AZIZE Equipment has secured the sole rights to supply, service and support the full line of Sunward drill rigs and excavators in South Africa and surrounding countries.
Sunward is listed on the Shenzen stock exchange and is a top 50 global construction equipment manufacturer that produces over 11 000 excavators and drill rigs per annum. The Sunward offering was unveiled locally during a prestigious launch in Carolina, Mpumalanga, on 07 and 08 June 2019.
“We are extremely excited about the birth of 100% black-owned AZIZE, a Level 1 B-BBEE company, and our partnership with the globally renowned Sunward Equipment Group,” says Pascal Mbambo, MD of AZIZE Equipment. “The name AZIZE is of Afro-Asiatic origin, meaning powerful and valuable, a perfect representation of our company, products and services as well as how we perceive our customers.”
Mbambo is supported by a team of experts including company director Basie Roelofse who brings a wealth of engineering and drilling expertise to the AZIZE stable. The formidable AZIZE team boasts a strong operational background and deep knowledge of the surface drilling sector and is capable of meeting the challenges faced by this complex industry.
On the one hand, the high capital expenditure and associated maintenance and service cost structures make the procurement of a new drill rig virtually impossible for smaller businesses. But owning the right equipment is only the first step. The drilling and blasting business is centred on meters drilled and tonnes or cubic metres moved, which directly impacts efficiency, uptime and availability.
“These critical factors are essential for operational sustainability and profitability, underpinned by the fundamentally important aspect of safety in this notoriously challenging environment,” notes Roelofse. “Our hands-on experience with a variety of drill rigs has given us a unique insight into the key success elements, enabling us to equip customers with the right tools to manage their drilling operations.”
Sunward is a well-tested and globally respected brand and is certainly not new to the African continent. Outside of South Africa, numerous Sunward machines operate in Namibia, Zimbabwe and the DRC. “Having owned, operated and maintained various different brands of drill rigs, including Sunward machines, and having drilled in all typical geologies, we were highly impressed by Sunward’s holistic capabilities,” says Roelofse.
While Sunward machines feature all the best-in-class components necessary to get the job done and compete head to head with other brands, they are significantly less complex than many other options in the market. The straight-forward no-frills package signifies ruggedness, reliability, simple and easy operation and serviceability for improved uptime and enhanced profitability at the lowest total cost of ownership. Through these perfect fit-for-Africa machines, AZIZE has the potential to further grow the Sunward footprint across the continent.
AZIZE is targeting surface drilling companies engaged primarily in blast hole drilling in all geological formations across the mining, quarry and construction industries. Aligning to these sectors, the Sunward range is ideally suited to mine owners, drilling contractors and drilling and blast contractors who are looking for modern, safe, efficient and reliable surface drilling rigs that positively impact their bottom line.
The company offers three distinct Sunward surface drilling machines; two crawler-type Top hammer models (from 64 mm up to 115 mm diameter with hole depths up to 25 m) and a range of DTH (Down The Hole) drill rigs (from 90 mm up to 255 mm diameter with hole depths up to 36 m). Rounding off the product portfolio is the Sunward excavator range.
The AZIZE launch showcased several Sunward machines including the SWDE165A drill rig which features a fully automatic hands-free carousel, ROPS/FOPS, a cyclonic dust suppression system as well as rod lubrication system, a compliant FOGMAKER automatic fire suppression system and a 1 070 cfm, 20 bar compressor, all fitted as standard. Also generating a great deal of interest at the launch was the SWDR138H excavator rig, currently the only drilling rig to have a full OEM certification that covers the full rig, from tower to compressor and everything in between.
The extensive product suite is supplied from AZIZE’s Carolina head office. With a 12-strong sales and service team the business occupies 2 500 m² of undercover space for administration, service and parts.
AZIZE plans to open branches in small South African mining towns with high unemployment levels. “While our main focus is on black-owned companies, we are also looking to partner with small and start-up businesses,” confirms Mbambo. He adds that AZIZE is poised to grow with customer demand through the expansion of the Sunward machine offerings as well as through the establishment of footholds in Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
