Keeping conveyors running with 270 highly skilled service technicians

• ContiTech employs and upskills one of South Africa’s largest conveyor belt service technician teams to lower downtime for local and international operations
• With 7 branches, and growing, ContiTech offers a faster turnaround time for clients.

Johannesburg, May 2017: With a network of seven strategically located service branches and over 270 service technicians, ContiTech South Africa provides at-the-mine services that lower downtime for southern Africa’s conveyor belting operations. This team of service technicians, one of the largest in South Africa, is trained exclusively by ContiTech’s international specialists. Training is conducted to the company’s Global Standards of Conveyor Belting Excellence and Safety – ensuring world-leading conveyor belt services in the shortest timeframe possible. This, to such an extent that the South African service teams are often contracted to oversee conveyor belt services at critical mining operations in the Middle East and in North and South America.

“By positioning our branches at southern Africa’s major mining and industrial operations, we’re able to support our range of premium conveyor belts with equally high-quality services,” says Craig Rouhana, Sales and Marketing Director of the Conveyor Belt Group, ContiTech South Africa. “In addition, by having a 270 member-strong team, we are able to combine equipment resources and the required manpower to any of our clients facing critical breakdowns, with two or more service branch teams often working simultaneously to get client operations running as quickly as possible.”

“It’s not just about getting hands on the job,” adds Rouhana. “It‘s about having a team of highly skilled professionals who are trained to the highest standards”. To this end, all service technicians receive local and onsite training from ContiTech’s head operations in Germany to ensure the highest-quality workmanship, which exceeds local SABS conveyor belting standards.

Conveyor belting services include belt repairs, splicing, pulling, winding and disposal as well as services to belt operation structures such as pulleys, idlers and frames. ContiTech is only one of a few companies that is able to guarantee a splice that can last the service life of the belt, a huge benefit when compared to the industry standard one-year warranty. “We’re able to offer this as a direct result of the global R&D of Continental AG that ensures the world’s strongest adhesion to a belt’s rubber components, creating a seamless belt and considerably stronger splices that utilise the original belting material,” comments Rouhana.

ContiTech service branches hold stock of service materials and of popular conveyor belt types to service clients quickly in the case of belt failure. The branches are also regularly externally audited to ensure compliance to ContiTech Global Standards of Conveyor Belting Excellence and Safety.

“Ultimately the success of our service branches lies within the commitment to quality and safety from our technicians. These local service teams are upskilled to a level where they can offer a conveyor belting service proven to be better than any other on the market. By carrying out similar services every day and often at the same mine, they have become experts in their field, operating quicker, smarter and safer. It’s also the reason why ContiTech Germany only calls upon South African service teams to assist with its global operations.” concludes Rouhana.

ContiTech supports southern Africa’s major industrial and mining belting operations with service branches in Kathu, Lephalale, Secunda, Welkom, West Coast and Witbank and internationally in Francistown, Botswana. The company is also set to open two new South African service branches in the next two years.

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transport. In 2016, Continental generated sales of €40.5 billion and currently employs more than 227,000 people in 56 countries.

As a division in the Continental Corporation, ContiTech is one of the world's leading industrial specialists. Its customers can be found in key industries such as machine and plant engineering, mining, the agricultural industry, and the automotive industry. With around 43,000 employees in 44 countries, the company uses its development and material expertise for products and systems made of rubber, polyamide, metal, textile, and electronic components to combine these with individual services. ContiTech always thinks in terms of customer-friendly and environmentally-friendly solutions – going well and truly beyond its roots as a producer of rubber products. With sales of approximately €5.5 billion (2016), this international technology partner is active with core branches in Europe, Asia, North and South America.