Going up in a downturn: Coffey Mining celebrates ten years in Johannesburg

Regional Manager – Southern Africa Ken Lomberg said Coffey Mining had come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1999.

“It started ten years ago with just one gentleman by the name of Andre van der Merwe,” Mr Lomberg said.

“For the first three or four years there was a number of operational challenges while the office got established but now we have a team of about 30 staff, and we’re doing much better, thank you! There has been huge growth in the past decade and we are determined to continue growing.”

He said Coffey Mining Southern Africa had been involved in some major projects in its time, including working alongside some of the biggest players in the African resource market.

“We have been involved in projects with Petra Diamonds (South Africa), Eland Platinum (South Africa), African Copper (Botswana), and Katanga Mining (DRC) (copper and cobalt),” he said.

“Platinum group metals are the most important commodities mined on the Bushveld Complex in Southern Africa with 80% of the world’s annual production being produced from the same deposit. There are about 20 junior mining and exploration companies active. We have been fortunate enough to work for about 15 of them.”

Mr Lomberg said anyone attempting to predict the future during the current economic downturn was asking to be proven wrong but he said the future of Coffey Mining in Southern Africa was assured by its strategic breadth of activity.

“We have a wide mix of work so in some ways we are less exposed to the economic downturn in certain sectors,” he said.

“We are making the most of the opportunities in a tough economic market – for example, we have been doing a lot of coal work lately and that’s one of the commodities that hasn’t suffered as much as the others, so we are looking to continue growing in that area.

“We also offer a wide range of high level corporate services to companies that are being impacted by the slow-down. We can help to ensure that what they are planning to do is realistic. We confirm the valuation of their assets and assist with mergers and acquisitions, as these are transactions that are expected to occur in the downturn.

“A huge advantage that companies have when using our services is that we can take advantage of the fact that Coffey Mining is a global consultancy, with offices throughout Australasia, Africa, North and South America. This means they can tap into the expertise housed within the organisation globally; we are not just one small band, we are part of a larger whole.”