Participation at Electra Mining Africa 2022 will serve to underpin Integrated Pump Technology’s drive to increase its footprint in Africa. According to general manager, Jordan Marsh in the less than 10 years since the company secured the Grindex pump distributorship for southern Africa it has already significantly increased the product’s installed footprint in South Africa and made good inroads in southern Africa.
Marsh says this can be attributed to a number of reasons, chief among which is the strategically situated distributor network which Integrated Pump Technology maintains in South Africa, and it is this successful operating model that will be further extended beyond its existing African distributor base in the coming months.
“Distributors are a critical link for us, more often than not forming a solid relationship and logistical chain between ourselves and the end-user. These partners are carefully selected, and we maintain extremely strong relationships with them to ensure customers are assured of technical competence from before the purchasing decision is made, with quality after-market support provided for the full lifecycle of a product,” Marsh continues.
Distributor footprint
Strengthening its distributor footprint in Africa will give ready access to both product and support to existing and potentially new customers in the regions served by Integrated Pump Technology which include all countries bordered by South Africa as well as Zambia and the DRC.
“There is a large installed base of Grindex pumps in Africa with the brand well-recognised and we have been looking at individual regions and country demands as well as available partners to ensure that we have a distributor in place with the requisite depth of knowledge of that particular country’s market requirements, can speak the local language and also has the necessary technical background.”
Integrated Pump Technology recently appointed new distributors in Zambia and in the DRC, which the company considers to be vital markets for the dewatering solutions that Grindex pumps offer. With the high rainfall season due to begin in September, the company anticipates continued growth in this region.
“When extending our distributor footprint, it is essential that end-users be able to access the level of technical support that our customer in South Africa can,” he says. Unpacking what Integrated Pump Technology means by technical support, Marsh explains that competent product engineers and service personnel from the company are assigned to support individual distributors. These individuals, who are a dedicated resource to a distributor, have the ability to assess any given dewatering application and propose the best fit solution for the end-user. In addition, we bolster the technical competence of distributor personnel by proving ongoing upskilling and product training.
“This is important as we do not see ourselves as order takers; our focus is on maintaining existing relationships with end-users in these regions as well as establishing new ones, and this is achieved effectively through the appointment of credible reputable distributors who have networks in each country,” he says.
“Our ability to rapidly service the market with from our stockholding of Grindex products received a significant boost recently with access to additional capital, and this has allowed us to increase the Grindex pump stockholding at our head office in Boksburg. This also gives assurance to the market that there is ready access off-the-shelf of popular models, and we have also streamlined our logistics allowing for rapid deployment of pumps both to distributors and end-users,” Marsh says. “Many of our distributors also carry stock commensurate with the product footprint in their areas of operation.”
Commenting on the rational behind the injection of capital, Marsh says that in recent months there has been a demand for certain Grindex pumps which impacted on lead times and the company made the decision to invest in more stock to meet the growing demand. It goes without saying that the parts stockholding has also been increased to ensure the same level of access for distributors and customers.
Integrated Pump Technology also recently expanded its workshop facility to fabricate engineered solutions for pump installations including protective cages, control panels, base plates and the like.
Marsh says that visitors to the company’s Electra Mining Africa stand will be able to see the Grindex Mega 90 dewatering pump, commonly referred to as the workhorse of the industry, as well as the Grindex Bravo 900 slurry pump which comes standard with a cooling jacket and agitator. Technical personnel will also be available on the stand to provide more information about the company’s engineered solutions capability. The Integrated Pump Technology stand is on the outside island.
