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In a complex, challenging industry such as mining, suppliers must have a full understanding of the sector and offer a comprehensive service. A consolidated, one-stop partner can significantly enhance productivity, writes Barloworld Equipment Executive for Greater Africa Operations, Elia Nandjiwa.
Miners face harsh working environments, cost challenges and highly complex business operations. Any business looking to partner with a mining organization must take all this complexity into account, and provide holistic solutions.
With the challenges and complexity of modern mining, the industry has evolved to embrace partnerships as the bedrock of its business.
Deep trust relationships between stakeholders grow over years. As partners gain a better understanding of each other’s businesses, they become able to provide an ever-wider range of services.
Such win-win relationships are built on a solid ethical foundation, and they become ever more effective and efficient as they grow. This is especially true in the mining sector, where onboarding new partners can be a drawn-out process.
Relationships are not built overnight, therefore there is much to be gained from partners expanding the range of services they can provide– based on their long understanding of each other’s needs. This works better if both partners can enhance sustainable value creation for both partners.
There are many examples of such relationships in the mining sector. Among the most established industry partners is Barloworld Equipment (BWE), which has been operating in Africa for 95 years, and does much of its business providing quality construction and earthmoving equipment to the mining industry.
The long-standing Barloworld Equipment involvement in the mining sector sees it perfectly positioned to build a suite of dedicated mining solutions. This kind of comprehensive service strategy is transforming the industry.
The Barloworld Equipment approach, called BWE Mining 360, allows one-stop access to machine sales, financing, maintenance, technology solutions and aftermarket services, to enhance operational efficiency and reliability.
The BWE e-commerce platform, parts.cat.com, also simplifies parts procurement, while power solutions and training can be aligned with client needs, ensuring that all operational aspects are contained within a single ecosystem.
BWE is the sole dealer for Cat earthmoving machines and related mining and construction equipment in many southern African territories. As such, Barloworld Equipment is able to deliver the lowest, total owning and operating cost for customers over the lifetime of a piece of equipment and also ensuring uptime and reliability for the equipment to meet customers production targets.
BWE emphasises technological advancements, customer-facing solutions and proactive equipment monitoring to reduce downtime.
We have found that by combining our high-quality service ethic with finance, maintenance, technology, energy and aftermarket services, operational efficiency can be significantly enhanced for clients.
We offer customers a full solution, from quoting to providing machines, parts, and ongoing aftermarket support. We also leverage Barloworld Equipment internal teams to deliver technology solutions and support throughout the machine lifecycle.
Our business is also committed to environmental sustainability, integrating green technologies into our equipment to support clients’ own sustainability initiatives.
As part of this commitment, we’re moving towards battery-operated trucks and equipment to reduce emissions, implementing solar-power generation at our sites and following strict protocols for disposing of harmful liquids.
But when it comes to sustainability, efficiency is the most effective tool. The more efficient a business is, the lower its energy consumption and its carbon emissions. To optimise efficiency, it’s critical to stay at the forefront of technology.
In the mining-equipment space, we’ve found this can be achieved through a two-pronged approach. Firstly, offering customer-facing technology solutions like hardware and software to improve machine productivity, safety, and maintenance. Secondly, we use internal technology solutions to ensure efficient service and support for those customers.
A key example of this is the BWE Condition Monitoring Bureau, which constantly monitors equipment to identify potential issues before they become problems, reducing downtime and maintenance costs, and keeping operations running smoothly.
Our BWE Mining 360 approach integrates services seamlessly to support customer needs. When customers purchase Caterpillar machines, they get complete service and repair contracts that include genuine Cat parts. They rely on us for all their maintenance and repairs, ensuring consistent performance and optimal machine reliability.
For some mining operations, we provide the full suite of BWE services, from equipment purchase and financing to ongoing maintenance and technology integration.
This holistic support allows them to focus on core operations with complete confidence in the reliability and efficiency of their machinery and support systems.
BWE offers rental solutions, a wide range of new and used machines, and flexible financing options through Cat Financial. All equipment comes with comprehensive service and maintenance plans.
The BWE commitment to being an end-to-end partner also extends to comprehensive power solutions and aftermarket support – from custom-designed generators and power systems to training and state-of-the-art rebuild centres.
These rebuild centres are a key element in the BWE value proposition. They are regularly audited by Caterpillar and consistently receive high ratings. The facilities provide exceptional training and services, ensuring operators are well-equipped to handle their machinery and maximise efficiency.
