Wanco has created a unique innovation that greatly improves serviceability. For completeaccess to the engine, generator and electrical components, Wanco light towers feature ahinged top panel that rises with the mast when maintenance is required. No other light towermakes engine access this easy. The gull-wing side doors may be opened while the maintenancepanel is raised, further enhancing access.

The benefits of diesel-powered generators

YorPower makes the Best Stand

Cummins sells new Stamford unit

Diesel light towers from WANCO


GeneratorsPOWER


Cat parts from Metric Automotive Engineering

ASouth African distributor of IPDparts, Metric Automotive

Engineering offers new cover partnumbers on a monthly basis for thesmaller generation Caterpillar C7,C9 and C12 engines.

“We already have a fair coverageon these models and are adding tothis offering on a monthly basis asIPD releases more part numbersonto the market,” Andrew Yorke, ofMetric Automotive Engineering,says. “Since being appointed IPD’sdistributor in South Africa in 2008,we service an increasing number ofcustomers who recognise and areexperiencing the significant costsavings associated with world classquality replacement parts.”

IPD C7 aluminium pistons areconstructed from a specialhypereutectic alloy that has highsilicon content. Hypereutecticaluminium is stronger than morecommon cast aluminium pistonsand provides a low coefficient ofthermal expansion, which allows for

much tighter tolerances. The IPD C7rod bearings are manufactured from asintered alloy plated with a uniqueoverlay. This material is designedexclusively for high loads and offersexcellent cavitation erosion resistance,load carrying capacity andconformability.

IPDSteel articulated two-piecepiston crowns for C9 engines aremanufactured with a patented heattreated steel casting for high strength,durability, heat and wear resistance,as well as dimensional stability underconditions of high heat and pressure.

For C9 engines, the intake valveheads are made of chrome-nickelalloy that provides excellent hightemperature strength, hardness andcorrosion resistance.

The latest replacement parts forCaterpillar C10 and 3176C engineapplications include 252 partnumbers, including new InFrameoverhaul kits, piston and linerassemblies and other importantengine components.

Cummins Power Generation studies potential of LNGAs interest in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) grows around the world, theinfrastructure of liquefaction, transportation, storage and vaporisationis expanding to keep up with demand. A white paper published byCummins Power Generation, entitled ‘LNG – An Alternative toDiesel?,’ explores how the uptake of LNG for use in small-scaleapplications should act as an investment driver. What may result arelarger and more widespread LNG distribution systems, which canbegin to rival diesel’s long-established distribution network.

The white paper outlines the origins of LNG from natural sources. Itthen discusses how LNG’s composition changes under storage asmethane is boiled off for use, and how the storage tank is replenishedwith LNG of the original proportions of hydrocarbon components.

As well as offering widely-recognised environmental advantages,LNG derived gas may cost less per kWh than oil-based fuel – though

delivery volumes for the same energy output may be higher becauseof LNG’s lower energy content per cubic meter. The paper also looks atcircumstances when a liquefaction plant will be required, andcompares the different risks presented by LNG and diesel spillages.

Available at Cummins Power Docs (www.cumminspowerdocs.com),the paper is authored by Keith Packham, who began his career as anengineer in the UK Merchant Navy.

His technical expertise brought him to Cummins Power Generation,where he supports the global Energy Solutions Business on thedesign, installation, operation and maintenance of energy-efficientplants.

Chris Downs, global marketing communication manager at Cummins Power Generation

Inmesol products power residential areas in BeninCotonou is the economic capital of theRepublic of Benin, in West Africa. In 1960 itspopulation barely reached 70,000, but itnow has over a million inhabitants.Cotonou’s infrastructure – port, airport,railway and roads – has made it the tradeaxis of West Africa. Although the country’scapital is Porto Novo, the seat ofgovernment is in Cotonou, as are the

majority of large companies and banks. Theofficial distributor for Inmesol in Benin,Cobetam reports that in the last few weeksthere has been an increase in demand for thecompany’s soundless generator sets, themajority of which have been installed inresidential buildings in Cotonou.

The soundless generator setsmanufacture by Inmesol are designed to

offer high acoustic insulation. They are,therefore, ideal to prevent unwanted noisein residential areas.

Representatives at Inmesol have declaredthat the company is satisfied that its brand isbeing consolidated in Benin as a guarantee ofquality and that its clients can attest thatInmesol generator sets are among thequietest on the market.

Cost effective, high quality service replacement components from IPD lower repair costs for industrial engines without sacrificing quality, engine life or job performance


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GeneratorsPOWER


Himoinsa Middle East has madesignificant appointments in the

Middle East and East Africa, both regionswhere the energy multinational has madeimpressive inroads in recent years.

Ramy Mohy el Dine has been appointedas Himoinsa’s new business developmentdirector in Eastern Africa. Ramy Mohy has adistinguished track record in internationalbusiness and project management andboasts in-depth knowledge of the Africanmarket, where Himoinsa has established astrong distribution network. “Himoinsa isconstantly endeavouring to increase itsinternational presence. My goal is to draw onall my personal strengths to extend thecompany’s distribution network in thosecountries in East Africa where it isn´t fullyrepresented” said Ramy Mohy el Dine.Countries such as Ethiopia, with a populationof 93mn, are bound to experience dramaticgrowth in demand for energy generation.

“The quality of Himoinsa’s products isone of the main drivers of the growth inthe company’s market share in this region.”

The other significant appointment isthat of Rajeev Lalitha Rajan as productsupport engineer at Himoinsa Middle East,where he will help the experiencedexisting product support team to meet thetechnical needs of this region. RajeevLalitha Rajan has worked for a number ofmajor energy generation companies andhas a strong track record in deliveringtechnical solutions in the diesel generatorsector. His appointment underlinesHimoinsa’s determination to deliverquality service in the after market area.

Inmesol continues expanding its exportnetwork across sub-Saharan Africa. Severaldozens of its generator sets have reached thefacilities of Inter-Mat, the company’s officialdistributor in Gabon.

Inter-Mat has its headquarters in Libreville,a port city which is home to approximately 40per cent of Gabon’s population and whichconstitutes the commercial centre andengine of the region. The companyspecialises in engines and generator sets. Likeall Inmesol’s distributors, Inter-Mat has anexcellent technical and post-sales service,which guarantees the maintenance andrepair of purchased machinery.

The generator sets ordered from Inmesolby Inter-Mat are from the company’s stand-byand industrial ranges.

An Oshkosh Corporation company,manufacturing light towers as well as aerial workplatforms and telescopic material handlers, JLGIndustries has developed more content, easiernavigation, and streamlined access toinformation about the company, its products,and its services in 22 languages, for its globalwebsite at www.jlg.com. The site employsresponsive design, so it displays in the bestformat for any device. It invites visitors to selectone of 29 countries in eight regions, making iteasier for them to find solutions for their region.The site also features improved navigation,including multiple ways to locate equipmentspecifications, literature, and images, to accessmore quickly all the information customers

require to purchase, operate and service theirJLG equipment.“The new JLG site allows visitors to find theinformation they need quickly and easily,”explained Alan Loux, JLG Industries VP ofmarketing. “Now, customers can access the JLGsite from a variety of devices – computers,tablets, and mobile phones – and be assuredof a consistent experience with all the sameinformation, regardless of the device. We’ve builta framework to deliver what we believe is a best-in-class experience across all channelsworldwide.”New equipment selection tools enablecustomers to identify more easily the equipmentbest suited for their specific applications.

Himoinsa bolsters EastAfrica and Middle East

Inmesol’s generators are now sold in Gabon

Inter-Mat sells Inmesol generatorsets in Gabon

JLG’s light towers go global andmobile on the Web

Backup generators delivered on site in CapeTown, South Africa, by Neptune Plant Hire(Photo: Warren Rohner)

Himoinsa is constantly endeavouring

to increase itsinternational presence.

My goal is to draw onall my personal

strengths to extend thecompany’s distribution

network in thosecountries in East

Africa where it isn´tfully represented.”

- Ramy Mohy el Diney


S09 ATR July 2014 - Construction 01_Layout 1 6/23/2014 11:27 AM


Crown Paints Kenya Ltd has recentlyclaimed an 80 per cent benchmark inthe production and adoption of water-

based paint.The benchmark translates into a cut down

on carbon-reliant preparation raw materials inwhat has previously been popular as oil-basedpreparation and manufacturing of paints.

Rakesh Rao, Crown Paints Kenya Ltd chiefexecutive officer confirmed the achievementsaying, “Today, water-based paints dominateand account for roughly 80 per cent of paintsthat we are selling. With environmental issuescoming to the fore, paint manufacturers globallyare busy formulating new products that cutdown on VOCs (volatile organic compounds).”

VOCs gradual decomposition lead toenvironmental degradation.Rao explained, “Fifty years ago, virtually allpaints were oil-based. Today, advances inpaint technology mean that modern, water-based paints, often referred to as acrylicemulsions, are increasingly replacing organicsolvents across a broad range of paintapplications.”

He was speaking in Lavington, at the ultra-modern Lavington Curve building first floor thathouses Crown Paints’ fourth showroom that willserve citizens in the Karen, Langata, Ngong,Kilimani and Kilileshwa among other areas inclose proximity to the connecting JamesGichuru Road. These clients will easily access theLavington showroom and avoid traffic jam thatleads to the other showroom in Westlands.

This event marked the official opening ofthe showroom in addition to Crown Paints’three other showrooms countrywide inNairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa. While theshowrooms in Mombasa and Nakuru wereopened two weeks ago respectively, thecompany has pledged to open a further threemore in Kisumu, Eldoret and Nairobi.

The showrooms will stock a different range

of interior and exterior products, he explained.“Kenya is transforming and her citizens arekeen to change their lifestyles. At Crown Paintswe endeavor to bring global products at yourdoorsteps,” Rao added. The Lavingtonshowroom will, for instance, display designerfashion finishes, textured finishes, Italian designmarbles and quartz from Kalingastone,waterproofing and construction chemicalsfrom Pidilite. Furthermore, the Crown PaintsShowroom model has gained traction andproved a more efficient and effective channelfor educating Kenyans on different kinds ofinterior and exterior paints as well as finishes.

“The popularity of our showroom modelhas been driven by the rise of middle andupper middle class customers who aredemanding for more quality products. Wehave witnessed better understanding ofpaints through our face-to-face interactionwith our customers,” he said.

The showroom features the latestinnovations in paints and interior finishes andoffer consumers tips on how to enhancebuilding aesthetics using quality products. It is

designed as a one stop colour expressionCentre, complete with colour visualizer tosimulate room sets.

Crown Paints has put in place severalinitiatives geared to promoting use of qualityproducts to ensure safety and long-life ofbuildings. It has also put in place otherinnovative and noble initiatives to engage itsclients and customers more. It has partneredwith many other specialists including ASL, thePidilite Dr Fixit solutions for waterproofing, andthe armourcoat of UK range among others.

Rao explained Crown Paints’ commitmentto value-addition and diversification ofproducts to serve all socio-economic classesin the country and region and cordiallyinvited clients especially architects andinterior designers to make use of theshowrooms. The company is also keenlyfighting to be more competitive in pricing. Ittakes pride in having the best paintstechnology that assists clients at constructionsites and especially for water-proofing. ■

Fred Ndung’u

KenyaCONSTRUCTION

Crown Paints increasesuse of water-based paintsThere is greater industry interest in Kenya in the production of water-based paints in order to comply with environmental legislation andregulations

James of Oak Park and CEO Crown Paint Rakesh Raoat the Lavington showrooom

S09 ATR July 2014 - Construction 01_Layout 1 6/19/2014 4:58 PM


Asphalt CONSTRUCTION

In 2010 a five year strategic road map was put in place in order toensure that the road maintenance in Lagos area could reach goodlevels; in particular the main targets were to increase the

maintained roads, to help the infrastructural development and for thisreason it was agreed to buy two new asphalt plants and a new plantwith a high production (up to 180 t/h) was commissioned in Imotasuburb area.

A very important issue during the plant definition was thepossibility of RAP use because it is very important to reuse oldasphalt pavements removed from old roads (and not wasted as ithas been commonly done up to now in Nigeria). The request ofthe technical team was to obtain maximum flexibility and to usevery high percentages. For this reason they firstly decided to pre-treat the RAP in order to control the quality of old bitumen andthe size of recovered aggregates (the highest quality of the finalproduct has always been a priority in the technical discussion) andit was decided to choose a plant solution with one line to thedryer (recycling ring) with up to 35 per cent recycling.

Flexibility for performanceOther important points evaluated during the negotiations were thepossibility to control, in the best possible way, the metering processes(for each single components), the high flexibility of production tofrequently change the formula as well as the possibility to produce smallquantities of asphalt. The focus was on maximum efficiency, and

performance for the production of special products (possibility to usecoloured additives, fibres, etc…), with special attention to environmentand working conditions.

Above targets lead the customer to choose a Marini UltiMAP 2000 in2013 and now the asphalt plant is commissioned and in production tothe highest customer’s satisfaction.

The customer requested a special bitumen supply management:the Imota Plant has a total bitumen storage capacity of 300 tonnesgranted by no. 6 vertical tanks; the operator can easily change thetype of bitumen during the HMA production and can also order thebitumen from the supplier without problems related to delivery time.These peripherals are common to all asphalt plants but the requestwas for new design tanks with low thermal bridges since they have totake into consideration the production process optimization, theenvironment and, of course, the most economical mode of productionin terms of efficient use of raw materials.

At the end of the day, a new point of reference is now reached forNigerian market and we are sure that also other contractors (as alreadydone in Imota case by Lagos State Public Works) will search for alloperational optimization in order to respect the environment, to reducethe fuel consumption, to optimize the emissions and especially takinginto account the target to maximize the quality of the final product.

This great success has been possible with the cooperation of manypeople involved in this project, in particular thanks to the highlyprofessional team work of HMD, a Marini dealer based in Nigeria. ■

A point of reference forNigerian asphalt

Highly flexible production for a highly adaptable producthas enabled Marini to deliver support for leading-edge processesin West African construction

A new point of reference has been reachedfor Nigerian asphalt market


CONSTRUCTIONNigeria


With the growing demand forconstruction materials in Nigeria,Asphalt Unity Construction turned

once again to Sandvik Construction in orderto help them achieve their increasedproduction capacity.

The company, based in Nigeria, beganoperations in 2009, and is a multifacetedengineering firm. Young, dynamic andexperienced engineers from differentestablishments came together to put theirknowledge and experience to work. Their aimwas to deliver high quality engineering services

for their clients. Now they have become one ofthe leading construction companies in theeastern region of Nigeria.

The company has recently looked tobecome smarter and more competitive.Having already experienced what Sandvikstationary crushers can produce, they decidedto consider the Sandvik Construction MobileCrushers and Screens portfolio to help themachieve their annual production targetthereby meeting the industry demands in theNigerian Delta State.

Mario El Fadi, director of Asphalt Unity

Construction, visited the Sandvik ConstructionMobiles production facility in Swadlincote,Derbyshire, in September 2013. During hisvisit, El Fadi was able to see the benefitsoffered by the mobile plant and consequentlyplaced an order for five tracked units.

Sandvik Mobiles offer a huge amount offlexibility, with quick set up times andreliability. El Fadi commented, “We wanted aquick win situation in order to achieve ourtargeted capacity and one of the hugeadvantages of mobile equipment is that noinstallation is required.” ■

Engineering firmgets mobileAsphalt Unity Construction benefits from going mobile with the help fromSandvik Construction


At its 2014 convention in Prague, in theCzech Republic, Bobcat presented themost recent development of its brand

and product portfolio. Prague is astrategically significant location for Bobcat,particularly with respect to the emergingmarkets of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) -though the facility also serves the Americasand Oceania. It maintains a factory at Dobrisnear Prague, which is specifically gearedtowards supplying EMEA territories with theequipment operators need to deliverinfrastructure projects on time and withinbudget. Dobris is where Bobcat manufacturescompact loaders and mini-excavators - allimportant equipment for many of today'sconstructors in the Middle East and Africa.

Under Doosan, the oldest conglomerateenterprise in Korea, Bobcat is itself emerginginto a new entity, with a radically differentecosystem. Since the conglomerate'sconstruction and mining division, Doosan

Infracore (DI), acquired Bobcat in 2007, it has re-imagined the company to become a core playerin emerging markets around the world. Doosanis actively investing in technology leadership inBobcat - particularly, with respect to innovatingengine technology to meet emissions standardsand support customers as they seek to lowercosts and improve efficiency.

Adding value to construction projectsBobcat EMEA president Martin Knoetgenboasts of a strong manufacturingbackground, and had served as Bobcat EMEAVP for two years before assuming his new rolein June 2012. He spoke at the convention of"adding value' to both Bobcat as a companyand to its customers' businesses. He believesthat the quality and performance of thecompany's loaders and excavators willcontinue to drive new business growth - buthe hinted also that there will be newproducts in the near future, new machines tocreate value for constructors.

Jose Cuadrado, EMEA VP at Bobcat,followed Knoetgen with specific productnews, disclosing that the Dobris campus is asite of new innovation and excellence, withnew product designs underway. Itsmanufacturing has been continuallydeveloped since 2007, producing more than7,000 units per year, accounting for 15

ProfileCONSTRUCTION

54

Core leadership inconstruction markets

At its 2014 convention in Prague, in the Czech Republic, Bobcat presentedthe most recent development of its brand and product portfolio

Bobcat recently highlighted its innovations foremerging and established markets


TQM is practiced toimprove quality and

performance to meet orexceed customerexpectations by

integrating all quality-related functions and

processes

S10 ATR July 2014 - Construction 02_Layout 1 23/06/2014 11:41

differentmodels for globalexport. Its InnovationCentre is where Dobris hosts Bobcatproduct development teams, incorporatingdealer and customer feedback into thedesign of new product features andapplications. The Training Centre continuesto provide optimised training programmesfor Bobcat employees, dealers andcustomers alike. The new Bobcat Dieselengine is the latest in a line of motormanufacturing which began with Bobcat'sfirst engine in 1976. Its design began toform in 2009, with capabilities forperformance and reliability to the fore from

outset. Whilst the new engine range will beseen in Europe initially, from 2015, on abouthalf of Bobcat loaders produced, Doosan'saim is to see this engine serve as a globalstandard in the years to come, driving theadoption of engine innovations globally inall territories. For markets in MEA, Bobcatwill continue to supply machines with theexisting engine range.

Focusing on the manufacture of qualityequipmentNorbert Donaberger, VP global business atBobcat, who has three decades construction

industry experience, is primed to delivergrowth for the company's telescopic

handler business, which isproduced in Pontchateau in

France - where total qualitymanagement (TQM) is the

principle philosophy underpinningmanufacturing processes. TQM is

practiced to improve quality andperformance to meet or exceed customerexpectations by integrating all quality-relatedfunctions and processes. This meansexamining overall quality measures in areassuch as design and development, andmaintenance, across all operational levels andinvolving all company employees. Withrespect to product portfolio, Bobcat's qualityis well-represented in the advanced versionsof the company’s two largest rigid frametelescopic handlers introduced late in 2013.The new T40140 14 metres and T40180 18metres models both have increasedmaximum lifting heights and are based on aneasy-to-use design that provides class-leading efficiency and productivity backed by

CONSTRUCTION

55African Review of Business and Technology - July 2014

FAYAT MIXING PLANTS

Supermobile continuous asphaltplantSpecially designed for small tohigh and highways road works

• More than 120 references in Africa• Unbeatable cost and transfer time

(1 to 5 days depending on the model) without civil engineering

• Low maintenance costs• Recycling rate up to 35 %

TSMMARINI-ERMONT

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TSM 13 ERMONT 120 TPH TSM 15 ERMONT 160 TPHTSM 17 ERMONT 230 TPH TSM 21 ERMONT 360 TPH

Continuous asphalt plant with parallel flow

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Profile

There is a strong emphasis on the quality ofproduction at Bobcat

S10 ATR July 2014 - Construction 02_Layout 1 6/23/2014 11:24 AM

sophisticated safety systems. Jarry Fiser, mini-excavators (MEX) product line director, joinedBobcat 16 years ago, and has - since his firstday with the company - focused ondeveloping the company's excavators. Bobcatentered the compact excavator businessmore than 25 years ago. Its current range ofcompact excavators offer three-armconfigurations; a choice of conventional orzero tail swing; a comfortable cab, anexclusive all-hydrostatic drive system andwhat is widely regarded as an exceptionaldealer network supporting the product.Bobcat's compact excavators offer manyadvantages over larger equipment. Theyfeature advanced hydraulic systems, which

respond to loads with more usable power forfaster cycles - and combine speed and powerto enable operators to reduce the time ittakes to complete projects. The latestinnovations in Bobcat's compact excavatorrange are the new E17, E19, and E20 models,which will be sold first to European customers- but again are understood to represent coreelements of the company's future direction inemerging market territories.

Bobcat's loaders came under thespotlight, then, with a presentation by MikeVought, Bobcat's loader product linedirector. The company makes skid steer, all-wheel steer, compact tracked and minitracked loaders - and has sold wellthroughout and over five decades. Mostrecently, Bobcat launched the S450 skid-steer loader, a new generation machinebuilding on the success of the S130 model itreplaces, by combining the advantagesoffered by a truly compact loader with manyof the new features and improvementsfound on larger Bobcat models.

At the 2014 Prague convention, Voughtcelebrated the millionth loader sale byBobcat - a recent achievement he believeshas come through a company-wideapproach to market of "selling 'solutions'when selling 'machines'". ■

ProfileCONSTRUCTION

56

Bobcat’s dealer network supportscustomers with equipment orders


Dobris, in the CzechRepublic, is where

Bobcat manufacturescompact loaders andmini-excavators - all

important equipment formany of today's

constructors in theMiddle East and Africa


An Asphalt plant consists of anindustrial unit and it is fundamentalfor road quality. On the other hand,

the inputs of pavement derive from thenature with characteristics related to itsorigin, weather, and other phenomena thatresult in a wide variety of materials withunique characteristics. The plants shouldcompile all these characteristics in order todevelop a high quality end product,according to the project requirements. Theunderstanding and type of inputscharacteristics along with the time addedto a growing increase of prices related tothe present and future shortage haveguided research aimed at seekingalternative asphalt mixes.

The new technologies of asphalt mixeshave as main inputs engineering know howof pavements and also the industry ofequipment, currently. One highlight is thewarm mixes through asphalt foam that not

only reduce fuel consumption at the plant,but also waives the use of additives. Thistechnique was created by the industry andit is already a reality on the job sites inCiber continuous and discontinuous plants.Another highlight is hot recycling, created inthe 30’s, used in the 70’s and reinvented in2014 by Ciber from differentiated heatingof milled material, minimising its aging andincreasing its recycling rate. The last trendis the union between warm foamed asphaltand hot recycling; called Warm Recycling,this technique aims at balancing theoxidative aging of the milled with the lowestaging of warm mixes. This combination isin practical development at Usina do Brasil,with a promising success in the short-term.

In the past, the plants used to beprojected according to the creation of newtechniques of asphalt mixes. In the present,the plants foster the creation of new mixes,a result of equipment innovation.

CONSTRUCTIONProfile


Asphalt plants criticalfor large projectsAn asphalt plant cannot be considered just another piece of equipment in the paving process

Asphalt plants enable the productionof high quality asphalt mixtures.



In recent months, output at CCGT Granulatsfacility has risen to 5,000 cu m ofaggregates per day. CCGT owns the landmark quarry, together

with several others in the country, and hasbeen expanding its equipment fleet to helpwith the growing workload. Among themachines added in the past year are fourSDLG units from Shandong LingongConstruction Machinery Co., Ltd. (known asLingong). Three machines are at the Granulatslocation and one is at its Concentrium facilityclose to Marrakesh.

The first machine on site at Granulats was afive tonnes lift capacity LG958 wheeledloader, which arrived just 12 months ago. Thequarry owners were so impressed with theSDLG machine, particularly the fuel efficiencyand product support from local dealer SBMH,that a further wheeled loader, a seven tonneslift capacity LG978, plus a 30 tonnes ratedLG6300E excavator, were added.

Youseff Tazi, the owner of CCGT, said thecompany was delighted with the output andperformance of the SDLG units.

“This is our first experience of using aChinese brand at our facilities, as most of ourother equipment is from established Westernbrands,” he said.

“But we were pleased with theperformance of the first wheeled loader, andwhen we took the second wheeled loaderand the excavators we were even morepleased.”

The machines were all supplied throughSBMH, SDLG’s exclusive dealer for Morocco.The company is contracted to provide fullservice support for each machine and thisreassuring level of backup was a major factorin CCGT’s decision to invest.

Both the loaders work in the final phase ofthe quarry, loading the trucks for export. Thepair have Weichai engines, the LG958 a 162kW unit and the LG978 a 220 kW unit,

although as the LG978 is a new machine witha newer engine, CCGT is reporting equivalentlevels of fuel efficiency on both loaders.Vehicle weight for the LG958 is 16.6 tonnes,while the LG978 weighs 23.5 tonnes.Maximum breakout force is 168 kN on thesmaller unit, and 216 kN on the larger, whilebucket capacities are 3 cu m and 4.2 cu mrespectively.

The excavator is employed filling truckswhich transfer materials to the crusher. Thisduty cycle work exerts high levels of workpressure on the LG6300E, but so far the unithas been more than equal to the task. Bucketcapacity is 1.4 cu m on the excavator andbreakout force is 198 kN. The 6.2 metresstandard boom can reach out to 10.49 metresand dig down to 7.32 metres. The maximumdumping height is 7.05 metres. Power for theunit comes from a six cylinder Dalian Deutzengine rated at 149 kW at 2,000 rpm.

Said Boudali, general manager of SBMH,said providing superior service was central to

building success for the SDLG brand inMorocco.

“The philosophy of our company is to offerreliable and productive equipment at acompetitive price and with SDLG machineswe get that,” he said. “But we also understandthat fast and responsive customer service iscrucial to our success. So we have invested ina significant stock of spare parts andconsumables at our facility plus technicianscapable of reaching all areas of the country ina matter of hours. That level of support givesour customers the confidence to invest and,as with CCGT, once they see the great levelsof productivity and value that SDLG machinesoffer they are happy to add more.”

CCGT was established in 2001 and has fivedivisions with an annual turnover ofUS$24.2mn. In addition to its quarries, thegroup also has a company whichmanufactures pipe sections and one thatoperates as a construction contractor. CCGTemploys 650 people in all. ■

Excavators CONSTRUCTION

CCGT's aggregatesdemand rises Morocco’s largest quarry, CCGT Granulats, lies in a rural location betweenthe cities of Serat and Rabat; operations there are on the rise, as demandfor aggregates in the country booms

CCGT has increased its equipment fleet to meet workload demands


Delivering productive performance in a wide range of 5t wheelloader applications, the new Cat 950 GC wheel loader machinerepresents exceptional value. Its list of features is impressive:

heavy-duty frames; Cat Z-bar linkage; performance series buckets;fuel-efficient Cat C7.1 engine; powerful load-sensing hydraulics;spacious, air-conditioned cab with intuitive controls; and unsurpassedsupport from Caterpillar’s worldwide dealers.

The 950 GC is well-suited for stockpiling, truck loading, materialhandling, hopper charging and load-and-carry work in applicationssuch as quarries, sand and gravel pits, coal operations, storage yards,concrete and asphalt plants, and on construction projects for job-sitepreparation, back-filling, pipe handling, and general clean up.

Power trainWith a net power rating of 168 kW (225 hp), the C7.1 engine meetsStage IIIA (Tier 3) emissions standards and features a new fuel-injection system specifically designed for fuel available in emergingmarkets. An electronically controlled, hydraulically driven, variable-speed cooling fan lowers fuel consumption and sound levels, and anoptional fan-drive-by pass feature allows faster warm-up in coldweather. A high-ambient cooling package is available.

The 950 GC's 4F/3R countershaft, power-shift transmission,designed and built by Caterpillar, features automatic-shift capabilityand the Cat Electronic Long Range Transmission control system, whichallows full-power shifts and includes a speed protection feature. Thismodulated transmission ensures smooth shifts for operators andcontributes significantly to fast cycles and extended component life.

Linkage, buckets, hydraulicsThe 950 GC features Cat’s proven Z-bar loader linkage, providingaggressive digging capabilities, high breakout forces, and lift andreach capability to competently handle a wide range of loadingapplications. The B-pin height and dump clearance are best in class fora 5t wheel loader allowing easy loading of on-highway trucks. Lift andbucket return-to-dig kick-outs can be adjusted to suit the application.

Complementing the linkage are Cat Performance Series buckets,featuring a long floor, curved side sheets, and a wide opening to alloweven less-experienced operators to attain 105- to 115-percent fillfactors in minimum time, speeding cycles and saving fuel. The spillguard protects linkage, cylinders and cab from material spillage. Anelectro-hydraulically actuated quick coupler is available, allowing the950 GC to use a number of Cat work tools for added versatility.

Powering the loader linkage is the 950 GC’s load-sensing hydraulicsystem, providing fast, powerful response, allowing combined lift and

tilt movements, while also conserving engine horsepower, saving fueland reducing heat by creating only the hydraulic flow and pressureactually required to perform the task at hand. The 950 GC’s design is aprecise balance between hydraulic cycles and rimpull which results inaggressive loading without excessive wheel spin, saving fuel and tires.

Operator amenitiesOperator comfort and convenience is a focal point of the 950 GC’sdesign. The cab is spacious, featuring a comfortable, cloth-covered,mechanical-suspension seat (an air-suspension seat is available) andlow-effort, pilot-operated implement controls. If preferred, joystickimplement control is also available. Both types of controls have remotequick-down switches, the joystick features also a direction changeswitch. The adjustable steering column includes a conventional shiftlever with kick-down function for added convenience.

Visibility is enhanced with a large, roof-to-floor, distortion-free frontwindshield and standard interior and exterior mirrors. For addedconvenience and safety, a rearview camera system is available. Tenlouvered vents allow operators to direct airflow to their liking, and airentering the cab is filtered via an easily serviced exterior filter. Thedash display has analogue-like gauges, warning lights and an LCDscreen, allowing the operator to quickly monitor machine conditions.

For added safety, the 950 GC has a ladder on each side, allowingaccess to large platforms with handrails. Also, the main door opens tothe front for wide access to the cab.

ServiceabilityHydraulic and electrical service centers provide ground-level access togrouped service points, enhancing the convenience and safety forthose performing routine maintenance. Large gull-wing side panelsand a tilt-up rear grille provide easy access to filters and the machine’sScheduled Oil Sampling (S•O•SSM) ports, which can be used to collectcirculating-oil samples for analysis, providing a mean for regularlychecking on machine health. Adding more value to the 950 GC is theCat Product Link telematics system, which permits location tracking,geo-fencing, and remote monitoring of operating parameters, such ashours, fuel consumption, idle time, and event or fault codes. ■

Wheel loadersCONSTRUCTION

60

Proven components,durable structuresCat’s 950 GC wheel loader offersdurability, reliability and economy,adding to customer value

The new Cat 950 GC wheel loader



Awholly-owned subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, KalumbilaMinerals Limited (KML) plans to construct an airport in North-Western Province at a cost of over US$2mn. The main objective

of the proposed airport is to facilitate the movement of people andgoods for the development of the Trident project in the provincialcapital, Solwezi, according to an environmental impact assessment(EIA) report by KML, which has been submitted to the ZambiaEnvironmental Management Agency (ZEMA).

The investment opportunityWork on the Trident Project began in May 2012. The Sentinel coppermine, which has a life expectancy in excess of 15 years, is set tobecome operational later this year. Investment comes in the context ofFirst Quantum’s commitment in region is contextualised by its supportfor a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA)agreed in March 2013 by the governments of Canada and Zambia. TheFIPA is a treaty designed to promote and protect Canadian investmentabroad through legally-binding provisions and to promote foreigninvestment in Canada. By ensuring greater protection againstdiscriminatory and arbitrary practices, and by enhancing thepredictability of a market's policy framework, a FIPA gives businessesgreater confidence to invest. What this FIPA does, as The HonourableEd Fast, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, said, is “bring greatersecurity to the business environment for Canadian companies lookingfor opportunities” in Zambia.

Developing the projectThe project has already created 1,700 construction jobs - and willprovide 2,000 jobs for employees, and up to 8,000 indirect job, oncethe mine is open. Ultimately, the mine will process about 55mntonnes of ore a year to produce approximately 280,000 to 300,000tonnes of copper in concentrate annually - most of which will betransported to First Quantum’s smelter at the Kansanshi mine, 140kilometres east of Kalumbila.

First Quantum Minerals decided to drive the Trident Project forwardwhen it bought a stake, through KML, in Kiwara Limited and KiwaraResources Zambia Limited, which held the prospecting license for thecopper mine.

Currently, KML is engaged in the development of potentially threenew copper mines which are collectively known as the Trident project.The project implementation is expected to start upon ZEMA approval.About 40 people are expected to be employed during theconstruction of the airport, which will last about 18 months.

‘’In order to improve regional and international connectivity withthe Trident project, KML have proposed to construct an airport and

associated infrastructure capable of handling larger passengernumbers as well as larger cargo aircraft,’’ the EIA says.

The total estimated cost for the proposed Kalumbila town airportproject is US$2mn.

The project development of the airport will evolve the preparation,construction and operation phases.

Under the preparation phase, the project will include siteselection and clearing, and subsequent airport development. Theproject will entail the construction of a 2,700-metre long and 42-metre wide airport.

Additionally, the project will involve the construction of a fuelstorage area, parking, terminal building and a control tower.

The project will be designed and constructed by KML, but is likelyto be transferred to and operated by a third party during theoperation phase.

‘’To maintain maximum safety at the airport, it will be necessary tocarry out clearing activities around the airport, especially during therainy season. This will aid visibility and prevent wildlife encroachment,’’the report adds.

The project is also expected to have positive and negative impactson the environment and the economy of Zambia.

It is envisaged that the project will have positive impacts on thelocal, regional and national level, resulting in improved regionaltransport, tourism and economy of the project area.

Negatively, the project is expected to cause air pollution, landdegradation and ecological disturbances. ■

Nawa Mutumweno

InfrastructureCONSTRUCTION

62

Southern Africa’simproved air structuresMining firm Kalumbia plans the construction of a new airport to serveZambia's Copper Belt

Kalumbila is set to gain significantly from investment in local infrastructure



Aspecialised five-tonnes per hour (tph)dense media separation (DMS) pilotsampling plant designed by SNC-

Lavalin’s South African office could pave theway for the increased reclamation of very finediamonds from scrap material.

The innovative containerised plant wasordered for deployment at a mine in Russia. Itis the third order that has been placed withSNC-Lavalin’s South African office in recenttimes for this region, the company said. “Thenew five-tph DMS sampling plant has been

designed to process the fine dump materialpreviously generated by the operation’sautogenous grinding (AG) mill,” says RogerRousseau, manager of the modular group atSNC-Lavalin’s South African office.

“The material contains a high amount ofminus 0.5mm materials, mostly clay andother fines, and our scope was to treatmaterial from minus 2mm to plus 0.5mm.

“This was handled as a fast-track projectbecause we needed to ship the containerisedplant to site before the onset of winter in thenorthern hemisphere. However, since wintertemperatures in this far eastern region of Asiadrop as low as minus 60°C, the recovery plantwill only operate during the summer months,”Rousseau adds.

The full scope of the order involves thedesign, manufacture and commissioning ofthe five-tph pilot plant, comprising front-endscrubbing and screening and a DMS plant torecover diamonds from alluvial andkimberlitic deposits in the required range.

The plant was designed and executed by adedicated modular team at theJohannesburg office. This specialised teamwas established three years ago to meet theincreasing market demand for compactplants that can be split into smaller sectionsand transported in containers to all parts ofthe world. The five-tph DMS sampling plantwas skid mounted and shipped to site in twocontainers.

Rousseau comments that the trendtowards containerising operational plantequipment has a number of advantages,including simplified logistics and a reductionof the time spent on site, since theequipment can be cold commissioned at theSNC-Lavalin yard before being despatched.

“The modular team is made up of highlyskilled professionals who are able to multi-task on any given project,” Rousseau adds.“This invariably creates a price advantage forSNC-Lavalin when tendering for smallerprojects.” ■

MININGDiamonds


Recovering fine diamonds

Containerisingoperational equipmenthas several advantages”

S12 ATR July 2014 - Mining_Layout 1 6/19/2014 5:04 PM

South African pinch valve and knife gate valve manufacturer Atvalrecently manufactured and delivered three 800mm pinch valvesfor AngloGold Ashanti.

The valves were delivered onsite in September 2012 to theAngloGold Ashanti Siguiri mine in Guinea, West Africa, to enable theproject to increase its production from nine million tonnes per year to12mn tonnes per year. The Siguiri mine is AngloGold Ashanti’s onlyoperation in Guinea, where the government has a 15 per cent stake inthe mine and the balance of 85 per cent being held by AngloGoldAshanti. In 2006, the mine produced 256,000 attributable ounces ofgold at total cash cost of US$399 per ounce.

Atval director Ted Atkins notes that the project was completedwithin four months and comprised the design, tooling, manufacturingand testing of the valves. “The 800mm nominal bore 10 bar KE seriespinch valves, with enclosed body design, were fitted with B-gradeheavy-duty natural rubber sleeves. The valves were installed on thering main of the Siguiri gold plant’s tailings facility, where AngloGoldAshanti increased its pipeline from 700mm to 800mm in diameter toaccommodate the increase in production,” he explains.

Longer-wearingAtval director Mark Atkins indicates that pinch valves were used in thisapplication, owing to their longevity in high-wear applications. “Thevalves were fitted with double acting hydraulic cylinders, which weremanually actuated by hydraulic hand pumps that were welded to theside of the valves.”

He highlights the fact that the requirement for pinch valves in SouthAfrica is rarely greater than 500mm. “Larger valves are generally usedin applications where there are low yields of precious metals in therock. We had previous experience in manufacturing an 800mm valveto assist with water distribution in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga. Theexpertise gained from that project helped us successfully completethe AngloGold Ashanti project.”

Atval manufactures all its own valves, as well as the tooling andtesting needed to ensure a successful product. Mark continues, “This isan advantage that Atval has over its competitors, as it can reactquickly to requests for new designs, for valves not previouslymanufactured. This is supported by well proven design formula anddesign calculations as required under the company’s ISO 9001/2008certification. This is what ultimately contributed to Atval being chosenby AngloGold Ashanti for its Siguiri project.”

According to Ted, Atval had to manufacture all the tooling requiredfor the production of the valves. Once the tooling was completed, in-house machinery had to be built to handle the manufacturingprocess. He adds, “The company’s plant is built to handle the

manufacturing of valves up to 1,000mm and the technology iscapable of manufacturing large sizes.”

Despite a number of serious challenges related to the South Africanvalves market with regards to labour unrest in the mining sector andoverall energy price-hikes, Mark does note that the South AfricanDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) formally announced inJanuary 2013 the further designation of valves, manual andpneumatic actuators, electrical and telecommunication cables as wellas components of solar water heaters for local production and contentin the public sector procurement system.

Mark highlights the fact that Atval has been working closely withthe DTI over the past 18 months regarding this initiative. “Thisinitiative will help create employment and develop the valves andassociated industries. With this in mind, Atval aims to target moreaggressively State owned enterprises, such as those involved in waterand power generation, in the near future,” he concludes. ■

GoldMINING

64

Atval’s largest-everpinch valvesOrder for AngloGold Ashanti leads to employment and productdevelopment, following extensive design, tooling, manufacturingand testing processes

Atval's factory where the 800mmpinch valves for AngloGoldAshanti were manufactured



MSP is jointly owned by internationalmanufacturing and engineeringcompany DCD Group and Robor - a

world-class manufacturer and supplier ofwelded steel tube and pipe, cold formed steelprofiles and associated value added products.

The Vereeniging-based company’s rangeof Terra Drill in-stope integrated telescopicroof bolt drilling rigs, designed to ensuresafer and more stabilised undergrounddrilling, have been used extensively by anumber of high-profile gold miningoperations since being introduced locallyin 2007.

MSP general manager Conrad Engelbrechtpoints out that the lightweight and easilymanoeuvrable Terra Drill rigs can be set inposition, before being operated remotelyfrom a safe distance, in order to ensureimproved safety of drilling personnelunderground.

“Terra Drill rigs come in eight differentmodels that weigh between 12 kg and 42 kg,

which improves transport andmanoeuvrability in confined undergroundworking areas. Despite their varying sizes, allmodels have a footprint of just 450mm x450mm for further space saving,” heexplains.

All MSP Terra Drill rigs are air operated atan optimal pressure of 400 kPa to 500 kPa,which results in a pneumatic thrust of atleast 200kg. Remote control hose lengthsvary from three metres to six metres toensure that the drill operator is a safedistance from the powerful drilling rig.

Another major benefit of the MSP range ofTerra Drill rigs is that the units arecompatible with a wide variety ofunderground drilling machines, therebyeliminating the need for purchasing costlyadditional connection and safetyequipment.

Despite the distinct advantages of theMSP range of Terra Drill rigs, Engelbrechtadmits that the company faces a number ofchallenges in promoting the equipment.“Although in-stope roof bolting is essentialto underground worker safety, it is not alegal requirement. In challenging economicconditions, a number of local mines aretherefore not willing to invest in newtechnology.”

Engelbrecht remains optimistic that theTerra Drill rig range will gain market sharein the long-term. “Mining operations inSouth Africa continue to place a greateremphasis on safety, and the value of theTerra Drill rig will become more apparent tothe mining houses, when they weigh theinitial cost of purchase against the risks ofunprotected underground drilling,” heconcludes. ■

GoldMINING

66

Improving safety forunderground minersGold mining operations in South Africa are able to ensure greaterunderground worker safety through the innovative Terra Drill rigmanufactured locally by Mine Support Products (MSP)

Remote control hose lengths varyfrom three metres to six metres


All models have afootprint of just450mm x 450mm



WEB SELECTION

African countries are facing challenges to comply with requirementson quality management systems of the International Civil AviationOrganisation (ICAO), the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)has stated.During the official openingof the second bureau of theAfrican MinisterialConference on Meteorology(AMCOMET) in Zimbabwe’scapital Harare, MichelJarraud, secretary generalof the WMO, said, “Out of 17members of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa andMadagascar (ASECNA), only seven have recently undergone externalaudits and are working on the non-conformances identified. Othershave started the process and in total 11 members are certified witha number at advanced stage of the quality management systemimplementation.”africanreview.com/transport-a-logistics/aviation/

African nations ‘not fully compliant withairline quality standards’

Zambia's power generation majorCopperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC)has signed an investment deal worthUS$220mn with the government ofSierra Leone to build a 128MW powerplant in Freetown.The plant will be constructed inWellington in the east end of Freetown,according to government officials. Through its subsidiary CEC AfricaInvestments Limited (CECA), CEC will alsofocus on developing power infrastructureand training locals in Sierra Leone.africanreview.com/energy-a-power/power-generation/

A number of Indian companies stated their intention to invest inAfrica’s mining and power sectors at the recently held 11th edition ofthe West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX).

The expo, held in Accra, Ghana, and was organised by the Confederationof Indian Industry (CII) with the support of India's commerce ministry.

Rachna Jindal, deputy director of CII, commented, “There are lots ofopportunities in Ghana, and for that matter Africa, for Indian companies totake advantage, and so, the companies from India have come to showcasewhat they can offer. We have the technology that is appropriate and areready to make our expertise available to those countries that need it.”africanreview.com/construction-a-mining/excavation/

The Export Import (Ex-Im) Bank of the US has agreed to finance adeal worth US$1bn between GE and the government of Angola topurchase railway and energy equipment. The US-based lender will

help GE with funds to rebuildAngola's transport, electricityand communication networks,which were destroyed by war in2002. The loans from Ex-Im Bankwill include US$350mn forlocomotives and US$650mn forpower equipment.africanreview.com/financial/economy/

CEC signs US$220mn deal to build SierraLeone power plant

The WMO said that out of 17 member nations,only seven have undergone external audits onaviation quality management (IMAGE: Jez/Flickr)

The new plant to be set-up inSierra Leone will have acapacity of 128MW

African Review/On the WebA selection of product innovations and recent service developments for African businessFull information can be found on www.africanreview.com

Indian companies to tap into Africa’smining and power sectors

Ex-Im Bank to fund US$1bn GEventure in Angola

Kenya’s Baringo County has signeda US$71mn deal with Chinese firmChuansian International Companyto mine 200,000 tonnes ofdiatomite annually.

Located in the Rift Valley region,Baringo County is rich in ruby, ironore, gold, manganese and fluorspar— with many of these naturalresources lying unexploited.

Benjamin Cheboi, county

governor, said, “Over 300 jobs willcreated by the deal with furthergrowth expected in local economicactivities. We will offer an enablingenvironment to attract local, inter-county and international investors.We are liaising with the centralgovernment to ensure security forthe investors.”africanreview.com/construction-a-mining/quarrying/

Kenyan county to mine diatomite withChinese firm

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) hasannounced that it is working on a common agenda to developrenewable energy across West Africa.

In order to speed up the implementation of renewable energyprojects, governments from different West African nations will adopt acommon strategy to speed up the adoption and development ofdifferent forms of green energy.africanreview.com/energy-a-power/renewables/

ECOWAS to integrate renewable energydevelopment in West Africa

GE has been working in the power andenergy generation sectors of Angolafrom 1967 and will look to help rebuildpart of the country's infrastructure(IMAGE: Chuck Miller/Flickr)


68

SOLUTIONS

Minerals

Booyco Electronics’ Collision WarningSystem has provided the local and

African mining industry with a cost effectiveand efficient way of increasing employeesafety. The system effectively reducesdowntime by eliminating collisions betweenvehicles, as well as collisions betweenvehicles and pedestrians.

“The biggest contributors to on-site mineaccidents are noise and vehicle blind spots,"Anton Lourens, managing director of BooycoElectronics said. “Our primary objective hasalways been to supply dependable collisionwarning systems that address the specificneeds of the industry. As the operator of oneof the largest footprints of such technologywe have been able to take specific feedbackfrom our customers and, together with ourstrategic alliance partners, further developour systems.”

A critical element in the design of theBooyco Electronics CWS is its ability totransmit signals through rock in theunderground mining environment. Thesystem contains a sensing device that is ableto detect the presence of an object (vehicleor person) in real time and relay an audibleand/or visual warning alarm to theequipment operator. As it develops closerpartnerships with customers, the company

has been able to leverage our sensortechnologies for varying applicationsincluding video cameras and radio frequencyidentification (RFID) systems. Very-lowfrequency (VLF) RFID is proven as the onlysuccessful technology for CWS.

Lourens explained that VLF and ultra-highfrequency (UHF) is the optimum combinationin a solution in terms of enhanced accuracyand reliability. VLF is ideal for warningpedestrians who work or move near

machinery and UHF signalling is used to warnequipment operators of the presence of othervehicles. Both frequencies are incorporated inBooyco Electronics’ CWS technology.

“VLF is now accepted by the miningindustry as the only reliable technology forcollision warning underground. This is dueto its ability to penetrate rock, so even whena pedestrian is around the corner or on theother side of a rock wall, they will receiveample warning that a vehicle isapproaching. Similarly, the equipmentoperator will be alerted to the presence ofpedestrians so that he may proceed withdue caution,” Lourens said.

VLF technology provides an extremelystable and predictable system which can beset to function within predetermined zones,with a high degree of accuracy. As a bonus,it is not adversely affected by surroundingequipment, so interference is not an issue.

“Ultimately, mines require a warningsystem that provides them with the dualbenefits of enhanced uptime and compliantsafety practice. The collision warning systemssupplied by Booyco Electronics provide asingle source supply for reliable and accuratewarning, locating and monitoring systemscapable of operating in uniquely Africanconditions,” Lourens concluded.

Increasing safety and reducing costs with collision warning systems for miners

The collision warning systems supplied by Booyco Electronics provide a single source supply for reliable andaccurate warning, locating and monitoring systems capable of operating in uniquely African conditions


A critical element in the design of the Booyco ElectronicsCWS is its ability to transmit signals through rock in theunderground mining environment

Both VLF AND UHF areincorporated in BooycoElectronics’ CWS technology

S13 ATR July 2014 - Solutions_Layout 1 6/19/2014 5:08 PM

69

SOLUTIONS

Packaging

Liquid packaging solutions providerSidel was recently awarded a majorproject to introduce a new line in Ikeja,Nigeria, by the Nigerian BottlingCompany (NBC).NBC is an affiliate of Coca-ColaHBC, one of the world's largestbottlers of products for the Coca-Cola Company. NBC operates 13plants throughout Nigeria, servingas many as 160mn people. Its plantin Ikeja, the suburb in the statecapital, Lagos, has been runningsince 1978.Sidel's new bottling line will be dedicated to the extra productionof carbonated cola at the Ikeja plant which is responsible for theproduction of all formats of the Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Fanta,Sprite, Schweppes, Cappy, Five Alive and Eva brands. The newbottling line will be producing PET bottles in 500ml format at acapacity of 42,000 bottles per hour, and in 1,500ml format at acapacity of 22,000 bottles per hour."The quality and safety of our beverages are our highest priority,which is why packaging is so vital. At the same time as protectingthe liquid, we want our bottles to stay attractive across the supplychain and on the supermarket shelf, and offer a good consumerexperience thereafter," said Costin Barbu, engineering director at

Coca Cola HBC. "We therefore work with partners like Sidel to driveinnovation and identify new ways to improve packaging that createsvalue for us and our consumers."


IN

Meeting Africa's rapidly growingdemand for beverage products


70

EQUIPMENT/CLASSIFIED


Produced by Aquamec, part of the Lännengroup of construction machinery companies,Watermaster is an amphibious multi-purposemachine. Aquamec has sold these machines,which are manufactured in Finland, to publicand private sector customers in South Africa,Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia andother countries around the continent. Africa isa growing market for the company.Aquamec's machines are used for many typesof dredging applications - from mining throughto marine sector projects - but the majorityare used for environmental reasons.Watermaster is operated in shallow water areas- for example, shipyards - of 0-6m depth. Thisdistinguishes the product from dedicatedequipment such as long-reach excavators,amphibious excavators, and backhoe andsuction dredgers, in that it can take on theroles of all these machines, to handle all theseapplication types, merely by changing themachine tooling.

Designed for dedicated projects, and fordifferent purposesWatermaster is becoming increasingly importantfor many municipalities and governments inAfrica - in cleaning, maintaining and restoring

natural waters. Watermaster can be transportedas a complete unit, making logistics easy. It canunload from a truck by itself, too - meaning nocrane is needed for unloading on site. In water,it moves at up to four knots per hour. It anchorsitself independently; conventional machinesoften need separate anchors. Almost always,Watermaster machines are sold with both apumping capability and a backhoe capability.For backhoe dredging work, it can utilise a 500lbucket, and can use a clamshell bucket. It canremove vegetation, from the surface and at theroots; more conventional machines can takevegetation only at the surface.For pile driving projects, there are differentattachments to use. Watermaster can bedeployed for simple piling such as theinstallation of wooden poles - or more complexwork that might involve, for example, the useof metal sheets.

www.watermaster.fi

AKSA Jenerator Sanayi AS ..........................................................................................33Al Fajer Exhibition & Services ....................................................................................61Ayerbe, S.A.........................................................................................................................37Bank of Africa ......................................................................................................................2Betonblock / Legobeton BV........................................................................................56Ciber Equipamentos Rodoviarios Ltd ......................................................19, 21, 23Doosan Infracore ............................................................................................................15Eko Hotel and Suites......................................................................................................36Eksen Teknik Sunger San ve Tic Ltd. St....................................................................40Emirates ..............................................................................................................................71F G Wilson Engineering Ltd. ........................................................................................13FLSmidth (Pty) Ltd. ........................................................................................................65Geo Professional Services Ltd ....................................................................................27Himoinsa, S.L. ..................................................................................................................39Hysen International........................................................................................................29J. S. Corrugating Machinery Co. Ltd. ........................................................................69Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd...............................................................................................72Kohler Power Systems ..................................................................................................43Liebherr Export AG ........................................................................................................51Man Diesel & Turbo ........................................................................................................49Mantrac Egypt..................................................................................................................45Marelli Motori SPA ............................................................................................................9Marini S.p.A. - Fayat Group ..........................................................................................53Marini-Ermont..................................................................................................................55Metalgalante S.p.A. ........................................................................................................25Multotec Group ..............................................................................................................63Pan Mixers South Africa (Pty) Ltd..............................................................................57SDMO Industries ............................................................................................................47Shandong Shantui Construction Machinery Imp. & Exp. Co. Ltd ................11Veyance Technologies SA ............................................................................................33Volvo Construction Equipment AB ............................................................................5Volvo Penta International ..............................................................................................7Wuxi Baifa Power Ltd. ..................................................................................................17YelloGen Ltd......................................................................................................................41

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