Hyspec Mining Services have been rolling out an intensive training programme, to further improve their team of dedicated professionals.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS BELOW GROUND
Hyspec Mining Services have been serving the mining community for over eighteen years from seven African countries. The business was founded in 1996 as a hydraulic services provider in Ghana, where they were pioneers in the mining industry, being the first company to offer fully managed on-site workshops at individual mine locations.
The Hyspec Mining Services are now head quartered in Australia, and have a focus on providing hydraulic, fuelling and lubrication equipment and services to the mining and exploration industry across Africa. Hyspec has a large purchasing and logistics centre in Perth, Western Australia, with operational central warehouses in Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Zambia. All regional offices are registered under the Hyspec name and are fully registered local companies each with its own Operations Manager. The company further operates a “Managed Workshop” model in four other countries.
Hyspec provides services from over fifty wholly owned mine-site based workshops across their countries of operation, and gives around the clock services to mining contractors, drilling companies and mine support businesses operating at the mine sites. Hyspec are the market leader in its field and is an integral partner to the mining companies and their contractors, assisting in their constant struggle to reduce the downtime of mining production equipment. The company provides replacement hydraulic hose assemblies and associated parts 24/7 from over 50 mine-site based workshops and stores to cater for the wide range of heavy duty mining and drilling equipment operating on mine sites.
The products and services supplied by Hyspec in Africa to the mining industry are crutial, demonstrably reduce downtime, and position Hyspec as a welcome partner in any new mining project. With this in mind, it is the company’s mission to establish itself as an integral part of the mining industry throughout Africa. “Providing only the highest quality hydraulic hoses and services, Hyspec offers cost effective products whilst ensuring a return on investment and a growth rate consistent with current management guidelines,” the website states.
Hyspec strives to ensure that all of its customers’ expectations are exceeded in all transactions, and to ensure close relations with its customers, Hyspec operates its business as close as possible to its customers’ facilities. As part of its portfolio of complete end to end services, Hyspec also stocks and supplies adaptors, lubrication and pumping equipment, dispensing and handling parts, industrial hoses, valves, pneumatics and pressure gauges, as well as monitoring/ metering equipment.
The company constantly strive for excellence in all aspects of their operation; this includes keeping high part stocks at each workshop, which have been assembled on site, along with experienced local staff working as an integral part of the mining team. In addition, inspection and fitting services, coupled with failure analysis systems, are provided to customers with the objective of reducing the customers’ equipment downtime.
Hyspec also maintains hydraulic and lubrication components on service skids, fuel bowsers and workshop lubrication facilities. The workshop and stores are supported by in-country warehouses to ensure adequate stocks of equipment are always available. Expatriate management is available in each country to work closely with customers in order to ensure that their needs are met in a timely manner and services delivered and constantly improved upon as required.
INTENSIFIED TRAINING PROGRAMME
Further to its overwhelming success and substantial increase in the number of workshops it operates, Hyspec mining Services has decided to intensify its training program and to allocate a team of dedicated professionals to develop and enhance it.
Rey Bautista, who has been Project Manager with Hyspec for eleven years, was appointed technical training manager in august 2012. His role was to develop Hyspec’s existing technical training program, to harmonise it across the group, and to ensure that everyone, from apprentice hose technician to operations manager, receives a high quality technical training on Hyspec products and services, in relation with their skills, expertise, and with the demands of their position.
The first phase of this technical training is to provide all participants with knowledge about the history of Hyspec, the nature of Hyspec’s business, its clients and the hydraulic hose industry. It also aims at providing the program trainees with tools to understand Hyspec clients’ hydraulic hose related issues, such as the effect of hose failure on their operations (production downtime, spillage, health and safety issues, environmental impact); and to help them understand how Hyspec can provide a solution to these problems by reducing downtime and helping customers avoid unnecessary costs. this part of the training also ensures everyone in the group is provided with a basic knowledge and understanding of key topics such as measurement, units and tools, thread identification, hydraulics and pneumatics, the dangers of hydraulics and safety rules when dealing with hydraulic hoses and systems.
The second phase of the training consists in providing participants with detailed knowledge of Hyspec products and services: hose assemblies, adaptors, valves, hose protection, refrigeration hoses and fittings, introduction to MSE products (Graco Hydraulic and Banlaw Fast Fuelling solutions, filtration systems). Phase three of the training, mainly for hose technicians, supervisors, and project managers, focuses on the operation and maintenance of Hose assembly equipment. Phase four is about hose assembly procedures, hose inspections, hose installation and routing techniques, failure recognition and prevention.
This training has already been rolled out in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, and is currently being rolled out in Guinea, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
A more advanced training was implemented throughout 2013, for Hyspec employees who have successfully completed the first phase of this technical training. This training includes subjects such as Compliance to MDG41, Advance Routing Techniques (re-engineering of hose installations), Database and Traceability, detailed MSE training such as installation and maintenance of auto-lube systems. Technical trainers have also been identified in each country, and will follow a train the trainer course, to ensure that continuous training is provided to all Hyspec employees in each country.
“The objective of these trainings is to ensure that all Hyspec staff and managers on the operational side understand and have an excellent command of the technical aspects of our business,” explains Rey Bautista, Hyspec Mining Services Technical Training Manager. “These trainings also provide everyone, from hose technician apprentice to Operations Manager, with the opportunity to share their ideas with the rest of the group on how we can improve our services to our customers and enhance the training further.”
Part of Hyspec’s remit is to contribute positively to the communities and environments in which they work. Hyspec provide a safe, comfortable and professional work environment, adhering to strict health and safety policies. With their new training well and truly underway, the business is managed with honesty and integrity, in order to ensure the development of long term partnerships with their customers and suppliers. Hyspec recognise that profitability is essential to improving client service.
