⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪
Pump spares for Africa KSB Pumps and Valves employs a customer- first approach to supplying spares and parts for its massive installed base of pumps and valves across the continent. With a history spanning more than 50 years supplying critical infrastructure to the private and public sectors, the company maintains a significant stock holding of spares and parts for tens of thousands of pumps, including decades-old pumps that are still in operation across water utilities, power stations, mines and chemical plants, as well as smaller plants on farms, municipalities and businesses. It also maintains procedures for spares and parts for its complex engineered pumps. Johannes Tokwana, sales manager at KSB SupremeServ, responsible for spares and parts sales, says the company employs sophisticated logistics techniques based on SAP enterprise resource planning and manufacturing resource planning software, which has been specially adapted for the company’s needs. It relies on decentralised stockholding, backed by a central support base in Johannesburg, to ensure that all branches in South Africa and companies across Africa are adequately stocked. Apart from its branch network in South Africa, the footprint covers KSB operations and partners in Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Namibia and
of wear components, seals and hydraulic parts that must be checked and replaced at regular intervals under certain conditions. Keeping these fast-moving items in stock is easy, but having them in the right place at the right time is essential, and this is the key role of the company’s structured supply chain and forecasting system. “That is the critical role that KSB SupremeServ plays to close the loop between manufacture, installation and long-term op- eration. That means ensuring the right part is available in the right place at the right time, whether that is Germiston, Cape Town, Kitwe or Nairobi,” Johannes Tokwana concludes.
Angola, with agency support in Ghana. Many of these markets are heavily mining-driven while others are in water-scarce areas where authori- ties are under sustained pressure to improve water and wastewater reliability. In all cases, equipment uptime is non-negotiable. “For us, the human factor is vitally impor- tant with our branches and sales partners still required to visit their customers and identify fast-moving and critical items regularly. This is so we can accurately gauge requirements and keep these items on-site, ensuring they can be replenished by our staff at SupremeServ before they are depleted. The same principle applies to sister operations throughout the region, where fast-moving parts are identi- fied based on installed-base data and service history. Critical components are prioritised, and, where necessary, emergency logistics are arranged to maintain uptime. “In areas where, for example, municipalities are battling ageing infrastructure and water shortages or produc- tion plants rely on liquid pumping circuits, this type of responsiveness is essential. By support- ing customers from within the continent and coordinating regionally, the company reduces its dependency on longer international sup- ply chains. This is particularly important in remote African operations where logistics can be unpredictable,” says Tokwana. He adds that service parts usually consist
Sales manager for spares and parts at KSB SupremeServ, Johannes Tokwana.
July-August 2026 • MechChem Africa ¦ 9
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