Chambishi Copper Smelter Limited (CCS) has dispatched an all Zambian team of Smelter masonry experts from its Equipment Technical Department to its sister company, Lualaba Copper Smelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The team is comprised of 10 local employees who have undergone on-the-job training at CCS in masonry works. The team is being dispatched to LCS to assist in constructing of the smelter furnace for the next 2 months. While at Lualaba the team will also train Congolese workforce in masonry works.
CCS Deputy Chief Executive officer Li Jun said, “This is the first time that CCS has sent a technical service team composed wholly of Zambian employees to go to another country,” Mr Li said.
He said this during the dispatching ceremony for 10 local personnel to Lualaba operation in Chambishi, he added that the team of brick masonry from maintenance section would undertake works in the smelter furnaces.
Mr Li said CCS and its sister company was committed to lead the way in facilitating skills transfer in the mining industry being a good corporate citizen.
He said initially Zambia had very few dedicated smelting masonry talents adding that everything started from the scratch at CCS.
“However, CCS insisted that all the Zambian personnel be trained independently in accordance with the Chinese technology and standards and after years of hard work ,this team has grown from a small team to a larger one of over 20 qualified and experienced personnel ,” he said.
Mr Li said now the team could undertake all the company’s masonry work of metallurgical furnaces and kiln independently without Chinese supervision.
Since, then he said CCS had cultivated a large number of professional s and technical talents for smelting, maintenance and other sections.
Meanwhile CCS Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Zhang Xingwang said the copper processing facility in the DRC will be commissioned before the end of this year.
“The project commenced in 2015 and it will be up and running next month, as a sister company for CCS, LCS is going to extend and develop the business of CCS and it is the first large-scaled pyro-metallurgical smelter in the DRC,” Mr Zhang said.
Human Resources manager Irene Tembo said CCS was committed to empower its employees with requisite latest technology to drive the company’s vision.
Team leader Mubotu Cheba said his team was thankful to management for giving them an opportunity to showcase and exchange their knowledge outside the country.