For over 20 years WEG has been a strategic supplier to the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its local South African manufacturing base has been central to enabling reduced lead times, and a well-established distribution and service network has enhanced support capabilities and customer satisfaction.
The DRC is one of the most important mining markets for WEG. With its spectrum of products including low and high voltage electric motors, low and high voltage drives, power and distribution transformers, gensets and energy solutions, low and medium voltage switchgear, motor control centres (MCCs) and E-houses, WEG has a longstanding presence in the DRC mining market. Thierry Kakese, WEG’s regional manager – Central Africa, says the company operates through various channels in the DRC.
“On capital projects, we work directly with EPCM contractors and project houses to ensure our products and solutions are specified. On the operational side, we establish a direct link with end users, mostly via our in-country partners. Our local representation in the DRC includes distribution and service channels,” Kakese says.
Committed to the profitability of its customers, WEG continually invests in the development of innovative industrial electrical solutions. One of WEG’s flagship product lines in the DRC is its energy-efficient motors. The energy-saving benefits of WEG’s premium IE3 and IE4 motors set them apart from competitors. They support mines in their quests to reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs.
Much of the WEG equipment for the DRC is manufactured in South Africa. The low voltage (LV) and high voltage (HV) MCCs, transformers, gensets, MV soft starters, LV variable speed drives (VSDs) and soft starter panels are all manufactured in Johannesburg, and some of the gensets come from the company’s Cape Town facility. Considering the importance of quality control in mining, these facilities are ISO 9001: 2015 certified and adhere to high quality procedures and standards. WEG also complies with the relevant International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for its various product groups.
As manufacturing is now undertaken in Johannesburg, which is only 2 000 km away from most of the mining sites in the DRC, lead times are significantly shorter than they were previously, when equipment was imported from WEG’s factories in Europe, Asia or the Americas.
WEG motors driving a blower on a mine in the DRC.
“To enable efficient delivery, we also place value on proper planning and understanding all the logistical dynamics that come into play when products are in transit, especially considering they have to pass through several border points. The target is always to deliver in line with timeframes agreed with our customers, despite border and road challenges,” says Kakese.
He says the DRC presents probably one of the most challenging transport infrastructure environments in Africa. In addition, most of the mines are located in remote areas, making road transportation difficult.
“To address these challenges, we have over the years bolstered our local representation with service and distribution partners who carry sufficient stockholding and are the first line of support for customers in the DRC. We have recently added IPS Congo to our network of Value Added Resellers (VARs). IPS Congo is located in Kolwezi, where most mines in the DRC are based. On the service side of our network, we have added Lekasi-based AEMI, which services our range of LV motors,” Kakese adds.
Another major challenge in the DRC is the lack of technical skills. In this regard, WEG invests substantially in the development of its local partners through continuous training programmes.
Commenting on some of the success stories in the DRC, Kakese points out that WEG’s MV VSDs and LV motors have, in the past decade, been specified for some of the major projects in the country. However, he sees WEG’s involvement with a major copper project as a key reference point.
“We supplied and commissioned several of our products for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this copper project and we are currently completing Phase 3,” he says.
“We aim to strengthen our local presence in the DRC by establishing a strong sales and service network with the ability to support our entire product portfolio. Our partners would be product- and area-focused to ensure our customers in the DRC experience the best possible support,” says Kakese.
For more information visit: www.weg.net
