For Caldas Engineering, Electra Mining Africa 2026 was about more than showcasing equipment. It provided a fitting platform for the proudly South African company to celebrate its 30-year anniversary, reflect on the milestones that have shaped its journey and demonstrate how its offering has evolved to meet changing customer requirements.
Held from 7-11 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, the 2026 edition of Electra Mining Africa brought together more than 1 000 exhibitors across mining, manufacturing and related industries, with the exhibition area expanding to a record 44 000 m².
For Caldas Engineering, the timing was particularly significant. Founded in 1996 by Rui Caldas, the company has grown from a small business supplying crusher wear parts into an established supplier of wear solutions, spares and, increasingly, its own crushing and comminution equipment.
“Our 30th anniversary made this Electra Mining particularly special for us,” says Rui Caldas, Founder and CEO of Caldas Engineering. “It gave us the opportunity to celebrate with our customers and industry partners, but also to show them where the business is going.”
The foundation
The Caldas story began in 1996 with a relatively simple objective: to supply reliable crusher wear parts while providing the responsive service that operators needed. Initially, the business was largely export-focused, connecting South African products with customers and partners in international markets. As the company established itself, however, local customers began looking for the same combination of product reliability, technical support and responsiveness.
That demand became an important driver of Caldas’ growth across southern Africa and, ultimately, throughout the wider African market. The company’s development was gradual but consistent. What started around a dining-room table progressed to a small office, then a converted garage and subsequently a rented warehouse. In 2002, Caldas reached an important milestone with the purchase of its first warehouse.
The purchase of its first warehouse in 2002 was followed by investment in new premises in 2015. More recently, Caldas acquired the premises next door to its existing facility to accommodate further growth. Today, the company has more than 3 000 m² under roof with crane facilities, together with approximately 1 000 m² of yard space.
The additional capacity reflects the company’s broader product portfolio and the need to maintain the stock, assembly and support capabilities required by a growing customer base. From its first month’s turnover of R128, the company has grown into a multi-million-rand business, while retaining what Caldas describes as “a relationship-driven approach”.
But for Rui Caldas, growth is not measured purely in terms of buildings, equipment or turnover. The company’s people remain central to the story. An important milestone over the past decade has been the introduction of a younger generation into the business. Michael Da Camara has taken on the role of chief operating officer (COO), while the company has invested in developing its technical, sales, warehouse and assembly teams.
Rui sees this transition as an important part of ensuring the company’s longevity beyond its first 30 years. “We have created new energy in the business,” he says. “With new people and new ideas, we have created new ranges.”
Building on the core
The company’s growth has not meant abandoning the foundation on which it was built. Crusher wear parts remain central to the Caldas offering. Over the years, however, customers’ requirements have broadened. Rather than simply supplying replacement components, customers increasingly wanted support with wider crushing and processing requirements.
This created an opportunity for Caldas to expand into equipment. The company’s own equipment range was introduced around 2021, marking another significant milestone in its evolution. The strategy was deliberately focused: rather than attempting to compete across the entire equipment spectrum, Caldas identified an opportunity in the value-focused market for equipment that combined appropriate quality with an accessible price point.
Showcasing the next phase
Electra Mining Africa provided the ideal environment to demonstrate this evolution. At the 2026 exhibition, Caldas presented its multi-stage crushing capabilities for the first time in a particularly comprehensive way, displaying jaw, cone and impact crushers together. The focus was on the 150 tonnes per hour (tph) segment – a market the company sees as an important growth opportunity within its broader multi-stage crushing offering.
“The objective is not simply to sell individual machines, but to demonstrate how the different crusher types can work together as part of a multi-stage solution. The message is clear: Caldas is moving beyond supplying individual machines and increasingly providing complete crushing solutions, supported by our wear parts, spares and technical capability,” explains Michael Da Camara, COO of Caldas Engineering.
The equipment range is also being developed around the practical requirements of mines, quarries and aggregates operations where simplicity, availability, support and cost remain important considerations.
A deal-driven exhibition
The response at Electra Mining highlighted the commercial potential of this strategy. Among the equipment on display was the CQ1007 impactor, a Caldas-designed and locally assembled impact crusher developed specifically for African mining and quarrying operations. The unit features a heavy-duty rotor co-designed by Rui Caldas.
During the exhibition, Caldas concluded a sale for an impactor destined for a chrome mine – providing a tangible demonstration of the market’s interest in the company’s expanding equipment range. For Caldas, the significance of the sale extended beyond the transaction itself.
“This is a product that is very dear to us,” says Da Camara. “It was one of the first machines we designed and we put a lot of effort into it. It is good to see the market recognising the value of the impactor and how versatile it can be across different mines and quarries.”
Quarrying Africa speaks to Rui Caldas at Electra Mining about Caldas Engineering’s journey over the past 30 years.
Finding the gaps
The development of the equipment range reflects a broader philosophy that has been present throughout Caldas Engineering’s 30-year history: identifying gaps in the market and developing solutions around what customers actually need.
According to Rui Caldas, customer requirements have changed considerably over the past decade. There is increasing demand for more economical equipment, readily available support and machines that are relatively simple to operate and maintain. These requirements are particularly relevant in parts of Africa where skills shortages, remote mine locations and logistical challenges can make equipment maintenance more difficult.
“Customers are increasingly looking for greater self-sufficiency, while also requiring access to reliable technical support. We believe these market conditions create opportunities for companies that can combine equipment supply with practical technical knowledge and aftermarket support. Our experience in wear parts and spares gives us a foundation from which to approach equipment development with an understanding of what happens after a machine is commissioned,” says Caldas.
Caldas COO Michael Da Camara shares the thinking behind the company’s multi-stage comminution range.
Beyond 30 years
While Electra Mining 2026 provided an opportunity to look back, the emphasis at the Caldas stand was equally focused on the future. The company has grown from its original wear-parts business into a broader crushing solutions provider, but its leadership believes that continued success will depend on maintaining the principles that have underpinned the business since 1996.
That means remaining close to customers, understanding their changing requirements and developing products around genuine market opportunities. It also means managing growth responsibly.
The rapid expansion of the equipment range has created opportunities, but Da Camara is conscious that every new machine placed in the market comes with an obligation to provide the required technical and aftermarket support.
“We want to manage the growth to ensure that we can support whatever we put out into the market,” says Da Camara. “That approach reflects the company’s broader philosophy: equipment is only part of the solution. Our 30 years of experience in crusher wear parts, spares and aftermarket support is a key differentiator in the way we approach equipment supply. We are, first and foremost, a wear parts and spares company that can provide full support for our range of equipment.”
For three decades, Caldas Engineering has built its reputation around the relationship between product, service and support. The move into multi-stage crushing does not represent a departure from that philosophy; rather, it extends it into a broader range of customer requirements.
At Electra Mining Africa 2026, that evolution was on full display – from the company’s 30-year history in crusher wear parts and spares to its growing portfolio of South African-designed crushing equipment. For Caldas, the anniversary was therefore not simply a celebration of where the company has been. It was a statement of where it intends to go next.
