As part of enhancing its services and solutions offering, submersible slurry pumps supplier Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa has invested in several initiatives, such as a service exchange programme, new offices in Cape Town and the development of a new pumps range, says Goodwin Africa marketing and sales director Rui Gomes.

Goodwin Africa is the sole subsidiary of UK-based pumps supplier Goodwin International and has been active in the South African market since 2016.

“The clients that we have come across really require solutions. . . and assistance,” claims Gomes. As a result, Goodwin Africa is focusing on providing the required solutions and assistance to their clients.

He explains that customers are far more conservative than they used to be, purely as a result of capital constraints, with many of the mining companies under serious financial strain because of the recent slump in commodity prices and a lack of investment in the industry.

While mines may be cost driven, they are also cognisant of short-term cost gains versus total cost of ownership. Gomes adds that suppliers need to be aware of this and engage further with clients, rather than simply selling them a product.

Service Offering

The Goodwin heavy-duty submersible slurry pumps were historically supplied to the African market by technology and services provider Weir Minerals for a number of years before the agency agreement expired in 2016. The agreement was not renewed and Goodwin pumps are now marketed, repaired and sold by the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) directly into Africa.

The main target of Goodwin Africa in the past 12 months has been the support, assistance and service of around 1 500 units already in use in Africa, as well as enhancing the reputation of Goodwin pumps in the market, highlights Gomes.

At the company’s headquarters in Germiston, Gauteng, there is a full repair centre and warehouse to service clients and the mining industry in the rest of Africa, as it is more strategically located for most modes of transport, he explains.

Goodwin Africa has partnered with various logistics companies that service different regions in Africa to transport products to clients, either by air, sea or road. The only challenge in supplying clients in Africa is the timeframe, as logistics companies often struggle with cross-border issues, degrading infrastructures and the remote location of sites.

Goodwin also has a service exchange agreement, where the company will evaluate the repair and offer the customer a service exchange pump if the repair is not economically viable. The service exchange pumps are also offered when repair pumps come in with non-OEM or pirated parts. The service exchange pumps are reconditioned and repaired to the OEM’s specifications, which include testing so that all warrantees and guarantees of a new pump can be met.

“One of the major benefits of the service exchange offer is the efficient turnaround time, as we have an allocated fleet of pumps in stock,” Gomes illustrates. He adds that opting for a service exchange pump is often more cost effective for clients, as the cost of a major repair and replacing non-OEM parts far outweighs the cost of a service exchange pump. The cost of a service exchange pump is also less than that of a new pump.

In the past six weeks, Goodwin has also opened a satellite operation – similar to the Germiston facilities – in Cape Town, in the Western Cape, which has a regional sales technician and a qualified technical assistant.

Goodwin Africa’s technicians have received extensive training, which is driven by Goodwin International. This training enables them to not only evaluate applications, that suit the pump, but also consider the client’s needs and offer them the best solution for their application, concludes Gomes.