Atlas Copco dealer of the year, Zenith Mining and Industrial Supplies, recently secured an order from one of their longstanding key mining customers in the Northern Cape for the supply of five Atlas Copco Hilight LED H5+ light towers mounted on double axles.
“We sold our first Atlas Copco units, the older generation QAX20 generators with lighting stands, to the mine almost 20 years ago when the plant was still busy with ground clearance work,” says Zenith Founder and Director, John O`Connell. “Ensuring that we keep up to date with the latest technology from Atlas Copco, we now supply the mine with the cutting-edge compact and efficient HiLight LED units.” Currently boasting the largest installed base of 30 Atlas Copco light towers out of all the mines in the area, the mine continues to grow its light tower fleet in line with plant expansion.
John first started dealing with Atlas Copco in 1995 while working at a previous company. “Soon after establishing Zenith in 2001 to service customers across the Northern Cape region, I approached Atlas Copco for a dealership and some twelve months later Zenith joined the Atlas Copco dealer network.”
“Doing business with the mines in our area since day one has put us in tune with our customers’ ever-changing and diverse needs,” says John. Initially supplying Atlas Copco pneumatic hand-held tools during the early dealership years, Zenith soon expanded its portfolio to include Atlas Copco compressors. John confirms that they currently look after more than 100 Atlas Copco compressors ranging from small Automan compressors right up to the big 250kw machines. The company’s extensive diesel portfolio includes Atlas Copco HiLight light towers and large stationary 1000kva generator plants.
Atlas Copco has engineered cutting-edge design and technology into its compact and highly cost-effective HiLight LED light tower range bringing a perfect combination of high performance, optimum efficiency and low operational and maintenance costs for lowest total costs of ownership. The heavy duty IP67 rated LED lamps have an unrivalled life expectancy or lamp durability of 50 000 hours. The flagship H5+ unit features an impressive 20 lux average and up to 5 000 m2 effective lighting coverage. The recently ordered five H5+units were available ex-stock and just had to be fitted on to the locally built double axel trailers. Trailer fabrication, which takes roughly two to three weeks, is outsourced by Atlas Copco to Anglo Welding.
Moving on to his generator offering, John says that with power supply becoming increasingly erratic of late, they identified the need for more compact, mobile and efficient generator plants rather than the stationary machines. Featuring a small footprint, high efficiency and rugged reliability, Atlas Copco’s QES generators fit the bill perfectly, delivering fast, reliable predictable power at the touch of a button. Zenith has supplied the mine with trailer-mounted Atlas Copco 30, 40 and 60 kVA QES generators.
Atlas Copco’s QES generator range offers a textbook balance between performance and affordability to seamlessly meet standby power requirements on mines and plants. With a 100% load step capability, these rugged and dependable machines have the ability to work in temperature extremes from over 40°C to -25°C. With a market-leading 500-hour service interval and a short sub-two hour service routine, these generators will contribute to increased uptime and high levels of production and productivity on the job site. “We have partnered with one of the leading trailer manufacturers in Johannesburg, Anglo Welding, to fabricate tough, light-weight purpose-built trailers for the QES units that meet the exacting standards of the respective mines.”
“Looking after so many machines for all our customers might seem a daunting task, but given the unmatched quality and reliability of the Atlas Copco brand, our job is so much simpler,” notes John. He adds that product flexibility is also part of the success in dealing with Atlas Copco. “We can literally help a customer irrespective of his needs whether big or small, entry level or highly sophisticated. This, coupled with the service support received from Atlas Copco’s spares and aftermarket divisions, contribute to minimised downtime and ultimate customer peace of mind.”
John also applauds Atlas Copco on being in the forefront when it comes to sales and technical training offered to distributor staff on a regular basis adding that Atlas Copco understands that it is not always easy to find the right people for training on Atlas Copco equipment and machines. “We are also constantly striving to find ways of combining our products with the end users’ operators so that we end up with the perfect synergy between man and machine.”
In 2017 Zenith secured the prestigious Atlas Copco dealer of the year title. “Being awarded the title for the 3rd consecutive year in 2020 was really a big surprise,” comments John. “However it was really a huge team effort and everybody at Zenith and Atlas Copco played a role in our success. In today’s tight and competitive economy, you absolutely have to have a fluid, tight bond between your customers and suppliers as well as your own staff. This we have managed to achieve and it has paid off in spades.”
Product Manager: Power and Lights, Portable Energy at Atlas Copco Power Technique, Zandra van der Westhuizen, points out that being awarded the Atlas Copco dealer of the year title means successfully ticking quite a few crucial boxes and keeping these boxes ticked for three years in a row illustrates consistency and true commitment. “In addition to achieving target and making use of our various online tools such as shop- and warrantee-on-line and toolbox, conducting customer visits with sales people and submission of monthly reports are also prerequisites.”
“We look for dealers who also sell a variety of our portable product ranges including lighting plants, generators, compressors and pumps.” Zandra adds that the dealer’s marketing of Atlas Copco products which includes Atlas Copco branding on buildings, company vehicles, safety gear, etc. also come into play. “John and his team are great to work with. Working hand-in-hand with Atlas Copco staff, they go out of their way to assist and support customers and are always willing to help; nothing is ever too much for them!”
Wrapping up, John discusses the advantages of being a dealer for both Atlas Copco’s Power Technique and Compressors Technique business areas. “When partnering with a company like Atlas Copco there are challenges; balancing the corporate world with what we are trying to achieve at ground level is not always easy. However the positives of being associated with a renowned company like Atlas Copco most certainly adds value. We are assured of top quality, reliable products backed by a global market leader for years to come. Subsequently we have satisfied customers and I can say with confidence that on most of the mines Atlas Copco products remain first-in-mind first-in-choice.”
