:: Bateman, Citic Enter into Mine-equipment Alliance

South African engineering firm Bateman Engineered Technologies and Chinese heavy-machinery manufacturer Citic Heavy Engineering have entered into a formal agreement to market Citic's range of mills and tube mills in Southern Africa.

The deal, facilitated by The Beijing Axis (TBA), will see Bateman Engineered Technologies, a division of Bateman Engineering NV, acquiring a special licence to market Citic's products in most parts of sub-Sahara Africa.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at Bateman Engineered Technologies' offices on the East Rand, MD Arnold Matthee said that the deal was an important step for the company in further cementing its relationship with the Chinese market. He added that the agreement formed part of the company's globalisation strategy, which led to the opening of a Bateman office in India earlier this year.

Citic Heavy Machinery vice-president Yu Zhangfa said that the company had a 90% market share in China and that it already exported to the US, Europe and Australia. He said that the agreement was also of strategic importance to Cititic to expand and export to Africa, adding that, by introducing its technology, it hoped to improve the African mining industry.

Meanwhile, Matthee said that TBA, which operated as a business bridge between China and Africa, was also assisting Bateman Engineered Technologies in importing other products from various suppliers in China. The company already had possible agreements for importing communication and materials-handling equipment, water pumps, grinding mills and other applicable equipment and technology for distribution in Africa in the pipeline.