CSI Group South Africa

What CSI Group South Africa does

CSI Group South Africa (operating as CSI Mining) is a private South African manufacturer established in 1993 and headquartered in Petit, Benoni, Gauteng. The company designs, manufactures and supplies electrowinning equipment and tankhouse infrastructure for base metal refineries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its portfolio centres on the patented UNICELL® polymer concrete electrowinning cell — manufactured under exclusive Sub-Saharan license from CTI International Technology — together with stainless steel and titanium cathodes, lead-calcium and lead-silver alloy anodes, polymer concrete insulator blocks, capping boards, electrode spacers, HDPE edge strips, demister balls, acid baths and acid-resistant non-slip flooring/walkways. CSI distinguishes itself technically through monolithic vinylester-based composite construction that eliminates cold joints and seams, with FRP rebar reinforcement for structural protection, and cumulative production of more than 2,000 cells and 100,000+ insulator blocks across the 30-year operating history.

The company's revenue model combines three streams: (i) hardware sales of electrowinning cells and consumables to copper, cobalt, zinc, nickel, lead and precious metals operations; (ii) professional services spanning new tankhouse design, cell replacement and refurbishment, electrode management systems, electrolyte systems and electrical infrastructure installation; and (iii) recurring maintenance contracts covering cell inspection, electrode replacement, mist suppression, flooring repair and structural refurbishment. Pricing is quote-based, determined through site assessment, technical consultation and project-specific engineering design. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with mining operators across 15+ African countries (including South Africa, Zambia, DRC, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana), supported by on-site technical consultation, cross-border logistics management and full installation/commissioning through in-house engineering teams. Distribution is exclusively direct B2B via the company's website contact channel and field-based sales.

The business is privately held and founder-controlled, led by Gary Prothero (Founder & Chairman, 30+ years of electrowinning experience) and Eric van Dieman (CEO, MBA from Bond University, Australia). CSI Mining is a subsidiary of CSI Group South Africa with no disclosed institutional investment, acquisitions, or external funding rounds identified in the available information.

Name

CSI Group South Africa

Legal name

CSI Mining

Website

https://csiza.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CSI Group South Africa (dba CSI Mining) is a private South African manufacturer founded in 1993 that designs, produces and installs patented UNICELL® polymer concrete electrowinning cells, cathodes, anodes, insulator blocks and full tankhouse infrastructure for base metal refineries across 15+ African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrowinning Equipment and Tankhouse Infrastructure for Mining

NAICS

Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing (332420), Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Copper Anode/Cathode Production & Handling (IMAKADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Copper Refining (Electrorefining & Fire Refining) (IMAKADAF)

Keywords

• Electrowinning equipment manufacturing
• Polymer concrete tankhouse cells
• Base metal refinery supplies
• Electrolytic processing equipment
• Mining infrastructure solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Benoni, Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electrowinning Equipment Sales: Sale of electrowinning cells (UNICELL®), cathodes, anodes, insulator blocks, acid baths, flooring, demister balls, edge strips and tankhouse infrastructure. Products are manufactured to specification for copper, cobalt, zinc, nickel and lead electrowinning operations. One-time purchase model with project-based pricing.
2. Tankhouse Design & Installation Services: Full turnkey design for new electrowinning tankhouses, cell replacement and refurbishment, electrode management systems, electrolyte systems, electrical infrastructure installation, and commissioning services. Professional services delivered by experienced in-house engineering teams across Africa.
3. Maintenance Contracts: Scheduled and emergency maintenance services for operational tankhouses including cell inspection, electrode replacement, mist suppression maintenance, flooring repair and structural refurbishment. Ongoing service relationships providing recurring revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CSI Mining manufactures and supplies acid- and corrosion-resistant electrowinning equipment and tankhouse infrastructure for base metal refineries across Sub-Saharan Africa. As the exclusive Sub-Saharan Africa partner for CTI International Technology, the company produces the patented UNICELL® polymer concrete electrowinning cell, complemented by cathodes, anodes, insulator blocks, capping boards, edge strips and other tankhouse consumables, alongside turnkey tankhouse design, installation, refurbishment and maintenance services.

Product overview

CSI Mining is a South African manufacturer and supplier of electrowinning equipment and tankhouse infrastructure for base metal refineries. The product portfolio centers on the patented UNICELL® electrowinning cell (polymer concrete polymer composite cell with over 40,000 units globally) as the core product, complemented by a comprehensive range of consumables and infrastructure components including cathodes (stainless steel and titanium blanks), anodes (lead-calcium and lead-silver alloys), insulator blocks, capping boards, electrode spacers, anode insulator buttons, HDPE edge strips, demister balls, acid baths, non-slip flooring, and tankhouse infrastructure (bus-bars, crane systems, electrolyte distribution). The company also offers a full suite of tankhouse services spanning new tankhouse design, cell replacement and refurbishment, electrode management systems, electrolyte systems, electrical infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance contracts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UNICELL® Electrowinning Cells Patented polymer concrete electrowinning cells with monolithic vinylester-based composite construction, integral overflow/decant and inlet piping systems, and FRP rebar reinforcement, engineered for copper, cobalt, zinc, nickel and other base metal SX-EW operations in harsh acid environments.
• Cathodes High-purity stainless steel (316L, 304) and titanium blank cathodes engineered for optimal current distribution and easy stripping in high-throughput electrowinning operations, with multiple hanger bar options.
• Anodes Lead-calcium (Pb-Ca) and lead-silver (Pb-Ag) alloy anodes providing exceptional conductivity and extended service life under aggressive mineral acid conditions, available in cast and rolled manufacturing options with custom dimensions and conductor bar integration.
• Insulator Blocks Acid-resistant polymer concrete blocks for bus-bar isolation and electrical safety with high dielectric strength, available in custom shapes and load ratings, with over 100,000 manufactured at the Benoni facility.
• Capping Boards Polymer concrete capping boards providing accurate seating and spacing of electrodes in electrowinning cells for copper, cobalt, zinc, nickel and manganese operations.
• Electrode Spacers Polypropylene electrode spacers manufactured with multiple fixing points to maintain correct anode-cathode gap in electrowinning cells.
• Anode Insulator Buttons Anode insulator buttons featuring male/female threaded design for standard 22mm hole specifications in electrowinning operations.
• HDPE Edge Strips High-density polyethylene edge strips available in U-shape, H-type, cross-slotted and Omega profiles for cathode and anode plate edge protection and electrolyte management.
• Acid Baths & Stripping Cells Custom fabricated polymer concrete acid baths for cathode stripping, electrolyte storage and chemical processing in mineral acid environments, with monolithic construction and H2SO4/HCl resistant formulations.
• Demister Balls Polypropylene demister balls (60-80mm diameter) for acid mist suppression in electrowinning tankhouses, protecting overhead structures and improving worker safety.
• Non-Slip Flooring & Walkways Acid-resistant non-slip flooring, walkways, stairways and handrail systems using FRP grating and GRP components, compliant with OSH Act standards for tankhouse environments.
• Tankhouse Infrastructure Complete tankhouse infrastructure including copper and aluminium bus-bars, electrode lifting and handling equipment, electrolyte pipe systems, and electrical isolation and safety systems.
• New Tankhouse Design Services Full turnkey design services for new electrowinning tankhouses including initial layout, cell specification, electrical design, infrastructure and flow management tailored to production targets and budget.
• Cell Replacement & Refurbishment Services Replacement of failed or aged electrowinning cells with minimal downtime, including UNICELL® replacements matched to existing infrastructure with bus-bar and piping adaptation.
• Electrode Management Systems Supply, installation and commissioning of cathode and anode handling systems including crane systems, blank handling, stripping line integration and electrode storage solutions.
• Electrolyte Systems Design and installation of electrolyte distribution, cooling and filtration systems including polymer concrete launder systems, pipe networks and bleed electrolyte management.
• Electrical Infrastructure Services Bus-bar supply and installation, rectifier connections, inter-cell electrical isolation systems, and instrumentation integration with full compliance to South African and international electrical codes.
• Maintenance Contracts Scheduled and emergency maintenance services for operational tankhouses including cell inspection, electrode replacement, mist suppression maintenance, flooring repair and structural refurbishment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ UNICELLs in operation globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CTI International TechnologycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 1980CSI Mining is the exclusive Sub-Saharan Africa representative for CTI International Technology, one of the world's leading innovators in electrowinning cell design. Using extensive testing and drawing on CTI's wealth of experience, CSI has manufactured and installed UNICELLs in multiple African countries. The patented UNICELL® is universally recognised as one of the great contemporary innovations in tankhouse technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tenova: Provides hydrometallurgical and electrowinning equipment plus tankhouse refurbishment services to base metal refiners; competes with CSI on African zinc, copper, and cobalt tankhouse projects.
• Metso: Global mining and metals processing OEM with a tankhouse and hydrometallurgy equipment portfolio that competes with CSI for electrowinning cell and tankhouse refurbishment projects, particularly on greenfield copper and zinc operations across Africa.
• Glencore Technology: Licensor of the ISA Process and other tankhouse technologies used in copper and zinc electrowinning; competes with UNICELL®-based solutions on greenfield tankhouse projects and offers bundled technology packages globally.

Broad incumbents

• FLSmidth: Mining and metals processing OEM with hydrometallurgy and materials handling capability; adjacent competitor in the broader African mining capex supply chain.
• Hatch: Global engineering firm that designs tankhouses and specifies electrowinning equipment for mining clients, often partnering with or competing against CSI as the equipment supplier of record on African projects.
• SMS group (Paul Wurth): Metallurgical plant and equipment supplier with nonferrous metals exposure; competes for hydrometallurgical and refining equipment scopes in the same African mining customer set.

Others

• SGS: Global inspection, testing, and certification company serving the same African mining and refining customers; an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct equipment competitor.

Regional players

• DRA Global: Africa-focused mining engineering and project delivery firm that designs tankhouses and procures electrowinning equipment; a regional EPC counterpart that can substitute for or partner with CSI on African projects.
• Primero Group: Australian-listed EPCM contractor with significant African mining exposure that designs and procures tankhouse equipment; an indirect competitor through equipment specification on its projects.

Emerging players

• BGRIMM (Beijing General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy): Chinese state-affiliated mining and metallurgical equipment supplier with growing presence in African copper and cobalt projects; an emerging competitive threat for new tankhouse contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csi-holdings-south-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CSI Group South Africa