WRITTEN BY CHARLES ROBERTS

The preferred company of choice for the mining and petrochemical industries, Atmei Construction believes continued success is down to its dedicated and passionate workforce

FUELLING UP ON Success

Atmei Construction’s comprehensive petrochemical solutions

“We are without doubt the market leaders. Our staff

has the industry expertise and the commitment

we make to our customers is for the long haul.”

Atmei Construction’s CEO Jacques Petrie is also proud of the

company’s prosperity. “If you look at Atmei since the mid-nineties, we

have achieved around 25 per cent growth per annum,” he discloses.

“This is just our South African market. If you include other countries it

would be over 30 per cent. We are a small company, but have shown

great potential.”

OverviewHaving been established in 1970, Atmei Construction is extremely

experienced, with a workforce boasting in-depth knowledge of the

mining and petrochemical industries. Specialising in the design of bulk

fuel and lubricant installations, the company’s wide range of services

includes project management, filtration systems, waste oil recovery,

spillage clean-ups as well as civil, structural, electrical and mechanical

work.

Operating in potentially dangerous industries with hazardous

materials requires Atmei Construction to abide by various

regulations. However, the company prides itself on strong health,

safety and environmental principles, which Ishwarlall regards as one

Atmei’s most notable characteristics.

“As part of our day to day operations, we are committed to ensuring

air and water pollution prevention, sustainable land management, the

management of unique flora, forests, water and wildlife, a clean and

ATMEI CONSTRUCTION GROUP

If you ask Kimraj Ishwarlall, director at Atmei Construction, what makes the company so unique and successful, he has no shortage of answers in response. “The quality of products we supply, the longevity of the company itself, stability in the sector we operate in and our recognition in the market place,” he confidently asserts.

CONTACT US

Postal PO Box 1415 Edenvale 1610Office 419 Martin Crescent, Greenhills Industrial Estate,

Tunney Ext 6, Johannesburg, South AfricaTel +27 11 822 1621 Fax +27 11 822 2538

Email sales@pumptec.co.za Website www.pumptec.co.za

LEADING THE WAY

CONTACT US

Postal PO Box 1415 Edenvale 1610Office 419 Martin Crescent, Greenhills Industrial Estate,

Tunney Ext 6, Johannesburg, South AfricaTel +27 11 822 1621 Fax +27 11 822 2538

Email sales@pumptec.co.za Website www.pumptec.co.za

LEADING THE WAY

healthy environment for all employees, shareholders, customers,

contractors, suppliers, the community and other interested parties.”

Unique Selling PointEven with a comprehensive list of services available, Ishwarlall

believes Atmei Construction’s niche approach is what differentiates

the company from competitors. “We are a specialist petrochemical

company and this is what makes us unique,” he notes. “Whereas

competitors try to do a bit of everything, we have a sole focus.”

From the first point of contact to a dedicated after-sales service,

Atmei offers its customers extensive, far-reaching construction

solutions. “We are not limited to one field of expertise,” reveals

Petrie. “We operate from a bankable feasibility study right through

to construction, procurement and facilities management. We have

knowledge in-house and limit the use of sub-contractors.”

Ishwarlall adds: “While our rivals sell components or only do part

of the process, we go from design to turnkey.”

Employees “We are very passionate about our people,” notes Ishwarlall. “We

try and create a very diverse working environment as the growth of

the need for staff to be trained in a variety of roles. Rather than having

numerous people for numerous jobs, Ishwarlall believes in educating

his employees in multiple disciplines.

“On site, we have anything from safety officers to mechanical

engineers,” he notes. “But we can train people in different skills, like a

qualified welder who is also trained in First Aid and HSE. We give them

a broad knowledge of responsibility, which makes them attractive for

the mining companies.”

Current developmentsEven though Atmei Construction is based in South Africa, the

company is actively looking at growth and expansion opportunities

in neighbouring countries. This also enables Atmei to collaborate and

work closely with other organisations in the area.

“If you look at the continent, mining is a very big industry and as

such we have moved into Mozambique, Zambia and are looking at

other regions. ,” says Ishwarlall. “If we can’t do it ourselves, we create

joint-ventures with already established companies in the area.”

In terms of capital investments, on-going areas of the business that

constantly need monitoring are technology and transport. Staying

up-to-date with the latest advancements is imperative, while having

a dependable fleet of vehicles to

rely on is crucial.

Ishwarlall cites: “We always

try to be ahead of our competitors

when it comes to technology

because we do a lot of electrical

installations. For instance, a mine

will want to know how many

litres of fuel a truck uses over a

certain distance or time. So we

collect this information and pass

it on to the customer.

“We currently have a fleet of

90 vehicles, and we always make

sure that each one is no more

than four years old.”

The futureIn the next five years,

Ishwarlall predicts that Atmei

Construction will move forward

ATMEI CONSTRUCTION GROUP

the company comes from our

people.”

With certain members of

staff at the company for over

30 years, Atmei Construction

has become an employer of

choice for the local community.

Empowering the workforce and

giving personnel the opportunity

to improve is a continual process

for the company as Petrie

reveals:

“A lot of the training is in-

house and expertise are passed

on through mentorships. This is

where we uplift our employees

and give staff the opportunity to

grow in company.”

As an organisation heavily

involved in the mining industry,

Atmei Construction recognises

with an increase in orders in

addition to strategic takeovers of

industry-related organisations.

“We are putting a plan

together to grow organically,

as this is a solid investment and

will guarantee business,” he says.

“We are also looking at acquiring

companies that claim the same

mining and petrochemical space.

“These do not have to be

directly related to Atmei, but

should be complemented by us.

For example we are looking at

fuel transportation and electrical

installation companies. Why

not attract customers wearing

different hats?”

Petrie also remains adamant

that the organisation will

continue to progress. “We are

not stagnant when it comes to

operations,” he reveals. “We

continually look at where the

market is and try to increase our

field of expertise.”

Predicting the future is

always difficult, but whatever lies

ahead for Atmei Construction,

you can be sure that the company

will continue to operate with its

employees and customer’s best

interests at heart.

106 | Endeavour Magazine

ATMEI CONSTRUCTION GROUP

0027 11 7691764

WWW.ATMEI.CO.ZA

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