www.miningne. ws ISSN 1999-8872 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 7 • No. 7 • July 2014 WESIZWE’S BAKUBUNG Flagship platinum mine achieves a major milestone OTJIKOTO GOLD MINE Namibia's biggest gold mine TAILINGS MANAGEMENT AT NAMOYA Wastewater solution for DRC gold project A FRESH APPROACH IN AFRICA The interface between mining and infrastructure SITE PSYCHOLOGIST Charissa Bloomberg on uplifting workers and management ining AFRICAN UPDATES ON THE GROUND AND UNDERGROUND AKHANI GROUP All-encompassing solutions for mining in Africa NAGEMENT solution for ject ROACH between nfrastructure AKUBUNG num mine ajor milest to one e e e LD MINE g g e es st t n ng g so o ol l u u ut i o o o on n n ns s s compa assi i n n c ca a a a ning i n n A A Af f f f r r r r r r i i
WESIZWE’S BAKUBUNGFlagship platinum mine achieves a major milestone
OTJIKOTO GOLD MINENamibia's biggestgold mine
TAILINGS MANAGEMENT AT NAMOYAWastewater solution for DRC gold project
A FRESH APPROACH IN AFRICAThe interface between mining and infrastructure
SITE PSYCHOLOGISTCharissa Bloomberg on uplifting workers and management
iningA F R I C A N U P D AT E S O N T H E G R O U N D A N D U N D E R G R O U N D
AKHANI GROUPAll-encompassing solutionsfor mining in Africa
NAGEMENT
solution for ject
ROACH
between nfrastructure
AKUBUNGnum mine ajor milesttooneeee
LD MINEggggeesstt
nngg sooolluuutioooonnnnssscompaassiinnccaaaaning inn AAAffffrrrrrrii
Register & attend Xperience Efficiency 2014!and stand a chance to WIN a trip for 2 to France during the 2015 Schneider-Electric Paris MarathonTerms and conditions apply
Discover More than 50 breakout sessions with the latest industry, product launches and updates
Collaborate Engage in open discussions to share knowledge, experiences and best practices with your peers and industry leaders
Learn From national and international experts with diverse backgrounds, including government, business, academia and industry
Experience Interactive presentations on energy management systems, solutions and technology Join the conversation:
@SchneiderAfrica#XperienceEfficiencyZA
S ET V
Free! Register today!www.schneider-electric.co.za
Johannesburg 26 - 27 August 2014
Find solutions to your biggest energy challengesThe Xperience Efficiency 2014 event aims to define the future of energy management and highlight how new energy technology will change the way we work, learn and play. Please join Schneider Electric™ for this unique opportunity to meet national and international experts representing a wide range of sectors, including government, business, academia, and industry.
Discover how Schneider Electric can save you money by improving your energy performance
2014
A F R I C A N U P D AT E S O N T H E G R O U N D A N D U N D E R G R O U N D
iningCONTENTS
14
34
20
July 2014
Building the futureThe newly established Akhani Group, which is 51% black-female owned and B-BBEE 3 rated, is one of the biggest service providers in the South African mining industry, with plans to expand through Africa.
Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.___________________________________All material in Inside Mining is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
IT IS OFFICIAL: 2013 was one of the most diffi cult years ever for the global mining industry, according to PwC’s annual mine report, which analysed 40 of the largest
mining companies.Commodity prices, led by gold’s greatest annual
decline in over 30 years, decreased signifi cantly, with the result that mining stocks fell 23%. To-gether with record impairments, this has meant
that profi tability in the mining industry was at its lowest level in a decade.However, it is not all doom and gloom. Despite diminished profi tability and shrink-
ing cash, underlying performance in the mining industry, as represented by adjusted EBITDA, astonishingly withstood the tough conditions, and was only down 8% in 2013. Dividend yields also continued to increase, with gross dividends paid up 5% and dividend yields slightly up to 4%.
John Gravelle, of global mining leader PwC, points out that there are new faces at the helm of almost half of the largest 40 mining companies in the last two years. For the fi rst time, 2013 saw the majority of the 40 largest mining companies come from emerging markets. Given the current performance and greater appetite of these com-panies to spend on capital, PwC is confi dent that this trend is set to continue.
Th e change in the global mining landscape also saw a divergence in the collective performance between emerging market companies and their developed market coun-terparts. Net profi ts in 2013 from emerging market companies were $24 billion in aggregate, compared to an aggregate net loss of $4 billion for developed market com-panies, impacted particularly by impairments.
Against this backdrop, the licence to operate in all corners of the globe is becoming more challenging, with governments increasingly eager to expand their share of royalties and taxes. “Th e question remains as to who will be bold enough to thrive in these diffi cult times,” comments Gravelle. “Th is year has seen some traces of calm re-turn to mining markets, with market capitalisation for the largest 40 miners stable; evidence that some level of confi dence may be returning.”
An indirect sign of this nascent confi dence is the integration of the Concor Civils and Concor Roads & Earthworks divisions of Murray & Roberts into a new division known as Murray & Roberts Infrastructure. Th e new company aims to tackle the infrastructure defi cit in Africa, in particular, which represents a major hurdle for mining companies.
In an exclusive interview, managing director Eric Wisse tells Inside Mining that the interface between mining and infrastructure is a vibrant market space. With min-ing companies increasingly looking at corporate social investment initiatives, such as housing for mineworkers, spurred in part by the requirements of the Mining Charter, Murray & Roberts Infrastructure is ideally placed to become a major player.
Another exciting new company is the Akhani Group, formed from the merger of three diff erent service providers, together with a recent partnership with another company to off er energy management and alternative solutions to the mining indus-try on the continent.
Billing itself as one of the largest service providers to mining in Africa, we look for-ward to seeing what CEO Fulu Mphuthi can bring to the industry.
Gerhard Hope
EDITOR'S COMMENT
To our avid readers, be sure to sign up and get the latest updates and inside scoops from the mining industry. Check out what we are talking about on our website, Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and have your say.
@mining_news
www.facebook.com/pages/Mining-News
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014
4
5
INDUSTRY COMMENT
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014
A key topic of discussion at the recent 24th World Economic Forum on Africa was the need to boost intra-Africa trade significantly.
Integrating Africa
THIS SENTIMENT IS echoed by Charles Brewer, managing director of DHL Express in sub-Saharan Africa, who at-
tended the forum which took place in Abuja, Nigeria from 7 to 9 May. “Th ere was a collective consensus among African leaders on the topic of mobility in Africa, as well as the importance of effi cient bor-der and visa policies. We have seen good follow-up particularly in East Africa and it is imperative to continue to work on the border and customs environment to grow intra-Africa trade,” says Brewer.
Th e forum took place against a backdrop of signifi cant economic growth in Nigeria – having recently overtaken South Africa as the largest economy in Africa – and that this has spurred investment inter-est in the country. “Africa is clearly on the global agenda. Despite security con-cerns, delegates and heads of state from all parts of the world gathered in Abuja to discuss inclusive growth for Africa.”
A key view expressed by a number of Af-rican leaders at the Forum was the need for a proactive approach to border man-agement, which will enable trade between various regions. Th e creation of an envi-ronment that enables business growth on the continent, as opposed to obstructing it, was also addressed by various parties.
Drivers to integrate, develop the regionRecognising the importance of travel fa-cilitation and talent mobility as drivers to integrate and develop the region, Presi-dent Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Prime Min-ister Moussa Mara of Mali have all signed ‘Th e Call to Action on Travel Facilitation and Talent Mobility’, which urges all Af-rican States to work together towards the
establishment of joint policies and the re-moval of barriers to facilitate movement of people.
Brewer adds it was also positive to wit-ness how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly being recognised as the primary driver of economic growth in Africa, and how they are being sup-ported across Africa.
“A growing SME base will create thou-sands of new jobs, which is an absolute must for this ever-growing continent, as it is a critical driver of sustainable eco-nomic growth.”
Some of the challenges SMEs face in-clude infrastructure challenges and cus-toms regulations and controls. “Th e fact that world leaders have recognised these issues and put actions in place towards easing the diffi culties experienced can only bode well for future business devel-opment and success on the continent.”
Chinese commitment to infrastructureBrewer points to the commitment made by the Chinese government to prioritise infrastructure development in African, which is necessary in order to develop connectivity and promote trade between
various regions. “Infrastructure is vital for connecting regions and, by improv-ing this, the number of investments within Africa will grow exponential-ly, creating further opportunities for its people.”
In order to fuel the continent’s mo-mentum, sustained trade from interna-tional markets, as well as intra-Africa
trade, is needed. “If Africa is to com-pete with global, advanced countries, investment is needed in facilitating trade and the ease of doing business,” concludes Brewer.
ABOUT THE COMPANYDHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry. It commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 285 000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply-chain requirements.
“Mining and the protection of the environment do not have to be on a collision path.” Charles Brewer, managing director,
DHL Express, sub-Saharan Africa
INSIDE MINING 06 | 20146
of the sector, with the view to formulating a programme that addresses the current challenges in the industry. Uongozi Institute CEO Pro-fessor Joseph Semboja said that, as the government pro-ceeds with formulating legis-lation and policy for the sec-tor, their input will be used through a panel of experts that advises the government on the same. “We will come up with a purely technical report on all these issues including contracts, taxes, revenues, environment, local content, governance and management, among oth-ers,” said Semboja.
SENEGAL Bas-sari Resources has
released feasibility study re-sults for its Makabingui gold project in Senegal. Th ese out-lined a low-cost, highly profi t-able operation with signifi cant free cash fl ows, reported the Australian-listed company, which is focused on discover-ing gold deposits on the Birimian gold belt in West Africa. “Our focus on profi t and building a robust business case enables the company to add considerable value for shareholders and the strong potential to leverage the up-side as additional high-grade resources are added through further infi ll drilling,” com-mented Bassari managing director, Jozsef Patarica.
MALI The final metallurgical test-
work programme for the Fe-
kola Gold Project in south-western Mali has been completed as part of a defin-itive feasibility study, re-ports Papillon Resources. This supports the previous decision to implement a con-ventional primary crush, semi-autogenous grinding and ball mill circuit, together with gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach process-ing. “The recent metallurgi-cal testwork results recon-firm the technical viability of Fekola,” said Papillon manag-ing director and CEO Mark Connelly. The testwork has shown a number of improve-ments compared with the prefeasibility metallurgical profile. This included small increases in expected recov-ery, especially at lower head grades, and also significant reductions in cyanide con-sumption.
MINING NEWS from around the conti nent
AFRICA ROUND-UPC
oral
ynne
& A
ssoc
iate
s +
27 (
011)
849
314
2
Tel: +27 (0) 11 827-9372Fax: +27 (0) 11 827-6132
• Optimum material flow• Up to 80% decrease in material degredation• Reduced dust and noise levels• Virtually maintenance free• Greatly reduced spillage• Significant reduction in belt damage
ABSOLUTEMATERIAL FLOW
CONTROL
w w w . w e b a c h u t e s . c o m • w e b a @ m j e n g . c o . z a
TANZANIA The Uongozi Institute
of Tanzania, which supports African leaders to attain sus-tainable development, is conducting a benchmarking exercise for the extractive sector on behalf of the gov-ernment.
The institute is designing a programme that will help the government scale up its ne-gotiation skills in the extrac-tive sector, while assisting bureaucrats with sharpening their skills on policy frame-works, contracts and trans-actions. The benchmarking exercise will look at the weaknesses and strengths
INSIDE MINING 07 | 20146
AFRICA ROUND-UP
LESOTHO Fol-lowing completion of
the Liqhobong diamond mine fi nancing in May, Firestone Diamonds has reported that construction and development is expected to take 24 months. Th e company said that name-plate production of 300 000 tonnes is expected to be achieved in H1 2016, with the main treatment plant and supporting infrastructure al-ready underway, under the lead-ership of chief project offi cer Glen Black. About 73% of the EPCM budget had been com-mitted to date, with major equipment deliveries aligned to its current baseline schedule. “I am pleased to announce com-mencement of the earthworks programme at Liqhobong in the Lesotho Highlands, which fol-lows the recent completion of the fi nancing,” commented Firestone CEO, Stuart Browne.
ZAMBIA Zam-bia cannot continue
to rely on copper as its main source of revenue for eco-nomic growth, according to Vice President Guy Scott. Speaking at the opening of the 4th Zambia Internation-al Mining and Energy Con-ference in Lusaka, Scott warned mining companies that they may face discon-tent from people if benefits from the country’s natural resources were not shared adequately, reported Post Zambia. Scott emphasised the need for Zambia to re-view its total dependence on copper. “I am not saying we should do away with copper, gold or mining of other min-erals. We should look at eco-nomic growth in the long term, and the best way is to diversify into other sectors,” Scott said.
ZAMBIA’S big-gest copper produc-
er, First Quantum Minerals, has ‘slowed down’ or post-poned more than $1 billion worth of capital expenditure in the country due to a tax dispute with the Zambian government. First Quantum operations director Matt Pas-call said that subsequently there was an air of uncertain-ty hanging over its operations in the country. “Certainty is absolutely the critical thing that is required if we are go-ing to look at any form of investment,” Pascall told Bloomberg News. Zambia is withholding more than $150 million in value-added tax repayments from First Quantum, Pascall said. A 10% duty on exports of semi-pro-cessed copper ore, known as concentrates, has created a build-up at its Kansanshi
mine, now valued at $350 million. Th ey have already invested about $2 billion in new mines.
GHANA Ground-breaking at the
Asanko Gold Mine plant is expected to commence in August, pending a positive investment decision by the board in July. Th e site’s early works programme has been progressing on schedule and on budget. In April, Asanko engaged DRA as the EPCM contractor for design and construction. Knight Piesold will design the tailings stor-age facility and carry out de-tailed geotechnical engineer-ing works. A programme was subsequently initiated to ad-vance the activities, allowing Asanko to maintain its pro-ject schedule, targeting fi rst gold in Q1 2016.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 7
INSIDE MINING 06 | 20148
COVER STORY
THE WORD AKHANI means “building the future together,” explains CEO Fulu Mphuthi. Th e group’s executive team includes
Deon Fuhri as COO and Ntaoleng Kunene as CIO. Th e group was formed in May through the merger of Mine Procurement Solutions (MPS) and Vhaselwa Engineer-ing & Management Consulting (VEM).
MPS comprises MPS South Africa, MPS Tanzania and MPS Mozambique and MPS Liberia. In addition, Akhani recently an-
nounced a partnership with Energy Cy-bernetics, a local energy-management services company based in Pretoria. Th is will allow the group to identify renewable energy and energy-effi ciency opportuni-ties in sub-Saharan Africa.
Buildingthe future
The newly established Akhani Group, 51% black-female owned and B-BBEE Level 3 rated, is one of the biggest service providers in the South African mining industry, with plans to expand through Africa.
LEFT COO Deon Fuhri, CEO Fulu Mphuthi (seated) and CIO Ntaoleng Kunene
OPPOSITE Two leading service providers for mining, oil and gas and energy management have combined forces in the Akhani Group
INSIDE MINING 06 | 20148
mining industry, with plans to expand through Africa.
“I believe that the formation of the Akhani Group will inspire other black female entrepreneurs in the mining industry.”Fulu Mphuthi, CEO, Akhani Group
INSIDE MINING 07 | 20148
AKHANI GROUP
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 9
COVER STORY
Th e merger of the two leading service providers for mining, oil and gas, and energy management companies creates a comprehensive off ering of workforce eff ectiveness and productivity, and op-erational performance excellence for the broader energy and resources industries. Akhani serves public, government and pri-vate market sectors.
Improved business performanceWith existing operations in South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Liberia, the group intends to establish a foothold in Zimbabwe and Kenya by 2015. Th is forms part of its mission statement, which is to create value for stakeholders by enabling improved business performance for cus-tomers while enhancing quality of life.
Th e merger has eff ectively combined, and leveraged, two already successful South African companies, with a good track re-cord in infrastructure design and supply, workforce and operational camping-site management and maintenance, energy consulting, energy conservation and ener-gy management, as well as transformation and change management
A major feature of the new group is that it is 51% black female-owned, as well as being B-BBEE Level 3 rated. “Women em-powerment is a big issue in South Africa at the moment, especially in white male-dom-inated industries such as mining,” says Mphuthi. “Th e formation of Akhani is an-other indication it is not a myth that a com-pany with black female ownership can still
thrive in this sector. I further believe that the formation of the Akhani Group will in-spire other black female entrepreneurs in the mining industry, and that if you stay true to your core values, continue to deliver value-for-money and build lasting relation-ships, you will achieve.”
Rationale behind the mergerMphuthi explains the rationale behind the merger: “VEM Consulting is strong in transformation management, while MPS is a well-known and reputable camp-site management player in the mining indus-try. Since VEM Consulting has always had an interest expanding its services into the mining sector, especially within Africa, we were interested to merge in order for us to be able to do that. In addition, our services and products complement each other.”
Fuhri adds that MPS is “very strong in camp infrastructure design for the min-ing sector in Africa. We have been on the lookout for opportunities within South Africa for some time, and when the oppor-tunity presented itself to enter into dis-cussions with VEM Consulting, we quickly identifi ed potential synergies, but also realised that we had similar values and visions.” Th ese similarities paved the way for a smooth merger that only took three months to complete which, compared to traditional merger-and-acquisition trans-actions in the market at present, must be considered quick.
“Th is transaction will create a lead-ing camp management company,
diff erentiated by its ability to deliver the most innovative products and services and superior customer experience within the highly competitive and dynamic market-place in which we operate. We are looking forward to working with Ms. Mphuthi’s team as we bring our companies together to deliver,” says Fuhri. “Th is combination creates a company that delivers maximum value for our shareholders, enormous op-portunities for our employees, and a supe-rior experience for our customers.”
No duplicationsAnother benefi t of the merger for custom-ers in particular is that it has removed any operational or service duplication. “A client might require a basket of services, some of which may lie within the MPS framework and some within the VEM Consulting framework. We can now off er that with the Akhani brand.”
Fuhri elaborates on Akhani’s main busi-ness proposition: “We believe we are the only service provider in the mining sector, and we are talking remote sites specifi cally, off ering a basket of services that is all-en-compassing. We carry out infrastructure design, development, manufacturing and commissioning. In addition, we also man-age those camps on behalf of our clients, which include services such as catering, housekeeping, laundry services, landscap-ing and hotel/motel services.
“In addition, we believe we are extremely well positioned to bring a unique service off ering, which is an alternative energy
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201410
COVER STORY
which is quite unique in our industry, is a free energy audit for mining companies.
“Our qualifi ed energy managers and energy technicians will spend two or three days on-site, demonstrating to our clients that our solutions we propose will actually save them on their operating costs. Th e mining sector globally is under a huge amount of pressure from a capital expenditure perspective, while operating mines are equally under pressure to cut their running costs,” comments Fuhri.
“While our head offi ce will remain in South Africa, we are an African compa-ny, and we will increase our footprint on the continent as opportunities present themselves. Currently, we have offi ces in Liberia, Mozambique and Tanzania,” says Fuhri.
He adds that Akhani’s focus on com-munity development and sustainability on the sites it manages on behalf of its clients takes centre stage. “In most cases, we are the largest single service provider to the mining sector on a particular site. About 97% of all our staff on a remote site comes from local villages surround-ing these camps. We work in partnership with local institutions and NGOs to hire and train local personnel.
“Our training methodology has to be very stringent because we mostly employ people unskilled labourers in these remote locations. Diff erent cultures and language barriers are also a challenge we face when mobilising and operating these camps. We invest a great deal of resources develop-ing the skills of our employees. We focus on basic skills and continuously review high-quality leadership development, and have a range of more than 26 external and internal development programmes cur-rently in use across the group.” LEFT Camp infrastructure design and
provision is a strong focus
BELOW Alternative energy solutions are another value-added service
ABOUT MINE PROCUREMENT SOLUTIONS (MPS)MPS, a division of the Akhani Group, specialises in the infrastructure design, management and maintenance of remote workforce and operational camping sites. The division provides accommodation supply, catering, camp management and a complete range of associated services. The team of mining procurement specialists supports customers from conception to operation and maintenance, including community-development needs. The focus of the division is on quality and service delivery, safety at all times and project outcomes that are within budget and on time.
ABOUT VHASELWA ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT CONSULTING (VEM CONSULTING)VEM Consulting, a division of the Akhani Group, provides business transformation solutions that help customers effectively manage their enterprise more effi ciently, safely and sustainably. VEM Consulting renders its consulting services to customers in South Africa with the intent of expanding its service offering globally. The division identifi es business needs, determining solutions for business problems. Solutions entail alignment of business strategy, business systems, business process optimisation, organisational change as well as policy and procedure development, directly benefi ting customers’ operational business performance.
solution,” says Fuhri. Th is is critical, as off -grid power generation consumes about 30% of a mine’s operating expenditure. “In conjunction with Energy Cybernetics, we are in a position to provide alternative energy solutions that will save mining companies up to 20% of their energy con-sumption, which represents an enormous cost-saving.”
Energy-management sectorFuhri says that Akhani’s entry into the energy-management sector is based on a holistic service off ering. “What makes our basket of products in the energy space so unique is it is not only a solar solution. At this particular point in time, we are steer-ing away from wind energy because most mine sites are not situated on the coast, so wind energy does not play a factor. What we also off er as alternative power sources, apart from solar energy, is so-called ‘new age’ power generation.
“We have agreements in place with man-ufacturers of solar air-conditioners and so-lar geysers. In certain countries we are also allowed to import diesel to reduce costs further. Th is enables us to approach min-ing clients with a complete basket of ser-vices. What we also off er at the moment,
20% Energy saving for mines due to Energy Cybernetics
t +27 (0)11 083 6403 • www.akhani.co
In each issue, Inside Mining offers advertisers the opportunity to promote their company’s products and services to the appropriate audience by booking the prime position of the front cover which includes a two-page feature article. The magazine offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure the maximum exposure of their brand. Please call +27(0)11 465 5452 to secure your booking.
SEW-EURODRIVE has a state-of-the-art, efficient plant with a unique modular production concept to develop powerful industrial gear units. Why is this good news for you? Optimum logistics, highest accuracy and rapid order fulfi lment, just to name a few. This is what we call Drive 360º - Seeing the big picture: From problem-solving competence to system availability, low operating costs and energy effi ciency to the overall system that handles all your tasks.
SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world.
Tel: +27 11 248-7000Web: www.sew.co.za
Visit us at Electra MiningNasrec Expo CentreHall 6 Stand J 2015-19 September 2014
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201412
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
THE TWO-DAY FORUM was co-hosted by mining engineer-ing group Sandvik Mining, and presented a platform for
a range of technology specialists to en-gage fellow mining peers and the media on the latest technologies and best prac-tice applied to the mining industry.
Topical highlights in the two-day conference included an insight into next-generation coal-cutting and ben-efits, the future of coal load-and-haul, latest developments in surface-drilling tools and the effects of mechanisation on employment.
Centre for Mechanised Mining Sys-tems director Professor Jim Porter, in his presentation entitled ‘Challenges in technology change – the things you don’t see coming’, said that the inte-gration of technology and people in mining systems is a challenge in the mining industry, despite South Africa being a recognised innovator in are-as ranging from rock-mass stability to winder-rope design.
Mining engineer and Wits Universi-ty lecturer in beneficiation economics
The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Mining Engineering hosted a mining industry forum on 21 and 22 May, with a focus on the application of technology in mining. By Sylvester Haskins
Paseka Leeuw discussed the ‘Effect of mining mechanisation on employment’, while Professor of Mine Surveying and Head of the School of Mining Engineer-ing at Wits University, Professor Fred Cawood, spoke on the ‘Future of mining research at Wits University’.
Technology in harsh environmentsIn his presentation, Professor Cawood stated that making technology work in harsh underground environments would
be the challenge in the mining industry over the next three years.
He said that digital technology can help in understanding environments better, as margins for profits in mining get smaller, calling for a different way of doing things.
“In the next 20 to 30 years, there will be a huge change in mining layout, and it will become important to manage ore resources with the management of the workforce, and we will also experience a revolution in communication technolo-gies,” said Professor Cawood.
Better economics In addition, sustainable development is a key factor in mining operations going forward, and this implies safer mines, smaller environmental impacts and better economics.
An investment in future mining tech-nology is essential, and mechanised and automation in mining achieves better economics, explained Professor Cawood.
The technology spheres in mining in-clude ID scanning, X-ray systems, digital data processing, modelling in 3D space and developing satellite systems.
“We require an extension of satellite technology in underground mining. Also, we need reliable and stable communica-tion systems,” said Professor Cawood.
He added that zero harm in mines required digital sensing, while
The future of mining
“In the next 20 to 30 years, there will be a huge change in mining layout.”
OPPOSITE Sandvik’s MB650 bolter miner working underground at Mandalong Colliery in Australia
RIGHT Sandvik’s AutoMine Rotary Drilling is the fi rst fully autonomous rotary drilling solution. The system uses advanced GPS receivers, cameras and geo-fencing to drill and tram autonomously throughout a mine
technologies such as the scanning of fe-ver to assess miner sickness are needed.
According to Professor Cawood, the vi-sion in applying technology to mining is to achieve safety, efficiency and reliable underground data in real time. The goal is to develop a mock-up mine and devel-op a ‘smart’ mine laboratory for hosting digital technologies.
Technology vs jobsAs the use of new technologies in min-ing increases, fewer jobs will be created in the sector, said Leeuw.
However, Leeuw believed that greater technology intensity in mining would have spill-over benefits for mining con-tractors and OEMS, thus creating jobs in other industries in South Africa.
He said that technology will play an important role in the sector through alleviating safety pressures, while also attracting youngsters as the current workforce matures.
Mechanical blastingElectronic detonation systems suppli-er DetNet CEO Gys Landman briefly discussed the automation and advance-ments in mechanical blasting in the mining industry.
He said that blasting is particularly en-ergy efficient, adding that it is still the preferred system in big rock breaking.
Digitising and exploiting blasting in-formation counts among the advance-ments made in blasting operations at mines. Other forward steps in the in-dustry include creating information that links into future systems, more user-friendly blasting technology and integrated processes.
Landman advocated that the long-term future of mining lay in the use au-tonomous detonation systems, which will promote greater safety and efficien-cy of blasting operations.
Conveying vs truckingIn-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) is a more efficient and safer alternative to conventional methods of material
movements and trucking, according to Nico van Aarde, manager of mar-ket development and sales at Sandvik Mining Systems.
He discussed the safety benefits of IPCC compared to conventional meth-ods, and this included the reduction in truck-use at mine sites, with a reduction of about 30% in ancillary equipment, automation from a remote control room and greater energy efficiency being the key features of the system.
“When comparing IPCC to trucking, there is a greater element of safety as there is less vehicle interaction. Also, when comparing electrical motors or con-veyors versus diesel engines, we fi nd that IPCC is more effi cient,” said Van Aarde.
Short life-of-mine may still require conventional hauling methods, he not-ed. However, with over 200 IPCC sys-tems at mine sites worldwide, IPCC tech-nology has taken off globally.
Van Aarde said that IPCC projects un-dertaken by Sandvik internationally in-cluded contracts at the Zhungeer coal mine in Mongolia, China and a coal oper-ation in Cologne, Germany. Other IPCC projects completed by Sandvik were lo-cated in Sweden, Brazil and other parts of Europe.
Exploration accuracyTh e challenge in underground explora-tion and drilling, and focus of technol-ogy development in this area, would be both accuracy and the speed of drilling functions, discussed Sandvik application manager Bjorn Gohre.
“Accuracy and speed of drilling should indicate what is ahead,” he said.
Gohre explained that greater accuracy and precision is achieved in down-the-hole (DTH) drilling, and Sandvik designed its equipment around the forces exerted by DTH drilling, as opposed to adapting other types of drills to accommodate DTH drilling. Sandvik acquired three competi-tors in the hammer market and combined the best of each to develop the Sandvik re-verse circulation (RC) hammer.
Gohre said that RC drilling achieves uncontaminated sampling, faster pen-etration and lower operating costs. Past underground projects in which the RC hammer had been applied included dewa-tering wells, blasting holes in radioactive to broken rock and in-site injection and recovery wells.
Design and drilling applications devel-oped by Sandvik included surveying drill holes to develop 3D models for a resource plan, noted Gohre.
IPCC APPLICATION DRIVERS
• Energy effi ciency Conveying is more effi cient than other mining-house transport
• Material movement At least 10 Mtpa
• Electric costs vs diesel Electricity price in $/kwh is less than 40% of diesel in $/ℓ • Less carbon emission Compared to 240 tonne truck
• Operational space effi ciency At least 100 metre cut-back width needed for
IPCC installation
• Less dust generation Use of conveyors reduces dust at mine site
• Automation and safety IPCC removes large dump-truck activities
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 13
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201414
THIS LEVEL IS about 690 m be-low the shaft collar, about 45 m above the fi rst intersection of the Merensky Reef. It is the top
access of the new mine, designed specifi -cally for ventilation exhaust, since it is sit-uated on the ventilation shaft. It is from this point where horizontal development will commence, connecting it to the same level from the main shaft.
“Th e drilling of the rock engineering modelled support has started in order to support any intersected geological fea-ture or fault in the vicinity of where the stations will to be cut,” reported Wesizwe projects executive Jacob Mothomogolo.
Th is latest milestone is just one of a slew of targets achieved so far this year, with continual progress in all aspects, from main shaft to ventilation shaft-sink-ing, the installation of fi re-suppression systems, the pre-commissioning of the ventilation shaft winder and overall pro-ject-sinking. “At the end of April, the main shaft had reached a depth of 520 m and the project had sunk over 1 200 m in to-tal,” confi rmed Mothomogolo.
Optimisation studyA major earlier highlight was the offi cial approval of the Bakubung Optimisation Study (BOS) on 12 March by the Wesizwe board, aimed at bolstering the business case for the new platinum mine. “One of the reasons we embarked on the optimi-sation programme is to adapt to changes taking place in the industry,” said Motho-mogolo. Th ese changes include fl uctuating
Bakubung: a model of optimisationThe cutting of the first station or level on the ventilation shaft represents a major milestone in Wesizwe Platinum’s flagship Bakubung mine, said COO Paul Smith. By Gerhard Hope
LEFT Shaft-sinkingOPPOSITE Main shaft headgear
GOLD & PGM
Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of the optimisation plan is the move to full or semi-mechanised mining. Th e short-ening of shafts, accommodated by the re-moval of underground crushing and bring-ing level development onto reef horizons (known as on-reef development), will result in a substantial reduction in off -reef de-velopment of about 402 000 m3. Convey-or belts will be used for ore transport and chair lifts for people transport. In addition, a third 6-metre-diameter raise bore shaft has been introduced to assist further with ventilation and logistics.
Th e signifi cantly improved ramp-up timeframe to full production is expected to slash the project’s nominal capex cost from R12.03 billion to R10.69 billion, Smith said. “Th e net change in project net present value is a positive R2.1 billion to R6.5 billion,” said Smith. Th e signifi cantly lower off -reef development will result in substantial savings of R1.1 billion. Smith added that “an increase in expected op-erating costs over initial estimates” due to increased labour and power costs “had been factored in.”
metal prices, increased cost pressures, and challenging work conditions and social cli-mate, noted Mothomogolo.
“Th e objectives are not unusual: to de-crease time to full production and improve the project value. Obviously it limits the working capital requirement. Improved maintenance, production, sustainability, operating costs and reduced business risk are all benefi ts. It was really quite a large and aggressive scope,” said Smith.
A new completion date for the sinking of the main shaft has been set for October 2015, 85 days earlier than the initial date of January 2016. Similarly, the ventilation shaft is set to be completed 72 days earli-er than the initial date of February 2017. Th e BOS has also resulted in a 26-month reduction in the time to full production, with the 230 ktpm production level now planned for October 2020, as opposed to December 2022.
Increased mine capacityIn addition, an 8.7% increase in mine ca-pacity has been realised, with 250 ktpm run-of-mine planned for at full capacity. Th is equates to an increase in the steady-state monthly production to 35 280 oz 4E/month, or 420 000 oz 4E/year, which equates to a 20% increase in the yearly production rate.
Planned (m)
Actual (m)
Variance (m)
Main shaft 528 518 -10Ventilation
shaft 780 680 -100
Total 1 308 1 198 -110
TABLE 1 Sinking performance as at 15 May 2014
ABOVE LEFT Main shaft winderABOVE RIGHT Shaft drilling (jumbo)
KEY FACTS• Bakubung will have a lifespan of 30 years• It will produce 420 000 4E/year of PGMs at
steady-state production• The project has a highly favourable 4E prill
• The main shaft will have a hoisting capacity of 250 000 tonnes of ore a month
• The fi rst blast of the ventilation shaft took place in July 2012
• Main commissioning of the mine is scheduled for Q4 2018
• Full production will be achieved in 2021, two years earlier than originally plannedBakubung will employ 3 135 people at full production
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 15
GOLD & PGM
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201416
THIS ANALYSIS WAS based on a three-year running average of capital costs per ounce of production capacity for 192
primary gold mines, with a capacity of at least 50 000 ounces a year, and which entered production from 2004 to 2013; in addition to 22 mines under construc-tion and slated to begin production in 2014 or 2015. Mine redevelopments and expansions were not included, since these projects’ existing infrastructure makes them incomparable with new mine developments.
The three-year running-average capital cost of capacity follows behind the trend set by the gold price. When gold prices increased sharply in 2006, producers re-sponded by approving construction of more capital-intensive projects. The lag between the change in gold prices and the increased capital-cost intensity is simply the time required for construc-tion of more capital-intensive projects, which began at earlier gold prices. While producers and prospective producers greatly curtailed capital spending in 2013 and to date in 2014, capital-cost intensity is expected to increase to al-most $2 400/oz in 2014, before pulling back to about $1 900/oz in 2015.
The cost of operating a mine after it is built has also increased over the last ten years. Weighted-average annual cash costs increased about 190% from less than $250/oz in 2004 to a peak of $708/oz in 2012, before pulling back
slightly to $702/oz in 2013. Fortunate-ly for producers, annual average gold price increases mostly outpaced cash cost increases during the period, soaring 308% from $409/oz in 2004 to a peak of $1 669/oz in 2012. The only excep-tion was a 15% drop in gold prices in 2013, which surpassed a 1% decrease in weighted-average cash costs for the year. Based on cash costs alone, it would seem that producers’ margins should be quite healthy. However, SNL Metals & Mining’s analysis indicates that the total costs of production (comprising reserves replacement, capital spending, operating costs and administration) kept closer pace with gold prices over the ten-year period.
Meanwhile, as predicted in February, a 15% year-on-year drop in the gold price
in 2013 forced mining companies to low-er the prices they used to calculate their gold reserves. As the gold price climbed steadily from 2002 to 2012, gold pro-ducers increased their reserves calcu-lation prices to allow profitable mining of lower-grade, higher-cost ores. Ex-amining the nine-year reserves history of five major producers – Barrick Gold, Newmont Mining, Goldcorp, AngloGold Ashanti and Kinross Gold – shows a 14% weighted-average decline in their reserves prices from 2012, an 11% av-erage decline in their total reserves (net of changes due to acquisitions, di-vestitures, and production), and an 8% increase in their weighted-average re-serves gold grade.
Barrick ended 2012 with 140.2 million ounces of gold in reserves at a reserves
Building a gold mine The cost of building a gold mine has increased signifi cantly over the last decade, from $560/oz in 2004 to a staggering $2 300/oz in 2013. Based on data from mines under construction, capital costs are expected to peak in 2014, at almost $2 400/oz, reports SNL Metals & Mining in its ‘Strategies for Gold Reserves Replacement’ report.
GRAPH 1 Three-year running average of capital costs for new gold production, 2004-2015
GOLD & PGM
price of $1 500/oz, the highest price among the five companies for the year. It ended 2013 with 104.1 million ounces in reserves, using a reserves price 27% lower at $1 100/oz. After adjustment for depletion and merger-and-acquisition activity, its reserves fell 18% in 2013. The next-highest 2012 re-serves price was $1 400/oz used by Newmont. At $1 300/oz in 2013, its ad-justed reserves declined 5% from 2012. Goldcorp’s adjusted reserves declined 15% in 2013 at $1 300/oz, compared with $1 350/oz in 2012. AngloGold Ashanti’s adjusted re-serves declined only 2% in 2013 at $1 100, compared with $1 300/oz in 2012. Kinross, having faced shareholder scrutiny since 2011 over its purchase of Red Back Mining, kept its reserves price at $1 200/oz for the third consecu-tive year, but still report-ed a 12% drop in adjusted reserves in 2013 – with the adjustment including the 2013 write-down of 6.7 million ounces at its Fruta del Norte project in Ecuador, after it failed to reach an agreement with the government on mine development. The remaining decline in Kin-ross’s reserves was largely due to an increased focus on mining higher-grade ore to reduce costs.
So far in 2014, gold prices have been volatile, soaring to $1 385/oz in March at the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, af-ter a three-year low of less than $1 200/oz at the end of 2013, and currently hovering around $1 300/oz. Although analysts’ 2014 gold-price forecasts
will cost you dearlyranged between $1 100/oz and $1 400/oz, Newmont and Goldcorp used $1 300/oz at the end of 2013 – the most optimistic reserves price among the five majors.
“We believe that the majors will likely continue to focus on cost-cutting in 2014
in order to preserve their profit margins, since significant further reserve cuts are unlikely in the near term as companies have already adjusted their strategies to accommodate market uncertainty and investor concerns,” says SNL Metals & Mining’s Nick Wright.
GOLD & PGM
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201418
Size counts at Otjikoto
The Otjikoto gold project, 300 km north of Windhoek, will be Namibia’s second, and biggest, gold mine when it enters
production before year end.
THE CURRENT MINE plan is based on probable mineral re-serves of 29.4 million tonnes, to be mined over an initial 12-
year period. FLSmidth’s capabilities in the gold extraction arena will be showcased with the supply of equipment to Vancou-ver-based gold producer B2Gold’s Otjikoto gold project. FLSmidth is the only compa-ny in Africa capable of providing a com-plete end-to-end gold-extraction solution drawn from in-house technology.
Th is know-how and equipment derives from FLSmidth’s Summit Valley range of modular plants and equipment for the extraction of gold and silver. Th e glob-ally renowned Summit Valley off ering includes the industry’s highest capacity
GOLD & PGM
shipped to the mine site in October last year, followed by the fi lters, with fabri-cation of the thickeners complete and
electrowinning cell used in precious met-als recovery.
Th e order was placed with FLSmidth in the second quarter of 2013 and comprises 14 Krebs gMAX cyclones, four KC-QS48 Knelson concentrators reporting to a Con-Sep Acacia CS8000 intense cyanidation reactor, two 20 metre-diameter thicken-ers (one pre-leach and one tailings) with a bolted tank design, one carbon fi nes- and one sludge fi lter, and four electrowinning cells. FLSmidth will provide installation and commissioning super-vision on-site, as well as post commissioning support from its Johan-nesburg operations.
FLSmidth’s gMAX cy-clones focus on mini-mising turbulence while maximising tangential velocity, signifi cantly advancing cyclone per-formance. To achieve these two design crite-ria, the gMAX incorpo-rates performance-en-hancing improvements to the inlet head, cylin-der section, cones and apex. Th e company’s Quantum Series Knel-son batch concentrator is highly confi gurable and uses a rotating as-sembly, incorporating the latest design in concentrate-cone tech-nology and advance-ments in the upper and lower frame.
“Th e low-grade Otjik-oto ore contains signif-icant gravity gold that can occur in relatively large nuggets, so max-imum gravity eff ort is planned for recovery, with 100% of ball-mill circulating load treated by gravity,” Dave Capstick, FLSmidth business development manager, says.
Th e Krebs cyclones, Knelson concen-trators and Acacia leach reactor were
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 19
trial-assembly underway. Th e electrowin-ning cells and standby units are about to be shipped.
Since FLSmidth acquired the Utah-based precious metals extraction business of Summit Valley fi ve years ago, it has been actively marketing these products in Afri-ca and achieving a steady penetration of this market. Th ese technology solutions are directed at operating customers who are planning to expand their gold-recovery
circuits and those who want to im-prove their effi cien-cies, as well as those who are building new plants. Th ere are also signifi cant applications where customers are expe-riencing operating ineffi ciencies.
In 2013, the com-pany received an order for a complete process fl ow solu-tion, from elution through to electrow-inning, for Shanta Gold’s New Luika Gold Mine in Tanza-nia. Here, FLSmidth has designed a fully engineered solution to improve the ef-fi ciency of its pro-cess, together with the addition of an elution, carbon re-generation and elec-trowinning circuit to the plant.
Th e Summit Val-ley speciality prod-uct range is known worldwide, having been used in 24 countries on six continents over the last 18 years. While
this off ering incorporates individual components, it also presents world-class capabilities in terms of combining these components into customer specifi c, inte-grated gold-room and plant packages.
These technology solutions are directed at
operating customers
GOLD & PGM
TOP Typical FLSmidth electrowinning cells ready for dispatch to siteABOVE Typical FLSmidth electrowinning cellOPPOSITE FLSmidth’s 20 metre-diameter thickener assembly showing the bridge and feed well
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201420
Tailings management at Namoya The Namoya mine, situated at the
south-western end of the Twangiza-
Namoya gold belt, covers an area of
174 km² and is expected to double the
company’s projected gold production
to more than 225 000 oz per year.
GOLD WAS FIRST discovered in this area in 1930 and various mining operations have subsequently tak-en place. A highly eff ective solu-
tion for sub-soil drainage is now in operation at the tailings management facility of a major gold mining project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Th e Namoya site houses a substantial tailings management facility to process the leftover ma-terials and wastewater from the extraction of the gold. It also ensures that any harmful particles do not enter the soil or groundwater. Following a competitive tender, the Ridgidrain twinwall drainage system from Polypipe, a leading UK-based manufacturer of water management and plastic piping systems, was selected to provide eff ective sub-soil drainage.
GOLD & PGM
WorleyParsons adds value through our full scope of services from pit to port including studies, mine planning, impact assessments, permitting and approvals, project management, construction management and global procurement.
www.worleyparsons.com
Environment
& Approvals
Non-Process
Infrastructure
Mine
Planning
Mining & Mine
Development
Materials
Handling
Resource
Evaluation
Mineral
Processing
Tailings & Waste
Management
Smelting
& Refining
Transport
to Market
Realising possibilities...
...from mine to market.
37,50043 166 peoplecountries offices
Ridgidrain is ideal for non-pressurised and sub-surface drainage applications, with perfora-tions at regular intervals along its full length to allow safe and gradual drainage. Manufactured in high-density polyethylene, Ridgidrain boasts excellent abrasion resistance, internally and ex-ternally – protecting against both sediment within the wastewater and the rugged mine environment. It also off ers a high compression strength to with-stand imposed loadings, yet is still incredibly light-weight for ease of installation and transport.
Tailings management facilities are essential in ensuring the mine operates in an environmen-tally conscious manner, and the Ridgidrain sys-tem allows for the controlled seepage of treated water. Th e system can also deal with unpredicta-ble fl uctuations, due to factors such as stormwa-ter, and is a crucial element of an eff ective water management system.
Polypipe supplied 1 386 metres of 500-mm di-ameter and 190 metres of 600-mm diameter of its Ridgidrain twinwall pipe, shipped via eight 40-
foot sea containers, which required close coordination between Polypipe’s UK manufacturing operation and the shipping agent in order to meet deadlines and ensure the full order was dis-patched as one shipment.
Polypipe export sales manager Philip Wood adds: “Plastic piping systems such as Ridgidrain are up to 94% lighter than concrete alternatives, meaning that they are safer to install and move around site, and also off er considerable environ-mental benefi ts. Production and transportation are simplifi ed and use less carbon, and additionally the product can often be
reused elsewhere when the project ends.
Th ese factors are key con-siderations for mine opera-tors, and also make the prod-uct more cost-eff ective. For these reasons, Ridgidrain is growing in popularity in the African mining market.”
Tailings management is essential for
environmentally conscious mining operations
OPPOSITE TOP The Namoya gold-mine site in the DRCOPPOSITE BOTTOM Namoya houses a substantial tailings-management facilityTOP Rigidrain protects against both sediment within the wastewater and the rugged mine environment
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 21
THE CEREMONY WAS attended by Province Orientale governor Jean Bamanisa Saidi, DRC cabinet ministers, ambassadors of vari-
ous countries and local dignitaries. Kibali will rank as one of the largest gold mines in Africa when it is in full production.
It is owned by Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti, each with a 45% stake, and the DRC state gold mining company, Société Miniere de Kilo-Moto. Kibali is be-ing operated and developed by Randgold, and represents an investment of more than $2.5 billion by Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti.
While still a work in progress, as it is both an operating mine and a development pro-ject, Kibali produced 112 549 oz of gold and made a profi t from mining, before in-terest, tax and depreciation, of $86.3 mil-lion in the fi rst quarter to 31 March 2014, up 26% on the three months to December 2013, its fi rst production quarter.
Current productionCurrent production is from its opencast mine and an oxide cir-cuit. Commissioning of the sul-phide circuit started during the past quarter, while development of the underground mine re-mains on track, with the vertical shaft reaching the halfway mark and the fi rst underground ore accessed. Th e fi rst of four hydro-power stations is currently being commissioned. With a capacity of 22 MW, it is the largest of its kind in Province Orientale.
Speaking at the opening, Min-ister Kabwelulu said the success
GOLD & PGM
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister
of Mines, Martin Kabwelulu, officially opened
the Kibali gold mine on behalf of the country’s
president, Joseph Kabila Kabange, on 2 May.
Striking gold at Kibali in DRC
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201422
TOP (From left) Province Orientale governor Jean Bamanisa Saidi, Randgold chief executive Mark Bristow and DRC Minister of Mines Martin KabweluluLEFT Underground at the Kibali gold mine in the DRCOPPOSITE TOP A striking sunrise at the crusher plant
Born and bred right here - Bell is Africa’s very own global equipment
supplier. With support from our strategic partners we deliver a full
range of premium machines. All built tough for our harsh environment.
All supported by Africa’s most comprehensive network of people
dedicated to your success.
Best of all, while you are creating infrastructure and jobs, so are we.
Choose Bell as your equipment partner and enjoy the pride of
knowing you’re not just boosting your business but helping make
of the investment was a testimony to the world that the DRC govern-ment was deter-mined to support investors and see its mining sec-tor developed. “Orientale now boasts a world-class operation, and there is no doubt many eco-nomic activities will follow as a spin-off of what Kibali is achieving. Th e people of Orientale need to protect this signifi cant investment zealously.”
Also speaking at the opening, Randgold chairman Philippe Liétard said the suc-cessful development of Kibali in the face of many infrastructural and other challenges was a triumph for the company’s partner-ship philosophy.
When we all work together“Here we have shown what can be achieved in Africa when we all work together: a government that understands the im-portance of attracting and retaining the investments that are necessary to build a modern economy; two mining companies that believe in sharing the value they cre-ate with all their stakeholders, especially the local community; a labour force that is eager to grasp the opportunity of working and learning; and a people who have wel-comed us and supported our endeavours.”
Randgold chief executive Mark Bristow said at the opening that the successful development of Kibali could herald the birth of a new DRC economic region to rival Katanga Province. “To achieve that, we cannot rest here. We need to ensure that we deliver the returns expected by the investors who entrusted us with their money. We have to run a profi table mine, focused on long-term viability, that pays taxes, and employs and develops citizens
from this region and this country.
“Kibali must be-come the catalyst that triggers the additional invest-ment required to grow a strong re-gional economy. Wishful thinking will not make this happen. Howev-er, if we continue to work together
as partners pursuing a common goal – if mining companies, the government and communities cooperate as we did in the development of Kibali – then this dream of greater things will also come true.”
DRC mining codeAngloGold Ashanti chief executive, Srin-ivasan Venkatakrishnan said that, for Kibali’s full potential to be realised, it was of the utmost importance that the DRC’s mining code remained supportive of the gold mining sector. “Th e government now has an important opportunity to show the world that it is welcoming of gold mining by helping to create what can in a short time become one of the largest gold producers in the world and an engine of growth for this region and this country.”
At Kibali, total reserves now stand at 11.6 million ounces at 4 g/t, up from 10.9 mil-lion ounces at 4.1 g/t, as a result of an up-dated mine design on a resource base that grew to 22 million ounces. While current reserves support a 13-year life of mine, only 53% of the current resource has been converted to reserves, leaving a signifi cant opportunity to expand the reserves.
In just eight years, Randgold has grown from its exploration roots through open-pit mining to become one of Africa’s lead-ing underground miners, with two world-class mines in Yalea and Gara, a third being developed at Kibali and a fourth at feasibility stage at Gounkoto.
SHAFT SINKERS AT KIBALIShaft Sinkers Holdings has announced that the main shaft at the Kibali gold mine has exceeded 500 m in depth. “The main shaft-sinking is progressing very well, and has reached the major milestone of 500 m, with sinking proceeding at a rate of at least 3 m/day for more than 30 continuous days,” says CEO Alon Davidov. The South Africa-headquartered and London-quoted specialist shaft-sinking contractor has updated its progress on the project, which is ramping up to be one of Africa’s largest gold mining operations.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 23
THE IMPALA OPENCAST pro-ject, located on the western limb of the Bushveld Complex near Rustenburg, was awarded,
in 2002, by Impala Platinum and mining commenced in the vicinity of Impala #6 shaft, with the Concor Opencast Mining team tackling the Merenksy ore body fi rst. In 2005, the team began mining the UG2 ore body.
Th e two Merensky faces were relatively small-scale, while the UG2 was present
Impala Opencast finally completeOne of the longest-running opencast mining contracts in recent company history has now been completed by Concor Opencast Mining.
on a much larger scale, with seven faces mined. Th ese reefs ranged over a 9 km area and were mined to a depth of 35 me-tres. Lower down, the Impala Platinum underground operation mined ore from its shaft systems.
Th e opencast contract included crush-ing the material to <300 mm and its delivery to the mine’s stockpile, as well as rehabilitation of mined areas. Since 2002, the contact was renewed on an annual basis until all opencast resources
were depleted. Between November 2009 and December 2013, Concor Opencast Mining mined 49 340 574 bm3 of blast-ed overburden, 6 576 454 bm3 of topsoil and 8 871 767 tonnes of reef.
“Th is project was tightly controlled throughout its duration to mitigate the associated challenges,” Roger Hearne, act-ing general manager of Concor Opencast Mining, says. “For example, mining took place in close proximity to both mine in-frastructure and housing occupied by members of the local community. Great care had to be taken not to impact these structures and we achieved this by keeping the vibration from blasting to a minimum. In addition, blasting was only carried out twice a week, out of consideration for the local communities.
“At all times, we also had to be careful not to hole through to the mine’s under-ground workings. For this, we depended on existing surveys and worked closely with the mine surveyor to ensure that highwall positions were correct.”
At the end of the project, the team had achieved more than fi ve million fa-tality free hours – 1 196 LTI-free days,
GOLD & PGM
TOP Cleaning top of reef at Impala PlatinumBELOW Topsoil rehabilitation at Impala Platinum Pit 9 SouthOPPOSITE Overview of the opencast pit at Impala Platinum
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201424
Leadership for theMining Shop Steward
THREE SKILLS DRIVEN WORKSHOPS
Facilitated by:Facilitated by: Facilitated by:
KEY STRATEGIES TO BE DISCUSSED
1st Annual
-Reaching collaboration through strong leadership between the employer union and employee Date: 18 & 19 November 2014 Venue: Gold Reef City, Johannesburg
CONFIRMED SPEAKER FACULTY
earning several Impala Platinum and Concor Opencast Mining safety awards along the way. Hearne says this remark-able achievement can be attributed to the Murray & Roberts STOP.THINK.ACT 24/7 safety programme, together with the Bill of Rights and life-saving rules.
Weekly safety audits were carried out by Concor Open-cast Mining, while Impala Platinum undertook 40-day safety audits. Visible felt leadership was also part of the safety environment, aimed at infl uencing and transforming behaviour.
A total of 240 people worked on the 15 km pro-ject site. Equipment com-prised fi ve bulk excavators for overburden removal, six smaller excavators for clean-ing and extraction of the ore body, fi ve dozers for moving
overburden and top soil, 25 trucks on-site, three water carts and various ancil-lary support plant. A static jaw crusher serviced the southern pits during the project, while a mobile jaw crusher ser-viced the northern pits.
Concor Opencast Mining applied the strip-mining method, with average ad-vances of 30 metres wide. Th e team was also responsible for the complete drilling and blasting operation in all pits. Th e ore body was exposed, extracted and trans-ported to a rail siding 5 km away, where it was crushed and transported by rail to the plant for further processing. Haul-road maintenance was critical to minimise wear and tear on vehicles and ensure safety.
Th roughout the project, Concor Open-cast Mining maintained an active pres-ence in the mine’s local communities. Th e Concor Orphan Project was introduced in 2008, revolving primarily around the de-livery of food parcels to the three primary schools closest to the project site.
Th e company also employed a local, emerging sub-contracting company, which it mentored to successfully undertake the required top-soil rehabilitation. Personnel were trained in production methodology, on how to achieve targets, on costing and on safety issues.
“This project was tightly controlled throughout its duration to mitigate the associated challenges.”
GOLD & PGM
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 25
INFRASTRUCTURE
A fresh approach in The interface between mining and infrastructure is a key focus of newly formed Murray & Roberts Infrastructure. Gerhard Hope talks exclusively to managing director Eric Wisse.
THE INTEGRATION OF the Con-cor Civils and Concor Roads & Earthworks divisions of Murray & Roberts into a new division
known as Murray & Roberts Infrastruc-ture is bound to shake up the infrastruc-ture market locally and further afi eld, sending a strong message that South Af-rican players are keen on applying their skills and expertise to the current infra-structure defi cit.
“Especially where infrastructure and mining come together – that is where we fi nd we have been quite successful in the past,” says Wisse, former managing direc-tor of Concor Roads & Earthworks. “Tra-ditionally, we have been quite good at ini-tiating projects. We are normally the fi rst on-site. Th ere is a benefi t being in that space, especially going into Africa and fol-lowing a major mining client.”
A major focus in the South African min-ing industry at the moment is social hous-ing initiatives associated with major hous-ing projects. “We have looked at a couple of those,” confi rms Wisse. “What is of par-ticular interest to us is the infrastructure associated with such housing projects, from sewerage to roads and water.”
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201426
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 27
INFRASTRUCTURE
AfricaDistinct advantageSuch an emphasis on corporate social re-sponsibility and investment is a character-istic of the South African infrastructure market that gives local players a distinct advantage into venturing further afi eld into the region. “We understand the mar-ket very well, which attracts a lot of social investment,” says Wisse. Th is is in addi-tion to the general empowerment criteria that need to be adhered to.
While Wisse describes the current mar-ket conditions as “tough”, he notes that “in the last couple of months we have seen quite a bit of tender activity, which is a good sign. I think we are positive that bulk infrastructure projects will start happen-ing. From roads and dams to bulk water projects and rail, there is going to be a lot of action.”
Wisse explains the reasoning behind the establishment of the new division: “First of all, it was to create a new identity with-in the Murray & Roberts group, and then to create some clarity in terms of its infra-structure focus, as we were operating un-der the old Concor names.”
Resultant synergiesIn terms of the benefi ts, Wisse points to the resultant synergies. “It also creates savings on overheads so there is a lower cost base. I think there was also quite a bit of overlap in capacities. Both companies did similar work to a certain extent, and that duplication has been taken out now.”
Th e integration process was embarked upon in March, and has been largely com-pleted. “We are closing the fi nancial year at the end of June in the separate divisions and will report as the new integrated division
from July,” notes Wisse. He adds that the team has already been relocated in its combined offi ces, and is rearing to go. “Our major competitive ad-vantage is leveraging the lower
cost base, and providing a single point of contact for all civil infrastructure work, as well as a single Murray & Roberts brand for infrastructure.”
Th e integration has proceeded with re-markable speed, which is a testament to the group’s internal structure and process-es. “It was mainly the head offi ce structure that was aff ected; the operations were largely unaff ected, and are carrying on as
usual. It is about engaging with all stake-holders, and ensuring that everybody un-derstands the reason behind it, and why it makes business sense.
“Th e challenge going forward is to devel-op a new culture that takes the positives from both divisions, and to take that for-ward. Having a single entity that deals with all infrastructure projects makes it easier for clients to comprehend.”
Presence in AfricaWisse explains that Murray & Roberts Infrastructure falls under the Murray & Roberts Construction Africa and Middle East platform of the Murray & Roberts Group. Looking at Africa, the group has a
permanent presence in both Namibia and Botswana, with ongoing projects in both. “A big focus is the oil and gas industry in East Africa.” Wisse adds that the regional offi ces in Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana will be leveraged to bolster the group’s ca-pabilities and reach in this area.
“In the mining industry, both companies have done much work in mining infra-structure for various clients in iron ore, platinum, gold and coal. Th at remains a focus. We continue to assess opportu-nities in Africa. I think we have got a bit more of a focused approach now. We have identifi ed certain parts of the industry and certain parts of Africa where our real
focus lies, but wherever there is a real op-portunity, we will look at it. I think we are fl exible enough, and having those regional offi ces in Africa as well gives us good foot-ing to work from,” says Wisse.
Murray & Roberts Infrastructure will fo-cus on the full civil spectrum, from water to roads, rail and power stations. It is also involved in the burgeoning renewable en-ergy sector, having just completed a wind-farm project in Jeff reys Bay. “We are look-ing into solar energy and hydroelectric op-portunities as well,” confi rms Wisse. “Th at could provide some good base-load work over the foreseeable future. I think we are positioned quite nicely, with our base of diversifi ed experience.”
“Having regional offi ces in Africa gives us a good footing to work from.” Eric Wisse, MD, Murray & Roberts Infrastructure
OPPOSITE TOP Murray & Roberts Infrastructure’s scope of work for the project included the construction of 60 concrete foundations for the wind turbines
OPPOSITE Earthworks in progress at the local siding and the main access road on the Kolomela contract in the Northern Cape
RIGHT Rapid progress was made by the company on the multi-million rand contract at Transnet Capital Projects’ City Deep Container Terminal which included the construction of new concrete paving, civil services and electrical lighting
INFRASTRUCTURE
IN FACT, in order to further expand on the mining industry at present, an entire town situated within this prov-ince’s borders is being relocated to al-
low for such expansion. Making a remark-able contribution to this process is Africa’s leading manufacturer of prefabricated buildings, Kwikspace Modular Buildings.
Th e town, formerly known as Sishen, was renamed Dingleton in 1990 and was originally established in the early 1950s to accommodate local miners working at Sishen mine – a large iron mine, which represents one of the largest iron ore re-serves in the country.
Although the area has signifi cant po-tential for further iron ore mining, it has been limited by the fact that the town of Dingleton is situated a mere 500 m away from the mine’s opencast boundary, which is the minimum required blasting distance from human settlements accord-ing to legislation. It is for this reason, to
Dingleton on the move
allow for mining in the buff er zone, that the community is being relocated to the Northern Cape town of Kathu, approxi-mately 30 km away.
Further supporting the reasoning be-hind the relocation is that residents’ quali-ty of life was negatively aff ected due to the proximity of the mining activity. In addition, in-vestment in the town subsided as the prospect of resettlement had originally been put on the table over 20 years ago. Following this, businesses vacated the area, leaving little room for growth potential apart from mining.
Th e processes, which have been followed in order to reach the point of relocation, have been extensive and have involved input from the community. Now that the ball is rolling and to ensure the most
effi cient move takes place, also consider-ing the housing needs of the construction team involved, building solutions that are speedily completed are essential to the success thereof.
Having successfully completed numer-ous large-scale accommodation projects throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Kwik-space has earned its reputation as a re-liable and highly competent supplier of rapidly deployed buildings and thus was contracted to supply prefabricated hous-ing in Kathu for the construction team involved with the town relocation.
Kwikspace is thus currently involved with the erection of a 1 000 person camp, which includes the supply of 129 prefab-ricated accommodation units, as well as a kitchen and diner measuring 1 464 m², a mobile recreation building measuring 164 m², 20 change rooms and ablution units and two site offi ces measuring 141 m² each. Th e prefab housing project was initiated in mid-March and Kwikspace anticipates completion of the camp by the end of June 2014.
Due to the robust nature of Kwikspace’s products, which are manufactured using polyurethane panels, the construction team can look forward to comfortable ac-commodation as temperatures are excel-lently controlled, noise is reduced and the
ingress of dust, water and insects is prevented.
Roberto Cam-pos, sales exec-utive for Kwik-space Modular
Buildings, comments: “Although this is a massive project, we fortunately have over 40 years’ experience on our side, which makes the magnitude thereof less daunting and more exciting. We are confident that our contribution to this project will have a positive impact on the development of the mining industry in this area.”
Kwikspace has successfully completed numerous large-scale accommodation projects throughout sub-Saharan Africa
“We fortunately have over 40 years’
experience on our side.”
A province rich in minerals and profitable investment opportunities, the Northern Cape is seeing mining developments gain ground both literally and figuratively.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201428
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 29
INFRASTRUCTURE
The project calls for one bifurcated and one trifurcated main fan station, incorporating two and three axial fl ow fans respectively, powered by 315 kW motors
THIS FOLLOWS THE successful commissioning of two surface main fan stations delivered on a turnkey basis at the end of 2013.
BBE Projects is a division of consulting engineering company Bluhm Burton Engi-neering. Th e team is on track to commis-sion the new fan stations in January 2015.
Th e second order is identical to the fi rst, calling for one bifurcated and one trifur-cated main fan station, incorporating two and three axial fl ow fans respectively, pow-ered by 315 kW motors. As with the fi rst order, the scope includes all structural, mechanical and electrical engineering de-sign and specifi cations, all steel ducting, buildings, fan mechanicals, electric drives, instrumentation and control systems, as well as construction of the raise bore ven-tilation shaft collars and application of ground stabilisation around each collar.
Formal construction of the WBJV Project 1 platinum mine – a shallow, high-grade deposit – began in 2010. First production through the North twin decline system is scheduled to ramp up through 2015, with
Huge fans of Maseve
a targeted full 20-month ramp up to 160 000 tpm run-of-mine nameplate capacity. Two identical twin declines with immedi-ate access to high-grade ore are necessary to extract the most fl exibility and value from the ore body.
DRA is EPCM contractorIn collaboration with DRA, the primary EPCM contractor for the mine’s surface development, BBE Projects has planned the construction of the surface main fan stations in such a way that several tasks are executed simultaneously, ensuring the best possible delivery date.
Environmental issues needing particu-lar attention on these projects include mitigating the impact of noise and dust on the local farming community. Power during construction is being provided by on-site generators.
“BBE Projects has forged an excellent long-term relationship with DRA through our consultancy work, and we are delight-ed to be working alongside them on turn-key projects for the fi rst time,” says BBE
Projects managing director Richard Gun-dersen. “Th is further entrenches our total fan station capability in the market place, and builds on other successful turnkey projects executed for major platinum and coal clients.”
Turnkey serviceBBE Projects was created in response to in-creasing client demand for a full-spectrum turnkey contracting service in the fi eld of mine ventilation, refrigeration and cool-ing. Its team comprises mechanical, elec-trical, civil, process and project engineers, with experience gained in the world’s deepest mines, across a range of commodi-ties, supported by draughting, fi nance and administration personnel.
BBE Projects focuses specifi cally on de-livering complete and turnkey systems to mining sector clients. Th e company is structured to deliver turnkey projects in-corporating the design, supply, construc-tion, commissioning and process perfor-mance guarantee of complete surface and underground ventilation, refrigeration and cooling systems.
Particular areas of expertise include refrigeration and air cooling stations, energy saving schemes, thermal storage installations, main fan control and mon-itoring systems. All manner of projects are undertaken, from greenfi eld sites to plant extensions and upgrades. Being to-tally independent, BBE Projects is able to off er the optimal solution using the best combination of selected equipment from a variety of suppliers.
BBE Projects has clinched an order for additional fan stations at Platinum Group Metals’ (PTM) Maseve project, being built by the Western Bushveld Joint Venture (WBJV).
1 200 tonne trusses at Sentinel copper mineVanguard, South Africa’s heavy-lift specialist, has just completed its heaviest strand-jacking lift to date. The heaviest lift of its type ever done in the region.
INFRASTRUCTURE
TWO PREFABRICATED con-veyor trusses in excess of 1 200 tonnes each have been lifted from their assembly po-
sition at ground level to their working position at a height of approximately 50 m above the ground.
The conveyors form part of the new plant currently being constructed by First Quantum Minerals at its Sentinel copper mine site near Mwinilunga in north-west Zambia.
Using four 418 tonne strand jacks with an integrated computer control system, the two conveyor trusses (one 80 m and the other 67 m in length) were hoisted in a ‘synchro-nised lift’ into position.
Each lift took less than a week to complete, and the project was successfully completed in early
ABOUT THE COMPANYVanguard is a South African company specialising in the transport, lifting, placing and assembly of heavy plant across all industries. Vanguard was established 40 years ago and completed its fi rst strand-jack lift in 2005.
May by Vanguard’s six-member, on-site team. Ron Wiggill, Vanguard’s heavy-lift engineer and senior project manager for the operation, explains: “In conjunction with First Quantum’s projects office in Australia, we had – prior to the start of the on-site works – been involved in the design of the system for almost one year.
“In addition to the huge weight, the project was made more challenging by the extreme tolerances to which we had to work and fit the conveyor sections,” says Wiggill.
The project was made more challenging by the extreme tolerances needed to be able to fi t the conveyor sections
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201430
Mining firms head north
AGAINST A BACKDROP of waning investor appetite in the South African mining industry, Murray & Rob-erts Cementation has set its sights on realising the po-tential for growth it has identifi ed in the greater Afri-
can market. Th is focus has led to a formal African growth strategy that has already seen a pleasing growth in the compa-ny’s order book from African operations, which currently constitutes about 25% of its turnover.
“With the action in the mining indus-try moving north and the next ore bod-ies to be exploited located in other African countries, we initi-ated a study to evaluate the potential in these countries,” Chris Sheppard, managing director of Murray & Roberts Cementa-tion, says. “This involved gaining an understanding of the risk, logistical constraints and potential clients in each country and has resulted in a hub-and-spoke strategy that we believe will steadily grow our business on the continent.
“In recent times we’ve established representative offices in Ghana to serve clients in West Africa and in Zambia as a Central African base, as well as an office in Maputo, Mo-zambique, in anticipation of significant infrastructure work expected to flow from the coal-mining industry in the Tete province. It’s satisfying to see that we already have three major projects in Zambia, while we are actively seeking work in the DRC, having secured an in-country partner to identify potential underground mining projects. At the same time, we’re targeting prospects in Ghana and Mauritania.”
Sheppard adds that Murray & Roberts Cementation differ-entiates itself through its ability to enter into internal joint ventures with international sister companies in the Murray & Roberts Group, notably in Australia and Canada, to add real value to projects. For example, the company is poised to engage with a project in Mauritania in JV with Cemen-tation Canada, which, among other resources, has provided the necessary key personnel proficient in French.
“With the downturn in mining in Western Australia, the competition for African projects from Australia has in-creased, while China is also making its presence felt on the continent,” he continues. “With access to trackless mining expertise from our sister company in Australia, Murray & Roberts Cementation is, however, well able to compete by adding an Australian flavour to our African bids, while our competitive edge against the Chinese lies on the quality side of the equation.
Access to our group’s Global Underground Mining Plat-form provides us with world-leading shaft-sinking skills out of Canada. “We are also differentiated by the Murray &
The action in the mining industry is moving north, with the next ore bodies to be exploited located beyond SA’s borders.
Roberts Cementation Training Academy at Bentley Park, near Carletonville. This Mining Qualifications Authority-accredited facility is unique in the contracting space, giving our personnel the matchless opportunity to learn best-practice mining and
shaft-sinking skills by working on full-scale mock-ups and sim-ulators. They acquire these skills in a controlled environment free of noise, environmental hostility or the pressure of pro-duction targets.
“With the downturn in W Australia, the competition for African projects from Australia has increased.” Chris Sheppard, MD, Murray & Roberts Cementation
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 31
INFRASTRUCTURE
INFRASTRUCTURE
FIRE TRUCKS 4 Africa and Am-bulances 4 Export are two com-panies with one business concept in mind: to provide a complete
solution for supplying emergency vehi-cles and equipment anywhere in Africa and elsewhere.
Th e two companies have over 30 years’ experience in Africa, and have supplied new and pre-owned emergency vehicles to mines and industry all over the continent. With offi ces in South Africa and premises in the UK, they are in a good position to provide a solution to any emergency man-agement requirements.
New fi re trucks are built on most Euro-pean chassis, including Mercedes, Sca-nia, MAN and Iveco. It can supply any-thing from fast response vehicles to 8 x 8 heavy-duty fi refi ghting vehicles. Pre-owned vehicles are sourced from the UK fi re brigade and military-replacement pro-grammes. All are tested and checked prior to export. Most makes can be converted to left-hand drive if required.
New right-hand drive ambulances are built and supplied from the Cape Town factory. New left-hand drive ambulanc-es are available and can be built to spec-ifi cation. Pre-owned ambulances are
Complete solution for emergency vehicles
EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE• Fire trucks• airport crash tenders• ambulances• ex-military vehicles• 4 x 4s and all-terrain vehicles• fi re-fi ghting equipment• rescue equipment• plant and equipment• airport equipment• protective clothing.
available from the UK for right-hand drive and from Germany for left-hand drive vehicles.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201432
INFRASTRUCTURE
DUBAI-BASED ALTAAQA Global Cat Rental Power, a global provider of temporary power solutions, has recent-
ly opened a branch in Nairobi, Kenya to serve the East Africa territory.
The new office will cater to several countries, including Tanzania, Rwan-da, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea.
Peter den Boogert, general manager of Altaaqa Global, says: “Business activities in the East Africa region are flourishing, with its economies thriving in recent years, resulting in an increased demand for power.
“At Altaaqa Global, our aim is to be on the ground as quickly as possible when customers require our energy solutions.
Our new branch will enable us to reach this region faster than before. We realise that our industry is driven by emergen-cy needs and hard deadlines, but uses equipment that requires substantial lead times to acquire,” says Den Boogert. “With the combined fleet of our sister company in Saudi Arabia, Altaaqa Glob-al has about 1 400 MW of rental power readily available so that we can focus our efforts on rapid deployment and cus-tomer satisfaction.”
Steven Meyrick, board representative of Altaaqa Global, commentes: “This strategic expansion is in line with our vision to be the leading and the most preferred temporary power solutions provider before 2020.
During our geographic expansion, we will continue to heavily invest in human
Altaaqa Global in Africaresources, further improve our business processes, and expand and diversify our fleet of Cat power generators.
“We now have the capability to provide power plants running on various fuel, such as piped natural gas (PNG), lique-fied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), flare gas, diesel, dual-fuel (70% gas and 30% diesel), and, very soon, heavy fuel oil (HFO),” says Meyrick.
“East Africa has a promising economic outlook within the energy and engineer-ing sectors,” says Majid Zahid, strategic accounts director of Altaaqa Global.
Majid Zahid says in conclusion: “We are delighted to open our new office to provide interim power plants ranging in size and with the latest technology in power generation.”
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 33
At the topof its gameFrom work at Eskom’s Medupi and Kusile power stations to a new smokestack at Syama in Mali, Skyriders is constantly and literally at the top of its game. By Gerhard Hope
ESTABLISHED IN 1999, Skyrid-ers has built up a solid reputation for work-at-height solutions, rope-access aided inspection and
non-destructive testing (NDT). “Basically we do absolutely anything off a rope, as opposed to using scaff olding, cranes or man baskets,” says marketing manager Mike Zinn. Th is ranges from basic to spe-cialist maintenance to welding, the appli-cation of corrosion and other protective coatings, rigging and bolting.
“We are in the process of building up our NDT inspection side,” confi rms Zinn, ex-plaining that a new inspection manager was recruited in June, whose main focus will be to drive this segment of the busi-ness for major customers such as Sasol and Eskom. “We already do a lot of inspec-tions for them, but if we can do more it will be benefi cial to us.”
Th e mining industry itself is a major growth area for Skyriders, from installing lifelines at Anglo Coal’s Isibonelo colliery to smokestack maintenance for Palabora Mining Company in Phalaborwa. “Th ere is defi nitely major potential in the rest of Africa.” Zinn adds that the current mining
LEFT Skyriders has garnered considerable expertise over 15 years
BELOW Skyriders prides itself on the skills and accreditation of its workers
OPPOSITE FROM TOP Skyriders will do absolutely anything off of a rope
A cooling-tower inspection underway
A common misconception surrounding rope access is that it is a hazardous and uncontrolled work practice
INFRASTRUCTURE
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201434
market has allowed the company to off er its broad client base “a good alternative in times of recession.” A key example of this is utilising Skyriders’ specialist services to slash costs on scaff olding, where “often it is a case of building a R120 000 scaff old tower to carry out a R10 000 project.”
Safe, cost-effective solutionZinn says the idea is to promote rope ac-cess as a safe, reliable and cost-eff ective solution. “We have garnered considerable expertise and experience over the last 15 years. It is incredibly safe. Th e Institute for Work at Height has now offi cially adopted the ISO standards for rope access, which means that the old SANS standards have now been superseded.” Skyriders prides itself on its experience and accreditation, with most of its project managers boasting a Level 3 classifi cation, which is the high-est rope-access qualifi cation attainable in South Africa.
Level 1 is a six-day course, comprising both theory and practical, ranging from basic self-rescue manoeuvres to ascend-ing and descending and transferring from one rope to another. A candidate is only allowed to apply for Level 2 after having completed 1 000 hours, which has to be verifi ed by a Level 3 technician. “Level 3 is quite complex, comprising advanced top-ics such as aerial ropeways, intricate rig-ging and pulley systems, and complex res-cues.” Zinn says that Level 3 technicians have sole responsibility for all rope-access operations on-site.
“Mining is defi nitely an area where we would like to grow. It is a diffi cult mar-ket, from the point of view that the mines have done things their way for a long time, and generally have the impres-sion that rope access is dangerous, which it is defi nitely not.” Zinn explains that Skyriders has a long-term strategy for the mining industry.
“Th at was our fi rst major large-scale mining project, helping them inspect and get rid of build-up in the raw ore miner-al silos. Basically our services come into play wherever there is work at height or confi ned spaces. It does not even have to be that high, just be high enough to war-rant scaff olding, with our service able to beat the time delays associated with erect-ing and dismantling that scaff olding,” explains Zinn.
In terms of its scope of services for Es-kom, this mainly involves inspection of the coal bunkers or silos. “Eskom usually has a very narrow window to carry out
these types of maintenance inspections before they need to replenish the coal bunker or silo again, in or-der to continue feeding the power station. What this means is that essentially be-fore the fi rst three decks of scaff olding can be erected, we are already fi nished with our inspection,” says Zinn.
Th e rope-access sector is divided into a highly com-petitive commercial sphere, from painting to window washing, building wraps and advertising hoardings, to the more specialised in-dustrial side, which itself has a further highly ad-vanced niche in terms of the off shore oil and gas sector. “Th ey do all sorts of tasks on fl oating platforms and rigs.”
Medupi and KusileZinn confi rms that Skyrid-ers has teams at both Medu-pi and Kusile, who are car-rying out a range of tasks, from installing safety sys-tems to rigging, bolting and torque verifi cation, painting and inspection. “A lot of the work that we do at Medupi and Kusile involves assist-ing non-rope-access, quali-fi ed riggers from other com-panies in positioning their rigging equipment so that they can rig and move duct-ing, piping and steelwork into place,” he explains.
Looking at current pro-jects, the company is about to undertake a welding con-tract at Mittal in Newcastle. “Th is work will be a chal-lenge, as it will be the fi rst time it will ever have been done this way. However, we are confi dent that our ap-proach will work and open doors for us,” comments Zinn.
He points to the new smokestack for the Syama gold mine in Mali, completed in July 2013. Skyriders was contracted originally in 2009 by Resolute Mining of Australia to carry out inspections and maintenance-related repairs on another smokestack.
Th e latest project required the company to assist in building the new smokestack from scratch, which entailed a seven-man team bolting the components together, and adding ladders and platforms as the smokestack progressed vertically.
In Mali, the client was unable to mobi-lise a crane to lift the smokestack compo-nents, so a system was designed and en-gineered to accomplish this in sections.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 35
INFRASTRUCTURE
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201436
HEALTH & SAFETY
New paradigmBOOYCO’S BIOMETRIC key
unit is the ideal solution where controlled access to moveable items, such as earthmoving
and mining equipment, blasting boxes and carts, as well as conveyor starter pan-els and sub-stations, is essential. It elim-inates the injudicious borrowing of keys or access cards, thereby limiting access to sensitive and critical equipment. Th e sys-tem requires dual verifi cation through a smart card containing the user’s detailed information and fi ngerprint scanning.
When the user presents his fi ngerprint to the reader, he is requested to present his card to the key unit. Only once the user’s identity and credentials have been authenticated, will they be permitted to open up boxes or start-up equipment.
Information such as the user’s red tick-et, vehicle licence, induction certifi ca-tion and other work-related credentials are stored on a MIFARE proximity card. Should any of this information be invalid due to expiry of certifi cates or possible suspensions, he will not be permitted to access the specifi c equipment. In addi-tion, such a registration failure, together with other access data captured during log-in transactions, will be stored on the system for future downloading.
Tamper-proof systemTh e tamper-proof system is housed in a robust metallic case. With an IP54 rating, it is suited to harsh mining con-ditions, with an intrinsically safe unit available for use in hazardous areas. An Ethernet connection provides fast and
A trend in mining is the use of biometrics to control access to earthmoving, blasting and other mining equipment. Managing director Anton Lourens tells Gerhard Hope how Booyco Electronics is pioneering such developments.
seamless communication with computers and networks, allowing the rapid down-load of data for analysis. Up to 100 000 access registrations can be stored on the system before downloading to a PC is re-quired, making it ideal for deployment on remote sites.
“Th e use of the Booyco biometric key unit on mine sites will result in enhanced control and accessibility to equipment that requires careful management. In addition to its obvious usefulness in protecting moveable equipment, we anticipate that the system will be adopted underground in other control environments, such as ex-plosive magazines and underground sub-stations,” says Lourens.
Th e company is active throughout the mining industry, with customers from
Rustenburg (platinum) to Witbank (coal) and the Free State (gold). “We have been very fortunate to have such a range of customers,” says Lourens, adding that not only has it deepened Booyco’s mar-ket penetration, but it has allowed it to remain fl exible in responding to diverse customer needs.
Core focus“Our core focus is electronic safety equip-ment. We do not supply run-of-the-mill products such as roof bolts or personal protection equipment. What we often fi nd is that our customers drive us into specifi c product areas, such as our cur-rent innovation of biometric key con-trol. A concern for the mining industry at present is unlicensed people operating machinery, due to the health and safety implications,” says Lourens.
Booyco’s client list includes the top min-ing houses in South Africa, from Anglo
“The use of the Booyco biometric key unit on mine sites will result in enhanced control of accessibility to equipment that requires careful management.” Anton Lourens, managing director, Booyco
Booyco Electronics biometric control system
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 37
American to Rio Tinto. It is these major players who are highly receptive to innovation and technology. Th e com-pany was established originally in 2006 to supply collision warning equipment for Anglo American’s thermal coal di-vision. “Th e particular product we support has actually been designed and manufactured in collaboration between South Africa and Germany. We are currently in our fourth generation of equipment. It has been implemented quite successfully.”
Lourens says that Booyco remains a proudly South African company, and has subsequently designed a range of local products, focusing on telemetry, gas detection and environ-mental monitoring, which it believes are quite critical in the mining industry. Th e company currently employs 150 staff , and is ISO 9001 accredited.
Commitment to innovation“Our biggest customer contact base on a person-to-person level is the engineering staff , as they are often the fi rst to come into contact with problems on the ground in need of specifi c solutions. Our approach is that if one custom-er experiences a particular problem, then the probability is quite high that the next customer will encounter a similar problem. We are really committed to innovation in this re-gard. We spend quite a big portion of our annual turnover and profi t on R&D and continuous product improvement,” says Lourens.
Booyco also plays a vital role in promoting best practice in terms of health and safety in the mining industry. With new legislation imminent in respect of collision warning systems in particular, Lourens notes that more and more vendors have entered the market in the hope of being able to supply products.
“We have seen a lot of new entrants from Australia, the US and Germany. As far as that is concerned, South Africa is definitely leading the way globally, in terms of interven-tion in a possible incident between operator and machine.” Booyco’s development of collision-warning systems is also dovetailing with the general trend in the mining in-dustry to opt for increased mechanisation, automation and control.
Groundbreaking R&DLourens comments that the work being done by Booyco at the moment in this regard “is fairly groundbreaking,” and has made the local mining industry sit up and take notice. “Th e mining industry does not necessarily want to trial new technology due to the cost and production implications; they prefer instead to appoint a solutions provider.” Th is is where Booyco comes into its own, as it forms a vital bridge between OEM equipment and total systems.
“Our approach with the collision-warning systems has al-ways been to be able to adapt the same equipment for mul-tiple functions, such as for proper access control, for exam-ple. Obviously cost is a major driver here, as mining hous-es do not want to double up on unnecessary technology. Ultimately we are seeing a trend for single, multifunction solutions from a dedicated technology and service provider such as ourselves. We are really committed to off ering com-prehensive one-stop solutions,” says Lourens.
COLLISION WARNINGSYSTEMS
INTRINSICALLYSAFE SOLUTIONS
INDUSTRIALNETWORKING,
TELEMETRY,MONITORING AND
CONTROL SOLUTIONS
ENVIRONMENTALSENSORING
INSTRUMENTS
ASSET MANAGEMENTAND SOLUTIONS
THE MININGINDUSTRY
TRUSTSBOOYCO
ELECTRONICSTO PUTIT ALL
TOGETHER!
0861 BOOYCO(0861 266926)
+2711 823 6842 • www.booyco-electronics.co.za
Protecting
what
matters most
A global leader in the manufacture and supply of safety products since 1914, MSA offers a
comprehensive range of reliable and comfortable safety solutions that exceed industry standards.
Experience, on-going research and development ensure we keep you protected from harm.
We get you home safely
Supplied Air Respirators & Escape Devices
Air-purifying Respirators
Head, Eye & Hearing Protection
Fall Protection
Thermal Imaging
Portable Gas Detection
Permanent Gas Detection
Because every life has a purpose... Phone: 0861 SAFETY | +27 11 610-2600 | www.MSAsafety.com
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201438
A first-of-its-kind Luminator cap lamp, set to eliminate the hazards of reduced visibility in South African underground mining operations, has officially been launched by MSA Africa.
HEALTH & SAFETY
THE sub-Saharan sales leader for MSA, José Peral notes that the
Luminator sets itself apart from all other cap lamps in the world, as it features a number of groundbreaking in-novations set to dramatically improve visibility and personal safety for South African underground miners.
“A major feature is that it enhances the miner’s ability to more eff ectively detect cracks on hanging walls, which usually represent signs of ground falls and roof collapse. By swiftly identifying these cracks, miners save valuable seconds and are able to evacuate in the event of a rock fall,” says Peral.
Th is improved visibility is made pos-sible by two state-of-the-art LEDs. Th e working beam is emitted by an OSLON SSL 150 high-class LED and works through an internal refl ection and refrac-tion lens, which creates homogenous and halo-free light. In combination with its colour temperature, identifying cracks on hanging walls or seam layers is simplifi ed with the MSA Luminator cap.
Functionality buttonAn easy-to-fi nd functionality button al-lows the user to switch between three modes, namely; working light narrow beam, peripheral light and walking light. “Th e extended walking light illuminates the two-step walking distance in front of the user, which increases the worker’s comfort and underground safety by re-ducing injuries caused by tripping or slip-ping due to insuffi cient light,” says MSA Africa product manager Tshepo Lebona.
Th e Luminator cap lamp also boasts MSA’s LiFePO 4 lithium-ion battery pack technology, which ensures that working light is able to run for more than 36 hours, well above the industry average of 24
hours. It also provides an additional 100 hours of emergency light, which is essen-tial, as trapped miners are provided with
suffi cient light to make their way to a safe area to await rescue.
Th e LiFePO 4 battery pack is protected against deep discharge and has a life cy-
cle of 1 000 discharge and charge cycles, with the battery
capacity main-taining up to 80 per cent nom-
inal capacity. A Luminator cap
lamp that has been used for a 12-hour
shift can be recharged within four hours, while
a fully fl at battery can be re-charged within ten hours.
Cable management solutionTh e MSA Luminator cap lamp also features a world-fi rst cable management solution that can be adjusted easily between 1 m and 1.6 m to minimise the risk of hooking on obstacles that may cause serious injury to the miner. Th e headpiece weighs only 160 g for extended wearer comfort.
Th e MSA Luminator cap lamp can be clipped easily onto any type of hardhat, and each unit comes standard with a ra-dio frequency identifi cation tag that can be used for asset control. Th e positioning also allows for enough clearance to attach earmuff s to the helmet, if necessary.
Illuminating the way
HEALTH & SAFETY
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 39
MINING EQUIPMENT pro-viders can be held liable for damages in the event of an accident occurring
in a mine where insuffi cient information was supplied by the company on the safe use of machinery, or if instructions were incorrect or equipment supplied is found to be unsafe.
It remains the onus of the equipment supplier to ensure documentation and instructions on the safe use of the equip-ment are presented to the mine at hand-over and that all paperwork is correct. Similarly, suppliers of custom-made or complex machinery, where no instructions are available, need to ensure the necessary on-site training is supplied and that oper-ators are suffi ciently trained to ensure the equipment can be safely used.
Th is is a potential pitfall for scores of smaller suppliers who supply customised and one-off type machines to the mines without due consideration being paid to the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA). Speaking at a recent Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Afri-ca (Aspasa) workshop, legal expert Cecil Naude said that all companies within the mining supply chain need to pay attention to their obligations according to the act.
Safety first“Section 21 Act 29 of 1996 states that any person who supplies any article for use at a mine must ensure that it is safe and without risk to the health and safe-ty of workers when used properly. In the case of equipment being resold by a third party supplier (reseller), the manufacturer
importer, designer and so on. is absolved of responsibility if they have informed the reseller and taken specifi c steps to ensure (as far as possible) that the item is safe and without risk to health and safety when used properly and that it complies with all prescribed requirements.”
Naude concluded that mining compa-nies and suppliers alike need to be aware of stipulations in the MHSA and take the necessary steps to ensure compliance.
Alternatively they run the risk of prose-cution or civil litigation in the event of loss of property or earnings of life as a result on non-compliance or negligence.
Aspasa is working with authorities and role-players to ensure compliance with legal and statutory requirements of its members and affi liated companies, accord-ing to Naude.
Mining suppliers beware
Effective training that engages all levels of employees on a mine and quarry, and positively influences their attitude towards mine health and safety is important to reduce accidents and maintain a healthier workforce.
SO SAYS Nico Pienaar, director of the Aggregate and Sand Pro-ducers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), encouraging
quarry owners to fi nd ways of training staff in a manner that makes them want to be part of broader initiatives to reduce health-and-safety-related incidents both at company and on an industry-wide level.
While standard-type training in the form of lectures and videos is commonplace in the industry, more eff ort should be taken to identify ways of actually engaging work-forces across diff erent cultures and inspire them to implement what they are learning into their own routines and workplaces.
“It is important to note that only about 10% of what is learned on a normal train-ing course is retained (and applied) by peo-ple once they return to their workplace. In the context of health and safety, this is an unacceptably low percentage, as every sin-gle aspect of this type of training should
Training for safer mines
be applied in order to make a diff erence in the workplace.
“Th is clearly indicates that the type of training off ered to workers should there-fore not be ‘standard’ and needs to appeal to people on an individual basis in order to provide them with a deeper understand-ing of topics and how these topics relate to themselves and their colleagues in
the workplace.“Health and
safety train-ing therefore needs to be developed to e n c o u r a g e i n d i v i d u a l participation,
provide practical examples and appeal to an individual’s sense of responsibili-ty in order to ensure better retention of learned material.
“Th ey should be able to visualise what they are being taught and, given practical ways of applying it to their own workspace, make it eff ective. Th ey should also feel empowered to apply whatever they have learned to their own situations and should be given examples of how they can do so. For example, the importance of maintain-ing a neat environment and then be given real-life examples of how to organise their
workspace and provide safe, convenient storage for their tools,” says Pienaar.
He adds that scenarios need to be given that relate directly to the workers so that they can apply their own life experiences and identify behaviours that they have ap-plied in the past. Once back at the work-place, they should be required to practice what they have learned in a positive and supportive way, which will help with the retention of learned material.
Post-training follow-ups are therefore an essential part of any training program and should be checked by those responsible for the initial training, as well as encouraged by line managers and driven by senior management as a custodian of safety and health of workers. “Everyone should take part. Even senior managers should be ac-tively participate and be part of the com-pany’s drive to improve health and safety.”
In addition, the association seeks to ac-tively support training initiatives in order to reduce health-and-safety-related inci-dents in mines to acceptable levels.
“We encourage active training pro-grammes at our sites and provide regular information and best practices whenever they become available so that we can work towards the industry’s goal of zero fatali-ties and zero harm by 2020,” say Pienaar in conclusion.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201440
HEALTH & SAFETY
“Only about 10% of what is learned on a normal training course is retained.” Nico Pienaar, director, Aspasa
Many SolutionsFLSmidth is your One Source for crushing, grinding, classifying, thickening,
clarifying, slurry handling, flotation, mine shaft systems, pyroprocessing, material
handling, automation, screens, centrifuges and complementary products,
engineering, metallurgical testing and modernisation services. FLSmidth offers
you a complete line of equipment and services with proven reliability and
enhancing performance from the leading brand names of ABON, Buffalo, CEntry,
Pneumapress, RAHCO, Raptor, Roymec, Shriver, Summit Valley, Technequip and
WEMCO.
Enjoy increased recoveries while saving time and money on your next project! Let
us help you tackle your specific requirements.
For more information contact us
www.flsmidth.com
One Source
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201442
NOW THAT THE wages strike in the platinum sector by the As-sociation of Mineworkers and Construction Union is fi nally
over, the real work begins, says Bloomberg. “Th ere is so much work to be done in this area. Besides the breach of trust and loss of faith, production is now behind and every-one has to make up for lost time and mon-ey. It is a recipe for disaster.
“With all the problems that the mining industry faces, I think a site psychologist can play a hugely supportive role. In fact, I cannot believe this has not happened sooner. we are dealing with such a crisis. It is imperative, moving towards the fu-ture, that there is a role for a psychologist to play.”
Bloomberg explains that the term ‘site psychologist’ evolved gradually over the seven years she has been travelling to dif-ferent sites in South Africa and Namibia. “Someone along the way started calling me ‘the site shrink’. I think that is how the name started. It has also becomes a joke on-site when I arrive. Th is alone lifts the energy.”
Bloomberg says that the role of ‘site psychologist’ has grown from initially just doing training to a broader range of duties. “I have written my own job de-scription,” she says. A site psychologist diff ers from an industrial psychologist, who works more in the corporate envi-ronment, whereas a human resource spe-cialist deals more with employment con-tracts and assists with demobilisations, industrial relations, performance reviews and in-house training.
The site psychologist
HEALTH & SAFETY
are able to build trust with an outside per-son, knowing that I am not a permanent staff member; I work by myself and am contracted to a place for a certain period of time. I am not a threat and they know I cannot break confi dentiality.”
Emotional intelligenceTh e site psychologist must also be able to conduct emotional intelligence assess-ments in order to provide an outline of the strengths and weaknesses of workers and management, and how this impacts on the overall site. Th en there is the issue of debriefi ng in the event of any accidents or deaths. “I was on hand to debrief a group after two died in a tragic bus accident. I have also been on hand many times when a family member has died or when some-one is struggling at work.”
Another critical aspect of the job is being able to deal with poor performance, which often means understanding the underly-ing causes or stressors. “A head of depart-ment once wanted to get rid of a female site engineer. He felt that she was useless. In a last-ditch attempt he asked me talk to her. Turns out her seven-month-old baby had swine fl u. Once I got her the support she needed, she thrived, and has since become one of that company’s most productive engineers.”
Despite all the careful planning and training, Bloomberg says that often an im-portant crisis or fl ashpoint will take prec-edence, or someone needs to talk to her urgently. “So the day never turns out how you planned.” In addition to assisting ordi-nary employees, she also has to be able to
Charissa Bloomberg is a self-styled ‘site psychologist’, with experience from mine sites to power stations, having just fi nished an 18-month contract at Medupi power station. By Gerhard Hope
Personal level“I think that a site psychologist should know all the psychological issues that come from working on-site, whether it is mining or construction. On a personal level, it is very diffi cult for employees, as many live away from their families and go home once a month, or sometimes are away for much longer. Th is puts a strain on any family relationship. Th e divorce rate is high, so are the levels of alcohol consump-tion. Th us having a full in-depth knowl-edge of employees’ personal challenges is crucial.”
Bloomberg explains that her fi rst ac-tion as a site psychologist is to conduct a thorough needs analysis. “Sometimes mini team builds are needed between the site engineers and foremen due to a dis-connect between these two groups; other times it is the burning issue of anger man-agement. Everyone is so stressed that they lose their tempers. Pushing production is very stressful, especially if you are not making target.”
Th e site psychologist also needs to be sen-sitive to motivation levels on a particular site. “Morale can be low, or there can be a manager, leader or contracts director who is micro-managing staff and who does not treat people with respect. Th e morale just drops, like it does before demobilisation.”
Of course, a site psychologist must also be ready to be everyone’s personal psy-chologist. “Besides the training and team builds that I do, I also mentor people who want to improve their anger issues or their management styles. But I also open my door to staff ’s personal problems. People
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 43
deliver results, proving oneself as a white woman in a man’s world is also exciting, but comes with pressures.
“I had to prove myself initially and it was hard.” Bloomberg says she can get up to 16 sullen, hostile men walking into her train-ing room at any given time, from HSE and site engineers to foremen, questioning why they were procrastinat-ing when they had to oversee a multimillion dollar con-struction or mining pro-ject. “I have to win them over and get them to enjoy themselves,” says Bloomberg.
“I have had to work hard. I have devised a fun way of training that has nothing to do with Powerpoint presentations, but instead incorporates lots of roleplaying, sharing, brainstorming and even devis-ing songs that incorporates the values that they want to uphold in their teams.”
Cultural diffuserBloomberg says that while she has learnt a smidgeon of Xhosa, her main cultur-al diff user is humour. “I make the men laugh in training. I swear with them and catch them off guard. I take their side and help make their life easier in every way I can on-site.
“Of course, I have learnt to stand up for myself. In fact, I have become fearless. I pop into offices, see individuals between training, and push hard to get changes. I am on-site for a week, and in that time I set my own targets for what needs to get done. I have had to learn to put up boundaries, and yet be caring and help-
ful. My motto is that I am there to ‘uplift, inspire and motivate’,” says Bloomberg.
Perhaps the biggest problem, surprisingly, is poor leadership
and management on-site. Th is can create a powder keg of simmering stress, anger and low morale. “I understand leaders have a huge responsibility, but you get more from employees if you treat them with respect. I can arrive on-site and do a walkabout, and immediately feel the energy of the place. Usually this is close-ly related to leadership and how the site is managed.”
Although each mining and construc-tion site can be a study in contrasts, Bloomberg says that “the basic human element is the same. You have people struggling with the same problems, wherever you are.”
“With all the problems that the mining industry
faces, I think a site psychologist can play a hugely supportive role.”
HEALTH & SAFETY
deal with people at top management level, such as directors.
“Often huge contracts comprise joint ventures with three or more big mining or construction companies involved. Each has its own culture and way of managing and leading. Th is fi lters down to all lev-els, and can cause chaos. I feel that each construction company needs to come to-gether beforehand and spend a day or so where they all discuss how they are going to move forward so that they can all be on the same page,” comments Bloomberg.
Work is never doneNeedless to say, a site psychologist’s work is never done when leaving a site either. “Th ere are reports to write and research to conduct. I have co-published a paper on emotional intelligence in construc-tion management, and have devised a stress-level measurement and motivation-al survey. I have also created a psycholog-ical incident mental status assessment for when there has been an accident or injury on-site.”
Another issue is the potential danger. “Th ere are huge dangers involved. I have been at Medupi when there were strikes and labourers were burning cars; also just travelling on the roads to get to site is a risk on its own.” Bloomberg is philosoph-ical about the risks: “It does come with the job,” she says simply. “As well as the fact that there is a lot of responsibility to Medupi power station construction site
ABOVE 4B FV fl ap valve
LEFT Super Screw installation
Conveying what others cannotWhat sets BMG aside in bulk materials handling in the mining sector is the company’s ability to supply all components necessary for conveyor structures.
CONVEYOR STRUCTURES HANDLE a range of ma-terials in harsh operating conditions. Th ese prod-ucts include belting, drives, bearings, couplings, motors and accessories, as well as gravity-fl ow
materials-handling equipment.“Th e mining sector’s operating effi ciencies are currently under
enormous pressure, which is why BMG has implemented a pro-gramme to provide specialist services to the mines that ensure optimum mechanical reliability of plant and machinery,” says Derek Clifton, materials-handling sales manager, BMG (Bearing Man Group). Th e company’s extensive range of energy-effi cient materials handling products, designed to facilitate reduced power
MATERIALS HANDLING
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201444
consumption, low maintenance and extended service life, is en-hanced by a technical solutions support service. Th is service en-compasses the initial design concept, specifi cation of components and quality control, as well as the commissioning and mainte-nance of materials-handling equipment in use.
Range of materials-handling equipmentBMG’s range of materials-handling equipment, which is constant-ly extended to meet growing market demand, now includes the 4B series gravity-fl ow materials-handling products, designed for effi cient handling of solids in arduous mining conditions.
Th e range of 4B series gravity-fl ow materials-handling equip-ment encompasses fl ap and rotary valves and hand, pneumatic and chain-wheel slide gates, lump breakers and feeding tees, as well as safety silo valves.
Flap valves, also known as double-dump valves, are a type of airlock valve, designed for bulk materials-handling applications. Th ese fl ap valves are used mainly to discharge powder or gran-ular material from hoppers, bins and cyclones, operating un-der a pressure diff erential. Flap valves are often used to replace rotary valves, which can be jammed or damaged by fi brous or abrasive materials.
Flap valvesFlap valves are manufactured from hard-wearing materials for extended service life in harsh operating conditions. Motor, pneu-matic and gravity counter-weighted versions, which are available in standard and custom sizes, are enhanced by a range of sealing materials and stuffi ng-box seals to suit each application.
BMG’s 4B series of fabricated heavy-duty slide gates are engineered as horizon-
tal shut-off gates in gravity-fl ow appli-cations for dry materials like powders,
coals, granules and pellets. Th ese gates are not suitable to seal in applications where a
diff erential pressure exists. Th ese slide gates are available in hand
and chain-wheel, pneumatic and motor versions. A full range of standard sizes is available from BMG, and custom units are
manufactured to exact specifi cations.
Lump breakersAlso in the 4B series are lump breakers, which
are integrated easily into an existing feed-ing system to break up material lumps that have compacted during transport or stor-age. A direct-coupled drive with counter rotating dual shafts breaks up compacted material between fi ngers and side combs
for improved product fl ow. Th ese compact lump breakers can process materials that include chemicals, salt, lime and kiln dust, but are not suitable for crushing hard rock.
Rotary valves and airlocks, which provide a constant vol-umetric feed rate, are recommended where there is limited space and where controlled feeding of powders and granular materials is required from silos, bins and hoppers.
Th is multi-vane rotor provides accurate dosing and reduces leakage from cyclones and dust collectors into low- and me-dium-pressure pneumatic conveying lines. Th e same drop-through metering valve can be utilised in pneumatic conveying lines by the addition of a venturi feeding tee.
Belt-fastener systemBMG’s highly effi cient belt-fastener system, the Super Screw, which was originally used as a temporary alternative to con-ventional hot and cold splicing, has proved to be totally reliable as a permanent splice for conveyor belt repairs, even in harsh mining environments.
Th is high-strength splicing system is a fl exible rubber splice using self-tapping screws that enable Super Screw to be in-stalled, regardless of the confi guration of the conveyor belt, ease of access and weather conditions.
Field tests prove this is the quickest method to repair a con-veyor belt in any emergency situation, reducing downtime signifi cantly. Th e mechanical joining technique is easy to complete, without the need for a skilled operator and heavy, costly equipment. With training from BMG, an in-house main-tenance team can install this product quickly and effi ciently, using a battery or pneumatic screwdriver. Th ere is no need for electrical power.
Leak-proof systemTh is leak-proof system, with a high tensile strength, can be used for reliably joining a belt, repairing a longitudinal rip, or a punc-ture in a belt. Th e Super Screw splice is compatible with small pulley diameters, suitable for pipe conveyors and is conveyor scraper and V-plough friendly. Th is fl exible splicing system can be used inserting new belting into old conveyor belt systems.
Super Screw, which can withstand service tensions to 2 000 kN/m, is available in various grades of rubber, to suit ex-act requirements. Th e rubber material, containing tensile fab-ric used for the splices, is manufactured in rolls up to 25 m in length and in various strength ratings, from Class 315 to Class 2 000 conveyor belting. Th is system is also available in a ready-to-install option, with maximum pre-cut lengths of 3 m and pre-installed assembly spacers.
Th ese materials are abrasion-, heat-, fi re- or oil resistant and heat retardant up to 200°C. Th e non-magnetic system has metallic inserts made of stainless steel, with stainless steel screws. Steel screws are screwed into an embedded nut inside the material, forming a sandwich eff ect of the top and bottom covers that clamp onto the belt carcass.
Th e surface of the splice is level with the two ends of the original belt, making the splice surface as even and as thick as the belt itself. It is fi tted at the bias like regular splices to ensure optimal strength and fl exibility around the pulleys. In selecting the correct Super Screw fastener for each application, factors to be considered include the belt tension and strength of the belt, as well as the fi nal belt thickness required.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 45
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201446
The latest trend in materials handling is the move from static to mobile conveying, says SEW Eurodrive. By Gerhard Hope
INDUSTRIAL GEARBOXES AND mo-tors have long been the forte of SEW Eurodrive, but the company is also able to supply many other specialised
products and solutions. Application engi-neer Th euns Greyvenstein recently spent nine months in Germany, receiving the latest training in order to allow the compa-ny to establish a new business segment in South Africa, called Maxolution, based on the most recent trends and developments in materials handling.
“Traditionally we do sell a lot of industri-al gearboxes and motors, for which we are well known in the market. Th ose typically tend to be more on the bulk materials han-dling side, for which realistically there are not that many alternatives.
“However, once you get to the point where you have processed your material into a more valuable form and move high-er up the value chain, you defi nitely fi nd some interesting solutions.” In the min-ing and mineral processing industry, this
From static to
mobile conveying
would constitute the actual gold and plati-num, for example.
“In order to reduce the potential for pil-fering, you want to limit human handling, especially with the higher-value commod-ities. Th e trend in the industrial environ-ment is a move away from conveyor belts that just move products from A to B, and instead having an item or station that moves from A to B.
“While such technology is already com-monplace in the automotive industry, it is relatively new to the industrial sphere, and virtually unknown in the mining industry. “A big trend at the moment is the move away from static to mobile conveying,” says Greyvenstein.
Latest technology“Th e latest technology in this regard com-prises wireless communication in addition to inductive power transfer systems. In-stead of having cable trays or busbars to transfer power to these mobile solutions,
we use wireless power transfer, which is quite eff ective and helpful in environ-ments where you have corrosive elements and also lots of other transport mecha-nisms that often overlap.”
Known as Movitrans, this is what is billed as a contactless energy transfer system. In this system, electrical energy is transferred from a fi xed conductor to one or more mo-bile consumers, without contact. Instead the electromagnetic connection is made via an air gap, which means it is not subject to wear-and-tear and is therefore virtually maintenance-free.
“Another big advantage is that this type of power supply is emission-free and re-sistant to contamination from external sources,” notes Greyvenstein. Tested ac-cording to BGV B11, this is the perfect sys-tem for all applications, from industry to mining. In addition, the wireless commu-nication is shielded in order to prevent loss and interference.
Inductive power supplyTh e system operates as follows: an auto-matic guided vehicle (AGV) will use an inductive power supply in the form of transfer cables embedded into the fl oor. One of these is a leakage cable, which pro-vides the communications, but in a very small range, so it is shielded. Alternative-ly you can use general wireless, which is antenna based.
Th e AGV has a built-in safety feature that slows it down when into comes into the presence of any humans in or near its path. “Th is safety concept is based on a scanner that will detect any people in the vicinity, whereupon it will switch off and enter a ‘safe’ mode.” Greyvenstein adds that AGV can also make certain intuitive decisions about its route, based on the specifi c load it is carrying.
“Th is system can actually go quite fast, reaching speeds of up to 2 m/s, depending on the load. Due to the safety technology, you do not have to worry too much about people being around. Especially in a min-ing context, I think this would be focused more on environments where you do not want people, due to the product value, or if it is environmentally hazardous.
MATERIALS HANDLING
RIGHT Movitrans for AGV
OPPOSITE EMS System overhead conveying
BOTTOM Movitrans hook up for EMS
“Although mining is seen as this robust industry employing a lot of people, it is moving away from that model simply due to the issues it is facing currently.” Greyvenstein adds that what makes such technology even more attractive to the mining industry is the health and safety aspect, in addition to the impact on pro-ductivity and effi ciency.
Loads from 500 kg to 1 tonne“Some clients, for example, have ex-pressed an interest in having such a sys-tem deployed between two stations that are quite some distance apart. Th e particu-lar AGV in question can convey any load from 500 kg to 1 tonne. Depending on the speed, 1 tonne is a relatively large load in terms of fi nal product.”
Greyvenstein points out that SEW Eurod-rive is able to off er a total solutions pack-age for its mining customers. “Some of our competitors focus only on the inductive power transfer, and cannot provide the gearboxes and motors, whereas we pro-vide all of that, including the positioning system, the wireless communication and the power and control systems. Th erefore it is really a total solution package.”
Additional functionality can be added to the system in the form of an integrated hoist. “It is a very fl exible system. Due to the positioning benefi ts, you can quickly and dynamically change your station lay-out for diff erent productions runs.”
Receptive to innovationWhile the mining industry prefers ‘tried-and-tested’ solutions as opposed to the wholesale adoption of new technology, Greyvenstein says that the current issues it is facing in terms of labour productivity and cost-cutting has made it more recep-tive to innovation. It is for this reason that SEW Eurodrive is targeting project houses and consultancies as an entry point into the mining industry, as this sector is of-ten more au fait with the latest trends and developments, which slowly fi lter through to the mining houses and specifi c projects.SEW Eurodrive became involved in the mining industry in 2005, with the intro-duction of its industrial gears. “We are used to being the fi rst to introduce new technology and seeing it through to full acceptance,” says Greyvenstein. He points
dre
tod
toly y-
d-he y, es typ-ates tof-d h s.
heo-rew
ullts
launch here and focus on Southern Africa; obviously it can be applied anywhere.”
Greyvenstein says Africa will therefore become a testing ground to roll out this technology to mining areas such as Aus-tralia and Canada. “Th e international team is very much involved in providing back up to the new local business unit. Our offi cial launch will be at Electra Mining Africa.”
to the company’s early success at the Two Rivers platinum mine, which standardised on SEW Eurodrive products, thereby cre-ating a critical mass for the company and allowing it to grow ever since.
Such local success has seen the compa-ny look to the rest of Africa for additional opportunities. “We do look at the whole of Africa as well. As this is new, we will
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 47
MATERIALS HANDLING
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201448
MATERIALS HANDLING
THE NEW LINER plates can be used in areas and industries where previously chromium carbide plates were restricted
due to their limited impact resistance. Rio-Carb director Martin Maine notes that there was a need to develop a chro-mium carbide overlay plate that is more impact resistant than previous Rio-Carb chromium carbide plates.
“The new impact-resistant liner plates were developed by adding more
manganese to the existing chromi-um carbide plate formulation, thereby changing the chemical composition of the product by making a manganese ma-trix rather than a carbon steel matrix, which is more impact resistant.”
The new impact-resistant liner plates have a hardness of between 56 and 58 Rockwell C. Maine observes that normal chromium carbide plates have a meas-urement of 60 plus Rockwell C hard-ness. “Where you are gaining in impact
resistance with the new liner plates, you are losing on the sliding abrasion or hardness of the plate.”
Impact testsThe new liner plates are still undergoing impact tests in order to determine the limits and capabilities of the product. Maine points out that Rio-Carb will offer the same support to the new liner plates as it does for its other product ranges.
“The aftersales support will be the same for all our products. There is very little variation between the new liner plates and our older products; the newer products are simply more impact resist-ant. Therefore they fit perfectly into our current product range.
We provide full support on the liner plates and are readily available and open for repairs due to wear and tear, as long
as there has been no negligence.”
Maine highlights that the new liner plates allow Rio-Carb to expand its reach in the mar-ket. “There was a gap in our product range, which has now been filled by
the new impact-resistant liners. By filling this gap, we were also address-ing a demand in industry for higher impact-resistant products.
Our impact-resistant liners can now be used in areas where in the past we were restricted due to the impact factor. We are no longer restricted in those areas. We were specialised in the sliding abra-sion market and now we are opening up into the impact abrasion market,” he concludes.
Top liner-plate expert Rio-Carb has developed a new chromium carbide impact-resistant liner plate.
Thinner yet strongerThinner yet stronger
MATERIALS HANDLING
The Voith Fluid Coupling, type TVVS, is predominantly used in belt conveyor drives. The coupling protects the drive against overload and dampens torsional vibrations. This protects your system and increases its productivity.
Very smooth start-upTorque limiting up to 140% of nominal
Protect Your Belt Conveyorswith Voith Fluid Couplings.
V138
15
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 49
AIR PRODUCTS South Africa has launched its new, state-of-the-art air separation unit at the company’s Vanderbijlpark
facility. It represents the largest single investment made by a local industrial gas company in the past decade. Th e R800 mil-lion G-Plant produces over 2 500 tonnes of oxygen, nitrogen and argon gas a day and is the sixth plant to be commissioned at the Vanderbijlpark site. G-Plant is the second largest gas-producing unit at Van-derbijlpark, which in turn is the largest dedicated gas manufacturing facility in the country.
G-Plant forms part of an overall long-term capital investment pipeline of just under R2 billion. “Th is long-term capi-tal investment strategy is the basis upon which we can build and develop our supply chain capacity and therefore ensure the future sustainability of the company, and
Splitting airsSplitting airsthe industry as a whole,” explains Mike Hellyar, managing director of Air Products South Africa.
Th e commissioning of G-Plant is the re-sult of a mutually benefi cial relationship between Air Products South Africa and Sasol, and is an expansion of the compa-nies’ existing long-term supply contract. Th e new plant will supply Sasol’s expansion programme in Sasolburg, with pipeline gaseous oxygen and nitrogen in response to increased feedstock requirements.
“While the G-Plant was commissioned in support of the Sasol One site expansion programme in Sasolburg, we will be lever-aging off it to boost our overall supply ca-pacity for the merchant market, as well as our production capability for pure argon, which will consolidate our market lead-ership in this area,” says Rob Richardson, on-site general manager at Air Products South Africa.
ABOUT THE COMPANYAir Products South Africa has a long-standing relationship with the mining industry through the supply of industrial gases and chemicals. A variety of our products are used to assist with the effi cient extraction and refi ning of a wide range of metals.
Gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen can be supplied either by dedicated, on-site supply plants or by truck delivery in liquid or gaseous form. It works closely with each customer to determine the most cost-effective supply mode based on volume, usage patterns, and purity or pressure requirements. In addition to gases, Air Products produces an array of performance chemicals that serve the mining industry.
Weir Minerals Africa (WMA) offers a comprehensive range of equipment for a full crushing circuit, including screening technology. By Gerhard Hope
FROM THE WEIR Group’s acqui-sition of the Linatex group of companies to the in-house devel-opment of its own key products,
WMA has transformed itself into a turn-key supplier for the comminution sector. It is also introducing its latest innovations to potentially lucrative and diverse mar-kets such as Africa and the Middle East, from quarrying to iron ore and coal min-ing applications.
Winchester Maphosa, product manag-er: comminution & screens, points out that South Africa is the design centre for screens for the entire Weir Minerals Di-vision, and develops products for all its global markets. Th e design centre uses the latest in 3D modelling and fi nite element analysis software to create designs that
Enduron brandTh is development took place in conjunc-tion with a new agreement with a crushing equipment supplier, which has enhanced WMA’s product off ering to the point where it can supply a full comminution circuit. Th e Enduron brand runs the gam-ut from jaw to cone crushers, in addition to some feeders.
WMA boasts a large screen manufactur-ing and assembly facility in Alrode, Johan-nesburg, with the fl exibility to be able to cater for the smallest screen at a 0.3 m width, to the largest screen at a width of 4.3 m. “We are currently building nine double-deck, 3 m-wide screens for a pro-ject in Liberia,” reveals Maphosa. “It is a big project for us, and an achievement of which we are proud.” He adds that these are the largest screens to be manufactured at the Alrode facility since the acquisition of the Linatex group of companies.
“We have a test bay for the full range of screens. We are also capable of refurbishing screens to an as-new state and we can test exciters up to a 120 tonne force,” explains Maphosa. WMA is also geared to support
A crushing success
provide performance and quality, with the aim of developing solutions with the low-est cost of ownership in the market.
“With the start of our in-house devel-opment, we decided to consolidate our comminution off ering and screens under a new brand,” explains Maphosa. “Screening equipment originally formed part of the Li-natex stable, but this brand is well known for its superior rubber wear products and screen media. We wanted to house the screening equipment within a brand that actually identifi es with comminution as a whole and hence our Enduron brand was established around April last year. I have no doubt that the Enduron brand will grow to represent everything that Weir Minerals is renowned for – technological excellence, innovation and quality.”
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201450
MATERIALS HANDLING
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 51
MATERIALS HANDLING
and supply screens to its global counter-parts, “because we possess competent skills in-house and are the most experienced screen manufacturer in the division.”
Cone crushersSince WMA’s debut in the crushing sector in 2013, it has started trialling its cone crushers in the global market, where it secured the installation of the fi rst 200 hp unit. “Th e trial is progressing well, achieving performance to Weir’s high standards, and will serve as a local refer-ence,” notes Maphosa.
Another integral part of WMA’s pursuit of technical excellence has been the acqui-sition of a heavy bay foundry in Port Eliz-abeth. “Th is was a strategic acquisition, which, among others, gives us the capabil-ity to manufacture crusher wear parts and components in-house, in order to support our local and global installed base,” says Maphosa. “We are already gearing up to support our African installed base with locally produced wear parts. It is far more cost-eff ective in the long run, as well as re-ducing long lead times, which is critical for crushing customers.”
Th e development of larger crushers is part of a concerted strategy to tap into the mining boom in Africa. “With our current 400 hp unit, we are positioned to compete in the small- to medium-size market. As signifi cant growth opportunities exist in larger mining applications, we have devel-opment projects underway to support the customers in those markets.”
4.3 m-wide screensOn the screens side, WMA has developed a range of 4.3 m-wide screens, which can also be supplied to larger mining appli-cations globally. While these are not that prevalent in the local mining industry as of yet, they are a growing feature of major mining regions such as the Americas. “We actually have two orders that are currently being processed for delivery to Canada in 2015,” says Maphosa.
In terms of new developments, WMA has been hard at work on the latest polyu-rethane (PU) screen technology to produce its Fusioncast PU materials for its Linatex screen media range. “Th is technology has been proven to provide longer wear life
than traditional PU technologies in many applications globally,” says Maphosa. He confi rms that WMA has secured various trial sites to test such panels locally. “We are very excited to demonstrate the antici-pated performance benefi ts,” he adds.
12 HPGR ordersAnother major development has been the focus on employing Weir’s in-house mate-rials and engineering expertise to improve high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR) crush-ing performance. Th is has been made pos-sible through a global technology license agreement with KHD Humboldt Wedag, which has enabled WMA “to further lev-erage existing in-house world-class manu-facturing facilities for the manufacture of various components of the machines.”
Maphosa comments: “Globally we have had some great success since commencing our relationship with Humboldt Wedag. Since 2010, WMA has managed to secure 12 HPGR orders for various projects. It has also success-fully carried out a number of roll ex-changes for existing installations around the globe.”
In terms of cus-tomer support, Maphosa says: “We have fully trained and competent service and main-tenance teams that support our prod-
ucts across our range of commi-nution equipment, with capabilities from manufacture to installation and commiss ioning.”
“We are already gearing up to support our African installed base with locally produced wear parts.” Winchester Maphosa,
product manager: comminution & screens
OPPOSITE TOP The new Enduron cone crusher being installed on-site in South Africa
RIGHT TOP An elevated view of a KHD HPGR machine being assembled
RIGHT BOTTOM A 3.7 m-wide Enduron horizontal screen on the test bed at Weir Minerals Africa's Alrode facility
Th e team is also able to off er full after-market services such as audits and main-tenance supervision.
Not content with expanding its footprint in Africa, WMA is also looking to the quar-rying sector in the Middle East. “With our comminution products, we can leverage our presence in the area to provide solutions to the rapidly expanding quarrying sector in the Middle East.” In terms of growth opportunities on the continent, Maphosa says: “We are looking more at projects in the iron ore sector, while locally there is also some activity in the coal sector.
“In general, the project environment is low. However, there are still many oppor-tunities as planned expansions come to fruition. Th ere a lot of challenges facing the mining industry at the moment. However, these are the sorts of challenges that WMA thrives upon, and which will see it continue its innovation drive to further improve its comminution range for its clients.”
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201452
MATERIALS HANDLING
A major market diff erentiator for Multotec is the unique design of its classifi cation cyclones.
THESE INCORPORATE engi-neering that makes it possible to alter several components during the design stage, or
even after installation, to ensure that the cyclone meets customers’ exact performance requirements.
“Our metallurgical engineers have the necessary levels of expertise and skill to ensure the most appropriate cyclone solution,” Ernst Bekker, product special-ist, Multotec, says. “When designing and engineering a cyclone or cyclone cluster, we take into account not only the cyclone itself, but also our understanding of up-front and downstream processes.
“For example, if a very fi ne cut point is required, standard simulations will dic-tate the use of small-diameter cyclones. However, if the feed stream contains fairly large particle sizes, this could cause blockages at the inlet of a small-diameter cyclone. Th erefore the selected cyclone confi guration has to take into consider-ation operational constraints, while still satisfying the process requirements.”
An example which clearly underpins this capability is a classifi cation cyclone cluster Multotec recently installed in a milling circuit. Th e grind of the mill circuit was much coarser than what was originally
Th e vortex fi nder is used to control the cut point inside a classifi cation cyclone, which means that the vortex fi nder can be selected to allow for more or less material reporting to the overfl ow, as well as for fi n-er or coarser particles. Th is ability to make an appropriate selection makes it is easier to control the performance of the cyclone, and to fi ne tune the product requirements. Bekker cautions, however, that if the vor-tex fi nder is changed, it not only changes the cut point, but also the operating pres-sure and this must be taken into account.
Varying spigot diametersWithout changing the entire cyclone de-sign, Multotec is able to accommodate varying spigot diameters and achieve op-timum underfl ow densities. Th e Multotec spigot has a parallel throat design, which enables it to maintain the
correct spigot opening over a longer peri-od of time.
“Th is design is important; the reason be-ing that in most operations where conven-tional cyclones are used as the spigot starts to wear, the amount of bypass water to the underfl ow starts to increase, as the spigot diameter increases, which then leads to an increase in the misplacement of fi ne mate-rial to the underfl ow, and reduced hydro-cyclone effi ciencies,” he explains.
Th e cone angle is selected based on cus-tomers’ requirements. By changing the cone angle for the same cyclone diameter as opposed to altering the cyclone diame-ter, the cut point of the cyclone can also be altered to make the separation cut point coarser or fi ner. Th is also allows for a high degree of fl exibility and the ability to cus-tomise for specifi c applications.
An advantage of the rubber-lined hy-drocyclone is the inclusion of weep holes, which have been a feature of this range from the mid-1990s. Th is allows for early detection of internal damage, which re-duces the frequency of unplanned stop-pages. Early detection allows for higher overall cyclone effi ciencies as the damaged liner can be easily and quickly replaced due to the loose rubber-lining technology used inside these units.
Cyclone efficiency boost
A selection of cyclone products from the Multotec cyclone range
anticipated and this resulted in extreme circulating loads that limited the through-put capacity of this process.
Alternative solution“Th e customer asked us to present an al-ternative solution,” Bekker relates. “Essen-tially, a change in cut point was required on the cyclones. Th e fi rst option was to install larger-diameter cyclones and the second, considered far more cost-eff ective, was to alter the existing cyclone confi guration. In the fi rst instance, installing the larger-di-ameter cyclones would have necessitated a total re-engineering of the cyclone cluster with associated infrastructure changes, downtime and cost implications.
“Multotec proposed the second option as as it required limited modifi cations to the cluster. Th e seriousness of this situ-ation should not be understated, as the signifi cantly reduced throughput from this milling circuit could have had se-vere long-term fi nancial implications for the operation.
Th e conventional cyclone was converted to a fl at-bottomed cyclone by modifying certain components and the cone angle. Th is design modifi cation achieved the re-quired throughput and the bottleneck in the milling process was relieved.”
Slick lubrication solutionsThe SKF SYSTEM 24 TLSD series lubricator is an electromechanical, single- point, automatic lubricator that provides direct or remote lubrication.
THE LUBRICATOR IS A stand-alone device, consisting of a lubricant reservoir and a bat-tery powered unit that can
be programmed to dispense lubricant in various monthly settings. Th e drive unit uses a simple rotary switch, pro-tected by a clear plas-tic cap, which enables the programming of the TLSD to dispense lubricant in intervals of choice. Each ma-chine is connected
via either a direct mount or a feed line, each terminating with a standard G1/4 thread.
Th e lubricators are simple to fi t, easy-to-use and very relia-ble. Th e programma-ble drive unit off ers more options and greater fl exibility. Th e transparent res-ervoir makes it quick to check the status at a glance and the light LED display clearly shows the operating
status of the device. Th e reservoir, which is is available in two sizes (125 ml and 250 ml), is fi lled with SKF-specifi ed high performance oils or greases. Maximum operating pressure is 5 bar.
Th e robust TLSD lubricator is especially suitable for use in applications with high levels of vibration or fl uctuating operat-ing temperatures; a special version is also available for operation in cold tempera-tures. Th e product off ers an eff ective solu-tion for the lubrication of bearings, shafts and spindles, helping to extend machine operating life and reduce maintenance costs across a wide range of applications including pumps, fans and blowers to con-veyors, escalators and cranes.
SKF South Africa - Celebrating 100 Years of
Innovative Solutions
Mining Industry SolutionsHarsh operating and market conditions make the mining industry a tough
customer. SKF’s advanced range of products and services in the SKF Life
Cycle Management approach - SKF’s proven approach for reducing Total
Cost of Ownership for machinery at every stage, from specification and
design to operation and maintenance, can help! SKF solutions assist with
increased productivity and profitability, improved worker safety, reduced
environmental impact, cutting energy consumption and reducing
unplanned downtime.
SKF South Africa is celebrating 100 years of innovative solutions during 2014. Drawing on five areas of competence and application-specific expertise (bearings and units, seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics and a wide range of services), SKF brings innovative solutions to OEMs and production facilities in every major industry worldwide.
The Power of Knowledge Engineering
SKF South Africa (Pty) LimitedTel: +27 11 821 3500, Fax: +27 11 821 3501
BLT SA’S extensive range of Tay-lor materials-handling equip-ment now includes the TX4 series articulated 4WD forklift
trucks, designed for moving materials in the harshest environments, including muddy and rough terrain.
Unlike other comparable articulated forklifts, this series is not a front-loader chassis with a fork attachment, but a ro-bust articulated material handler, com-pletely designed and engineered in the US by Taylor Machine Works, says Charity Gumede, marketing director of BLT SA.
TX4 all-terrain forklifts – which can be fi tted with specially designed attachments for various materials-handling tasks – en-sure effi cient operation, low maintenance, optimum safety and extended service life in arduous conditions.
TX4 high-lift forklifts, with an all weld-ed steel chassis and frames for optimum strength, off er resistance to dynamic/shock loads. Optional heavy-duty mast and carriage confi gurations are available.
Telescopic mastTh e telescopic Ultra-Vu mast features a nested channel construction for clear visibility of the fork and other attach-ments. Double-acting lift cylinders are positioned to the rear of the mast rails, while high-strength multi-leaf lift chains are nested inside the mast rails. Th ese ma-chines have a 16° forward and backward mast-tilting capacity. Benefi ts include a heavy-duty bolted planetary drive axle; large, all-terrain tyres for good traction in harsh environments; and fully adjustable, pin-mounted forks forged from heat treat-ed steel allow for fl exibility of operation.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 2014 55
MATERIALS HANDLING
Lock out potential hazardsNEW TO MAGNET’S extensive
portfolio of electrical equip-ment, industrial instrumen-tation and automation sys-
tems are robust lockout/tagout devices designed to restrict access to hazardous equipment, thus minimising the risk of accidents or injury of employees.
Th ese new, locally manufactured lock-out/tagout devices, which ensure opti-mum protection of high-risk machinery, are specially labelled to individual re-quirements to warn against the dangers of equipment in industrial environments, says Brian Howarth, managing director of Magnet. A plant that has implement-ed the correct lockout/tagout procedures minimises the risk of injury or accidents caused by negligence during maintenance and repairs of electrical equipment.
Th ese devices are designed to the specif-ic lockout requirements of leading circuit
breaker manufacturers, including Schnei-der, ABB, Siemens, Eaton and Mitsubishi. Whether the panel door is open or closed, this lockout/tagout system ensures abso-lute safety.
By disengaging lockout HASPS, which are safety precaution devices used to fas-ten a door or gate, the employee acknowl-edges awareness of the potential danger of machinery in the restricted area. Th is sys-tem is more eff ective than simply having a danger sign alongside equipment.
Keys are stored in distinctly marked safety enclosures, which are mounted on a wall close to the machinery. Th ese enclo-sures act as a safety check points to pre-vent the inadvertent start-up of a machine that is undergoing repair or maintenance.
Included in this range are plug, cable, valve, cylinder and pneumatic lockouts, as well as circuit breaker and electrical panel devices.
INSIDE MINING 07 | 201456
INDUSTRY NEWS
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Adapt IT IBC
Advanced Vehicle Engineering 33
Akhani Group OFC
Babcock Equipment 2
Bell Equipment 23
Booyco Electronics 37
Electra Mining Africa 4
Fire Trucks 4 Africa 32
FLSmidth 41
GS Hygiene 31
Hencon Vacuum Technologies 40
I-Cat Environmental Solutions 29
Komatsu South Africa 15
Leadership for the Mining Shop Steward 25
M&J Engineering 6
MSA 38
Multotec Group 17
Rio-Carb 48
SBS Water Systems 7
Schneider Electric IFC
SEW-Eurodrive 11
SKF SA 53
Southern Mapping 55
Tenova Mining & Minerals OBC
ThyssenKrupp 54
Vital Engineering 45
Voith Turbo 49
WorleyParsons 21
Vermeer Equipment Suppliers 39
MANAGING DIRECTOR Francois Hay, highlight-ed the company’s humble beginnings and meteoric
growth. “We retain that original humili-ty, with the confi dence and innovation of a company that can deliver and that will take our customers beyond mining explo-sives. In all of this, the high standards we maintain in safety, health, environment and quality are not negotiable.”
Hay cites the company’s greatest achievement as still supplying Kumba’s Sishen iron ore mine with raw materials 30 years later. “I believe this longevity is because BME’s employees are committed to exceptional standards of service, which continually exceed the expectations of our customers.
Extraordinary team“When I joined BME 11 years ago, I was mostly struck not by the achievements, the standards nor BME’s growth, but by its extraordinary team of people.
“People who work with passion, commit-ment and tenacity; people who work hard,
BME pays tribute to its extraordinary people
BME, one of the largest supplier of explosives to surface mines in South Africa, and a major supplier of explosives across Africa, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
who get up, take hands and support each other in tough times to ensure the job is done no matter what. People who are in-novative, often with limited resources. People who seem to really enjoy what they do. What a privilege to be part of this awe-some, diverse and talented BME family.
Spirit of entrepreneurship“Many of the BME team have 10, 15 and even 20 or more years of service. Th e cul-ture and values that BME and Omnia em-brace are not endorsed by fancy framed motivational credos in the passages, but are embedded in the hearts of a family of people; the spirit of entrepreneurship and challenge to achieve success.
“BME is poised for the challenges the future might hold in mining locally, in Af-rica and beyond. But past performance is no indication of future success. It will not be easy. Competition is fi erce everywhere we go and new business is scarce. We will have to be extraordinary. We have to en-sure our people are the best, well trained and always carry the customer’s best in-terests at heart.”
“BME is poised for the challenges the future might hold in mining locally, in Africa and beyond.” Francois Hay, MD, BME
Durban +27 31 514 7300 I Johannesburg +27 11 460 5300Pretoria +27 12 425 5600 I Cape Town +27 21 200 0480
Talk to us at Adapt IT about meeting the challenges of your environment.
Adapt IT offers specialised IT solutions and services that promote a more sustainable and cost effective
resource environment. Our dynamic solutions and services aimed at the Mining, Metals and Minerals
industry can assist you to safely utilise your resource reserve, by improving productivity and delivering
lasting business value.
Adapt IT can empower your business to improve operations performance, enhance worker safety and
drive excellence by automating and streamlining your processes and systems such as managing your
permit to work, shift-handover logs, maintenance and SHEQ needs.
Delivering sustainable solutions for your resource environment
delivering solutions for your environment www.adaptit.co.za
Optimal Solutions forPneumatic Conveying
� Lean-phase pneumatic conveyors (pressure and vacuum) � Medium-phasepneumatic conveyors � Dense-phase pneumatic conveyors � Pneumatic drying andtransport systems � Ash conveying systems
Tenova TAKRAF’s wide range of pneumatic conveying systems suitable for diverseparticulate materials, ensures the most cost-effective solution for the minerals and metalsand precious gems industries, as well for many other industrial applications, such as forutility power plants, chemicals and plastics / resins, food / pharmaceuticals and pulp / paper.
The patented Pneumo-Drier is a technological breakthrough, combining pneumaticconveying with product drying.
Our comprehensive services cover state-of-the-art products, system design, manufacture,turnkey installations and after-sales service.
58 Emerald Parkway Road, Greenstone Hill Ext 21Johannesburg 1609, South Africa
