International minerals processing specialist Multotec has won the South African Capital Equipment Export Council’s (SACEEC’s) Exporter of the Year Award in the category for companies with a turnover of between R2-billion and R5-billion a year.

Multotec processing equipment MD Bheka Majola says the award is “not only an indication of the company’s growth over the years” but also the culmination of a 15-year strategy to grow its global presence and income from its export business.

The SACEEC Exporter of the Year Awards celebrate the commitment of members who have participated and succeeded, through determination and innovation, in their respective local and export markets.

Exports currently contribute 63% of Multotec’s total yearly turnover, of which more than 60% is exported into Africa.

Multotec has more than 50 years of experience and expertise in supplying a wide range of good quality mineral processing equipment that is backed by field service and maintenance specialists in most of the commodities, including gold, platinum group metals, lithium and copper. It also supplies industrial slurry pumps for the power generation, water and sewage, construction, sand and gravel, tobacco and agriculture industries.

He explains that to support the growth of its export business, Multotec has had to invest in its manufacturing facilities and now has almost 80 000 m² of manufacturing and storage space in the Spartan, Pretoria and Secunda areas.

Multotec now employs almost 2 000 people to service customers globally and make high-quality products.

With an increasing international footprint, the company is now present on six continents and does business with customers in over 100 countries.

Multotec was one of the first companies to embrace verification by the South African Bureau of Standards to prove that its equipment has more than 60% local content, says Majola, who enthuses the company is “proud of our investment in the properties that house our manufacturing, storage and services space in South Africa, as this is an investment in our economy and provides much-needed local jobs”.

He elaborates that the company’s growth enables its people to grow with the company, doing meaningful work and gaining valuable skills and expertise with which they can compete globally.

He adds that Multotec’s product development is customer-driven to ensure that its products and technologies have value for the customer. The company’s regional branch strategy ensures that it has a local presence close to the customer to service and understand customer needs.

“Because no two processing plants are the same, Multotec is a customer- and a needs-driven company that has an in-depth understanding of our customers’ applications. We engineer solutions that address the specific and unique requirements of each of our customers,” says Majola.

Multotec’s range of technologies and expertise extends over the entire flowsheet, meaning that it is not dependent on selling one type of technology.

“We therefore have the flexibility to ensure that the right application is backed by the right technology within our range of products, so our customers trust us to develop solutions that are specifically suited to their needs, wherever they may be in the world.”

Multotec is engaged in numerous industry conferences and exhibitions. In the past year alone, Multotec actively participated in a total of 24 conferences and events, with a notable presence at ten international gatherings – presenting at four of those gatherings.

The company has a long association with the Electra Mining Africa and South African Coal Processing Society organisations.

“We have invested in solar power to produce some renewable energy for our facilities, and we have invested in generators to enable us to reduce our consumption from the grid during loadshedding. This ensures we maintain productivity for our customers, and we contribute to the solution to the country’s power challenges,” adds Majola.

Majola says that Multotec adheres to international standards such as ISO 14001, 45001 and 9001. The company makes products that meet all the major international fabrication standards as specified by its customers and its samplers adhere to the strict and relevant commodity ISO standard for each application.