MARKET VALUE

A strong ethos and solid track record has put African Mining and Crushing at the forefront of workplace safety while providing its clients with superior service

African Mining and Crushing (AMC) specialises in heavy-duty crushing and contract mining applications in Africa. It will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in March 2019.

In a relatively short period the company has grown to more than 450 permanent employees and it owns the largest mobile and semi-mobile contract crushing fleet in Africa, which includes the largest mobile jaw and impact crusher on the continent. Its state-of-the-art facilities and group structure ensure it is ideally positioned to minimise downtime, and quickly and efficiently mobilise equipment anywhere in Africa. AMC is positioned with a strong balance sheet and an appetite to take on new challenges.

AMC has enjoyed unprecedented success at a time that large corporates and market leaders are battling to stay afloat. Its resolve and fortitude in working in some of the world’s harshest conditions with a commitment to being the cornerstone of its clients’ operation is the reason AMC is trusted to turn their challenges into success. At AMC, clients come first. The company’s clients experience integrity and reliability, and favourable costing, with no surprises – creating investor confidence throughout the life of mine.

AMC provides mine prospecting and technical feasibility studies; capex, mobilisation and opex-cost analysis; mine infrastructure development and engineering; aggregate supply for civil infrastructure; high-volume ore crushing and processing; and management of client assets on a fixed cost-per-ton contract.

By engaging AMC, investors can save capital through reduced start-up capital demands; build confidence by trusting a reputable industry leader; de-risk their operation through guaranteed all-inclusive operating costs; and aim to build sustainable mining operations that last the duration of their intended lifespan.

The success and growth of AMC is a result of the use of technology that is relevant and suited to the application.

AMC designs crushing plants that range from 50 to 3 000 tons per hour. It provides tailor-made solutions and flexible systems allowing production ramp-up through modular upscaling and it has been around long enough to understand that rallies in the commodity markets often require immediate action in order to capitalise on a strong ore price.

AMC is an industry leader in maintenance and spares management to ensure maximum uptime and plant availability. The company will design the necessary solutions to ensure clients’ profitability, and build solutions to make a mine a success, regardless of how demanding the project is. AMC clients can also own their facilities or opt to have AMC supply and manage a contracted plant for them. The company will operate and maintain both new and existing plants; set benchmarks and maintenance strategies; reach milestones faster than any competitor; and save the client money.

AMC has a long-term vision and provides its clients with measurable cost-saving benefits. AMC offers solutions that guarantee production reliability, ensuring maximum profits for all.

AMC’s motto is ‘production first – safety always’. While safety is the driving force behind AMC’s day-to-day modus operandi, it has also become the precursor to optimised production. Since inception, the company has been fatality free. It believes safe and healthy people perform better.

Operating safely is not just about compliance for AMC – it is an internal philosophy and non-negotiable requirement designed and implemented to protect AMC’s most important asset – its employees. And because the company’s cultural ethos values its staff as it would its own family members, AMC takes their safety personally and is therefore naturally motivated by more than numbers and records to keep them safe.

AMC has the utmost respect for safety and comprehends what it means to not only its existence in the mining industry, but also to its clients’ reputation. As safety starts at the top and filters down throughout the company, all colleagues are managers, directors and owners of the AMC safety management system. Through open lines of communication, staff members are motivated to protect their co-workers. A happy environment is a healthy environment, and so it focuses on ensuring colleagues are happy wherever possible. They are the driving force behind what AMC does and production delivery, so keeping them safe and healthy is the company’s priority.

Effective training is delivered through experts who, in addition to safety, must also understand the challenges in mining and, more specifically, the specific challenges associated with AMC’s line of work.

Another major contributor to the company’s safety success is taking training beyond the boardroom. A buddy system enables new recruits to gain on-site experience in their specific field of work and in so doing learn how to convert the theory taught during the induction process into practice. This is a highly effective training mechanism, particularly in Africa where competency levels may be lower in more remote locations. Transferring knowledge and skills by pairing a local recruit with an experienced expatriate further drives sustainability in the sector through upskilling.

AMC allocates at least one safety officer to each site it is working on, and even two if possible – regardless of location. A dedicated safety officer is not only there to enforce safety procedures but plays an active role on the site. AMC expects its safety officers to be part of the solution and not only a formality for legal compliance. Its safety officers ensure AMC never compromises on safety, even under stress or in an emergency.

In addition to a zero-fatality record, AMC’s lost time injury (LTI) frequency rate is below the industry average. However, it remains devoted to delivering an injury-free working environment. AMC recorded an LTI frequency rate for 2018 of 0.50 – determined per every 200 000 man hours worked.

AMC believes in reporting any and all incidents and accidents, irrespective of the severity, in order to investigate the causes and implement corrective actions, thereby striving towards zero harm. Regardless of the number of hours worked, AMC believes it can achieve an injury-free environment – and the company knows it can get there by fully living through its systems, policies and training.

A safe workforce is a healthy workforce, which is why AMC places equal emphasis on ensuring the health of its workers is prioritised, as well as their safety. Annual screening is compulsory for everyone.

Africa presents additional challenges around health management, with diseases including Ebola, malaria and typhoid requiring close monitoring. AMC ensures it always has access to emergency-response medical teams and it also has rapid-extraction medical coverage for employees. Prevention however, is of course better than cure, which is why every area AMC works in is individually assessed for potential risks. Protocols are then implemented to mitigate these risks.

AMC is undoubtedly not only passionate about delivering optimal and cost-effective production output, but it is equally committed to doing so safely – ultimately contributing to the success of its clients.

The company realises its value is attained only when it positively contributes to the success of AMC’s clients.

2 Venter Ave, Bainsvlei, Bloemfontein
Tel: +27 (0)51 451 2604
Fax: +27 (0)86 602 4512
www.africanminingandcrushing.com