As Africa’s mining landscape shifts under the forces of rising commodity demand, sustainability pressures and escalating operational costs, innovation has become the new currency of competitiveness, says minerals processing specialist Multotec. 

In this regard, the company continues to pioneer relevant innovations that improve recovery rates, minimise water and energy consumption, and extend asset life, which help mines unlock measurable efficiencies and sustainable value. 

Multotec’s ethos is that small efficiency gains deliver value at scale. 

Multotec Africa MD Peter Mbada confirms that environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies have become necessary investment attraction factors as the world moves to secure critical minerals supply chains. 

As a result, sustainable minerals processing in Africa has become key to competitiveness and access to capital, while improved efficiencies in screening, classification and separation technologies offer real tangible cost benefits. 

To align sustainability with profitability, Multotec’s strategies include innovations that support improved water recovery and recycling and lower energy consumption equipment such as the company’s pulping chute. Innovative technologies coupled with deliberate investments in local partnerships are part of Multotec’s strategy mix to enhance community impact and maximise uptime and return on investment. 

For the past 50 years, Multotec has been a trusted partner in providing minerals processing technology to mines – technology that has transformed the way screening, classification and separation is done, with higher throughputs, recoveries and reliability rates. 

The company is a firm believer that by looking at end-to-end integrated solutions, small efficiency gains can be made across a system, which lead to massive value at scale. 

With Africa’s critical minerals sector attracting growing investor interest, Multotec has expanded its presence on the continent with local branches tailored to meet regional needs and regulatory requirements. 

The branches across Africa are resourced with local engineers, warehouses, machine shops and equipment required in the region. 

Mbada says Multotec’s business model allows for customised support to meet customer needs in different regions across Africa and globally. 

African governments are pushing more for compliance with localisation, local content and countries of origin regulations. Multotec ensures each branch complies to local legislation and also caters for the required capabilities and products. 

Owing to Multotec’s focus on integrated end-to-end solutions that deliver value at scale, the company’s pulping chute technology used in diamond mines, for example, replaces high-maintenance and energy-intensive scrubbers with static equipment. Having no moving parts enables lower energy consumption, longer equipment life and higher recovery rates across an entire system. 

Innovative digital technologies and sensors help customers monitor cyclone performance and wear rates, which ensures longer asset life and reduced maintenance costs through condition monitoring.

As climate change increasingly impacts countries in Africa, resource conservation becomes prudent to ensure resilience and operate with reduced environmental impact. Multotec’s products cater for what the world, and financiers, demand and need in respect of sustainable minerals processing equipment, and are backed by skilled expertise and service support throughout asset lifecycles. 

Beyond the mining industry, the company also provides solutions for the power generation and chemicals industries, with a complete range of wear lining solutions for chutes, pipelines, transfer points and mills. 

Mbada says while innovation with ESG in mind is key to Africa’s competitiveness in the mining sector, equally important are technical support, skills transfer and local partnerships. 

“Most mines in Africa operate in remote areas with skills gaps. Local partnerships improve community impact. Multotec’s projects in Botswana and Mozambique are testament to the positive community impact of local partnerships. Technology alone is insufficient, local capability is crucial in unlocking the full value of mining,” he explains. 

Multotec invests more than R10-million every year on skills development, learnerships and technical programmes, which is helping to advance technical skills in Africa one mine at a time.