https://www.miningweekly.com

New merger boosts offering for Africa’s mining industry

TREVOR ANDERSON The newly merged company, Wood, will leverage its combined expertise and skills sets to provide a broader range of capability offering new and innovative solutions to clients in the African mining industry

DRAWING ON PAST SUCCESSES Amec Foster Wheeler has enjoyed a favourable experience in the African mining industry thus far, drawing on project successes from various projects

10th November 2017

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

Multinational consulting, engineering and project management firm Amec Foster Wheeler has merged with industrial facilities specialist Wood Group to form a new company – Wood – that will specialise in the delivery of project, engineering and technical services in the energy and industrial markets.

Wood will leverage its combined expertise and skills sets to offer a better proposition for clients in the African mining industry going forward, says Wood’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa mining business development director Trevor Anderson.

Amec Foster Wheeler and Wood Group service several industries, from oil and gas to power, environment and infrastructure and mining. The merger, which was formally announced earlier this month, will augment offerings to all these industries across the entire value chain, from the early stages of a project to detailed execution, commissioning and decommissioning. The merger will also allow for an expanded client base.

Anderson explains to Mining Weekly that, prior to the merger, Wood Group had not been active in the mining industry. Amec Foster Wheeler’s global mining solutions and technical expertise will be combined with Wood Group’s skills and expertise in innovation, technology and automation, which dovetails with the way in which the mining industry is moving forward – “working towards the mine of the future”.

It will be interesting to see how the merger impacts on the mining industry’s adoption of new innovations, he says, adding that introducing them into the mining space will require a streamlined approach to ensure cost optimisation and efficiency are realised.

“We believe in the application of innovation and ingenuity: using proven engineering processes to add value to our customers,” he says.

The company boasts a long history in African mining from a legacy standpoint and through acquisitions, over time, of mining-focused companies that have a history on the continent.

Amec Foster Wheeler’s offering to the mining industry includes expertise in front-end geology, mine design, mineral processing and environmental consulting through to engineering, procurement and construction management, operational support and mine closure.

According to Anderson, most of the company’s work in Africa’s mining industry over the past three to five years has focused on the execution of one or two major projects with further study work ahead of future project execution.

In South Africa, the company has completed project work in the diamond and platinum space. However, Anderson indicates that up to 90% of Amec Foster Wheeler’s work has been done outside of the country, spanning several African countries and operations.

This includes engineering, procurement and construction management for Husab, in Namibia, a joint venture project in which Amec Foster Wheeler successfully commissioned and handed over the plant in December 2016, enabling the mine to begin commercial production. The company is still working with the client on site, providing additional services and looking at more areas of opportunity to further improve the asset.

In Ghana, Amec Foster Wheeler has conducted study work for several major gold players, specifically in terms of debottlenecking existing operations, as well as the recent completion of a gold feasibility study in Mauritania. It has also conducted several audits with emerging clients and study work for clients in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana and Malawi, to name a few.

Amec Foster Wheeler’s presence in the African mining industry has been established through registered offices in key locations, including Botswana, Liberia and Ghana, with more central mining support from the office in South Africa. Anderson says, while it is not unusual for the company to execute a project in West Africa, all the design and engineering work is usually conducted from its local base in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Amec Foster Wheeler has numerous new projects in the pipeline, including a significant gold project in West Africa, a detailed engineering and design package for a diamond project in sub-Saharan Africa and some engineering support work with its colleagues on an infrastructure project in Europe.

Anderson says Amec Foster Wheeler’s experience in the African mining industry has been positive, as the company has been able to draw on its success from various projects across the region. Amec Foster Wheeler has built on this when undertaking new projects, and will continue to leverage these as Wood following the merger.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

Comments

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.123 0.157s - 93pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now