Industrial equipment supplier and specialist Shumani Industrial Equipment is striving to secure its spot and compete in the mining industry, with Shumani MD Victor Nemukula noting that a few opportunities have arisen.

“Shumani is on the verge of closing a deal in the platinum group metals industry, in the Rustenburg area,” he elaborates.

The company secured a contract – which concluded last month – from fleet management and service provider Imperial Fleet Management to supply and maintain materials handling for State-owned freight carrier Transnet, in 2015. This was Shumani’s introduction to logistics operations.

He adds that a significant number of Kalmar reach stackers and empty container handlers and Doosan forklifts are still operating at Transnet operations on a short-term rental basis, overseen by Shumani and an appointed dealer for Kalmar and Goscor Group of Companies. “We believe this will enable Shumani to continue building a relationship with Transnet going forward,” says Nemukula.

While the company had little exposure to the mining industry, it is actively trying to change its market share.

As a supplier of equipment to the industrial and construction sectors, Shumani’s current objective is to supply the mining sector with equipment such as front-end loaders, articulated dump trucks and excavators.

From its inception, Shumani has set out to be the leading black-owned and -managed equipment provider in South Africa, says Nemukula, adding that it is currently the largest such company in the industrial equipment sector.

He enthuses that now is an opportune time to enter the mining space because of the high commodity prices and renewed investment, which could result in new contracts for Shumani.

As the appointed dealer for all Goscor Group companies, Shumani supplies industrial equipment for the local market and has a full complement of technicians, most of whom are based on site.

These technicians provide maintenance on customer equipment, ensuring that Shumani attains a guaranteed uptime of 95% to provide clients with total peace of mind in terms of productivity and any impact on their bottom line, stresses Nemukula.

“A forklift is an important part of the production and supply chain. As a result, companies make a contract decision based on a supplier’s ability to meet their forklift requirements. Our capability and reputation, will hopefully set us apart from our future competitors,” he concludes.