The post-Covid economy is proving prosperous for slurry pumping technology company Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa, who not only managed to stay afloat throughout the global pandemic, but also saw growth.

During this time, the company also managed to expand its reach further into South Africa, as well as maintaining satellite operations in Zambia and Ghana.

MD Rui Gomes says the company has “cemented its brand and service offering throughout the continent”, where it continues to identify and highlight the inefficiencies of using non-original equipment manufactured (OEM) parts.

“The apparent initial cost saving soon spirals out of control and results in catastrophic failures that are not experienced when using genuine OEM parts,” he states, adding that as a result of this approach, the company has experienced an upturn in in-house repairs, as well as market acceptance for some of its larger units.

“Our customer base has grown, and we are now dealing with more and more customers directly, allowing us to form long-term business relationships with them,” he enthuses.

In many cases, Goodwin has been intimately involved in improving the wear life of its own pumps through proper use, as well as getting a better understanding of customer needs.

Over the course of the next 12 months, however, the company is looking at improving its service offering.

“We currently assist in managing many regional operations from a repair and maintenance perspective, but will be reaching out further to all users of Goodwin products, ensuring that they are being looked after, serviced and happy,” Gomes explains.

Goodwin is aiming to continue its growth and expansion in Africa, where its Zambian office, for example, is currently growing in sales activity. The next step is a warehouse and workshop, Gomes says, adding that in similar fashion, Goodwin’s sales activity in Ghana will also soon be expanding into surrounding territories.

The company currently offers sales of new units and spare parts, conducts repairs at its Edenvale-based workshop, in South Africa, and offers service exchange pumps and rental of pumps as well as ancillaries.

The Goodwin range of slurry submersible pumps comprises of three sizes – 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm discharge – with a 30 kW, 90 kW motor and 112 kW motor, respectively.

The company also has its High Head Dewatering range, the DWHH, which is available in two sizes, 100 mm/90 kW and 150 mm/150 kW.

As an addition to the range, the company has the Super Duplex Stainless Steel, or SDSS, acid resistant pump and will be launching its hydraulically driven Slurry Champ pump at Electra Mining Africa 2022.

The pump is available in two variations - standard fixed installation and an Excavator mounted version.

The Goodwin range of submersible slurry pumps is widely used in the mining industry, covering most commodities such as gold, copper, platinum, coal, diamonds, steel, iron-ore, uranium and the mineral sands industry.

However, Gomes notes that it is equally at home in the power, ash handling, dam cleaning and agricultural markets.

Local municipalities also use the pumps for dam cleaning, thickener cleaning and torpedo tank cleaning (sewerage). Light dredging as well as marine dredging in harbours and dry-docks are other applications.

Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa’s head office is located in Edenvale, Gauteng, and the operation services the Southern African region together with strategically positioned preferred suppliers.