Could you bring us up to date with the latest developments at AMS?

As you know, AMS offers hydraulic services for both mining contractors and mining companies. We offer repairs to all motors, pumps, propshafts and other components for earthmoving equipment like ADTs, bulldozers, and excavators. 2022 has been a good year, business has returned stimulated by increased mining activity. New operations are under development and preparing to come onstream, which will be driving demand for service companies. So as long as the mines keep going and require repairs, we are well positioned to serve them. Of course, we always want more, and we are hopeful we will grow the business and expand our clientele with new operations coming onstream.

Can you tell us more about the kind of growth drivers that AMS can tap into?

Our business does not step out from its essential role of offering hydraulic repairs on cylinders, motors, pumps, and all the and small machinery used by miners and contractors; this means that we do not necessarily grow on the back of ramped-up production at existing operations. However, the construction of new mines does create an opportunity for growth in the future. We have already strengthened our partnerships with key customers this year, and it is my goal to see this proliferating in the coming years. With that, we want to retain a larger customer base. At the same time, the most important aspect for me is to make sure we look after our clients properly. Out of the desire to grow, some service companies are chasing more customers but do not have the capacity to look after all of them adequately. We want to concentrate on what we are best at, build relationships based on trust and excellence, and ensure our customers are completely satisfied. To me, having robust relationships is the most important aspect in the country because of the challenging environment we operate in.

What is the main challenge you are confronting as a business in the Congo?

It is the same story as ever: time is the biggest challenge. I am not only talking about the time to get something done or bring something from A to B, but the diluted sense of time that people have in the country. There seems to be little sense of urgency, and the mentality that times is money is not understood. Instead, many adhere to a belief that “every day is Monday.” When building a business with local people, one needs to educate the workforce that delivering a service on time is critical. A contractor that cannot get their machines fixed is losing precious time and revenues. Related to the issue of time awareness and sensitivity, are things outside of our control – roadblocks, bad weather, border crossing issues like we see at the moment with two of the borders being gridlocked, and other such issues. It becomes incredibly difficult to explain to a new client from the US or Europe, who expects things to happen immediately, that it may take weeks to complete a particular service for them because of delays at one of the ports in South Africa or in Mozambique, thousands of km away. The only thing we can do is mitigate the risks, work daily with our clients and make sure they understand. Our approach is to always play open cards by being straight and fully transparent throughout the process with them.

What are AMS’ key objectives moving forward?

African Mining Services is all about being there to service our clients. Our motto is to do the best we possibly can for our clients at any time, all the time. We believe that by doing the right thing we will continue to build the blocks of a strong reputation and grow the business organically. The whole point of our work in the country is to empower Congolese people and give them a sense of achievement. AMS only hires locally. We have about 30 permanent employees, and we cover the Southern part of the DRC, including Lubumbashi, Likasi and Kolwezi, supporting our customers’ success stories.