Effective immediately, Normet and Aramine are pleased to jointly announce a cooperation in French-speaking Africa for the distribution of equipment and after-market products, services and support.

"We are delighted that Aramine, with their track record of success in the targeted countries and their customer-focused culture, have agreed to carry the Normet brand to their existing and new underground customers in this emerging territory," stated Mike Rispin, SVP sales and marketing for Normet Group.

"Aramine’s representation of Normet in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast strengthens our offering to the underground mining and construction markets there, and augments our value proposition in the region" added Janne Lehto, region VP for EMEA.

Distribution has always been an important activity for Aramine, with the main advantage being a complementary range to Aramine products, enabling the French company to offer a wide range of equipment with the right after-sale service through its divisions located close to the mining operations.

Spare parts sales director Patrice Lepetit says: "Brand partnerships totally complete Aramine activities and allow us to bring the perfect product among a wide range of choices to our customers."

The partnership agreement with the Finnish manufacturer Normet adds utility vehicles for underground mining and tunneling to Aramine’s products panel.

Equipment sales director Xavier Domenach says: "This range is a perfect complement to the Aramine products and will enable us to meet all the needs of our customers."

A training programme for Aramine technical teams is already scheduled to ensure the best service from the first days of this partnership.

The Aramine/Normet combination is not a first-time event. Aramine previously represented the brand and helped establish a Normet presence in the territory.

"When the opportunity presented itself to rekindle a relationship with a world-class OEM supplier of underground utility equipment, we thought immediately of Normet," said Aramine co-president Marc Melkonian. Negotiations proceeded systematically and effectively, culminating in the current agreement.

Normet’s territory sales manager Bruno Chivee said: "Through discussions, it became increasingly apparent that this is a good three-way fit, and that Aramine and Normet and our mutual customers are once again associated in French Africa."

Aramine begins now to market the Normet offering through its various organisations.