THIS year Powerscreen celebrates three decades as a leader in the country’s crushing and screening industries.
The manufacturer’s long-standing relationship with its sole distributor, ELB Equipment, has been the driving force behind Powerscreen’s dominance. The company estimates its market share to be between 50% and 60% in southern Africa, where it supplies a wide range of mobile crushing and screening solutions.
Powerscreen is a top-selling brand of mobile crushing, screening and conveyors in the country. Its products are a mainstay of the local mining and construction industries with ever-growing applications in recycling, agriculture and other industries.
Wakefield Harding, divisional director at ELB Equipment and Heath Dickson, mining product application manager, say the machines are the ideal match for local operations, combining world-class productivity with rugged and durable equipment that is tough enough for harsh African conditions.
In addition, they attribute the success to ELB Equipment’s expertise with years of experience, deep product knowledge and a team driven by application-focused solutions. “With Powerscreen approaching its 60th anniversary and ELB Equipment celebrating 30 years as the Southern African agent, it is a significant milestone,” says Wakefield.
He adds that one of ELB Equipment’s key strengths lies in its extensive product range that caters to everyone from startup operations needing small screens for sand mining, composting or agricultural screening, right up to large-scale mining. This kind of versatility ensures its customers get the right machine for their needs without overinvesting or compromising.
“We also hold by far the largest stockholding of machines in South Africa. This translates into fast delivery times and minimised downtime. Our inventory and well-organised logistics also mean we can help clients immediately, and our team runs like a well-oiled machine in terms of application knowledge as well as scaling new machines, maintaining parts supply throughout the region and providing maintenance and servicing of equipment.
“Our vast regional footprint further strengthens our service capabilities, with three parts and service branches in major regions and a total of eight sales and service branches across the country. Whether a client is working in Witbank, Cape Town or Port Elizabeth, our branches provide consistent, high-quality service wherever it is required.”
Recent additions to the Powerscreen line include the Chieftain 1700X triple-deck incline screen and the Premiertrak 450 jaw crusher, demonstrating Powerscreen’s commitment to staying ahead of the game and evolving to meet changing market demands. For instance, the Premiertrak 450 offers a massive jump in crushing capabilities, handling up to 500 Nm crushing strength. The Chieftain 1700X also raises the bar with the unique patented four bearing double or triple deck screenbox and its ability to reverse the direction of the screenbox for difficult screening applications.
With decades of application experience in the screening and crushing market, Heath says that throughout the years it has been service excellence that remains a cornerstone of ELB Equipment’s offering.
“We’re increasingly selling service agreements with our machines, which gives customers peace of mind with predictable costs over 2,000 or 3,000 operational hours and reduces unexpected expenses. Our finance options have also evolved to support client needs, as many sales today hinge on offering flexible finance solutions, and, as a result, we are geared to provide various options to make acquiring equipment more accessible,” he says.
As the company expands its reach into larger mining operations with its new range of LiuGong excavators and dump trucks, the future looks bright. “We’re excited about the doors this opens for us. We’ve laid the groundwork and now it’s time to show the market what we’re truly capable of.”
Despite all the recent developments and successes, Wakefield explains that ELB Equipment’s foundation remains strong.
