Steady growth makes Africa top of the class

Consulting engineering and project implementation firm, Hatch Africa, has experienced steady growth since opening its doors in South Africa on 4^th July, 1995. The company prides itself in delivering strong   outcomes to its clients in the mining and metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Hatch Africa managing director Rory Kirk says that the financial year ending September 2010, will be the company’s second best year of operation in Africa.

The Hatch Africa Woodmead campus, which is the single largest Hatch office globally, accounts for an estimated 16% of Hatch’s   global throughput.  “Hatch Africa grew rapidly to make up this 16%, and has since retained this position within Hatch Ltd,” says Kirk.

Hatch has experienced much of its global growth within the last decade, and is currently successfully managing capital projects with an aggregate value of more than $50-billion.

Milestones

In 2001, Hatch embarked on a diversification strategy that added core business units with advanced technological and strategic focuses on infrastructure and energy to the company’s already highly-developed mining and metals portfolios.

“Hatch’s participation in these sectors has been reinforced through the formation of partnerships and acquisitions of key participants in the energy and infrastructure sectors. To this extent, Hatch has formed strategic global partnerships with UK-based Mott McDonald and Australian-based Connell-Wagner to establish itself more substantially in the global infrastructure sector,” says Kirk.

Similarly, Hatch recently merged with North America’s leading energy sector project house, Acres, and has formed an alliance with the highly-rated energy service provider, Sargent & Lundy.  This has allowed Hatch to expand its engineering and strategic capabilities in the hydropower, gas and coal power, nuclear energy, oil and gas development sectors.

Through these initiatives, Hatch has been successful in diversifying the capabilities of the company to the extent that 70% of the current global project portfolio is located in the mining and metals sector, 15% in the infrastructure sector and 15% in the energy sector.

Locally, Hatch Africa has the strategic vision that 50% of its business would come from mining and metals; and the other 50% equally from energy and infrastructure.

Soon after this vision was put into motion, Hatch Africa was lucky enough to be gauged by Transnet - together with Mott McDonald as joint venture partners with Goba - on the Transnet suite of programmes, with Hatch as the lead consultant. The agreement allowed Hatch Africa to become a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral service provider.

“Hatch Africa grew into the infrastructure business, which gave it the momentum and ability to keep growing. We learnt how to grow rapidly, all the while maintaining high standards, thus setting us up for our move into energy,” says Kirk.

Hatch Africa’s Energy division merged earlier this year with South African-based MR Control Systems (MRCS), to form a new sub-entity, Hatch Africa Energy. The unit combines the expertise, specialist skills and execution capability from Hatch Africa’s Energy division and MRCS to become a significant player in the thermal, nuclear, renewable, transmission and distribution, and oil and gas market sectors.

Taking on challenges

Hatch Africa has positioned itself as a company that is more than willing to take on challenging projects.

“We like to look for challenges that other companies would be rather nervous to take on. For example: utilising the knowledge that Hatch Africa has built the biggest platinum furnaces that have ever been envisaged, while at the same time,  improving operating costs and the cost of production for the client,” says Kirk.

“Rather than a routine, run-of-the-mill project, Hatch Africa is more inclined to take on the technical and innovative work, where there is risk but the reward is great. Hatch Africa is rather risk averse as a company; we aim to make sure that the reward is great for the client,” adds Kirk.

Looking ahead, Kirk points out that Hatch Africa’s strategy and philosophy of engaging with its clients has put us in a much more assured position that we can exist successfully, despite adverse economic climates.

“Hatch Africa aims to remain fit and agile in order to accommodate economic fluctuations that may be on the horizon. There is, however, a renewed confidence with regards to Hatch Africa’s metals clients. They feel as though they have ‘weathered the storm’ and can now position themselves to grow responsibly again. Hatch Africa feels as though we can grow with these expectations,” says Kirk.

What’s more, Kirk believes that the infrastructure and energy requirements for the Southern African region remains a high priority, and that Hatch Africa is well -positioned for what he believes will be a steady load of work with quite expansive growth.

Meanwhile Kirk maintains that Hatch Africa is well-positioned to retain its tool and skills, as well as the ability to continually execute good projects. “We are poised to grow again as Hatch grows globally,” concludes Kirk.