Komatsu

S U S TA I N A B L E SOLUTIONS INFORME

BY I N N OVAT I O N

2 | Africa Outlook Issue 105

KOMATSU MINING

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Hermann Hollhumer, General Manager – Mining Operations South Africa at Komatsu, discusses creating value through technology and manufacturing innovation to empower a sustainable future where people, business, and planet thrive together Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Joshua Mann

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ommodities such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper are critical for power generation.

Mining therefore has a heavy influence on everyday life, with Africa responsible for 30 percent of resources in the global supply.

Despite this significant contribution, there remains high untapped potential for the likes of iron ore and bauxite in Guinea, gold in Ghana, cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and diamonds in Botswana.

Many African countries have a fantastic mining output and are well positioned in markets around the world, bolstered by young and growing populations that are embracing the technology revolution.

Since it was founded in 1921, Komatsu has been renowned for quality, reliable equipment, and harnessing technology to maximise performance delivery for customers.

“We are a category leader in innovation and technology. Our Japanese heritage implies precision and respect towards nature,” opens Hermann Hollhumer, General Manager

of Mining Operations at Komatsu.

The company’s roots stretch back more than 100 years to a lush forest near Komatsu City in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, which was once home to a copper mine vital to the surrounding community.

Understanding that the world requires equipment to meet the needs of society and the environment today and in the future, Komatsu works to make this as sustainable as possible for generations to come through its manufacturing processes and technologies.

This includes reducing the carbon footprint associated with sourcing and manufacturing through renewable power supplies, remanufacturing components, and strategic sourcing. Technologies such as Tier 4 engines and electric overhead trolley and battery drive systems also improve productivity and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during operations.

The company uses numerous digital solutions to further enhance its equipment offering, such as fleet optimisation and health and diagnostics software.

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KOMATSU MINING

FULL SUITE OF EQUIPMENT Komatsu offers a full range of surface mining equipment, such as drills, shovels, and trucks, as well as underground hard rock and shaft sinking equipment.

Underground equipment includes load-haul-dump (LHD) machines, dump trucks, jumbo drills, and roof bolters; the latter comprises shaft jumbos, muckers, raise bore strings, stabilisers, and more.

“We offer a full suite of equipment, mining solutions, and services that allow a mine to partner with one brand to deliver the full requirements,” Hollhumer informs us.

“We also have a full service and support offering dependent on customer requirements – this includes parts supply, remanufacturing of components, technical resources, and project and quality management.”

Driven to continuously improve the performance of its equipment, Komatsu focuses on identifying, creating, and delivering value in collaboration with the customers that it services, namely Tier 1 mining houses as well as many other mines, contractors, and a vast construction industry base.

“Some of our customers include Anglo American, Exxaro, Kumba, Assmang, Barrick, FMQ, Foskor, Thungela, Seriti, and Glencore,” he adds.

Komatsu services these customers from its 16 branches and 21 depots across the Southern Africa region, with operations in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique, and dealers in Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, and Zambia.

This is complemented by a parts distribution centre based at 4 | Africa Outlook Issue 105

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY Komatsu was founded in 1921 on the principle of supporting the

Komatsu’s head office in Germiston, Johannesburg, a secondary distribution centre in Kathu that services the Northern Cape region, a component remanufacturing facility in Reman, and a fully-equipped technical training facility that offers basic engineering skills and productspecific training to customers and team members.

“We continue to invest in infrastructure and service facilities to meet the needs of the dynamic environment that we operate in, all aimed at exceeding customer

expectations,” Hollhumer shares.

Immersive Technologies, a Komatsu-owned company, also offers simulators for the development of operators and technical staff.

SAFETY COMES FIRST For all Komatsu employees, SLQDC (safety, law, quality, delivery, cost) represents the order of priority when making decisions.

This order applies to the entire company, including Komatsu’s offices, production floors, suppliers, and partners.

local community. Societal values are ingrained in the company’s purpose and guide its business.

AMBITION - Striving for constant improvement.

PERSEVERANCE - Never wavering from promises made.

COLLABORATION - A win-win approach to all relationships.

AUTHENTICITY - Act with sincerity, integrity, honesty, and communicate transparently.

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Pragmatic Partnership: Driving Efficiency, Innovation, and a Greener Planet with Komatsu and Cummins The power of partnership to drive efficiencies and innovation is well understood, especially across advanced manufacturing value chains. However, great partnerships don’t just happen. They require alignment of purpose and expertise to deliver greater value than the sum of their parts.

Writing in Harvard Business Review, researchers at Meta point out that while partnerships can accelerate innovation, “offset R&D costs, add expertise and flexibility, and help create new markets” the majority of these collaborations – at least in the tech industry - don’t produce results. The well-documented reasons for this include, “companies choose partners who aren’t a good fit, they set misguided goals, they fail to communicate effectively or fail to deliver per product requirements.”

As the past 25 years have demonstrated, the partnership between Komatsu and Cummins is one that consistently works to the strengths of each partner to deliver results that benefit customers. What’s the secret of this successful collaboration across markets and industries?

One critical factor is that the partnership is not driven by innovation for innovation’s sake. Rather, the partnership delivers innovation with a clear purpose: to continuously enhance solutions that cater to the most demanding market requirements today, across various conditions, and anticipate the solutions users will require in the future.

Pragmatic partnership for a greener planet

For instance, we can see this approach at work in the way Cummins and Komatsu collaborate to deliver a pragmatic and innovative pathway to carbon neutrality. Both Komatsu and Cummins are committed to ambitious emissions targets and both companies have deep experience in delivering the power technologies and equipment needed for mines, construction sites, and complex industrial facilities. It is no surprise, therefore, that the companies have built on their experience working together to create fit-for-purpose, zero emissions power technologies for the mining sector.

Of course, while many miners have their eyes firmly set on a net zero horizon, they may not be able to decarbonise overnight.

Once again, Cummins and Komatsu’s customer-focused innovation provides a bridge to a greener future. For example, the partnership delivers equipment to miners across Africa that meets the needs, capabilities, and constraints of local conditions. No less importantly, equipment can be adapted to lower carbon output, futureproofing miners’ investment and enabling a seamless transition to renewable mining.

User-first efficiency gains

Another exemplary showcase of Komatsu and Cummins’ customer-centric innovation is their collaborative effort to develop an integrated equipment and engine monitoring solution, designed to enhance mine maintenance optimisation.

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The companies’ uniquely close working relationship enabled them to deliver a remote equipment monitoring system that provides for a single, consolidated data monitoring and collection process, that enables experts from both Cummins and Komatsu to assess – and proactively manage – asset health on a mine site.

The monitoring is designed to reduce downtime and unplanned maintenance, decrease production costs, and predict maintenance requirements. At the same time, the shared infrastructure is streamlined, efficient, user-friendly, and costeffective and provides enhanced information security.

This feat of integration not only demonstrates strong engineering principles but also signifies the benefits of a focused organisational strategy. The close and productive relationship between Cummins and Komatsu, coupled with their continuous efforts to improve their combined product offering, results in both production-level advantages and, crucially, a superior and more efficient product for customers.

Quality service as the benchmark

These case studies demonstrate how good partnerships translate into better products and services for customers.

However, developing partnerships that deliver results doesn’t happen overnight.

In the case of Komatsu and Cummins, reaching a level of integration where the partnership can deliver real value to clients in global markets is an ongoing process that requires trust, mutual respect, and a commitment to delivering long-term strategic goals together.

The upshot is that Cummins and Komatsu don’t simply collaborate – they act as a single team. Moreover, this integration takes place at every level, and across departments, from engineering to marketing and beyond – identifying problems and opportunities and creating integrated solutions.

For each partner, the benefits are clear. Komatsu effectively leverages Cummins’s expertise as a power system expert, integrating the latest advances in engine technology, fit for the market and fit for the future. For Cummins, Komatsu is more than a customer, Komatsu is a like-minded partner which provides opportunities, territories, and technologies that enable Cummins’ innovation, providing a platform for meaningful social and business development.

Of course, the true value lies in the enhanced service the partnership offers to customers. Ultimately, this is the benchmark that truly matters, and the foundation upon which the partnership is built.

“Cummins and Komatsu have been long-term partners with a focus on continued collaboration to drive the best total cost of ownership (TCO) for the customers. Cummins continuously endeavours to develop the best available products in the market, and offer best aftermarket sales and service network to support our customers and maximised the productivity of our products.”

EL Hadji Fame – Managing Director, Cummins South Africa.

GROUNDBREAKING POWER AND PRODUCTIVITY Driven by the needs of our customers, we’re investing heavily in developing ever better products, to help keep you operating at the lowest cost, maximize your production, and keep you ahead.

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KOMATSU MINING

“ W E O F F E R A F U L L S U I T E O F E Q U I P M E N T, M I N I N G S O L U T I O N S , A N D S E R V I C E S T H AT A L L O W A M I N E T O P A R T N E R W I T H O N E B R A N D TO D E L I V E R T H E F U L L R E Q U I R E M E N TS ” – H E R M A N N H O L L H U M E R , G E N E R A L M A N A G E R - M I N I N G O P E R AT I O N S S O U T H A F R I C A , K O M AT S U

“We make decisions and act according to the priorities of SLQDC. Safety always comes first, and the order is never mixed or reversed,” emphasises Hollhumer.

“From providing safe products to the overall safety of our automatic operational systems, we persistently utilise the full scope of our innovation capabilities to find ways in which safety is used to maximise the value of our products to our customers.”

Through collaborating with clients, 8 | Africa Outlook Issue 105

Komatsu develops solutions to mitigate or eliminate hazards in the workplace by integrating DANTOTSU products, services, and solutions to generate a positive cycle to resolve environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, including worksite safety.

For example, Komatsu introduced the ICT Bulldozer and ICT Hydraulic Excavator in 2013 and 2014 respectively, which automated the control of blades

and buckets. These systems allow less experienced workers to perfectly reproduce the same high-level precision construction work of a skilled worker.

“This has eliminated the need for ancillary workers and guiding processes, thus enabling our customers to make huge savings on rework costs and improving general safety,” Hollhumer explains.

Komatsu’s Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) is another example

KOMATSU MINING

WE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, AND REPAIR EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT AND RELATED ATTACHMENTS

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Where other companies stop, Machinery Contractors only start of a safety innovation that has been implemented in major mines in Australia and Chile by the company, who is also promoting remote controlled operation of the PC7000-11 hydraulic excavator and 100-tonne track dozers for mining sites.

“We look forward to deploying these solutions in Africa. Currently, Komatsu has more than 600 AHS trucks active globally,” he states.

Remote controlled track dozers and hydraulic shovels are additionally offered by Komatsu to complement the transition to autonomous operations. This technology improves the productivity of the equipment and removes operators from higher risk areas.

Immersive simulator technology, meanwhile, offers the ability to practice simulated emergency situations in a safe environment.

“Innovations have improved health and safety when using Komatsu’s products, from doziness detection

to collision avoidance interface technology and autonomous operations,” notes Hollhumer.

CREATING VALUE The company is also supplying a 4800XPC electric rope shovel to Anglo American Platinum’s Mogalakwena mine, with delivery planned for April 2024.

Built for tough environments, the 4800XPC delivers consistent uptime,

Machinery Contractors Machinery Contractors (Pty) Ltd Tel:+27(0)12 250 3534 |Tel:+27(0)12 250 8956 Fax:+27(0)12 250 2620 Email: info@machinerycontractors.co.za

a high cutting force, and is engineered for increased digging power and faster cycle times, utilising the latest mining technology.

“It is the largest shovel in the world, and the first unit in Africa.

This is the most energy efficient tool available and has a 20-year lifespan with numerous rebuild and remanufacturing activities to reduce the carbon and raw material footprint,” Hollhumer informs us.

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KOMATSU MINING

KOMATSU CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is at the core of Komatsu’s business activities – in essence, the company’s work addresses essential social needs.

Komatsu recognises these social needs and focuses on education and supplier development programmes. Some of the initiatives that the company is involved in include: • YES4YOUTH employment initiative • CAREER Wise bursary services • STEM learner development • TECHNICAL Education for Communities (TEC) programme • F21 Foskor Half Marathon • ORAPA GM Charity Walk • JWANENG GM Cycle Race • MOGALAKWENA Charity Golf Day • BREAST cancer awareness campaign • THEO Jackson Jeppe Trust • EL-SHAMMAH Home for Abandoned Babies • COMMUNITY clean-ups • HIGHVELD Training Centre (HiTC) apprentice programme • AFRICAN Blessings

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Elsewhere, the company has introduced its underground hard rock fleet options with various marketleading design features, combined with Komatsu’s industry flagship Montabert drifter for improved drilling performance.

Advanced underground digital communication and analytics solutions from Mine Site Technologies (MST) are also offered by Komatsu, alongside the recent launch of an online e-commerce portal, and investment in the growth of the forestry market.

“We recognise the importance of the sustainability of forests and the ecosystem’s importance to the planet,” says Hollhumer.

Komatsu equally recognises that people are its greatest asset, as the company seeks to continue to create value and grow in the current era of volatility and uncertainty.

“We believe people are the business, and their contributions in every aspect are invaluable.

The ongoing growth of Komatsu will require us to develop human resources with frontline capabilities, built on our four values (ambition, perseverance, collaboration, and authenticity) that support us in acting in accordance with the ‘Komatsu Way’ and fulfilling our purpose,” he outlines.

Just like the good judgment exercised in Komatsu’s corporate management, frontline capabilities

KOMATSU MINING

“ W E A R E A C AT E G O R Y L E A D E R I N I N N O VAT I O N A N D T E C H N O L O G Y. O U R J A P A N E S E H E R I TA G E I M P L I E S P R E C I S I O N A N D R E S P E C T T O WA R D S N AT U R E ” – H E R M A N N H O L L H U M E R , G E N E R A L M A N AG E R - M I N I N G O P E R AT I O N S S O U T H A F R I C A , K O M AT S U

need to be honed by accumulating wisdom and tackling new challenges.

“We take great pride in the development of our team members.

We aspire to offer technical expertise to meet the demanding requirements of our industry.”

Currently, Komatsu is supporting 100 apprentices and five graduate

engineers for its South African operations.

As well as team members, business partners are at the heart of the company’s value proposition to customers. Komatsu partners with local supply and manufacturing businesses to meet the demand of its diverse customer base.

Delivering the operational plans and targets is one of Komatsu’s key priorities for 2024, along with driving towards zero injuries and occupational health incidents, growing the business through improved service and equipment deployment, and harnessing its technology solutions to optimise equipment performance and value delivery to the customer.

“Ultimately, it’s about living our brand promise of creating value together!” concludes Hollhumer.

KOMATSU Tel: + 27 11 923 1000 komatsu.com Africa Outlook Issue 105 | 11

KOMATSU Tel: + 27 11 923 1000 komatsu.com

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