Taking place from 12-16 September at the Expo Centre in Johannesburg, more than 850 local and international exhibitors from the mining, industrial, electrical and power industries will be showcasing their products and services across 38,000 m² net space of indoor/outdoor exhibition area at Electra Mining Africa.

Visitors to exhibitions have multiple shopping and learning objectives and research has confirmed that top reasons for visitors attending an exhibition include being able to obtain updated knowledge and gain insights on industry trends as well as seeing product demonstrations and having hands-on interaction with products.

Electra Mining Africa 2016 will offer visitors just that: interactive product displays, daily live demonstrations, industry experts on stands and the additional attraction of industry seminars and conferences alongside the show offering valuable content and networking opportunities.

‘Many professionals visiting the show will use Electra Mining Africa to network, exchange ideas, share information and develop partnerships,’ says Gary Corin, MD of Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of the trade show.

Free to attend seminars
For the first time ever, Electra Mining Africa will offer free-to-attend seminars. These will be held in association with the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers (SAIMechE). Running alongside the show, the seminars will address various topics including the latest technologies and cutting-edge solutions helping delegates stay ahead of the pack and run sustainable, productive operations. The seminars will provide an excellent learning platform with industry specialists sharing their knowledge and expertise.

The seminars will be taking place daily from 10h00 at the Seminar Theatre in the Bateleur venue at the Expo Centre. Each topic session will start on the hour for around 45 minutes until mid-afternoon. One of the topics ‘Has 2016 been the year of reversing the downward trend?’ will include discussion around what the leading strategy is for miners today, the effect of unusual market condition, rallying prices and consolidation, acquisitions on the global mining industry in 2016, the outlook for 2017 and how mining majors will respond to changing commodity demands.

Other topics include: boosting productivity with lubrication best practice; latest CIBD regulatory environment influencing the mining sector; evolving energy priorities for junior mines; smart meters and smart grids; from minerals to metals – lean manufacturing taking centre stage; working towards infrastructural synergy; Africa’s growing demand for power and available options; increasing mining safety; sustainable building; trends, challenges and opportunities investing in African mining transport infrastructure; assessing strategic renewable energy choices and priorities for mines; amongst others.^*

Support of leading industry associations
In addition to the free-to-attend seminars, several conferences will also be running alongside Electra Mining Africa. The conferences will enable the various stakeholders to hold important conversations about future opportunity and development in the mining, industrial and power generation industries. Although a tough market now, the cycle will turn and stakeholders remain optimistic and see potential for a future upswing and growth.

The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), Women in Mining South Africa (WIMSA) and the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA) will be hosting informative and topical conferences at Electra Mining Africa.

LEEASA will host a two-day Lifting Equipment Conference on 14-15 September at the Expo Centre. The conference is endorsed by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and delegates who are ECSA registered members will earn two CPD points if attending both days. Topics to be covered at the conference include mobile cranes, DMR18, MEWPS, overhead cranes, NCOP, tower cranes, lifting tackle, mine health and safety, SANS standards, forklifts, among others. Costs and registration details can be found on the Electra Mining Africa website.

SADC Mining Conference
There will also be a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Conference focusing on opportunities in Africa. The mining industry is currently experiencing an influx of pain points such as increasing energy demand, fluctuating precious metals markets, shifting exploration landscape, a new draft mining charter, challenging transport infrastructure and pressing social and environmental responsibilities. The unbundling of assets by major mining companies heralds a new opportunity, but how are mining companies dealing with current challenges, where is funding coming from and what new opportunities are top of the agenda shaping the future of mining across Africa?

The SADC Africa Mining Conference, which is taking place on 15 September alongside Electra Mining Africa, will set out to address some of these questions. The conference is an inaugural SADC Mining event dedicated to showcase and explore the latest insight into sustainability, developing diversified economies and improving operational efficiency. This event is the perfect platform for mining companies and their partners to increase resilience and succeed in a turbulent and volatile market.

Leading industry speakers
The opening keynote address will be presented by Charles Siwawa, CEO of the Chamber of Mines Botswana and Isaac Kwesu, president of the Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe. They will be giving a SADC mining overview focusing on establishing a sustainable road ahead in a changing landscape. Discussion points will include challenges and opportunities through to 2018, plans in place to attract foreign investment to the industry, strategies to ensure long-term sustainable growth and the importance of building relationships between the mining sector and local communities.

Michal Kotze, African industry leader at PwC Mining Centre of Excellence and Andries Rossouw, senior mining assurance partner at PwC Mining Centre of Excellence will be leading a presentation on ‘Leveraging the African Mining Vision – Shaping a New Paradigm in a Fragile Economy’. Content will include an economic update; challenges facing the global mining industry; mineral development as a vehicle for economic diversification; and plans in place to attract foreign investment in the industry.

Deepa Vallabh, director, head of cross border merger & acquisitions Africa and Asia at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr will be speaking on the ‘Investment in Mining in SADC: Opportunities or Challenge?’. Her presentation will cover negotiating buy-out, joint venture and M&A opportunities; restructuring opportunities; M&A considerations in foreign markets; and the balancing act between social and commercial considerations.

Presenting a talk on the topic of ‘The Value of Sustainability – Making Informed Decisions?’, Deirdré Lingenfelder, head of safety and sustainable development at the De Beers Group of companies, will address issues around the 21st century seeing new mineral resources in ever more sensitive locations coupled with growing opposition to mining activities, increasing demand, continuing social inequality, and greater completion for technical skills. These challenges are further compounded by the changing nature of society’s expectations of business.

Other topics include ‘Funding and Project Financing’ presented by Robert Futter, director of Cresco Project Finance; ‘Transport Infrastructure Update’ presented by Barbara Mommen, CEO ofMaputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI); and ‘Mines of the Future: Where is the money going to come from?’ presented by Paul Miller, head of mining & metals at Nedbank Capital. Jim Hutchins, PhD, senior applications engineer at Vermeer and Paul van Helden, applications specialist at Vermeer EMEA (Netherlands) will be discussing ‘Innovation – Technological Advances Revolutionising Precision Surface Mining’; and David Osborn, MD of Geovia will be talking about ‘Adopting Manufacturing Philosophies to Improve Operational Stability’.

The cost to attend is R2 800 for the one-day conference. To register or for further information contact: VDS Media, Jolanda van de Spreng.

Industry support
Electra Mining Africa has the support of leading industry associations including the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers (SAIMechE), Women in Mining South Africa (WIMSA), Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA), South African Fluid Power Association (SAFPA), the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC) and the Kitwe & District Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

SACEEC will have two stands at Electra Mining Africa where they will be promoting localisation through their cluster work and also promoting SACEEC and its members.

‘We are delighted to partner with these influential and trusted industry associations,’ says Corin. ‘We appreciate their support and we look forward to their various activities and interactions at this year’s Electra Mining Africa. We also thank our sponsors Altech Netstar, Festo, Dromex and Multotec for their additional support.’

Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery is a member of the prestigious Montgomery Group, one of the most widely respected exhibition companies in the world with trade shows, consumer shows and specialist projects currently spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

For visitor pre-registration, go to www.electramining.co.za or for further information, contact Leatitia van Straten.

^*Please note: Seminar and conference topics and speakers may change. Refer to the Electra Mining Africa website for updated details www.electramining.co.za
19 August 2016