A successful partnership with Bobcat Equipment South Africa and Goscor Earth Moving (GEM) has seen Rianke t/a Botshabelo secure a maintenance contract with Anglo American for its Bobcat and SANY fleet at its various mining operations in the Mpumalanga Coal Belt.
Established in 2009 in eMalahleni, and starting out in corporate gifts and personal protective equipment before branching out into maintenance work, founders Jarryd Abdinor and Bisco Mohlala saw an opportunity to secure the Anglo American contract due to its experience with the Bobcat and SANY brands to date.
In addition, Rianke has just moved into brand-new premises in eMalahleni itself, including workshop and maintenance facilities. It also has a team of technicians that are able to go to site if need be and attend to repairs there to minimise downtime, or the machines can be swopped out with spare units. It can also accommodate walk-in trade for high-volume consumables such as filters and tyres.
“We often send our technicians directly to Bobcat, where they receive in-house training,” Mohlala reveals. Rianke’s main aim is to become a brand leader for both Bobcat and SANY in the Mpumalanga Coal Belt region.
“We always ensure we have essential spares on hand such as service kits, in addition to stock of special attachments for the Bobcat skidsteer loaders in particular. This allows for a quick, easy turnaround for our customers in terms of proactive maintenance,” Mohlala highlights. Indeed, the stockholding of Bobcat and SANY parts held by Rianke is one of the largest in South Africa.
While its core focus is Mpumalanga at the moment, Mohlala reveals that there are plans to expand to Rustenburg to target the platinum-mining industry in the North West Province, where Bobcat and SANY have also made significant inroads.
Kevin Purcell, who is based in Cape Town but acts as National Branch Manager for Bobcat and SANY, explains it was important for GEM to retain its presence in the Mpumalanga Coal Belt, hence the search for a suitable partner.
“Essentially Rianke fit the bill due to its existing mining contacts in the area. Their Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rating is impeccable, which is critical for the mining industry, plus they have a good name out there and are capable of servicing our equipment,” Purcell stresses.
SANY in particular is a leader in yellow metal equipment for the mining industry, and will therefore be well-represented by Rianke. “The success of a business is pretty much determined by the calibre of its people, and in Rianke we have a perfect synergy of the best products and the most passionate, committed team.”
In terms of the latest mining equipment from SANY, GEM has launched the SY75 primary loading tool for the mining industry, from opencast to alluvial diamond mining. The 75 t excavator is ideal to load blasted material onto articulated dump trucks (ADTs), as well as for stripping top soil and free digging.
Bobcat skidsteer loaders are the ideal compact equipment for materials-handling tasks in the mining industry, as well as general maintenance and housekeeping. The skidsteer loaders are prevalent in all commodity sectors, including gold, platinum, diamond, iron ore, copper and coal, from Southern to Central and West Africa.
Commenting on the success of the partnership with Rianke to date, Purcell concludes it points to a flexible business model that is efficient and highly cost-effective to roll-out in all major areas where GEM does not have a presence, but where the Bobcat and SANY brands themselves stand to make good inroads.
