Views
3 years ago

Opportunity Issue 96

  • Text
  • Investors
  • Trade
  • Africa
  • Investment
  • Developments
  • Business
  • Industry
  • Sustainability
  • Sustainable
  • Supplier
  • Suppliers
  • Prices
  • Solutions
  • Economic
  • African
  • Procurement
  • Mining
Opportunity, endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) is the mouthpiece for business in Southern Africa. The aim of the publication is to inform potential investors both nationally and internationally of the most relevant business news: trade, investment, financial, market-related information for each business sector, as well as to inform of the latest developments in business legislation from both the public and private sector.

BUSINESS UPDATE News &

BUSINESS UPDATE News & snippets Industry insights from the past quarter Shellsol 2325 name change to Masimosol 2325 Masimo Chemicals Logistics (Pty) Ltd was established in 2008 as an international chemical distribution company. The main focus market has been the African Copperbelt spanning both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and mines in Namibia. Since its inception, Masimo Chemicals Logistics has distributed diluent/mining solvent to mines in Sub-Saharan Africa under the brand name Shellsol 2325 and Shellsol D70 on behalf of Shell Chemicals South Africa (Pty) Ltd. This was until 2016 when Shell Chemicals announced that the company would be shutting the South African operations and elected Masimo Chemicals South Africa (Pty) Ltd as its distributor in Africa. The name of the diluents/solvents were then changed to Masimosol 2325 and Masimosol D70. The diluent/solvent is still produced at the SAPREF refinery in Durban with all the chemical specifications of this product remaining the same as Shellsol 2325, only the name has changed and is procured from Shell Downstream South Africa. Unlocking potential in South Africa’s exacerbated waste crisis Currently, the country is recycling only 10% of its 108-million tons of waste generated per annum. The zero waste to landfill goal to divert 90% of waste from landfills by 2030 is an ambitious one. The aim is to use a “whole system” through recycling, reuse, recovery opportunities that have the potential to create numerous environmental, social and economic opportunities for South Africa. The industry needs to shift the focus completely from landfilling and promote “circular economy” thinking by providing innovative and sustainable long-term solutions that will take South Africa’s waste industry into a green and profitable future. 70 years a leader in the mining services industry TKR Operations offers extensive solutions that encompass oversize material handling, lowbed rental, opencast drilling and transportation services for staff. Plant rental machines include excavators, wheel loaders, hydraulic breakers and drills, as well as water carts. In today’s challenging economic conditions, we believe it is important for companies to establish a sound reputation as a dependable service provider. We have worked hard to be the best in the business, by providing innovative solutions rather than standard services to major mining houses and large contracting firms that require specialised skill sets. TKR’s leadership team prides itself on more than 70 years of mining industry experience and has a long and positive track record of meeting production targets. This is achieved by maintaining a healthy fleet age and adhering to strict maintenance policies enabling 90% fleet availability. We deliver safely, costeffectively and without harming the environment. 6 | www.opportunityonline.co.za

BUSINESS UPDATE USS aims for more storage beyond SADC Industrial racking and shelving manufacturer, Universal Storage Systems (USS), has broadened its footprint by exporting its storage products across Africa. The company currently manufactures and supplies storage solutions – including shelves, racks and mezzanine flooring, as well as adjustable pallet and clad racking – to companies throughout the SADC region, says USS national sales manager, Dean Jackson. USS can provide its products and services for companies in the SADC region through its network of traders and strategic partners. “We are broadening our reach deeper into Africa, directly as well as through our network of traders and strategic partners. This will assist us in opening new revenue streams for the company,” explains Jackson. To achieve this, USS is focusing on developing strategic relationships with ancillary companies, particularly through joint ventures and other similar mutually beneficial relationships. 2021 Critical Skills List: SA to compete for skills on global scale The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has submitted its preliminary Critical Skills List to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for review. “The list is publicly available from the DHET’s website and companies should start reviewing it in anticipation of a round of public commentary before it is finalised,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb. The current Critical Skills List was published in 2014. Significant macroeconomic events have affected the country’s foreign skills demand since then, like the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact of Covid-19. This makes the new list vital to enabling the recruitment of emerging business-critical talent internationally to promote economic growth. Notably, several occupations on the current Critical Skills List have been excluded from the preliminary list. These include corporate general manager; risk assessor; certain ICT designations; electrical and chemical engineer; toolmaker; pressure welder; boilermaker; certain trades, such as millwright, pipefitter, double-coded welder and rigger; foreign language speaker; and business analyst. This may concern employers who have difficulty sourcing these skills locally. Visas for foreign nationals listed on the Critical Skills List are typically processed two to six months faster. This puts companies who urgently need to replace scarce workers not on the list at a disadvantage. Jacobs urges organisations to become active players in the final Critical Skills List. “This will help ease immigration constraints that may limit access to occupations essential to economic growth,” she says. Jacobs commends the DHET and DHA for their outstanding work and for openly engaging the private sector. The new list is likely to be published in early 2021. Loesche: knowledge partner of the IEA Clean Coal Centre The IEA Clean Coal Centre’s extensive network of organisations comprises a group of knowledge partners who share relevant information regarding the reduction of environmental impact and the use of coal and enhanced energy security globally. In 2018, Dr Roland Aeckersberg, senior manager at Loesche GmbH, presented a lecture under the concept of “Co-grinding of waste pellets in a vertical roller mill with coal” during the IEA Clean Coal 8th workshop in Denmark. Following this event, a second lecture was given by Lawrence Mupeta, director of operations at Loesche Energy Systems, on the occasion of the IEA Clean Coal 9th workshop in Japan this year, covering the topic of “Coal/Biomass fuel preparation in power plant conversion projects”. After these successful presentations, addressing the rise of sustainable environmental solutions, Loesche was invited to become a knowledge partner of the IEA.

Other recent publications by Global Africa Network: