According to AR Controls, a leading importer and manufacturer of a comprehensive range of valves and instrumentation, the global mining industry is on the cusp of a commodity super cycle, presenting a lucrative market for valves in Africa
“Copper has proven especially robust during a depressed financial market,” said Julien van Niekerk, managing director for AR Controls. It has placed the spotlight firmly on the Central African Copperbelt, the largest copper and cobalt resource in the world, centred on Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
AR Controls is successfully undertaking major work in the DRC, ahead of this wave. “We had already made inroads into the DRC a decade ago when it was considered a difficult and closed market, and now it is one of the most favoured mining destinations on the continent, especially in terms of copper,” said van Niekerk.
A major challenge remains the influx of sub-par valves into Africa from low-cost manufacturing countries. Quality is critical as it relates directly to gains in plant availability and revenue while operating in very arduous environments. “It makes it challenging for us in that we have to be innovative and at the same time have boots on the ground to physically add value to our customers’ supply chains in terms of operations and their procurement processes,” added van Niekerk.
“Extending our reach through our channel partners, our distributors have factory trained personnel, and our aggressive on-site support maximises availability and uptime and reduces production losses. It goes a long way to forging very close relationships between ourselves and all our end users.”
AR Controls has been manufacturing the ARVALV range since 1999 in its Vanderbijlpark factory, which has proven highly successful and has achieved a significant market penetration in critical process applications in the mining industry.
“Looking at our current market share, it is not inconceivable for us to double this in the foreseeable future,” remarked van Niekerk. In addition to ARVALV, AR Controls owns the IncoValve and Controls brand, which it acquired in 2016, and is the exclusive African and Central American distributor for international OEM DeZURIK.
The range of valves and actuation accessories available is robust and ideal for harsh mining environments. The core product lines are knife gate valves, concentric and high-performance butterfly valves, ball valves, non-return valves, control valves, actuation, and automation.
AR Controls will be a major presence at Electra Mining Africa 2022 from 5 to 9 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre.
“Our significant presence will communicate clearly that we are a major contender and the partner of choice when it comes to premium valve and actuation products and back-up support and service for the mining industry,” concluded van Niekerk.
