SMEC Group to officially launch new division at 2013 Mining Indaba

6 December 2012
Internationally-recognised consultancy firm SMEC will officially open its new Mining, Oil and Gas division at the 2013 Mining Indaba, which is being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 4 to February 7, 2013
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PRESS RELEASE

SMEC Group to officially launch new division at 2013 Mining Indaba

06 December, 2012: Internationally-recognised consultancy firm SMEC will officially open its new Mining, Oil and Gas division at the 2013 Mining Indaba, which is being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 4 to February 7, 2013.

The SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas division has been established to consolidate the company's expertise  in providing extensive consulting services to the industry to date, by co-ordinating skills and expertise to ensure that value added and holistic project management, infrastructural development and mining productivity solutions are provided to mining operations located across Africa and the globe.

The African branch of the division will be located at SMEC South Africa's office in Johannesburg, and SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas Africa functional head Dave Gertzen notes that key project management skills and knowledge from the mining sector have been added, while additional resources will be drawn from existing departments within the SMEC Group.

"An analysis of our personnel involved in mining projects showed that the SMEC Group has a large number of employees worldwide who have specific operational mining productivity, infrastructural and project management engineering experience in the international mining sector, and we aim to consolidate and knowledge-share these skills to provide a highly specialised and efficient service for our clients," he explains.

SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas Africa divisional manager Gerrit Brits points out that the division offers a niche solution that is tailor made to the client's exact specifications. "In order to provide an entirely holistic solution to the client, the SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas division specialises in six key areas of expertise, namely; operational improvement and cost control, optimal mining infrastructural design, mining risk management advice, mining technology and process advice, project management and owner's representative services, and social and environmental impact assessment."

Gertzen highlights the fact that SMEC's January 2012 acquisition of strategic mining consulting services provider GMC Global - which specialises in assisting mining companies in improving their productivity by providing specialised maintenance, supply chain integration management solutions and operational productivity improvements - will further strengthen the capabilities of the new division moving forward.

"By combining the proficiency of GMC Global with SMEC's project management and infrastructural expertise, the SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas division is able to provide clients with a niche high level service offering. With GMC Global establishing an African presence, strategically co-located at the SMEC head office in Johannesburg, I am confident that we can gain measurable market share in this sector," he continues.

Gertzen points out that SMEC made the decision to officially launch the new division at the 2013 Mining Indaba, due to the high profile of the event. "The Mining Indaba is recognised as the largest mining investment conference in Africa, and one of the largest in the world. The event serves as the ideal platform for SMEC to highlight the capabilities of its new Mining, Oil and Gas division to high profile decision makers from hundreds of mining companies worldwide, giving particular focus to established regions such as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, in addition to booming regions such as the West and East Africa."

Looking to the future, Gertzen is optimistic of the future outlook for the African mining sector, and of the role that SMEC can play in ensuring continued upliftment in the industry. "SMEC boasts particular consulting expertise in the iron ore, manganese and coal sectors of the mining industry - all of which are experiencing rapid growth in Africa as a direct result of increased investment. Our capabilities are further enhanced by the fact that GMC Global is currently in the process of delivering 115 productivity improvement programmes to mines across the world."

Gertzen concludes: "This substantial experience and expertise places the SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas division in a strong position to consolidate on current strengths, while entering into new areas of expertise as the African mining sector continues to grow at a steady rate."

 

Ends

Notes to the Editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za   and click the Vela VKE (Part of the SMEC Group) link.

About SMEC
SMEC provides consultancy services for the lifecycle of a project to a broad range of sectors, which include; hydropower, transport, water, natural resources and environment, geotechnical, mining, tunnelling, urban development,  renewable energy, power,  government and advisory services and social infrastructure development, The SMEC Group now has over 5 000 employees and an established network of over 70 offices in 36 countries throughout Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific, North and South America. SMEC acquired specialist mining firm GMC Global in January 2012 and strengthened it Africa operations by acquiring VelaVKE in July 2012.

SMEC Mining, Oil and Gas Division Contact
Dave Gertzen / Gerrit Brits
Phone: (011) 369 0600
Fax: (011) 886 4589
Email: kostas [dot] rontiris [at] smec [dot] com or gerrit [dot] brits [at] smec [dot] com

Media Contact
Renay Tandy
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867-7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 082 562 5088
Email: renay [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za