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ISSUE No. 52 | www.bus-ex.com

Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ):

Caribbean treasure tr ve How this idyllic island nation intends to become self suffiecint in energy and develop the oilfields that surround it esachs:

pbe group:

resource generation:

Included The BE Mining Directory showcases leading mining organisations from across the world, ranging from big corporations to junior mines and their supply chains.

Be seen throughout our portfolio of magazines: •BE Mining Directory •BE Mining •BE Weekly •BE Monthly •

Go to page 66 to see this week’s listing To find out how to get involved contact: vincent@bus-ex.com

business excellence Design Matt Johnson Art Director mjohnson@bus-ex.com Louise Culling Production Designer lculling@bus-ex.com

business Richard Turner Director of sales rturner@bus-ex.com Vince Kielty Director of Editorial Research vkielty@bus-ex.com Sharon Rooke Administration & Operations srooke@bus-ex.com Matt Day Head of technology mday@bus-ex.com Andy Turner Chief Executive aturner@bus-ex.com

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editorial John O’Hanlon Editor

John has contributed to Business Excellence since its inception: he joined the in-house editorial team in February 2013. johanlon@bus-ex.com

Will Daynes Editor

Will has been a business writer for three years. He joined the Business Excellence team in September 2012. wdaynes@bus-ex.com

CONTRIBUTORS christine comaford

Christine has consulted to the White House, built and sold five of her own businesses, and has helped over 50 of her clients to exit their businesses for $12-425 million. She is a leadership columnist for Forbes.com and is frequently quoted in the business and technology media.

Maria Ferrante-Schepis

With 20 years experience as an executive in the insurance and financial services industry, Maria joined Maddock Douglas, Inc as the managing principal of insurance and financial services, an agency of innovation focused on helping large brands bring new ideas to market.

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issue No.52

10 6

6 comment

Five mistakes that quash corporate innovation

How avoiding conventional thinking could provide a breakthrough for your business.

10 strategy

Does Your Workplace Meet These Three Powerful Human Needs?

How to give your employees the three things they deeply crave—safety, belonging, and mattering.

18

18 The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica Caribbean treasure trove

The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) exists to make this idyllic island nation self sufficient in energy: to this end it is engaging other oil producing governments and offshore exploration companies to develop the oilfields that surround it.

4 | be weekly

contents 26 ESACHS

A clean bill of health General Manager, Javier Fuenzalisa, discusses the vital contributions ESACHS makes towards Chile’s well-respected health care system.

26

34 PBE group safety first

PBE’s transformation into an international mining solutions provider and the continued diversification of its product suite.

42 Resource Generation (Resgen) A major coal resource for South Africa Though based in Australia Resource Generation (Resgen) is to all intents and purposes a South African coal mining company with a strong local partner and a huge stake in the future development of that nation.

34 42

54 AngloGold Ashanti

Vision committed to excellence AngloGold Ashanti looks forward to the contribution of at least two major new assets due to come on stream in the latter part of 2013.

BE Directory 64 BIA OVERSEAS SA

BIA: a fascinating never-ending adventure!

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Five mistakes that quash corporate innovation by: Maria Ferrante-Schepis

comment: innovation

T

he biggest breakt hroughs in the history of busi ness — a nd the history of the world—are never the result of conventional thinking, says Maria Ferrante-Schepis, a veteran in the insurance and financial services industry who now consults Fortune 100 companies such as GE with innovation agent Maddock Douglas, Inc. “To echo Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt back in 1960, ‘In every case, the reason growth (in business) is threatened, slowed or stopped is not because the market is saturated. It is because there has been a failure of management.’ Many of the world’s biggest companies are simply riding on inertia,” says Ferrante-Schepis, author of Flirting with the Uninterested, coauthored

by G. Michael Maddock, which explores innovation opportunity through the lens of the insurance industry.

“There’s a great saying in the South: ‘You can’t read the label when you are sitting inside the jar,’ ” says Maddock, CEO of Maddock

Douglas. “It’s hard to see a need and invent a way to fill that need when you’ve been inside one business or industry for a long time.”

Recognizing those needs requires stepping outside of the jar and viewing things from the outside, adds Ferrante-Schepis. “You can’t innovate from inside the jar, and if you aren’t innovating, you’re just waiting for the expiration date on your business,” she says.

Ferrante-Schepis and Maddock bust five myths relating to corporate innovation: 1. The preference of four out of five dentists doesn’t necessarily matter Many years ago, when the Maddock Douglas firm consulted with P&G to develop new oral healthcare products, Crest was recommended by most dentists. However, it turns out the market had shifted; consumers became more interested in bright smiles than healthy gums. Many industries make the mistake of getting their insights from their own experts rather than asking the consumer.

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comment: innovation make sense to insiders, but say nothing to the average middle-class customer, which is prohibitive. Be very careful about the language you use. In this case, “voice of the customer” should be taken literally. Customers recognize, respond to and build from their own words more than from yours.

2. Giving all your love to those who already love you In the interest of preserving customer morale, too many companies focus on those who already love their service. But that’s not what companies need to work on; they need to focus on what’s not working in order to improve.

The haters very often offer well-targeted insights that can tremendously improve products, customer service, and/or operations.

3. “We tried that idea.

It didn’t work.”

What idea, exactly? People who are in the jar interpret new ideas based on how they last saw them. You may think you’ve tried or tested an idea, but if you applied it in a conventional way, the way it’s

always been used, you haven’t really tried it. Consider the term “auction” -- in-the-jar thinkers envision Sotheby’s and not the more practical and innovative eBay. 4. Trying to impress with insider jargon Communication is a huge part of innovation. Policies in the health-insurance industry, for example, include language that may

5. Staying at your desk and in the office Doubling down on what already has not worked for you is not innovative. Get outside your office and act like an anthropologist. Spend time with your customers and bring an expert interpreter and a couple of members of your team. Compare notes; you’ll be shocked at how differently you all see the situation.

Maria Ferrante-Schepis is the managing principal of insurance and financial services at Maddock Douglas, Inc, an agency of innovation focused on helping large brands bring new ideas to market. After more than 20 years as an executive in the insurance and financial services industry, she has joined the Maddock Douglas team to focus on the opportunities for innovation in the insurance and financial services industry, recognizing the significant public and government demand for change. Ferrante-Schepis holds a bachelor’s in marketing and an MBA in management. www.flirtingwiththeuninterested.com

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Does Your W Meet The Powerful Hu

If you want to outperform, outsell, and o cue from Maslow (yes, the one with the hie employees the three things they deeply c

written by: Chri

10 | Be weekly

Strategy

Workplace ese Three uman Needs?

out-innovate the competition, first take a erarchy). Here, I explain how to give your crave—safety, belonging, and mattering

istine Comaford

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Y

ou want to grow your business and you’re pretty clear on what you need from your employees. Hard work. Efficiency. Innovation.

Motivation. Results. But what do your employees need from you? If you’re thinking in practical terms—a steady paycheck, a quiet workspace, more training—you’re wrong.

Well, at least you’re only partly right. Before they can meet your deepest needs, you have to meet theirs.

Sa fet y.

B e long i ng.

Mattering.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Maslow said it first.

After our essential needs for food and shelter are met, our next level of needs includes safety, belonging, and mattering. Those are needed before we can seek self-actualization. In my new book, SmartTribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together, I

explain that what that means in a work environment is that people simply can’t perform, innovate, agree, or move forward until those three needs have been met.

Un for t u nately, t he workplace is filled with situations that make employees feel that they’re not safe, that they don’t belong, and that they don’t matter. Unfair promotion practices, an intolerance for failure, micromanaging leaders, fuzzy communication practices—these are just a few conditions that can send people into the survivalfocused fight/flight/freeze part of the brain, creating what I call the Critter State.

To turn things around, you need to get employees into their so-called “Smart State,” where they have full access to their creativity, problem-solving ability, and emotional engagement. You do that by promoting safety,

belonging, and mattering.

The greater the feeling of safety (both emotional and physical), the more your people will feel connected (we’re in this together) and the more they’ll feel that they personally matter, make a difference, and are contributing to the greater good. And all of that leads to greater success for your company.

My clients attest that my techniques work.

“I initially hired Christine because I needed a business coach/mentor to help guide me, grow my business, and provide insight on improving process improvement, efficiencies, and building a great team and company,” says Gail Tolstoi-Miller, CEO, Consultnetworx. “In addition, CCA is known for helping change behavior that can be a hindrance to your organization.

“The results have been

“Unfortunately, the workplace is filled with situations that make employees feel that they’re not safe, that they don’t belong, and that they don’t matter” 12 | Be weekly

Strategy

terrific,” adds Tolstoi-Miller.

“In our first six months of working together, Christine helped me delegate low-value activities and gain 15 hours of strategic time per week, optimize our sales pipeline and process, get me out of stress and into peace and increased performance, streamline both marketing and account management…I highly recommend CCA for any organization that wants to take their company to the next level and build a great team.”

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So what can you do to create such a workplace?

Here, I offer several tips.

Understand what safety, belonging, and mattering mean The need for safety, belonging, and mattering isn’t going anywhere. It’s neurological and primal, so you need to understand what those things look like “in action.”

• Safety means creating an environment where your people can take

risks, stretch, and grow.

Be honest: Is it safe for employees to take risks at your company, or will they face consequences if their efforts fall short?

• Belonging means creating an environment where your team feels like a tight-knit tribe. Everyone is equal and rowing in the same direction to reach the organization’s goals.

It’s an admittedly extreme example, but think about gangs—where people will literally kill to stay in the

Strategy

“As a leader, your job is to identify whether it is safety, belonging, mattering— or a combination of the three—that is most important to your employee” tribe. That’s how powerful this stuff is.

• Mattering means that each individual contributes in a unique way. Every employee makes a difference, which is appreciated and publicly acknowledged. Does your company culture work this

way, or are individuals acknowledged only when they make mistakes?

Determine what your company culture is lacking As a leader, your job is to identify whether it is safety, belonging, mattering—or a combination of the three— that is most important to your employees.

A little observation and thought will answer the “which one” question. For example, if your team has an us vs. them mentality, they’re craving belonging. If they behave like victims and complain that they aren’t appreciated, they want to know that they matter. And if there’s an undertone of fear to supervisor-employee interactions, they need safety. Once you know which subconscious need is most outstanding, do everything you can to satisfy it.

Influence your team through behaviors To truly motivate someone, you can’t just tell her what to do—you must make sure she’s emotionally invested and that she has a reason other than “the boss gave me this assignment” to keep forging ahead. The good news is, various cultural behaviors can boost the experience of safety, belonging, and mattering within your company and can help you to give employees this type of from-within fuel.

While the art (and science) of influence is so complex that entire books have been written about it, here are a few tactics that may help you to deliver safety, belonging, mattering through your behavior.

• C reate and share an engaging mission, vision, and value set for your organization. This will draw people together for

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a greater cause, help them see where they’re headed together, and set their “code of conduct” as a tribe.

• D evelop i nd iv idua l development plans for each of your people. This will show them how they matter, where they belong within your tribe, and how your company sees them as long-term investments (Job security—we’re safe!).

• Institute cultural rituals like high-fives, shoutouts, public appreciation in newsletters, etc. Even if they feel cheesy at first, these rituals will reinforce mattering and tribal customs (which underscore safety and belonging).

• Operate transparently. This means paying attention to accountability structures, open communication, fairness, etc. In order for your people to feel safe and leave their Critter States, they need to know where

the performance “bar” is and how to jump over it.

What I’ve described is the opposite of command & control. You engage and enroll. You help people envision an exciting future and invite them to join you in creating it. That’s real influence.

Influence your team through communication It shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that the way you communicate with your people can make them feel safe, included, and appreciated— or not. Don’t underestimate the way you seek information and convey ideas.

When you want to help someone feel safe enough to shift out of his Critter State, try using one of these three influencing phrases.

• “What if…” When you use this preface to an idea/ suggestion, you remove

ego and reduce emotion.

You’re conveying that you’re curious—not forcing a position, but scratching your head and pondering.

This enables your employee to brainstorm more easily with you instead of feeling that she needs to agree with the boss.

“When you’re successful, your organization will enjoy more innovation, collaboration, engagement, and forward progress!”

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Strategy

• “I need your help.” This tactic is called the domsub swap, because when the dominant person uses it, they are enrolling the subordinate person and asking them to rise up and swap roles. This is an especially effective phrase when you want a team member to change his behavior or take on more responsibility.

• “Would it be helpful if…”

When someone is stuck in her Critter State, spinning her wheels, or unable to move forward, offering

up a solution will help her to see a possible course of action or positive outcome.

Every employee can be happier and more effective if you simply identify whether they crave more

safet y, belonging, or mattering and help them achieve those states. When you’re successful, your organization will enjoy more innovation, collaboration, engagement, and forward progress!

During her incredibly diverse career, Christine has consulted to the White House (Clinton and Bush), built and sold five of her own businesses with an average 700 percent return on investment, and has helped over 50 of her clients to exit their businesses for $12-425 million. She is a leadership columnist for Forbes.com and is frequently quoted in the business and technology media. www.christinecomaford.com

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Caribbean treasure tr

The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) exists this idyllic island nation self sufficient in energy: to it is engaging other oil producing governments and exploration companies to develop the oilfields that

written by: John O’Hanlon research by: David Brogan 18 | be weekly

Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ)

r ve

s to make o this end d offshore t surround it

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Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ)

J

amaica is not lacking in natural contracts, explore for oil and develop Jamaica’s resources – for example it is a petroleum resources in the national interest. major exporter of bauxite, the raw In 1995 PCJ’s remit was extended to develop material for aluminium – but it indigenous renewable energy resources. It is not currently known as an oil has established a large biodiesel project with producer. In fact it has to import its oil at a the aim of eventually producing 16.5 million rate estimated at 80,000 barrels a day if oil gallons of biodiesel from crops that grow well on based products like asphalt, are included. Oil nonproductive or marginal land. It also built a to fuel cars boats and aircraft is imported from wind farm at Wigton near Manchester, Jamaica Mexico, Venezuela and other neighbouring in 2004. This facility saved the country $5.3 Caribbean countries. million in 2011/12, proving that renewables Should oil be found in significant quantities could be an important contributor to cutting in Jamaican waters – something that appears oil imports, and more wind capacity is planned almost certainly just a matter from both PCJ’s facility and of time – there could hardly private generation companies investing into the market. be a more attractive location However the holy grail for in the world – the Caribbean is eminently accessible to the PCJ lies offshore in the North American markets and exploration blocks lying to international trade routes; the the south of the island and government is encouraging, selling this potential to the Gross oil-based imports keen to negotiate terms that world’s exploration majors is to Jamaica are attractive to international the work of Brian Richardson, oil & gas exploration and PCJ’s Oil & Gas Exploration production companies; the legal system is Manager. Though a good deal of due diligence democratic and founded on British law; and needs to be done, a large amount of money of course Jamaica is English-speaking. Add to spent on drilling and further geophysical that the fact that it controls a major potential and geological survey work in the waters hydrocarbon reserve that has seen very little surrounding the island. The work done in exploration over the last quarter-century and the 1970s indicated that there were reserves it begins to look like the next big thing. of hydrocarbons, he says, but early surveying The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica just scratched the surface. It did however was set up in 1975 to find ways of reducing produce some very encouraging results: of Jamaica’s dependence on imported energy. It eleven exploratory holes that were drilled is a statutory corporation mandated to take onshore and offshore only one failed to show part in every stage of hydrocarbon trade, from hydrocarbons present. “In the last five years exploration to retail. Specifically the government or so that work has been updated to refine gave it the exclusive right to manage import our knowledge of where these reserves lie. In

80,000 BPD

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Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ)

particular, work has been done in the south- production sharing contracts (PSCs), east section of the Jamaica oilfield which government instruments that allow an oil indicated that there are huge sedimentary company to prospect, subsequent profits being structures in that sector.” shared between Jamaica and the company.

A preliminary bid round in 2004 resulted Richardson is on a mission to market this in two junior exploration companies coming untapped reserve. Last November PCJ’s Oil on board, whose involvement effectively & Gas department was at PETEX in London: cut the perceived risk facing investors to in February 2013 it was the turn of North an acceptable level. “We are now confident American Prospect Expo (NAPE), held twice that over the next two to yearly at Houston, and in three years we will be able March the focus will shift to convince one of the majors back to London where the to take an interest in Jamaica APPEX conference is taking and commit to a drilling place. “The take away is that there is increasing interest programme.” The first step in Jamaica’s offshore, and is to dispose of the rights in 12 months we expect to licences on the available Size of the Joint see that interest translating blocks in and around Regime Area into activity on the ground.” the Walton, concluding

52,000 km2

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Once people understand the structure, then interest will accelerate, he believes. His department’s aggressive marketing strategy includes reigniting old leads that have gone dead because the picture has changed rapidly. Recently he has taken calls from 25 organisations or companies that had been unaware of the opportunity. “I have hanging in my office a picture of a rig that was installed offshore in 1984 – I am committed to seeing a new rig out there three to five years from now!”

If you look at Jamaica on the map, it is surrounded by successful oil economies.

Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia and Honduras are cases in point. Jamaica buys energy at preferential rates under various local agreements, and a Joint Regime Area between Jamaica and Colombia, situated south of the Pedro Bank was established in 1993. In 2008, an agreement was signed between the two countries for the conduct of surveys relating to the hydrocarbon potential of the 52,000 square kilometre area. PCJ is actively looking to establish government-to-government level agreements with those neighbours with which it shares the Caribbean Basin. “We want to build on their strengths and also provide our data into the melting plot to understand the Caribbean

basin hydrocarbon scene. Every piece we can place in the Caribbean jigsaw puzzle helps to reveal the whole picture!”

It is also benchmarking a country that has highly relevant experience though it doesn’t share the same waters. Uruguay, like Jamaica had a 20-year hiatus in its exploration programme and followed a similar marketing trajectory in 2008 before hitting success in awarding exploration

“Work has been done in the south-east section of the Jamaica oilfield which indicated that there are huge sedimentary structures in that sector” 24 | be weekly

Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ)

blocks. The Uruguayan government recently signed offshore exploration and production deals with British oil firms BG Group and BP, Ireland’s Tullow Oil and France’s Total.

The companies concluded 30-year concession contracts in April last year for eight oil blocks - three each for BG and BP and one each for Tullow and Total. Between them they have committed to investing a total of roughly $1.56 billion. “The Uruguayans are helping us a lot with their geophysical and geological knowledge and theirs is a scenario that we would dearly like to emulate here!”

Any oil company wanting a head start in a relatively unexploited region that nevertheless is within easy reach of the infrastructure and skills the industry needs, not to mention the prime global markets of the Americas, would

be well advised to take an early position in Jamaica. Brian Richardson points out that indicated oil reserves range between 500 million and a billion barrels, with anywhere between two and four trillion cubic feet of gas. More detailed geological and geophysical work will be carried out over the coming twelve months, followed by drilling a couple of years down the line. At the end of this process lies a commercial bonanza for the oil companies, and the realisation of PCJ’s raison d’etre – to make Jamaica an oil exporter rather than an importer.

For more information about Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) visit: www.pcj.com

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26 | be weekly

ESACHS

A clean bill

of health General Manager, Javier Fuenzalisa, discusses the vital contributions ESACHS makes towards Chile’s wellrespected health care system

written by: Will Daynes research by: Louisa Adcock

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A

quick glance over Chile’s basic health indicators makes one thing clear. With infant and maternal mortality levels amongst the lowest in Latin America, and the average life expecting coming in at close to 76 years, a figure that is up from just over 60 years in the early 1970s, it is plain to see that much of the country’s population is benefiting from what is an advanced health care system.

It was eight years ago that ACHS, Chile’s most comprehensive private network of occupational health and injury prevention centres, further contributed to the evolution of the country’s health care system by establishing the ESACHS. “Our main line of business,” states ESACHS General Manager, Javier Fuenzalisa, “is to manage health centres, polyclinics and First Aid rooms within the business premises of various sectors of the economy.”

As well as operating primary care facilities that deal with complex workplace injuries and occupational health issues, ACHS provides comprehensive occupational risk prevention and training courses, and up-to-date information on workplace and in-transit accident prevention. Using innovative management systems, in line with the needs of an evolving workforce, ACHS routinely conducts new risk research in order to implement specific programmes for individual industry sectors. It also strives to promote healthy habits and behaviour in order to improve the quality of life of its affiliates, most notably through a range of special programs and education campaigns.

ACHS’ operations are based on a culture of

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ESACHS

Patient rescue service

quality, in which on-going staff training, state-of-the-art technology, and definition of processes and standards figure highly.

Since its creation ESACHS has developed a reputation for delivering high quality service that conforms to the provisions and regulations imposed by the Chilean Health Authority. In order to deliver rescue and patient transfer services throughout the country, the company operates a fleet of more than 300 vehicles, including emergency ambulances, mini buses, trucks and cars.

In order to meet the needs and interests of companies across all manner of industry sectors ESACHS has developed specific health units. These include First Aid and Nursing Rooms in which trained professionals can deliver emergency care, Procedure Rooms and Polyclinics. These Polyclinics are kitted out with all the necessary equipment and facilities to deliver complete care, and come with additional sampling and x-ray rooms. It is at this level that the company shares a hugely important link with the major national and international mining companies operating in various sectors throughout Chile.

From an administrative standpoint the company specialises in providing all manner of services to health centres, ranging from the implementation of First Aid rooms to complex

health units, with its work recognised by a number of vital industries such as the country’s mining sector.

Today ESACHS employs approximately 1,500 employees, while its coverage across Chile spans from the Tarapacá region to the Los Lagos region encompassing a total of 21 agencies found in the most important cities within each region. “In the years since ESACHS first came into being,” Fuenzalisa continues,

“ESACHS has developed a reputation for delivering high quality service that conforms to the provisions and regulations” 30 | be weekly

ESACHS

Esachs fleet of vehicles

“we have accumulated a significant level of specialised knowledge within our field of work, much of which is based on the more than five decades worth of experience in the health sector possessed by our parent company.”

With the evolution of mining in Chile in recent times making it an ever more critical component of the country’s economic growth it comes as little surprise to find that ESACHS has made every effort to accompany this growth, in the process delivering its polyclinic and First Aid room management services to some of the most important companies in the sector. Such companies include BHP, CODELCO, the Doña Inés de Collahuasi Mining Company, Lumina Copper, Goldcorp, KGHM International, Antofagasta Minerals, Xstrata Copper, CAP Mining, Yamana Gold and ESO ALMA.

As part of the company’s drive to become even further integrated into Chile’s mining sector it will be attending the EXPONOR 2013 exhibition, which will take place between 17 and 21 June in Antofagasta. Organised by the Antofagasta Industrial Association, the event will bring together more than 1,000 exhibitors from around 30 countries.

“This year marks the very first time that ESACHS has attended EXPONOR,” Fuenzalisa says. “Being a participant at this year’s event is a great honour for all of us here and we are very excited to have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with not only many of our current customers, but hopefully some future clients as well.”

In addition to working with the above mining companies ESACHS also provides

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its services to a number of other important sectors and areas of economic activity, such as the education and banking sectors, the forestry and fishing communities and the metalworking, communications and consumer products industries. Furthermore, the company has a strong track record of providing services to Chile’s prisons and its collection of observatories.

“The greatest asset we have as a business,” Fuenzalisa explains, “is our dedicated staff, all of whom are fully qualified to deliver

pre-hospital care. Simply put, the reasons behind the quality and efficiency of our services can all be traced back to the work of our employees and it is for this reason that we continue to invest heavily in our people.”

Obviously the services ESACHS provides are very staff intensive in their nature and it is because of this that it also works hard to contract out its external activities, such as transportation, accommodation and deliveries of food and supplies, to its premises to other local businesses. In doing

“Our operational excellence is arguably best demonstrated by our ever-present willingness to develop and improve ourselves”

Ambulance service

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ESACHS

Javier Fuenzalisa, General Manager

so the company is also doing its bit for the wider Chilean economy by helped to generate further employment opportunities that local and region businesses can capitalise on.

As it continues to grow as a company ESACHS is constantly in the process of reviewing and expanding the range of services it provides, while always ensuring that at the end of the day its customers have the peace of mind of knowing that they can rely on the company to deliver quality health care.

“Our operational excellence is arguably best demonstrated by our ever-present willingness to develop and improve ourselves,” Fuenzalisa highlights. “To this end we are constantly looking to incorporate the latest technology and technological advances into every facet of our operations, from the emergency vehicles we use to the way in which we equip health centres.”

The evidence that this philosophy of selfimprovement is paying off can be seen in the fact that ESACHS’ customer base has increased steadily over the last eight years, and continues to do so now. “Literally every month we are being invited by companies from different economic sectors to participate in proposals related to the management of various health centres,” Fuenzalisa concludes. “It is with great pride and satisfaction that we can stand here today and say that we are proving beyond doubt that we are the leaders when it comes to the delivery of such vital services.”

For more information about ESACHS visit: www.esachs.cl

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PBE Group

Safety first

Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Champion de Crespigny, discusses PBE’s transformation into an international mining solutions provider and the continued diversification of its product suite

written by: Will Daynes research by: Marcus Lewis

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PBE has extensive electronic manufacturing capabilities

PBE Group

E

ver since it was first established in March of 1971 by Frank Pyott and Roger Boone, PBE’s (Pyott-Boone Electronics as it was previously known) mission has been to design and build reliable, high tech equipment to improve mine safety and productivity.

Originally focused on supplying the US coal mining industry with the most technologically advanced communication and monitoring systems available, something for which PBE remains recognised as being a pioneer of, the company remained a regional leader in its field before, in April of 2011, it entered into a new era of growth and diversification.

This era was ushered in by the acquiring of the business by Prairie Capital V, LP and Vierville Capital and the arrival of Stuart Champion de Crespigny, founder of Vierville Capital, as Chief Executive Officer, who has focused his efforts on building the management team and taking the company global.

“The PBE that we acquired in 2011,” de Crespigny explains, “was very much a US coal focused business. While it unquestionably boasted an excellent product, it was a business that had never really looked at expansion beyond its home market. What we did upon our purchasing of PBE was to set off immediately along a path to increase and improve not only the internal structure of the company, but also its geographic reach.”

In March 2012, the company purchased the Australia business Minecom in a move which helped expand not only PBE’s product range in the communication systems space, but also its global reach.

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1971 The year that PBE was first established

Minecom Leaky Feeder device

38 | be weekly

This acquisition was then followed up with that of Mine Radio Systems in February 2013. It was with this development that, in de Crespigny’s eyes, PBE became a truly international company.

“The reality is that the US as a marketplace does not possess the same amount of growth potential for us as a business as the developing international markets,” de Crespigny continues. This approach to global expansion has brought PBE to the point where today it possesses six international offices in the US, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, the UK and Australia, as well as several major distributors serving regions including South America and Russia.

For more than 40 years PBE has built itself a reputation for having a reliable, sophisticated product set and support network designed to improve the safety and productivity of a customer’s mine. As de Crespigny highlights, this played a hugely significant role when it came to raising capital to purchase the company.

“In today’s world,” he says, “there isn’t a person out there in the mining sector who doesn’t agree that safety is the most important factor in the industry right now, and will be of even more importance in the years to come. PBE envisioned this

PBE Group

The management team

being the case some time ago and with its large suite of products we are now in a prime position to service this growing market segment, particular as the industry continues to concentrate more of its efforts on protecting its most important resource, which is of course its people.”

From day one de Crespigny and his team have held the belief that the best way of transforming PBE into a global competitor

was to introduce its product portfolio to the rest of the world. Dubbing itself ‘the single intergraded source solution for mining productivity and safety’, PBE specialises in providing its customers with integrated, onestop-shop solutions to cover all of their safety and productivity mine-based needs from an electronic perspective.

During its early years PBE would have been involved in such initiatives as installing

“In today’s world there isn’t a person out there in the mining sector who doesn’t agree that safety is the most important factor in the industry” be weekly | 39

hard-line telephones underground to provide a communications link from the mine to the surface. Obviously the industry has evolved hugely in the time since to the point where virtual every mine in the world possesses wireless connectivity between those deep underground and those above.

Today PBE possesses a raft of solutions, each of which has been manufactured for a different purpose from safety and control equipment and environmental monitoring systems to personnel and vehicle tracking software and data infrastructure networks.

With its patented MineBoss software system the company also has a product that is capable of monitoring every single

piece of mine equipment from one location anywhere in the world.

The latest development within the company involves the launch of a new product that incorporates the technologies behind proximity alert and collision avoidance systems. “This highly sophisticated system,� de Crespigny says, “uses multiple forms of technology independently developed by PBE to meet one of the most important challenges that mines face today and that is protecting people and assets from the potential damage that larger vehicles and equipment can cause.

This alert system is essentially a much more advanced form of that which can today be found in high-end automobiles and acts much

Screen shot of the MineBoss sotfware and tracking tag

40 | be weekly

PBE Group

“we haven’t disconnected ourselves from the things that contributed to the company’s success in the past, but we have evolved as a business” in the same way by providing the operators of large vehicles with the tools needed to avoid what can be massively costly incidents and accidents above or underground.”

The first half of 2013 has seen the company continue its trend of appearing at numerous industry trade shows, conventions and exhibitions. Indeed with the new owners of

PBE having been in place for little over two years it is key that they attend most, if not all of the major mining events around the world simply to publicise the fact that the PBE of today is a different beast to that of years past. “PBE comes with a great deal of history connected to it,” de Crespigny highlights, “and while we want people to understand that we haven’t disconnected ourselves from the things that contributed to the company’s success in the past, we do want them to be aware that we have evolved as a business.”

It has always been PBE’s goal, both before and since its acquisition, to be the market leader in mining safety and productivity solutions. “While there is no doubt,” de Crespigny concludes, “that we have a number of capable competitors in our field, we are confident that our product suite and international expertise gives us the perfect base to realise our ambitions. We are well aware however that this is a marathon, not a sprint, but everything we have seen to date gives us great encouragement for the future.”

For more information about PBE Group visit: www.pbegrp.com

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42 | be weekly

Resource Generation (Resgen)

A major coal resource for South Africa Though based in Australia Resource Generation (Resgen) is to all intents and purposes a South African coal mining company with a strong local partner and a huge stake in the future development of that nation

written by: John O’Hanlon research by: Jeff Abbott

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Resource Generation (Resgen)

I

t is not hard to see why Resource 744.8 million tonnes of coal on just 34 Generation, a company listed on both percent of the holding, and sitting on a total the Australian and Johannesburg stock reserve of over six billion tonnes in all, the exchanges, was attracted to the Waterberg company is now very keen to get ahead and region of South Africa and in particular start constructing the mine, so that it can to the Boikarabelo coal mine which it has grow value for its shareholders and press been developing since 2008. The area, in the forward with its strategy to develop high north-east of South Africa close to the border grade energy related resources into viable with Botswana, is very accessible, and the and competitive mining operations. The quality of coal in the resource unrivalled.

South African mine is key to this, and the The Boikarabelo coal seam, between 120 project is now reaching a critical stage, with and 130 metres in depth, lies only 20 metres the exploration programme complete and all below the surface in terrain that is flat and major regulatory approvals obtained. Now easy to get at, so removal of the overburden Resgen is putting all its efforts into securing and the creation of an open pit the funding it needs. was an obvious and low cost Apart from the large solution to reach the seam, open pit, the mine will which contains a variety of have its own power plant, different types of coal, from overburden storage and coal thermal coal used in power handling and preparation Target for first stations and for which there is plant (CHPP). The CHPP coal production an insatiable demand within will crush, screen and grade the coal, stockpiling it into southern Africa itself, to soft coking coal for which there is a constant need two main categories. Coal for export will be to supply the steel producing nations of Asia, loaded onto rail trucks for transportation to where capacity is set to continue rising over the ports, while thermal coal for domestic use in the power generating stations of Eskom in the coming decade.

The company’s holdings, covering 16,000 Mpumalanga will be supplied direct, also by hectares, are only 40 kilometres by road rail. from the existing rail system that provides Coal is the major source of energy in access to domestic markets and to the ports South Africa. Production from existing of Maputo, Richards Bay and Durban for mines is limited and there is expected to be export shipments. These three ports all have an imbalance between supply and demand potential to expand their coal capacity, and over the next ten years. The Waterberg coal there is a proposal on the table for a new field contains approximately 40 percent of railway link with Walvis Bay in Namibia as South Africa’s remaining coal resource and is considered to be the main source of coal an alternative route to overseas markets.

Having declared a probable reserve of in the future.

2015

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ResourceRESOURCE Generation GENERATION (Resgen)

RSV ENCO CONSULTING (PTY) LTD

CEO, Alan Wingrove

Boikarabelo Coal Mine Project Resource Generation, a public company listed in Australia and South Africa, is a majority shareholder in Ledjadja Coal and is in the process of developing the Boikarabelo Coal Mine Project, a major project in the Waterberg Coal Field in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The project comprises an open pit coal mine, supporting infrastructure including a 45km rail link, Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) facilities, bulk water supply (local well field and supplemented by supply from Lephalale) and bulk electrical power supply via the national grid.

The open pit mine will be developed in a phased approach to support both the domestic and export markets. The run-of-mine production for the first six years of operation will be at a rate of some 14.8Mtpa, delivering 3.0Mtpa of export and 3.0Mtpa domestic product. Thereafter, the mine will be expanded to more than 30.0Mtpa run-of-mine production.

RSV ENCO Consulting (Pty) Ltd (“RSV ENCO�) has been involved in the development of the Boikarabelo project from the outset in November 2008 and has provided Ledjadja Coal with engineering design, procurement and project management services to date.

Construction management services will be provided when the project moves to implementation.

RSV ENCO is currently busy with detailed engineering design ahead of full project implementation go-ahead which is imminent, but subject to achieving financial closure. RSV ENCO is seeking appointment as the overall Managing Consultant responsible for delivery of the project; it is expected that the EPCM services contract will be finalised and awarded shortly. The CHPP will be delivered by others on an EPCM basis, with RSV ENCO monitoring safety and overall integration management.

The Rail Link detail design will be completed by others, but managed by RSV ENCO. In addition, RSV ENCO will be responsible for the management of the medical examination process for all contractor employees as well as the Safety, Health and Environment induction process on behalf of Ledjadja Coal prior to commencement of work on site. The RSV ENCO ISO 9001:2008 certified Quality Management System, which is aligned with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), will be fully implemented on the project. email. enco@rsvenco.com www.rsvenco.com

beBEweekly WEEKLY | | 472

We design for Africa Aveng Engineering & Projects Company provides comprehensive engineering design, procurement, construction management and outsourced operational services for multi-disciplinary engineering projects. Aveng Engineering focuses on the mineral processing and refining, power, energy and industrial markets, in Africa and internationally Come and talk to our team www.avenge-pc.co.za | www.aveng.co.za Building 30, The Woodlands, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, Sandton, 2191* Private Bag x159, Rivonia 2128, South Africa.

Tel +27 10 205 1000 * Fax: +27 0 87 807 0143 * E-mail: John.Shannon@e-pc.co.za

Providing Environmental and Social Solutions for the Coal Industry across Southern Africa

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DIGBY WELLS COAL CLIENTS FROM JUNIOR TO TIER 1 – WE UNDERSTAND OUR CLIENT’S NEEDS:

• RESOURCE GENERATION – Boikarabelo Project • ANGLO AMERICAN THERMAL COAL – Biodiversity Action / Management Plans • BHP BILLITON – Various ESIAs • EXXARO – Thabametsi • CIC ENERGY CORP. – Mmamabula Project

• NORTHERN COAL – Jaglust, Mimosa Colliery • CONTINENTAL COAL – Penumbra Coal Mine • UNIVERSAL COAL – Kangala, Brakfontein, Roodekop: ESIAs, IWULA and NEMWA • XSTRATA COAL SOUTH AFRICA – Various ESIAs, Specialist Services, Annual Closure Update AND MANY MORE ...

Tel: +27 11 789 9495 • Fax: +27 11 789 9498 Email: info@digbywells.com • www.digbywells.com Johannesburg • Pretoria • Bamako • London • Accra • Dakar • Perth

Resource Generation (Resgen)

That is why a ten year haulage contract that Resgen’s local BEE subsidiary Ledjadja Coal signed in June last year with South Africa’s national rail transport company Transnet is so important. Transnet Freight Rail will be carrying up to four million tonnes of coal in the first year after production starts, rising

to five million tonnes in the second and continuing at an annual rate of six million tonnes. The agreement covers transport from the Waterburg to Witbank for Eskom and to the coal ports at Richards Bay and Durban for the export tonnage. “Finalisation of this Transnet contract has enabled us to progress

“This contract for domestic offtake now ensures revenue for Stage 1 of the Boikarabelo project is nearly fully underwritten” be weekly | 49

RCE Consultants (Pty) Ltd is an independent railway and civil engineering consultancy with offices in Irene, Gauteng, South Africa.

The company was established with the aim of sustainably providing quality railway and civil engineering services, specializing in the planning, design, and project management of rail and port-related projects.

Specialist Services: • Port Engineering • Project tailored rail facilities • Railway Systems: Modelling and Simulations • Transport System Planning Railway and Civil Engineering Services: • Feasibility Studies • Project Management • Design Services • Railway Engineering Contact us: 0027 82 7769692 heinrich@rce-consultants.co.za

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Resource Generation (Resgen)

finance with banks, which have confirmed after production commences, linked to loan they are keen to provide funding,” said finance. This agreement opens the door to Resgen’s managing director Paul Jury. the funding for construction of the mine, If the Transnet deal was last year’s the CHPP and associated infrastructure, and detailed discussions with major milestone, this potential financiers of the year’s is undoubtedly the domestic offtake contract it mining equipment, materials announce on June 4. Under handling equipment, the rail this agreement the global line and project funding are all taking place in tandem, supply chain management said Jury: “This contract for company Noble Resources Coal contained in domestic offtake now ensures undertakes to purchase Resgen’s Waterburg three million tonnes of coal revenue for Stage 1 of the holding every year, for eight years Boikarabelo project is nearly

6 Billion tonnes

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“Finalisation of this Transnet contract has enabled us to progress finance with banks, which have confirmed they are keen to provide funding” fully underwritten. It provides certainty of cash flow generation further bolstering project value. It also highlights the tangible strategic value of the relationship with Noble.” Already regular logistics meetings are being held with TFR to plan the delivery of its haulage services once production starts at Boikarabelo. TFR is making good progress with the first upgrade works on the

52 | be weekly

Thabazimbi line which will help to ensure initial capacity requirements are met.

Construction activities actually started in February this year with initial activities including the establishment of site infrastructure, roadworks and water and power connections. Tenders have been issued for longer lead time items, and now Stage 1 of the project is well under way,

Resource Generation (Resgen)

with first coal confidently expected in 2015. So many major hurdles have already been overcome. With a 30-year mining right, life-of-mine development consent for construction of the mine and rail link and integrated water use licence already out of the way, the TFR deal and the Noble coal offtake agreement complete the initial stage of preparedness for production. Other offtake deals will be available when the time is right, says Jury, however two are already in place, one with India’s third largest power utility the Calcutta Electric Supply Company and Bhushan Steel.

Project funding, progressing construction and getting the mine fleet in place are priorities for this year. The current reserve

of 744 million tonnes will keep the mine in production for decades, and with perhaps seven times as much again yet to be developed, this one mine will be enough to make Resource Generation into one of the world’s most significant coal producers and a strategic contributor to the south African economy. The company does have other development interests, notably its Cameroon uranium project. But the advanced and in many ways fail-safe Boikarabelo mine is in a league of its own.

For more information about Resource Generation (Resgen) visit: www.resgen.com.au

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AngloGold Ashanti

Vision committed to excellence AngloGold Ashanti has come through a difficult year relatively unscathed, and now looks forward to the contribution of at least two major new assets due to come on stream in the latter part of 2013

written by: John O’Hanlon research by: Vince Kielty & Robert Hodgson

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Moab Khotsong, South Africa

AngloGold Ashanti

C

reated in 2004 through the merger of the Ghana-based Ashanti Goldfields Corporation and the South African AngloGold, AngloGold Ashanti produced a little less than four million ounces of gold in 2012. This was the year that its outgoing CEO Mark Cutifani (having resigned to become CEO of AngloGold Ashanti’s principal shareholder Anglo American he was replaced on May 8th

by Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan) described as “undoubtedly one of the most challenging in my 35 years in mining.”

Today AngloGold Ashanti is a company that works across the entire gold value chain, from exploration through mining operations and beneficiation – the process of separating the gold from the ore – to marketing the metal to the jewellery trade. More than 60 percent of the gold mined each year is consumed in the gold jewellery sector. While attention tends to be focused on the 21 active mining operations the company has in Africa, Australasia and both North and South America, it has almost 70,000 square kilometres of greenfield tenements where it conducts exploration activities through joint ventures, strategic alliances or as whollyowned ground holdings. Last year alone it increased drilling activity by more than a third over the previous year, testing new highpriority targets in Australia, Brazil, Tanzania, the DRC and the Solomon Islands.

This approach has led to the development of AngloGold Ashanti’s first greenfield development in more than a decade. To its successful Sunrise Dam operation in Western Australia, currently undergoing

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www.atcwilliams.com.au

Tailings Management Impoundment/ Embankment Design Water Managment Geotechnical Investigation Tailings Laboratory Testing

Anglo Gold – Ashanti Sunrise Dam Mine – Western Australia • Tailings site options over LOM • Site investigations • Water balance studies • Water storage design

Closure Design Surveillance Melbourne Ph +61 03 8587 0900 melbourne@atcwilliams.com.au

Perth Ph +61 08 9355 8700 perth@atcwilliams.com.au

Brisbane Ph +61 07 3352 7222 brisbane@atcwilliams.com.au

ANGLO AngloGold GOLD Ashanti ASHANTI transformation Anglo Gold Ashanti from afeature text to combined go here.....Lorem open pit ipsum anddolor sit amet, underground consectetur adipisicing operationelit, to ased do eiusmod wholly underground mineet dolore magna tempor incididunt ut labore aliqua.

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Thenisi ut aliquip ex Tropicana ea commodo Gold consequat.

Project (TGP) Duis aute irure dolor is in areprehenderit 70/30 joint venture in voluptate withvelit esse cillum Independence dolore eu fugiatGroup. nulla pariatur.

The Excepteur joint sint occaecat venture’scupidatat exploration non proident, sunt programme in culpa quiinofficia the area deserunt is vast, covering mollit anim 13,500 id square est laborum. kilometres Lorem along ipsum a strike dolor length sit of amet, 600 kilometres. consectetur Tropicana, adipisicing elit, to the sednorth do eiusmod of this area, is incididunt in a very remote partetofdolore the state, on tempor ut labore magna

aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna the aliqua. western Ut edge enimofad theminim Great Victoria veniam, Desert, quis and nostrud untilexercitation AngloGold Ashanti ullamcoAustralia laboris turned nisi ut up aliquip on the ex ea scene commodo it remained consequat. uninvestigated Duis aute in any significant way. However following irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit

ATC WILLIAMS ATC Williams (ATCW) is a specialist consulting engineering firm providing key tailings and water management services to AngloGold Ashanti, Australia’s Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in Western Australia, as well as to many other Australian and overseas mines.

The company has been associated with Sunrise Dam Gold Mine from the conceptual stages in the mid-1990’s and has continued and strengthened that long term relationship with the current owner AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd. ATCW designed the original tailings paddocktype scheme and then in 1999 with an expansion in production, initiated a Central Thickened Discharge (CTD) disposal system, one of the first in Australia at the time. With the introduction of a new thickener, this permitted full storage capacity with only notional embankment volume. Following commissioning of the CTD, the paddock storage was decommissioned and rehabilitated. Since then ATCW has designed and assisted AngloGold Ashanti in undertaking 8 raises (stages) which

have included perimeter embankment raises, and access causeway raises. The current CTD cone is about 6km diameter and rises 25 m.

The CTD was also made available for extensive field tests on beach slopes that were undertaken by one of the PhD students who the company sponsored to advance ATCW’s knowledge of tailings beach slopes.

Whether in Australia or overseas – ATC Williams is currently working in Chile and Kazakhstan, among others – the company has the conceptual and strategic skills, as well as detail design skills to maximise project success.

CEO Trevor Osborne said tailings and water management were the “company’s prime strengths and provide us with a market edge,” he said. “We place great emphasis on understanding the properties of the specific tailings, using our testing laboratory, to fine tune our beach slope predictions and optimise embankment design, and in turn minimise cost.” www.atcwilliams.com.au

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AngloGold Ashanti

Primary transportation of gold bearing ore from the crusher to the heap leach pads

a pre-feasibility study the north-east of the Democratic company was able to declare Republic of Congo. The Kibali a Measured, Indicated and project is currently in the Inferred 75.3 million tonnes development and construction phase, after receiving board resource containing over five Ounces of gold at TGP approval in May 2012. Premillion ounces of gold.

Fast forward, and today development work began the Tropicana project is at an advanced in early 2011 and first gold production is stage of construction and development, anticipated in late 2013. Again this is a joint and remains on track to pour first gold in venture, with AngloGold Ashanti and Randgold the fourth quarter of this year. Mining Resources each owning 45 percent, the balance operations will be conducted from open being held by SOKIMO, a DRC state-owned pit mining of the Tropicana and Havanna gold company. “Our major greenfield projects deposits while surface infrastructure includes at Kibali and Tropicana remain within their a processing plant, accommodation facilities broad budget parameters and on track to pour their first gold by around the end of 2013 and and telecommunications services.

On the other side of the world, there’s early 2014,” said Mark Cutifani. “This is an another important greenfield operation in the impressive feat in an industry that has in the

5 million

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recent past been marked by significant capital overruns and delays.”

As the world’s second largest gold producer AngloGold Ashanti is performing well at a very difficult time for the industry – with gold prices weakening at the beginning of 2013 and the additional challenges posed by strikes that closed a number of mines in the company’s home economy South Africa in the latter part of 2012. Operating profit for the year decreased from $2,202 million in 2011 to $1,127 million in 2012, mainly as a result of reduced gold income due to lower production levels at the South African operations following the strike action.

The negative impact of the strikes was offset by two important acquisitions last year. The $335 million purchase of First Uranium, the owner of Mine Waste Solutions, brought with it a recently commissioned tailings retreatment operation located close to the company’s Vaal River tailings facilities in South Africa.

The Vaal River and West Wits mines produced 31 percent of the entire group’s gold output or 1.2 million ounces.

Reprocessing tailings at this plant is expected to add something like 110,000 ounces to annual production from the South African operations, at competitive cost.

Another bonus was pointed out by Chairman

Tito Mboweni: “This acquisition has also rendered unnecessary a substantial capital investment that would have been required to construct a plant to process our other Vaal River tailings.” A further 70,000 ounces should come, he points out, from the $220 million acquisition from its partner Kinross Gold Corporation of its 50 percent interest in the Serra Grande mine in Brazil, giving AngloGold Ashanti full ownership. “The Serra Grande acquisition will enhance our

“The Serra Grande acquisition will enhance our mineral resource and ore reserve as well as diversifying our global portfolio base” 62 | be weekly

AngloGold Ashanti

mineral resource and ore reserve as well as diversifying our global portfolio base.”

The gold market is one that is full of contradictions. Crudely put, it fluctuates in opposition to the rest of the global economy.

The worse the news from the global banking sector the more investors are tempted to put their trust in gold. This paradox was put into its macroeconomic context by Tito Mboweni when he explains: “Continued loose monetary policy in the United States and Europe, with added impetus more recently from Japan, will ensure that real interest rates in these economic blocs will not rise anytime soon. This, in conjunction with continued central bank buying – from mainly non-member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – and improved Chinese off-take in the face of stronger economic

prospects from that region, should support the gold price in the medium term.”

With other emerging markets (India in particular) improving following tighter economic policy initiatives, local currencies can be expected to strengthen, thereby pushing down the price of gold in local currency terms. This will in turn stimulate jewellery demand and consequently the gold price, he believes. The current dip in the gold price, many market watchers agree, is a temporary one: until confidence returns to the major currencies gold will continue to be a whole lot more stable.

For more information about AngloGold Ashanti visit: www.anglogoldashanti.co.za

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BIA: a fascinating never-ending adventure!

BIA is proud to be one of the most established heavy-equipment distributors in Africa and Benelux

B

IA and the distribution of civil engineering and construction machinery it’s a long story! It all started in 1902 when Georges Bia decided to open a sales office in Brussels operating in the Belgian and Congoleese markets. Over time the BIA business really kicked off, going from strength to strength to become a key player in the public works, quarry and mining sectors in the Benelux countries and West and Central Africa.

“ BIA already employs more than 700 people in Africa.

By the end of 2013 this number could top 1,000” 64 | be directory

Throughout its long history, BIA has never experienced the levels of growth that it has seen in the last three years.

From 2009 to 2012 the firm’s revenues tripled on the back of strong sales from the African activities. Operating as a distributor for original manufacturers including Komatsu, Sandvik, Bomag, Cummins and Tecnogen, BIA is now targeting to double its revenue by 2015, beefing up its presence in the African continent.

The BIA value added is not strictly limited to be a distributor of premium brands! Maintenance and Service are a priority too. In other words, BIA aims to be the preferred solution provider for mining companies operating in West and Central Africa. BIA also guarantees to its clients the best productivity at low operating cost.

Because each client is unique and each project is specific, BIA offers to

BIA OVERSEAS SA

its clients a tailor-made approach.

BIA already employs more than 700 people in Africa. By the end of 2013 this number could top 1,000.

Among the BIA current staff, 75% are technicians and experienced engineers providing onsite support for client’s fleet of heavy equipment.

Such a support is there to guide the customers from the earliest stages of their projects. By planning, organizing

and controlling specific resources, BIA gives its clients confidence to make their project real and efficient.

BIA Overseas Avenue Einstein, 6F 1300 Wavre – Belgium T +32 10 23 45 00 Fax +32 10 23 45 00 www.biagroup.com

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Included The BE Mining Directory showcases leading mining organisations from across the world, ranging from big corporations to junior mines and their supply chains.

Be seen throughout our portfolio of magazines: •BE Mining Directory •BE Mining •BE Weekly •BE Monthly •

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