Company faces import/export challenges

Mine ventilation and cooling specialists BBE Group tells Mining Weekly that the biggest challenge it currently faces in delivering projects is the global supply chain and logistics.

“Delays on the import front result, in turn, in delays on the fabrication and manufacturing fronts. Especially our electrical components and equipment which are usually imported from North America or Europe, and travel delays compound the stretched lead times,” says BBE Projects MD Andrew Branch.

There are also challenges regarding the import of mechanical equipment and piping materials, owing to either unexpected price increases or a shortage in supply.

In providing mining ventilation and refrigeration-related services and products across Africa, the company also has to deal with the shortage of skills  and changing dynamics within different companies and contractors; a “disconnect” that Branch says he has noticed with employees working remotely.

Consequently, the company has implemented mitigation strategies to aid work processes.

“We prefer to give a complete turnkey solution in order to keep better control of the scope of work within our battery limits, and we strive to complete the in-house design and procurement phases as quickly as possible to give our suppliers and contractors the best chance to deliver on time.”

Branch adds that managing expectations of clients is a way of maintaining BBE’s high reputational standards.

Meanwhile, the company has sought to design and develop more prefabricated modular components to ensure ease of assembly in remote areas while maintaining the level of effectiveness of each component once transport and installation has been completed.

BBE Projects is currently involved in projects in Mali and Ghana, where it is supplying air cooling refrigeration plants, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is supplying fan stations.