Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Electra Mining Africa saw thousands of buyers and sellers coming together at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) from 5-9 September to meet in-person and see the latest innovation and new products, services and technologies that were on display at the show.
During the five days of the event, over 30 000 people connected across industries, thousands of products were on display and thousands of face-to-face interactions took place. Live demonstrations and competitions also kept visitors enthralled. Buyers were able to get up close to the products, see and feel the quality and speak to technical experts. The show also offered visitors the opportunity to compare products and brands together under one roof.
“It was amazing to be back after four years and we were blown away,” remarked Gary Corin, managing director of Specialised Exhibitions, the organiser of the event. “The industry came out in full force in support of the show with over 650 exhibitors occupying just less than 30 000 square metres of indoor and outdoor exhibition space, and with over 30 000 visitors through the gates. Although we’ve come out of a very tough period following the pandemic, the sense of anticipation and the positivity that has been expressed on the floor of the exhibition throughout the show has been enormous. It was back to meeting face-to-face, making connections, and people loving the exhibition environment that has been missed. It’s been great to welcome people to Electra Mining Africa again from all parts of the globe, including many visitors from neighbouring African countries.
“The quality of stands has been outstanding, with exhibitors representing large and medium companies as well as start-ups and SMMEs, each wanting a chance to be at this year’s Electra Mining Africa. Some of the companies have exhibited with us for the 50 years of Electra Mining Africa, many starting with a nine square metre stand and some of them now having a couple of hundred square metre designer stands,” said Corin. “What better way to bring a brand to life on the floor of an exhibition where you are engaging with your target market and your potential target market? It’s really a unique value proposition to come to an event like this, to bring your brand to life.”
Many innovative new products, services and technologies were launched. Congratulations went to ABC Ventilation Systems, overall winner of the ‘Electra Mining Africa 2022 Innovation and New Products Awards’, for its latest innovation. The company was also the winner of the ‘Local Manufacturing Innovation: New Product Mining Category Award’. On receiving the awards, Terry Pearce, MD of ABC Ventilation Systems, said that “running a business in South Africa is tough and an award like this makes the last 16 years worthwhile.”
The Awards were presented in partnership between Electra Mining Africa and the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). Recognising the high levels of innovation at the show, this year’s Electra Mining had 21 entries that were adjudicated, with 18 winners and runners-up named. These were across various local and international manufacturing categories. The awards were adjudicated by SACEEC’s CEO, Eric Bruggeman.
The new forklift driver competition, organised in conjunction with Lifting Africa and the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of SA (LEEASA), saw many forklift operators, all in possession of a valid forklift licence, competing for the coveted title of ‘Forklift Driver Champion’. Exceptional forklift driver skills were put to the test, with the competition aiming to recognise and reward highly skilled and safety-conscious operators. The winner of the competition was Ian Roux, who received the champion’s trophy and a cash prize of R15 000.
The automation technology hall was a big addition to the show and, as expected, drew a lot of interest with the automation focused, free-to-attend seminars also popular amongst visitors. The seminars were hosted by the Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control (SAIMC).
Also well received were the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE) free-to-attend seminars, which saw over forty speakers presenting a variety of content-rich topics aligned with the show’s theme days of automation, innovation, safety, future skills and South African Day. Connections were made and knowledge gained at the Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA) Workshop and at the LEEASA Conference, both of which took place at the show.
International participation included the Austrian, German and Italian Pavilions, as well as exhibitors from India, Chile, France, Australia, USA, Taiwan, Turkey, Switzerland, UK, Poland and Canada.
“Sales were made on the stands, many new leads generated, and positive connections made,” commented Charlene Hefer, portfolio director at Specialised Exhibitions. “The visitors were high-quality purchasing decision-makers; the show attracted the right focused people. There could be no better endorsement of the show than the 50% of exhibitors who had already rebooked their stands for the 2024 show, even before the gates had closed on the 2022 show.”
Electra Mining Africa 2024 is scheduled to take place at the same venue from 2-6 September 2024.
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