Laboratory Development for African Mining Projects

Lablink Africa is a South African-based, African-focused provider of Customised Turnkey Laboratory Development Solutions to organisations in mining and other sectors. Previous experience in Africa gives the company the edge to meet the needs of existing and prospective clients involved in Africa.

Currently, several exploration and mining projects are being launched in Africa. Reliable assaying and analysis are one of the services being core to their successful implementation. Continuous monitoring of both the performance and environmental effects of mines requires well designed laboratory services.

Opportunities

The projects have created opportunities for providers of laboratory solutions to render their services. And as expected, the service providers are appreciating the involvement for development.

Additionally, Dr Wesley Feldmann, Managing Director of Lablink Africa, is urging providers to be well-equipped to effectively serve the needs of their existing and prospective clients. “Effective laboratories that are fit for purpose, require a combination of the correct equipment and a team of well-trained staff trained to be both confident and competent to make the laboratory a continued success”.

Prudence in partner selection

Thus, service providers have to be prudent when choosing companies, they partner with in the planning and implementation of laboratory development projects. The importance of engaging a company with a proven track record does not have to be overstressed.

Well-resourced and functional

Feldmann ensures mining-specific laboratory service providers are well-resourced and functional. Lablink Africa goes the extra mile to deliver customised turnkey solutions for their respective laboratory development projects. Particularly, he attributes the company’s success in recent projects to its approach to meeting client-specific needs through the customisation and flexibility of solutions, and dedication to high-quality standards in results.

Turnkey laboratory development solutions

Lablink Africa provides turnkey solutions for laboratory development projects within Africa. It works to provide and support all aspects of a laboratory, including:

• Floorplan and workflow design
• Utility considerations
• Equipment and instrumentation supply
• Installation and training
• Method validation and accreditation consultancy
• Continuous supply of reagents and consumables

All the above are important considerations and steps that result in a fully functional laboratory. In the end, the completed laboratory will be able to produce high-quality results for decision-making in the mining and environmental sectors.

Regarding the fine details that a typical turnkey solution requires, Feldmann explains: “Lablink Africa works on such projects in partnership with the organisation (public and private) implementing clear communication, education and understanding, ensuring the resultant laboratories are fit for purpose. A well-designed and effective laboratory, producing high-quality results, ensures integration into the industry value chain to meet both import and export requirements, as well as environmental regulations. Once a laboratory is set up, Lablink Africa offers continued supply and support for effective operation, with shortened lead times for consumables and frequently used items.”

Customising a client-specific solution

It is worth noting that every client has unique needs. So, Lablink tailors a turnkey solution to suit these needs. Specifically, the development and subsequent operation of a laboratory is a partnership between the organisation requiring a laboratory and Lablink Africa.

Lablink works together with the client from the planning of the project to ensure clear communication and understanding of all aspects required to make the project and laboratory a success. Accordingly, regular updates are central to keeping all aspects on track and implemented effectively. The communication process involved is extensive, which includes management personnel, the laboratory staff and everyone in between.

Feldmann cites the depth and extensive know-how of Lablink’s personnel as the most invaluable asset in efficient project delivery. He highlights that project success comes from Lablink Africa’s staff’s experience and expertise to handle complex projects for the client.

The education of Lablink’s core members is at a PhD level, along with experience in the industry, giving extra confidence and ensuring the correct solution is offered and discussed with the customer. Additionally, it has developed a network of experts, both from industry and academia that offer support to any unforeseen and unique issues that may be encountered. This high level of support and troubleshooting expertise for all aspects of laboratory work, ensures laboratories are never left in the dark or without a solution.

In addition, Feldmann mentions an immense plus for the client in engaging Lablink is the confidence of working with a company experienced in laboratory projects specific to Africa. “We have the experience working both in and with laboratories, for successful development, operation and accreditation. We have travelled and worked within a wide scope of African countries and have gained knowledge and experience with operational challenges that are frequently faced. These have been overcome with effective local partnerships leading to solutions, ensuring laboratories operate uninterrupted and efficiently.”

Meeting expected quality standards

Tapping into the depth of experience of its employees at the management and operational level, Lablink Africa is devoted to meeting optimal quality standards at every level of laboratory management. Feldmann regards this as pivotal for laboratory development projects in Africa. He underscores the company’s commitment: “As standard practice, laboratories are required to produce high-quality results, and these are important for effective and reliable decision-making within the mining and environmental sectors. A variety of prerequisites need to be met for a laboratory to produce high-quality results and Lablink Africa provides the best solutions to fulfil these prerequisites.”

Lablink Africa follows a thorough process to ensure that laboratories achieve the expected quality of results. This includes the choice and selection of equipment and instrumentation, the implementation of quality control measures, staff training and ongoing support and aftersales services.

Fundamentally, the choice and selection of equipment and instrumentation that is fit for purpose is critical to the laboratory’s success, as well as an important financial consideration. Ultimately, the correct instrumentation ensures the results meet the expected quality standards and can be used by the industry at large.

Important considerations in selection include limits of detection and quantification, accuracy and precision, turnaround time and cost of analysis. A growing trend is investment into automated equipment for increased accuracy and precision with reduced error, over and above the cost-effectiveness.

Lablink Africa recognises the importance of informed product selection in laboratory development. This is because the results inform the clients decision making. Lablink Africa advises on the equipment and instrumentation selection and works closely with high-quality and reputable manufacturer brands. In this way, they ensure laboratories are outfitted with the best options to produce high-quality and reliable results.

Apart from the laboratory hardware, quality control procedures and the quality management system need to be set up correctly. Additionally, the staff must be well-trained to work effectively to produce high-quality results. Concerning staff training, Lablink has the experience and expertise to offer both in-person and remote training, above and beyond support services. The support services ensure that the laboratory has access to assistance and guidance.

Succinctly, Lablink has worked in a variety of African countries and has built up a broad wealth of experience to ensure all the aspects of work are covered, including:

• Instrumental operation and troubleshooting
• Implementation of quality control procedures
• Implementation of a quality management system
• Results evaluation and reporting

Notable milestones

So far, Lablink Africa is scaling notable milestones in African countries in both turnkey laboratory development and the provision of laboratory services.

The company has successfully delivered turnkey laboratory development solutions to clients and is committed to continuously building its portfolio. Recently, the company has successfully developed and accredited a laboratory in Malawi, as a complete project. This work has led to further laboratory development projects in Nigeria and Rwanda, which are currently underway and will be completed before year-end.

Besides the provision of turnkey laboratory development project solutions, as a growing company, Lablink Africa is actively building a customer base across the Sub-Saharan region. Feldmann explains that this is aimed at meeting the needs for quality laboratory services in industries such as mining and environmental services. “Access to laboratory services leads to improvement, development, and growth over time in industries. We are committed to providing the best laboratory services and solutions to organisations.”

Lablink Africa is working throughout sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the DRC and Tanzania, to supply and service laboratories in the mining and environmental sectors.

Feldmann recaps the company’s commitment to meeting the need for relevant solutions in turnkey laboratory development: “We are well-resourced and ever ready to handle projects within Africa. We thrive in tailoring unique solutions for our clientele needs.”