Ensuring Customers Can Mine More And Make More

With the ability to draw on the resources of a worldwide network of companies, Phillips Global has built its reputation on crafting engineering quality and precision into every product and service the company provides.

This has led to Phillips Global becoming one of the largest full service companies in the world. According to South Africa MD John Pinheiro, this full service consists of a range of equipment and services that are designed to meet all their clients’ requirements.

“Our full service offering encompasses original equipment manufacturer (OEM) solutions designed for customers that have specific requirements involving either purchasing such equipment new, or replacing existing equipment within their operations,” he says.

“It further includes refurbishments done to customers’ existing equipment that has reached the end of its expected life cycle. Such renovations mean the customer can repeat the cycle with the same, refurbished, equipment.”

He says the service also ensures regular repairs to customer equipment, in order to increase its reliability and reduce their downtime, while custom modifications can be made to client equipment, which will cater for their specific conditions and mining needs.

“Finally, we also supply aftermarket parts to customer operations, providing ongoing support for their equipment, along with 24/7 support provided by the organisation’s Field Service unit, which is always on call to assist when required.”

Repair, rebuild, and remanufacture

“Apart from standard repairs, Phillips Global is also able to assist clients with the rebuilding of used and damaged equipment, while in extreme cases, we can help restore used equipment to a like-new status.”

Pinheiro notes that from a repair perspective, the work covers everything from fixing individual parts to the repair of an entire machine, should it require such an intervention before it reaches the end of its life cycle.

“When we rebuild equipment, this is usually in instances where the customer has equipment that is incomplete, abused or damaged – and thus requires missing parts and repairs to get the unit up and running,” he says.

“Remanufacturing, on the other hand, is the process of restoring used equipment to like-new condition. Essentially, this involves stripping the machine completely, after which it is properly cleaned, repaired, the relevant parts are replaced, and it is tested to ensure it meets OEM specifications. Only after all of this is completed is the machine returned to the customer.”

What Phillips Global is doing here, continues Pinheiro, is rewriting the script as an OEM – going beyond equipment, in order to take the business to the next level.

“As an enterprise, we rely on the vast experience of our people in order to deliver a truly full service operation that offers all the capabilities described above. The experience we have gained over the past half century now enables us to be a solutions provider, helping customers with problems and delivering the requisite engineered solution.

“In order to be a quality solutions provider of this nature, we focus closely on listening to our customers, while also understanding their particular situation and requirements. In this way, we are able to achieve the required results.”

He says by listening closely to its customers, the business is able to gain a better understanding of their daily frustrations and issues. This knowledge then enables it to either provide a solution, or improve on the current application.

“By understanding its customers, Phillips Global has adopted a ‘continuous improvement’ approach that has, in turn, made its equipment and parts more reliable, while also reducing its customers’ running costs,” he says.

“Most crucially, we understand that ultimately, ‘people buy from people’, which is why we place so much focus on our team. By concentrating on ourselves – as opposed to focusing on our competition – we are able to ensure we do what we do, to the best of our ability.”

New acquisition boost

Phillips Global, which is part of the Baughan Group of companies, recently announced a new acquisition of its own, in the form of WB Fabricators. Pinheiro explains that with this acquisition, Phillips Global will be able to increase its ability to deliver complete machine builds.

“Our organisation is renowned throughout the industry for its continuous miner refurbishments and cutter drum lacing and repairs. The new acquisition has significantly added to the experience of our team, making us a leader in this field,” he says.

“This will now also provide us with the capability to provide quality products on both our OEM and refurbished miners, which fits with our dedication to protecting the continuous miner by providing a balanced and smooth cutting machine.”

It is important to recognise that Phillips Global has had two philosophies since its inception in 1976, notes Pinheiro. These are to get customers back in production as soon as possible, no matter what it takes, and thus enable them to achieve the second philosophy, which is to mine more, haul more, and make more.

“It has always been our goal to ensure customers can do more, in order to assist them to make more profit. To achieve this, we need to have simple, easy to fix and reliable equipment, as this is what translates into more profitability for our customers’ operations.

“In the longer run, our commitment is to the industries we serve, by consistently providing products of the highest quality, along with exceptional customer support.

“Phillips Global therefore remains committed to innovative design, manufacturing, procurement and superior service, concentrating on – and innovating within – the specialised niches that the company understands best,” he says.