KITWE – The demanding geological conditions of Zambia’s Copperbelt are being met with increasingly sophisticated engineering as Integrated Pump Technology expands the deployment of its Grindex dewatering, slurry, and sludge pumps. The Gauteng-headquartered company, recently recognized as the largest Grindex distributor globally, is reporting a surge in demand from mining houses struggling with deep-level water ingress and sediment accumulation in underground dams.
The operational pivot toward more robust submersible units has been driven by the limitations of conventional dewatering systems when faced with high-density slurry. A recent technical milestone involved the deployment of the 14kW Grindex Bravo 400 through Kitwe-based partner IES, which successfully remediated severe sludge build-up that had compromised underground water storage. This model utilizes a hard-iron construction and an integrated agitator to re-suspend settled material, a critical feature for maintaining the integrity of mine drainage infrastructure at depths of up to 20 meters.
Integrated Pump Technology is positioning its range from 2.2kW to 90kW as a “plug-and-play” solution for the region’s wettest mines, where reliability is a commercial imperative. “Our customer faced a serious challenge, with sediment accumulation drastically reducing the capacity of their underground dams,” stated a media release from Integrated Pump Technology. “Conventional dewatering pumps aren’t designed for handling this slurry density, but the submersible Grindex Bravo 400 proved ideal.”
To address the highly abrasive environments characteristic of the Copperbelt, the company has introduced customizable linings, allowing operators to specify nitrile rubber or polyurethane inserts. The adoption of stainless steel casings has also become a strategic preference for underground crews; the corrosion-resistant material significantly reduces the unit’s weight, facilitating manual transport in confined spaces via a specialized split-handle design for two-person handling.
The success of the brand in Zambia is underpinned by a localized service model designed to minimize operational downtime. Through the IES authorized service center in Kitwe, the partnership ensures that repairs—ranging from minor cable fixes to total OEM-standard rebuilds—are conducted within the region. This proactive logistics strategy includes maintaining high local stock levels of critical spare parts, shielding mining operations from the supply chain delays often associated with importing heavy industrial components.
As mining activities in the region extend into deeper and more complex strata, the requirement for high-head, high-volume pumping continues to evolve. Integrated Pump Technology’s ongoing expansion in Zambia and the neighboring DRC reflects a broader industrial trend where technical partnership and rapid field response are becoming as valuable as the hardware itself in sustaining Copperbelt production targets.
