Mechano Technix conveys support to mines
Conveyor belts are in essence the veins that transport the mineral ore in mines from point A to B. Without them, transportation of minerals such as diamonds in local mines would be a difficult task to carry out.
Mechano Technix provides an interesting array of products and services in the highly specialized field of the transportation of mineral in mines locally.
According to the Managing Director of Mechano Technix, Tenda Ndlovu, the products that the company sells are conveyor belts, mining hydraulic hoses, low pressure vessels and elephant hoses ( which transport slurry). Ndlovu further stated that the services that his company provides are splicing conveyor belts and vulcanizing.
Ndlovu explained that conveyor belts are made out of rubber and they can be 2.4 meters wide and 300meters is the standard length of one roll.
He notes that when they opened shop they had a technical partner with a company called Dunlop Beltway Products from South Africa, a company that gave them exclusive territorial rights to sell conveyor belts in Botswana and assisted in technological and skills transfer.
Ndlovu explains that splicing of conveyor belts is to cut and rejoin the conveyor belt where it has been cut off. Noting that this maintenance is done when the belt is broken or damaged by minerals. Vulcanizing is using pressure, heat and chemicals to bond the conveyor belt so that it does not break, Ndlovu explained that the services that they provide are scarce skill.
Ndlovu reveals that the company opened shop six years ago and it was never easy. He said that they now do business with a lot of local mines such as Debswana and Lucara just to name a few.
Ndlovu explains that over the years they have become a strategic resource in the production of minerals locally and the company boasts of 30 high skilled staff members who are mostly engineers. The 44 year old notes that the business they run is both a blessing and a curse as penetrating a niche market was never easy but now they are sitting pretty as they have stood the test of time.