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The rotary imperative AMD-Rotolok’s managing director, Theo Sherman, outlines the company’s exceptional annual performance and says the company is in the enviable position of products selling themselves. It’s extremely difficult to recognize an economic downswing when your business is experiencing it’s best year in its 51 – year history. AMD Rotolok, manufacturer and distributor of rotary valves, screw-conveyors, knife-gates, bucket elevators and other products, has weathered endless cycles of high and low commodity prices during this period from it’s base in South Africa., which has been plagued by low growth and political uncertainty, compounded by mining sector that is challenged by hesitant investors. Theo Sherman, AMD-Rotolok’s Managing Director says that the same isn’t necessarily true for the rest of the continent. “What remains a constant, is that Africa’s substantial mineral resource endowment will always have a need for good products that enable seamless production.” It is this very need that is fueling the surge of new competitors in AMD-Rotolok’s market, particularly from Asia, but Sherman isn’t overly concerned. “Mine buyers realise very quickly that cheaper products don’t last, and the suppliers of those can’t provide the supporting service they should. The result is a need to replace a part regularly, which strains budgets and compromises overall operations.” This is AMD-Rotolok’s advantage, and has been since inception, giving credence to Sherman’s statement that AMD-Rotolok products sells themselves. “Our reputation precedes us,” he says. “Beyond the trust in our products, we have experience in understanding the entire mining process because we are hands-on. We visit sites, we communicate with other contractors, we innovate, we are adaptable, and our products endure.” Africa more than any other continent, requires robust
machinery so some 60 percent of our manufacture is motivated by customer needs. These are strategies that provide a degree of comfort in tough market conditions but strategies are only valid if proven effective. Proof for AMD-Rotolok comes from a variety of sources. Pulling the file on a customer that required a replacement but still operational rotary valve, one of AMD’s flagship products, Sherman indicates that the valve had been bought in 1976. In yet another instance a mine in Kimberley, which had purchased rotary valves some years ago but never installed, had rushed in outdoor storage. We cleaned and serviced those, replaced bearings, and the units were restored to a new condition. “These instances shows that ironically we are kind of shooting ourselves in the foot, but it validates our success and proves quality.” It is exceptionally rare for an AMD-Rotolok’s product to fail or be returned, Sherman can’t recall this happening in his five years with the organization, whose mother company in the UK drives the approach the local company takes towards providing total solutions for bulk materials handling. Innovation is the essence of AMD-Rotolok’s spirit, and plays out in the development of new, and enhancement of, it’s products, and in being able to design to customer specification. “Africa more than any other continent, requires robust machinery so some 60 percent of pour manufacture is motivated by customer needs. Another aspect of ensuring durability for this market is maintenance. We recently introduced easy lock-and-clear systems instead of the cumbersome disassembly that was required when cleaning the internals of rotary’s. “It’s also all about tolerance, which is dependent on the output of the products, and AMD-Rotolok works to the finest tolerance levels to ensure functionality.” A coal mine in Belfast, Mpumalanga that supplies coal to Exxaro is experiencing just how crucial tolerance levels are. X10VRN500 Clamshell Gates Rotolok units, each weighing 1.7 tons, were installed 8m above ground, supporting some 30 000-ton bins, which the AMD Rotolok units are required to open and close during the coal diversion process. Tolerance also means being able to withstand the conditions specific to each region, and the moisture levels the products are exposed to.
AMD-Rotolok’s managing director, Theo Sherman 24
Pipes, Pumps and Valves Africa - Jan/Feb 2022
What the Belfast mine and other mineral developers across the continent among them Botswana, Tanzania, the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have come to value is AMD Rotolok accurate assembly and site inspection, which is generally above and beyond the usual standards in the industry. “For example, we try to be present with
