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What are your thoughts on the future outlook for the mining environment in South Africa?
How the future looks will always depend on who is looking; and how we see the future will always be different to the next business. 

We believe the mining sector still has a lot to offer for our future because some of the technologies we are using or will use more of in the future requires the mining sector to provide the resources to enable those technologies. Mining in the future will definitely be different to how it was done in the past; better, less harmful and technology will play a critical role in making that possible.

What are some changes expected in the mining environment, and how is M84 Geotech adapting accordingly? 
We see ourselves as a safety company because what we do is basically provide solutions for mines to operate in a safe environment. 

Technology is definitely bringing some changes in the mining sector with mines now moving towards a greener way of mining for the benefit of society and the environment as well. 

As a mining contractor, we are also looking at better and safer ways to deliver our services in the sector, and technology is one of the ways to do that. We are currently looking at ways we can deliver projects faster and minimise the production interruption, while keeping safety standards high. 

Change is inevitable in business and in life, and if you want to survive or create a sustainable business you have to move with the times and make the necessary changes to stay relevant.

“We believe the mining sector still has a lot to offer for our future because some of the technologies we are using or will use more of in the future requires the mining sector to provide the resources to enable those technologies.”

What is the scope for M84 Geotech in terms of planning, designing, exploration and operational stages in the mining sector? 
Currently, our scope includes the installation of slope support systems and maintenance services for high walls in the mining sector. However, as a growing business we are now looking into planning and design of the systems we are currently installing. 

At the moment, we outsource the designs of the systems and work hand-in-hand with the manufacturer of the systems we provide and are involved in the planning process to ensure the end product is of the highest standard. 

We are mostly involved at the end of the process, which is where the installation of the systems takes place, but soon we will also do the soft part of the process which is the planning and design of the solutions. We have young rock engineering graduates and students we want to work with to develop protection and support systems for the mines.

What are the key risks from a geotechnical perspective in the mining industry, and how does M84 Geotech help mitigate this?
From our perspective, the main risk is that of rockfall and slope failure. The high tensile mesh we use has proved to be effective in mitigating those risks. We use either passive or active rockfall protection solutions as well as monitoring solutions to mitigate rockfall and slope failure risk for open cast operations.

What does M84 offer for underground and surface mining?
Underground is an area in which we are still establishing ourselves and we believe we have the right solutions for these kind of operations. The underground solution we offer is quicker to install and as strong as the one we offer for open cast mining. We use an automated unrolling equipment, which does the drilling and installing the mesh.

For surface mining we provide rock scaling, which is the removal of boulders and loose rocks on mine high walls, prism installation, which is used to monitor slopes, slope support and rockfall barriers solutions in the form of high tensile steel drape mesh and catch fences.

The core of our service is to mitigate any rockfall risks that open and underground mines are exposed to. We use rope access techniques to install and provide these services and we are an accredited “working at heights” contractor. We are also an accredited installer of drape mesh, pinned mesh and catch fence solutions.

What are some other projects M84 Geotech is involved in?
We always keep our ear to the ground in terms of opportunities in the mining environment because we are interested in the future of mining in South Africa and the rest of the continent. 

However, our service offering is not only limited to the mining sector, but other fields also, such as civil engineering (mountain passes and railways), construction and so forth.

What are your thoughts about the importance of diversification for SMMEs?
Diversification is very important in business but at the same time you cannot be everything to everyone. 

Diversification also comes in different forms; it can either be in services, products or even sectors. In our case, we have established ourselves in the mining sector and now we are also looking into other sectors where our services can be offered. This will protect us against market and economic changes which affect each business sector. 

Even in the mining space we are diversifying our services by going into the underground mining segment to do support. 

We also diversifying into other markets on the African continent, SADC being the region we are more interested in, but not limiting ourselves to that region only as the African continent is full of opportunities.

What has M84 Geotech’s growth been like since becoming specialised?
It has not been easy because we have entered a specialised and high-risk area. It is always difficult to get the big projects when you are seen as an inexperienced contractor, but we are very grateful to Mogalakwena Mine for giving us our first opportunity as a local black company to do slope support for their pits. 

We treat each project as an opportunity to build our name and with the short time that we have been doing this we are now one of the most reliable rockfall protection specialists in the country with a 100% completion record and 100% safety record on-site. 

We are now expanding the brand into the SADC region, with Botswana and Lesotho being the first countries we are targeting. We have already done a site visit at Letseng diamond mine and see an opportunity to service the mine.

What is key for business owners to ensure not just growth, but sustainability too? 
Growth in business, as in life, is very important, but growth that you are not ready for can be very harmful. It’s very important that you prepare yourself for growth, grow gradually and take lessons with each step of growth because you will need them as you grow. 

What is also more important is sustainability because sustainability ensures that growth is maintained, which is the most difficult part in business. 

Running a business is like running a marathon; if you want to build a generational business, you have to be patient and have a long-term view. As an entrepreneur, you have to invest in yourself and the vision you have for your business. 

I believe a business will not grow beyond the vision of an entrepreneur, so, if your vision is small you will produce a small business and if you as an entrepreneur don’t grow and expose yourself to what is possible, your business will go as far as you think.

 I try not to limit myself to what we do now but try to be relevant to the needs of the markets we are operating in. Some of the leading brands in the world did not start in the industries or services they are offering now, so you have to be willing to change to stay relevant in business. That’s why we made the shift from being a supplier of plastic products to a geohazard mitigation contractor because the conditions demanded the change. Had we not made the shift, it would have been the end of the business.

Source: sabusinessintegrator.co.za