JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa’s 56% black-controlled Aard Mining Equipment is attracting attention internationally as an exporter of locally designed and manufactured South African equipment into the global underground mining market.

Aard, which the wholly black-owned Matasis Investment Holdings and Nedbank Capital spun out of Boart Longyear five years ago, is advantaged by having full custodianship of its intellectual property, which gives it maximum manoeverability in global markets, in competition with some of the biggest names in the business.

The 40% Matasis ownership plus Nedbank’s black see-through shareholding and Aard’s black management profile give the unlisted private company a majority black shareholding on the official scorecard.

“We’re a 56% black-controlled company that is proudly South African,” Aard CEO Anton Wheeler told Mining Weekly Online in an exclusive video interview (see attached).

Co-founded by former Northern Cape premier and diamond mineworker Manne Dipico and Zahid Faqui-Dawood, Matasis has participated in several empowerment transactions over the years, principally in the natural resources and allied fields.

Aard currently enjoys a level four broad-based black economic empowerment rating at its 110-employee Chamdor, Krugersdorp, operation, which designs, customises, manufactures, supports and services mechanised mining equipment and allied services.

From its South African base, Aard is hitting export high spots in North America, Europe, Zambia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, with Australia the latest country on its radar screen.

Demand for its range of trackless mobile mining machinery – drill rigs, utility vehicles, hydraulic rock drills, load haul dumpers (LHDs) and special purpose vehicles – is ongoing from more than 30 base metal, precious metal, coal, manganese and diamond mines.

Already in the field are 1 550 low-profile LHDs and 3 000 hydraulic rock drills.

A 33 t dump truck, 10 t LHD and scissors lift roof bolter had heads turning at last month’s Bauma Africa show, where a local gold mining company snapped up the scissors lift bolter for underground rollout this weekend.

A 25 kW hydraulic rock drill is now on the drawing board and larger LHDs are planned.

Matasis CEO Yusuf Vorajee spoke to Mining Weekly Online of the company’s excitement at becoming a significant exporter of South African products.

“We plan to continue to enhance our levels of transformation as we progress. The biggest factor is that our collective black shareholding is above 51%, which for the mining sector is an important trigger,” Vorajee added.

Aard has established a repair workshop and warehouse in Zambia, is creating a permanent presence in Zimbabwe and is expanding in Chamdor, where it already has 3 000 m² under roof.

Sixty field technicians based at various mines service the product range and 12 accredited trainers continuously train customer personnel to maintain Aard equipment.

Axles, engines and gearboxes used in the equipment are imported from countries including Germany, Italy and Spain.

“Apart from those components, the rest of the machine is totally South African,” Wheeler reiterated to Mining Weekly Online.

Outside of local manufacturing, Aard is finalising an agreement with GE to distribute the American company’s ultra-low-profile Fairchild scoop tram in South Africa’s coal mines.

“We are extremely honoured that a prestigious and highly respected global company like GE should knock on our door in connection with this important distributorship,” Wheeler, a seasoned mining campaigner and former Impala Platinum executive tasked with ultra-low-profile equipment, commented.

Investment services provider Nedbank Capital announced in 2008 that its private equity division, together with black-owned Matasis, had acquired the mining capital equipment division of Boart Longyear through a leveraged buy-out.