In recognition of the innovative spirit of Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa’s (Memsa’s) members, in particular, and the manufacturing industry as a whole, Memsa on April 6 awarded six awards to original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in South Africa.

Supported by South African Mining Extraction Research, Development & Innovation (Samerdi), the Innovation Awards 2022 recognise innovative technologies brought to the market over the past three years.

“South Africa has historically always been at the forefront of mining innovation and we must champion companies to ensure we do not fall behind the rest of the world,” Memsa said.

Winners of this year’s awards are:

• Innovation in Hard Rock Mining – the Navin Singh Award: Hydro Power Equipment for the Isidingo Drill and Drill Guide
• Innovation in Soft Rock Mining: Rham Equipment, for the development of Battery Electric driven LHD, Dump Truck and Land Cruiser
• Innovation in Mineral Processing: Azmet Technology & Projects, for the AZMET Cyanide Removal Process Technology (AZ-CRP)
• Innovation for Improved Productivity: Hydropower Systems for the HV212 EOD Hydrovessel
• Innovation for Safer, Healthier Mining: Mine Support Products, for the Rocnet modular safety net
• Innovation by an Emerging or Small-Enterprise: Gravitas Innovations, for the Optima Classifier

Hydropower Systems, in particular, was recognised for its data integration, Memsa told Engineering News & Mining Weekly.

The judging was conducted by innovation partners and mining industry experts, it said, adding that the University of the Witwatersrand’s innovation strategy director Professor Barry Dwolatsky and Real-Time Information Management Systems Programme manager Jean-Jacques Verhaeghe assisted in developing the awards entry form.

Dwolatsky is also the former head of the Wits School of Software Engineering, and founder of the Tshimologong Precinct.

The five judges were Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy former president, as well as the Mandela Mining Precinct’s (MMP's) former co-director, and a director at Impala Platinum Alastair Macfarlane; Professor Dwolatzky, Minerals Council of South Africa and MMP strategic adviser Dick Kruger; Verhaeghe, and Martin Pretorius, who is the programme manager for the Mechanised Mining Systems Programme at the MMP.

The awards, explained Memsa CEO Lehlohonolo Molloyi, are part of Samerdi’s project on sustainability, which aims to showcase innovation by local OEMs and increase Memsa’s visibility as an organisation for manufacturing in the mining sector.

The awards categories, he added, were based on some of the key categories in which Memsa members specialise, such as hard and soft rock mining, while simultaneously looking to recognise technology solutions like electronic engineering, and inclusive of mineral processing.

Anyone within South Africa is able to participate in the awards, as long as they “tick all the boxes” such as local manufacturing, at least 26% local ownership, and a local research and development spend of at least 60% on the item entered, Molloyi told Engineering News & Mining Weekly.

The focus on local content, he explained, is born from South Africa’s uniqueness in being one of a few countries that has OEMs in mining manufacturing.

“The automotive industry, for example, is supporting this uniqueness of South Africa. Given [South Africa’s] rich history in mining, Memsa wanted to highlight what we’ve always been good at, which is innovation and creativity in mining and manufacturing,” Molloyi enthused.

This focus on local content and manufacturing, he added, speaks to why Memsa believes the growth of South Africa’s manufacturing industry can be taken to the rest of the world.

“We understand that we need to be local, but we also need to be local in the places in which South Africa operates. South Africa’s ability to say we are willing and that we aim to pass on that talent and share it with the rest of the continent, all in the name of localisation, is also considered good,” Molloyi said.

COVID-19
While the world may be two years into the pandemic, Molloyi noted that the pandemic highlighted the need for locally-manufactured components, as this proved difficult when logistics were impacted owing to initial regulations surrounding the virus.

However, owing to recent commodity booms, Molloyi said OEMs and miners had largely been able to recover, though a challenge remains in the cost of importing required components.

“This in itself creates an opportunity from a wage and employment perspective, as South Africans can now consider locally manufactured components,” he added.