Maintaining Mutanda’s mining fleet around the clock
In December 2022 Congo Remanufacturing Services, an Akaliko company, began servicing, repairing and maintaining the heavy fleet at Glencore’s Mutanda Mining, with round-the-clock support.
- Workforce & field services
Haul trucks and heavy equipment at Mutanda, DRC
Haul trucks and heavy equipment at Mutanda, DRC
The results
Recorded results
65% → 85%
Reported fleet availability, before and after
A rise of 20 percentage points
53
Site personnel at the start
December 2022
Mining in the Kolwezi region of the DRC means rugged terrain, long supply chains and machines that work around the clock. In December 2022 Congo Remanufacturing Services, an Akaliko company, began servicing, repairing and maintaining the heavy fleet at Glencore Mutanda Mining, with 24-hour, year-round support. Before the engagement, fleet availability stood at 65%.
01
The challenge: operating in harsh conditions
The Mutanda fleet works hard in severe conditions. With intense use and a difficult supply chain, traditional repair cycles were too slow: when parts had not been planned, machines waited.
Turning that around meant a proactive way of working, managing each component through its life rather than simply swapping parts when they failed.
02
Proactive planning and people development
The approach combined rigorous planning with developing local people. By analysing component lifecycles, the site moved from reacting to failures to anticipating them, so the right parts were on hand despite the DRC’s logistics.
One site team
Maintenance planning and reliability engineering, working with mechanical, electrical and structural trades.
Parts planned ahead
Component planning tied buying and stock preparation to the maintenance schedule.
Repairs across the fleet
From line boring truck articulations to repairing shovel buckets and replacing their teeth.
Local people
Local personnel developed alongside the work, to keep the service going.
03
Repairs on record
- CAT 740 and 745 articulated trucks: articulation line boring, load-bin repair and relining
- CAT D8R dozers: engine and undercarriage replacement
- CAT 980H wheel loaders: H-frame repair
- CAT 6030BH shovels and Hitachi EX1200 excavators: bucket repair, ground-engaging tool replacement, and H-link welding and fabrication
04
Shovel rebuilds for Glencore
The team’s work for Glencore in the DRC also includes major rebuilds. Daily reports from July 2024 record two CAT 6030 shovels, the EX06 backhoe and EX07 face shovel, being rebuilt: superstructure, engine module, counterweight and boom cylinders installed, hydraulic and lubrication lines connected, and bolts tightened to OEM specifications. Crane repair is part of the same local capability.
05
The results
By joining supply-chain management with technical work on site, the team lifted reported fleet availability from 65% before the engagement to an average of 85%.
- Fleet availability from 65% to an average of 85%, a rise of 20 percentage points in Akaliko’s project record (the period measured is not stated)
- 53 site personnel at the start, in December 2022
- Continued investment in developing local people, for consistent long-term service
Photos from the work
A CAT 6030BH bucket during repair and tooth replacement, Mutanda 
Haul trucks at a covered service bay, Mutanda 
Fitting a stick cylinder during a CAT 6030 rebuild for Glencore in the DRC, July 2024
The team
Evert Bosman on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Evert Bosman
Regional Director
Directs Akaliko’s operations across South Africa, Zambia, the DRC and Burkina Faso. An expert in surface engineering and cylinder repair, he oversees business development and technical work in the region.
Clinton Ray on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Clinton Ray
Assistant Business Development Director
A business development and operations leader with long experience in African mining and heavy industry, combining engineering knowledge with management to run workshops and build client relationships.
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