Lesotho

Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa, which makes it one of the simplest countries EMM supplies in logistical terms and one of the most distinctive in physical ones. Cargo lands at Durban and travels by road to Maseru, Maputsoe or Mafeteng, clearing through the South African customs union, so the paperwork is largely a SACU matter. What makes Lesotho different is altitude: the lowlands sit around 1,500 m and the highlands run above 3,000 m, and that changes machine selection more than most buyers expect.

Garments, water, agriculture

The textile and apparel industry concentrated at Thetsane and Maputsoe is the largest manufacturing employer and the biggest single source of our enquiries here: industrial sewing machines, cutting tables and automatic cutters, spreading, fusing, embroidery, pressing, laundry, effluent treatment and packing plant. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the associated civil works generate demand for pumps, valves, concrete and batching plant, compressors, generators and construction equipment. Agriculture is dominated by maize, wheat, sorghum and wool - milling, threshing, shearing, wool scouring and grading equipment. Sandstone and diamond operations take crushing, cutting and screening plant.

Altitude and cold

Air density at 1,600 m costs a naturally aspirated diesel engine or air compressor a meaningful share of its rated output, and in the highlands much more. We derate at specification rather than let a customer find out at commissioning. Lesotho also gets real winter - sub-zero nights and snow in the mountains - so we specify cold-weather lubricants, block heaters on standby generators and frost protection on water systems where relevant. Nominal supply is 220 V single phase and 380 V three phase at 50 Hz.

Give us the site altitude with your enquiry and the machine we quote will deliver its rated figures where it actually stands.