Five decades of mining and quarrying excellence, powered by innovation and trusted partnerships across Africa.
B&E International originated in 1972 as a specialized drilling and blasting entity known as Blasting & Excavating. Since those early beginnings, we have evolved into an integrated mineral processing leader and a trusted partner within the mining and infrastructure landscape of Africa. What began as a focused operation has matured into a multidisciplinary business capable of delivering full-scale crushing and engineering solutions across the region.
Over the decades, our footprint has expanded throughout Southern Africa. We have supported some of the continent’s most significant mining and construction projects by maintaining a consistent commitment to technical excellence and reliability. This growth is a direct result of our ability to innovate and adapt in every environment where we operate.
Our strength lies in combining deep industry knowledge with hands-on experience to provide practical and results-driven solutions. Based in South Africa we are Proudly African.
Our culture is built on values that have guided our growth for more than five decades. They shape how we work, how we lead, and how we serve our clients and communities.
Committed to zero harm through rigorous safety protocols and a culture of vigilance.
Delivering engineered excellence and technical precision in every ton produced.
Building lasting partnerships based on transparency, ethical conduct, and mutual respect.
Aligning our success with our clients through flexible delivery models and reliable results.
We evolve with technology, industry shifts, and to environmental demands.
Guided by experience. Driven by excellence.
Managing Director
Operations Director
Plant & Engineering Director
Financial Director
Operations Director
Director Namibia
How we expanded from a single service provider into a comprehensive partner delivering end to end mining and operational solutions.
Established as Blasting and Excavating in Port Elizabeth specializing in professional drilling and blasting services.
Began mobile crushing operations as Construction Quarries Ltd through a joint venture with LTA.
Reflecting significant growth and expansion throughout the African continent.
Joined the Raubex Group to provide the financial strength and infrastructure required for large scale African projects.
The B&E Training Centre was established on site to focus on specialized skills development and technical training.
Expanded into full time Mineral Processing while establishing Drilling and Blasting as a separate division for specialized rock on ground services.
Plant ownership feels like operational control. In practice, for a significant number of South African mining and quarry operations, it becomes one of the most expensive decisions on the books.
Contract crushing offers a structured alternative. In the current capital environment across Gauteng and broader South Africa, it is the model that an increasing number of experienced operations managers are selecting. This post sets out the considerations you need to evaluate before committing either way.
Plant ownership means your operation purchases, commissions, staffs, and maintains the crushing and screening plant. The asset sits on your balance sheet. The operational risk sits with your team.
Contract crushing is a service arrangement in which a specialist contractor supplies a fully equipped crushing and screening plant, operates it with qualified personnel, and maintains it throughout the contract period. Your operation pays for tonnes produced. The contractor carries the equipment, the technical expertise, and the mechanical risk.
Both models produce crushed aggregate. The difference lies in who carries the cost, the risk, and the management burden of getting there.
The purchase price of a crushing plant is the most visible cost. It is rarely the largest one over a project lifetime.
Capital costs (CAPEX) to account for at the outset:
Ongoing operational costs (OPEX) that accumulate throughout the project:
For a mid-range crushing plant operating between 150 and 250 tph, the total cost of ownership over a five-year period, when downtime losses are properly accounted for, consistently exceeds the original CAPEX figure by a material margin. This is not a theoretical observation. It is what the operational data shows.
Under a properly structured contract crushing arrangement, the cost model changes fundamentally.
In place of unpredictable CAPEX and variable OPEX, the operation works to a structured cost-per-tonne or monthly operational rate. Within that rate, the following are covered by the contractor:
The result is a predictable, budgetable cost directly tied to tonnes produced. When the plant is not producing, the operation’s cost exposure is contained. When production requirements increase, the contractor scales accordingly.
| Factor | Plant Ownership | Contract Crushing |
|---|---|---|
| Initial capital outlay | High — significant CAPEX commitment | Low to zero upfront capital requirement |
| Operational cost predictability | Variable — subject to unplanned maintenance events | Fixed or structured rate against production |
| Downtime risk | Carried entirely by the operation | Carried by the contractor |
| Capacity flexibility | Limited by the fixed asset configuration | Adjustable — contractor scales to production requirements |
| Technical expertise | Requires qualified in-house recruitment | Included within the service arrangement |
| Wear parts management | Operation’s responsibility and procurement burden | Contractor’s responsibility |
| Balance sheet treatment | Asset recorded on the operation’s books | Treated as OPEX — capital remains available |
| Mobilisation for remote projects | Complex, costly, and time-consuming | Contractor manages full deployment logistics |
Ownership is not the wrong answer in every scenario. It is the appropriate choice when the following conditions are genuinely met:
Where any of those conditions are uncertain or subject to change, the ownership argument weakens considerably.
Contract crushing consistently delivers better value than ownership across the following scenarios.
Projects with a defined production timeline.
Construction and infrastructure projects, mining contracts, and quarry expansions operating over a two to five year window rarely justify the CAPEX of full plant ownership. A contract crushing arrangement delivers production from mobilisation without tying up capital in a depreciating asset.
Operations requiring rapid production ramp-up.
When a new mining contract is awarded or an infrastructure project demands immediate aggregate supply, an in-house plant that is not yet commissioned, or is undersized for the requirement, cannot respond. A contractor operating across the 50 to 500 tph range can match plant configuration to the production obligation from the outset.
Remote and cross-border project locations.
Deploying and maintaining owned crushing equipment at remote sites in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, or cross-border locations including Namibia, Botswana, or Mozambique introduces logistical and maintenance complexity that specialist contractors are specifically structured to manage.
Operations where capital preservation is a priority.
Releasing CAPEX from equipment ownership allows that capital to be directed towards the activities that generate the operation’s core margin: mining, processing, and project delivery.
Not all contract crushing services operate to the same standard. A procurement evaluation should examine the following before any contract is awarded.
B&E International, a member of the Raubex Group (JSE: RBX), delivers integrated crushing and screening solutions to mining, quarrying, and construction operations across Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and throughout Southern Africa.
Operating from our Kempton Park base on the East Rand, our teams deploy crushing and screening plants across the 50 to 500 tph range, configured to your material specification, product requirement, and project timeline. Our operators are qualified, our maintenance programmes are structured, and our production reporting is transparent.
We carry the plant. We carry the technical expertise. Your operation carries the output.
If you are evaluating contract crushing against plant ownership for an upcoming project, the time to have that conversation is before capital decisions are made.
Our team will assess your throughput requirements, project timeline, and material specification, and provide an honest evaluation of what each model will cost your operation in practice.