The global company Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions will this year integrate its two recent South African acquisitions into the Sandvik company structure – with the aim of becoming the preferred crushing and screening supplier to the mining industry in Africa.

Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa will be formed from Kwatani, acquired in December 2021, and the mining related business of Schenck Process Group (SP Mining), acquired in October 2022. According to Mats Dahlberg, Sandvik’s vice president for screening solutions in Europe, Middle East and Africa, the goal is to become a leading force in the mining industry in Africa.

“Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions will continue to have a strong customer focus, providing the screening solutions that the customer needs and asks for,” says Dahlberg. “This we will do by strengthening our regional manufacturing and engineering capabilities in South Africa.”

He highlights that this will support the company’s ambition to further strengthen its presence throughout Africa, by building on the existing Sandvik entities located throughout Africa. The process will ensure the business is close to customers, providing not only leading screening solutions but also quality service and support availability.

The Kwatani acquisition has already been very positive for the Sandvik group, with good volume growth year on year, Kwatani which was previously a family business is leveraging half a century of experience, innovation and customer loyalty.

To produce the volumes required  the company has added factory space and outsourced some production to other Sandvik facilities globally. Kim Schoepflin, Kwatani’s current CEO and daughter of founder, Gunter Vogel, believes there is no better company than Sandvik to continue the legacy created by the well-established family business and to accelerate the successful global rollout of the Kwatani technology and screening philosophy of “engineered for tonnage”.

“Over the past year we have successfully integrated the Kwatani business into Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions while achieving record growth,” says Schoepflin. “This has been thanks to our leading edge technology in vibrating equipment, our world class manufacturing facility, our family of employees and suppliers, and our valued customers across the globe.”

Dahlberg emphasises that Kwatani’s success is based on a truly customer-first perspective and a strong team spirit within the organisation, all of which is underpinned by its strong local engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

“We feel very confident that Kwatani’s legacy gives great growth opportunity to the Sandvik crushing and screening business both in Africa and globally,” he says. “Significantly, while the Kwatani screening solutions will in future be sold and branded as Sandvik, the well-respected Kwatani product name will remain both in Africa and the rest of the world.”

The other leg of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa is the regional arm of SP Mining, one of the global market leaders in screening solutions in the industry. Dahlberg points out that this acquisition strengthens Sandvik’s capability to support customers in Africa through additional manufacturing capabilities, engineering and service capabilities.

“Together the Kwatani and SP Mining offering gives us world leading solutions for some of the largest screens available in the world, as well as an improved lifecycle offering to our customers,” he says.

Dahlberg notes that Kim Schoepflin and Kwatani General Manager Sales & Service Jan Schoepflin have decided to pursue other opportunities outside the company, and will leave Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions at the end of February 2023. Tarynn Yatras will assume the role of Head of Sales & Services for Screening Solutions in Africa and become a member of the Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa management team.

“We are grateful for the strong foundation that Kim and Jan are handing over to Sandvik with a very strong performance,” says Dahlberg. “This can be measured not only in products but also in the quality of Kwatani’s people and its positive culture. We feel confident that their legacy provides a great growth opportunity within the Sandvik crushing and screening business both in Africa and globally.”