Could you give us an overview of the organizational structure and the evolution of the group into its current form?

Teichmann was established in 1995. Initially a plant hire business operating in South Africa, opportunities soon arose which led to us constructing gravel roads, and later undertaking fully-fledged construction. Our service offering diversified into contract mining when we provided services to the Kansanshi mine in Zambia, and the Tenke Fungurume mine in the DRC from 2008. The Teichmann Group has continued to grow both strategically and geographically and now comprises a diverse group of companies with proven expertise in multi-disciplined construction services, mining and agriculture solutions across Southern, Central and West Africa. 

Our Group comprises Teichmann Construction & Mining, which offers civil engineering construction and contract mining services. Complementing this business is our SMEIPP construction company, T3 Projects, which offers structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, piping, and platework services to the mining and industrial sectors. Teichmann Structures specializes in the building of structures and concrete rehabilitation, strengthening and maintenance services. T3 Drilling offers exploration and production drilling services, and Teichmann Agric and TAZ Haulage offer agricultural and cane haulage services. 

Could you highlight the most recent milestones and flagship projects across the Teichmann Group?

With safety being the principal priority throughout the Group, our biggest milestone is to have reached 6 million hours with no LTI (Lost Time Injury). The acquisition of Group 5 Projects, which had gone into business rescue, to form T3 Projects a few years ago is another important milestone for us. Group 5 Projects had a strong presence in West, East and Central Africa, so we saw great synergies and an opportunity to leverage their footprint to expand. Some of our flagship projects are the Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the DRC, one of the largest copper mines globally. Three of our companies have been working there for the past four years, namely, Kongo River has provided earthworks and civil works both above and underground. T3 Projects is providing SMEIPP supply and construction works, and T3 Drilling is providing exploration and underground drilling services. Another significant project we are proud to have been associated with was the relocation of Kenmare Resources’ WCP-B (wet concentrator plant B) and its dredge from their Moma Titanium Minerals mine site in Mozambique to a new mining area called Pilivili. Our TPH Mozambique team built two starter ponds, a 23 km by 66 m wide purpose-built road and a causeway over a river, whilst T3 Projects provided new installation works for structural steelwork, mechanical, platework, and piping as well as the assistance and facilitation of relocation to existing plant and equipment.

The Teichmann Foundation celebrates 10 years since it was founded. Could you name some of the main achievements?

Our CSR strategy is not centralized under one program – instead, our different entities choose to engage in projects that create a more meaningful impact in the communities and countries in which they operate. A lot of this work involves community development and emergency assistance. 

The Teichmann Foundation mostly revolves around education, but was initially set up in 2013 to fund an orphanage in the DRC. Funded by the local company Kongo River, 25 children have lived in the orphanage over the years. The foundation covers all expenses, clothing, food, clean water, medical, schooling, as well as home maintenance and salaries for the staff. Additionally, the foundation offers these children full scholarships to attain tertiary education certifications once they have completed their secondary schooling. Five out of fifteen children currently living in the orphanage are attending universities in the DRC on full bursaries from our foundation. Over and above these bursaries, Teichmann South Africa and TPH Mozambique have awarded bursaries to several people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and provide opportunities for them to gain practical experience during and upon completion of their studies. 

Do you have a final message? 

Teichmann is very much owner driven where the decision-makers have a stake in the business and therefore are directly involved. Our customers find it refreshing that they can get hold of the owners immediately rather than going through different layers. As a group, teamwork is essential but at the same time we recognize the importance of allowing individuals to use their skills as they see fit – and this philosophy filters into our company culture.