Axis House is a major supplier and distributor of chemicals to the mining industry with clients across the globe in its 17th year of operations. Can you briefly introduce the company’s roots in the DRC and where the focus lies today?  

We started out as a very small company with only one client in the DRC back in 2001. The DRC mining landscape has changed quite dramatically since then and, beginning in 2005, we began to see much more international investment into the country. The focus for us when we started was to bring chemicals into the region with the objective of shortening lead times in order to assist our clients in achieving quicker access to commodities they did not have before. We used warehouses in Zambia, DRC, and South Africa, but that changed in 2005 when international funding became more available and companies with more money needed greater technical support. We subsequently changed our strategy to become a technically focused company and, in 2007, we opened metallurgical laboratories in Cape Town and Sydney to service the Southeast Asia market. Our growth area for 2019 in the DRC is to maximize our service offerings in what is now a fairly developed market. We will introduce new products that emphasize increasing recoveries and grades for our clients, as well as novel chemistry that makes it simpler and safer for operators to handle their day-to-day activities.

Can you elaborate on Axis House’s core competencies and highlight which commodities are your speciality?

We pride ourselves in offering a full service to our clients. For example, if a client has a flotation plant that normally runs a mixed oxide and sulfide ore with an average 84% recovery, we come in to look at reagents scoping, introduce new technology, and process ore in our laboratory to do scoping and optimization studies as well as on site testing — all with the objective of ensuring the client is efficient as possible. We have technical teams in all these areas to work with our clients to find a solution that works for them. Often, suppliers and service providers bring solutions that work for their business model, but we want to bring tailored solutions that work for the client. We underpin that principle by bringing quality chemicals to site in a responsible and safe manner. Afterwards, we do after-sale service to ensure that the reagents we have supplied continue to perform the way that they did during bench-scale or plant-trial test work, all of which gives us an edge on the competition.

Heading into 2019, where do you see the most opportunity for growth?

Copper and cobalt represent the metals where we have invested the most time and effort. We still believe the markets where we currently operate have great growth opportunity. We are focusing time and effort in the places where we are already present, with Sub-Saharan Africa being our largest market. In 2019, we will start to focus more on gold, and West Africa will be a big growth opportunity. Platinum will also be a growth market for us, although the future of this metal is not certain.

As mining activity ramps up, the logistics of operating in remote locations becomes even more complicated with increased volumes in the market. How does Axis House ensure clients are able to access the products they need?

We look to position our reagents so that clients are able to access them easily and with lead times that are as short as possible. The client has a responsibility to hold the minimum of around three to four weeks worth of stock on site, otherwise a stressful situation can arise. We have always been fond of railing cargo to take pressure off the road infrastructure in Africa. We already do about 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes per month via rail, and we would like to see that increasing. Railway does require greater planning from a supply chain point of view, but traveling through countries like Zimbabwe or Botswana, you will see many people and animals on the roadways. We have always had a preference for decreasing our impact on the societies where we operate.

How have you observed the competitive environment in the DRC evolve in your long history operating in the country?

Competition comes and goes in the DRC depending on the political stability. Many companies increase their activity during calmer times and withdraw during times of unrest. Over the last 20 years, we have seen many cycles like this but we have remained a solid base through our partnership with a local company that provides us with excellent insight and knowledge into operating on-the-ground. Members of our team across different levels of the company speak French and Swahili so that our clients can communicate with us in their preferred language, which sets us apart. Many people believe they can service an area from Johannesburg, Cape Town or Australia. We have been very successful and finding and training a great support team in the DRC.

Can you share your vision for Axis House?

Our vision over the next five years is to be a globally recognized company that is valued for our services and relationship-building with our clients. We are not in it for the short-run to make a quick buck; we are here to support our clients in a sustainable manner.