By; Lebo Ntsane - MMM Segment Service Sales Lead – Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa

Industries are facing a critical shortage of skilled technicians, especially for maintaining ageing infrastructure and ensuring operational reliability. This shortage threatens productivity, safety and compliance.

The 2023/24 Xpatweb Survey revealed that 79% of South African organisations reported difficulty recruiting critically skilled individuals, particularly in engineering, ICT and skilled trades. The Allianz Risk Barometer 2025 ranks skilled worker shortages among the top 10 business risks in South Africa, marking the first time this issue has entered the top tier of national business concerns.

With the retirement of ageing workforces causing a further decline in technical expertise, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have become crucial in addressing this gap. Essentially, OEMs play a critical role in modern industry by addressing workforce shortages and ensuring operational efficiency.

They act as custodians of technology, providing expertise, training and digital solutions to bridge skills gaps and maintain productivity and provide guaranteed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) supported by certified field engineers, serving as a crucial resource for industries such as mining and manufacturing.

In industries like mining, often located in remote areas, the lack of skilled personnel to perform equipment diagnostics is a major concern. An SLA bridges this gap by offering digital solutions such as real-time monitoring dashboards and automated alerts for abnormal conditions.

Additionally, dedicated spare parts availability ensures emergency preparedness. With commodity price fluctuations and increasing operational challenges, organisations can benefit from SLAs by prioritising efficiency, asset longevity and budget optimisation.

Structured maintenance support

An SLA provides structured maintenance support to ensure equipment efficiency and longevity. Key benefits include 24/7 technical assistance in the form of a hotline, video support and corrective maintenance.

SLAs also provide for scheduled maintenance, which is integrated with production shutdowns to optimise downtime and with predictive maintenance, which relies on advanced diagnostics to optimise maintenance schedules, reducing unnecessary expenses. 

The support option adopted by an OEM often depends on geographical constraints. Given that many mines are in remote areas, an effective support system ensures efficient service delivery.

With the local partner support option, OEMs train local partners to provide emergency 24/7 support and onsite corrective maintenance, so instead of travelling long distances, local technicians can handle urgent needs. Additionally, a back-to-back contract ensures rapid assistance, with a nearby distributor holding essential equipment and spare parts. This level of localised support is guaranteed only through an SLA agreement.

The customer-managed SLA with OEM backup option allows customers to opt for an SLA with an end user while maintaining a back-to-back SLA with the OEM for continuous technical support. This structure ensures seamless assistance while leveraging our expertise through a direct partnership. The goal is to maximise reliability, ensuring trained personnel are always available nearby.

Access to certified field engineers

Furthermore, SLAs provide access to certified field engineers who play a crucial role in ensuring efficient operations and asset longevity through proactive maintenance strategies. Their expertise helps businesses reduce downtime, optimise maintenance schedules, and improve overall equipment performance.

Certified field engineers can conduct advanced diagnostics and testing, comprehensive equipment registration for accurate tracking of asset performance, detailed health reports and predictive maintenance planning.

By leveraging predictive maintenance strategies, businesses can extend asset life cycles through timely interventions, reduce unnecessary maintenance expenses, and ensure better budget allocation for capital and operational expenditures.

This approach enhances peace of mind, ensuring optimised plant efficiency and availability. Certified Schneider Electric engineers, equipped with specialised knowledge, are the only personnel qualified to perform these critical assessments and maintenance services on the company’s equipment.

Ensuring regulatory compliance 

Crucially, time-bound SLAs play an important role in ensuring operational continuity by aligning with global safety standards, such as International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) regulations and workplace safety frameworks. By following IEC standards and global safety frameworks, SLAs provide peace of mind, ensuring that businesses operate efficiently, safely and within legal requirements.

An effective SLA is built on five essential pillars that ensure safety, continuity, trust and efficiency in modern industries. With industries accelerating toward digital transformation, OEMs are already equipped with platforms, systems and software designed to enhance efficiency, reliability and compliance.