Dewatering, slurry and sludge pump specialist Integrated Pump Technology will now be marketing the Grindex submersible pump range in more countries around Africa.
The company’s success in southern Africa with the quality Grindex brand has led to an expansion of its geographic footprint, according to Jordan Marsh, general manager at Integrated Pump Technology. This feather in the company’s cap comes with a five-year renewal of the Grindex distributorship – a step up from the previous three-year term.
“We welcome this vote of confidence in our ability, and look forward to the new business that we anticipate from a number of exciting new markets,” says Marsh. “Our strategy over the years has been to build traction across Africa through a systematic expansion into new markets.”
The seven new countries where Integrated Pump Technology will market the Grindex brand are Angola, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This substantially augments the company’s potential for growth, he says. It has already had great success in South Africa, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and Madagascar, as well as Lesotho and Eswatini.
“This step will see our mining focus growing into territories which are highly prospective,” he says. “For this reason, we have recently employed a dedicated person to handle these areas which includes identifying and appointing the most suitable local agents and distributors.”
He notes that, in many of these countries, the mining sector is playing a fundamental role in pioneering economic growth and creating the basis for development. With the buoyancy of commodity prices in recent years, these areas have improved as targets for global investment.
“Our success in Africa has led to a situation in which we now generate more business outside our traditional market of South Africa, than we do inside our borders,” says Marsh. “This trend is likely to continue, as we see blue sky potential in the mining of battery minerals like copper, cobalt and manganese.”
This approach is driving the company’s strategy for 2023, when its expansion project kicks into high gear. Marsh explains that the modus operandi is based on understanding each market and working closely with local distributors. These local players, he emphasises, are chosen for their expertise and experience, but also for the quality of their technical facilities.
“We expect our local partners to keep sufficient stockholdings, and to service and repair Grindex equipment to our stringent standards,” he says. “We support them with training and specialist knowledge, and contribute substantially to local skills development in each of the markets in which we operate.”
