Mining Developments News

[Johannesburg, 24 August 2017]: Confirmed in 2013, by Syrah Resources, Australian industrial minerals and technology company, to represent the largest graphite resource ever known at the time, multiple projects at Balama in Mozambique have since been under way to leverage this unique mineral. One such project is the recent construction of a new graphite mine, which involves the installation and commission of a 15-kilometre-long 315 mm HDPE pipeline for the supply of water. Originally discovered more than 120 years ago, the rich deposits of graphite were described by Nyassa Company geologist and engineer, John H. Furman as, “the greatest deposits of graphite, of a most excellent quality, which I think have ever been found. They extend several miles in length and will aggregate more than 700ft in thickness.”1 The project, whose main stakeholders are IEPS, Tayanna Mozambique and Syrah Resources, required a reliable water supply pipeline, for which Plasti-Tech Piping Systems, provide...

“Goodness is the only investment that never fails” this is a Quote by Henry David Thoreau, an American writer. In the same way, the Dickinson Group of companies is always making a continuous effort to relentlessly partner and be involved with the community. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, the company is proud to announce yet another gesture of kindness to the less privileged within our society. Dickinson Group of Companies will be donating monthly supplies of meat to the following non-profit making organisations: Ikhwezilokusa Home Sukasambe Children’s Home Ikhwezilokusa Home Ikwezilokuza is a home for the physically and mentally challenged adults and children, located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The facility is currently home to over 140 residents. Sukasambe Children’s Home Sukasambe is a home for physically and mentally disabled children. The home currently houses 26 children aged between 6 and 17 years. This most recent initiati...

SKF’s latest condition monitoring technologies are demonstrated live on a vibrating screen operating at the show SKF used CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017, a major exhibition for the international construction and aggregates industries, to demonstrate its latest condition monitoring technologies. Taking center stage was the SKF Multilog IMx machine health monitoring system, with the Multilog IMx-8 – an eight-channel version of this highly popular platform and SKF’s most compact, easy-to-use machine health tool to date - making its USA debut. At this year’s event, SKF also partnered with vibrating screen manufacturer, Deister Machine Co Inc. by having an SKF Multilog IMx-16S 16-channel condition monitoring system operating on a vibrating screen located at the Deister booth. The vibrating screen operated in the booth and the IMx will provide remotely accessible machine health data in real time throughout the show at both the Deister and SKF booths. SKF demonstrated the power of the IMx pla...

Rugged, superior quality energy chain from electrical and mechanical equipment and energy supply systems specialist, Powermite, provides reliable and cost-effective protection of cables and hoses for the seamless operation of mobile equipment. EKD Kolibri energy chain, also known as drag chain, is produced by a leading global energy chain manufacturer in Germany. “We have been supplying energy chain to Southern African industry for more than three decades and share a combined knowledge of over 50 years with EKD in drag chain applications,” affirms Powermite Marketing Director, Donovan Marks. Uniquely engineered to prevent snags and premature breakdowns, the extremely wear resistant and exceptionally reliable EKD Kolibri energy chain helps extend component life, reduces the need for spares and requires very little maintenance. Additionally, the chain can operate long-term in extreme temperatures ranging between -20°C and +100°. “The consequences of these feats of engineering in...

Atlas Copco South Africa female employees were invited to ‘awaken their fighting spirt’ by attending a self-defense class in support of this year’s Women’s Day. A Woman INpowered (WIP) radio advert prompted Atlas Copco South Africa Corporate Communications and ACademy Manager, Kathryn Coetzer, to contact the company and invite them to host a self-defense class for the Atlas Copco ladies. “We had an overwhelming response from the ladies to the invitation which was themed ‘Awaken your fighting spirit’, who embraced this initiative with open arms.” WIP has been operating for close on five years and founder, Mark Grobbelaar, addressed the ladies. Explaining what WIP represents, Mark’s message to the ladies is that they can do anything they set their mind to. “WIP is NOT a self-defense class; it is an extremely simple, easy to learn, yet devastatingly effective self INpowerment system that has been designed specifically for women.” Each lady was given the opportunity to learn one tec...

Fourteen tough and reliable stationary generators from Chicago Pneumatic are providing the essential power required for the construction of a luxury residential development besides the Dubai Water Canal. The order was secured by authorised Chicago Pneumatic distributor German-Gulf Enterprises LTD, with the generators forming a crucial part of a project that will see 6,000 new homes built by 2021. CPSG generators form a crucial part of the project which will see 6,000 new homes built by 2021 The order includes six CPSG300, five CPSG200, one CPSG105 and two CPSG60 machines. Mr. Sushil Kumar, Divisional Manager at German-Gulf Enterprises LTD., explains “We put forward CPSG generators, in response to the tender from the project contractor, as they provide excellent durability and are built to withstand tough worksite conditions while operating at high working temperatures. These features were deemed essential by the contractor as the project needed a power supply capable of performing...

SKF has helped a shipping customer introduce condition monitoring to its vessel, with plans to extend it further across the fleet says Anders Welin, Business Engineer at SKF When you’re out at sea, the last thing you need is a major breakdown. In such a case, it would mean being towed back to dry dock for expensive repairs – and that’s something that hard-pressed shipping companies can do without. One way around this is to keep a constant watch over onboard assets condition, and SKF has helped one shipping customer to do this – introducing condition monitoring to its ship, with plans to extend the service to other vessels in the fleet. Condition monitoring is a vital resource in any industry, as it helps to protect assets from sudden failure. It uses an array of sensors to monitor machinery and detect potential problems at an early stage. One of the most widely used methods is to use vibration monitoring to assess the ‘health’ of the asset. In this case, serious problems wit...

SKF South Africa’s capabilities and commitment once again came to the fore when the bearing and rotating specialist met a customer’s tight deadline for the design and supply of eight fan housings. The dual fan housings were required by the OEM customer, a global supplier of air and gas solutions, as part of a turbine application. Following discussions to determine the customer’s requirements, SKF’s engineering department presented a proposal. Satisfied that all the application criteria were met, the customer requested a quotation which SKF submitted in November 2016. The customer placed the order with a request that the first complete Dual Fan Housing units be delivered in January 2017 and the balance in February. “Although we were given an extremely short delivery time we pulled out all the stops to ensure that we make both deliveries to our customer on time,” says SKF Key Account Manager, Anneritha Maritz. The drawings for the housing design were supplied by the customer. Th...

Rail Africa 2017 presented the ideal platform for Atlas Copco Industrial Technique to launch its ‘Disc to Wrist’ campaign as well as to showcase its comprehensive tool portfolio for the local rail industry. According to Paul Groves, Atlas Copco Industrial Technique Business Manager, the combined success of their participation in last year’s Rail Africa and their strong penetration into the rail sector, prompted Industrial Technique to once again support this year’s rail exhibition. To maximise exposure and build on their combined strengths in serving the rail industry, Industrial Technique shared the stand with Compressor Technique as the two Atlas Copco business areas work in close partnership. “It was also valuable for our customers to see us together as complete rail solutions providers on one stand,” adds Groves. Rail transport is an important element of South Africa’s transport infrastructure and it is therefore imperative that Atlas Copco works in partnership to deliver SHEQ...

Atlas Copco’s new GVS A rotary vane vacuum pumps feature a very compact design, fewer components, excel in reliability and are up to 15% more efficient making them ideal for a wide range of both industrial production and research applications. The new generation GVS A which is completely replacing the previous GVS series of oil-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps has been designed to minimise total operating expenses. Compared with the earlier generation, power demand at the same volume flow is about 15% lower. Flow rates range from 16 to 700 m3/h (up to 840 m3/h with the 60 Hz pumps used outside Europe) compared to the former GVS pumps which only had a flow range from 20 to 305 m3/h (or 365 m3/h for the 60 Hz variant). Willem Brits, sales representative for Vacuum Technique in South and southern Africa, comments on the extreme reliability of the GVS A pump series. “This can be attributed to a number of design improvements including fewer components, optimised shaft speeds, low o...

Components, equipment and systems engineering specialist, Powermite, offers a turnkey range of world-class electric rail solutions including rolling cable stock, depot power supply systems as well as plugs and sockets to the Southern African rail industry. “The railway industry operates in extremely stringent conditions with excessively long operating hours and extreme environments and climates which put stress on equipment,” says Powermite Director, Donovan Marks. “Unsurprisingly, this sector is constantly looking for new products and systems to maximise passenger safety and comfort as well as to improve operational efficiencies, reliability and speed. To meet these demands, companies like Powermite and our distributor partners, Prysmian Draka, Conductix-Wampfler and ProConnect relentlessly research the design and development of new, innovative and state-of-the-art product and system solutions.” As the demand for enhanced data and power transmission and advanced technology increa...

Konecranes has been delivering Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes to intermodal operators all over the world for many years. This year marks the delivery of the 1000th Konecranes Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) crane – a milestone in its impressive history. It was installed at the Georgia Ports Authority at the Port of Savannah in the USA. In South Africa three 350kg RMG’s have been installed at Transnet in Gauteng. “It is one of the largest scale installations of RMG cranes ever to be undertaken in Southern Africa”, said John MacDonald, Service, Sales and Marketing Director at Konecranes Southern Africa. “Weighing over 350 tons, the cranes are each able to move a container every three minutes”. Konecranes’ Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) crane is an integral part of the global company's product offering. This productive and reliable RTG was developed more than 20 years ago and remains the top choice for container terminals around the globe. Konecranes’ RTG has three main features which ...

Rock Fall Contracting WLL (RFC), a major civil engineering and earthmoving specialist contractor based in Doha, Qatar, has augmented its fleet of Chicago Pneumatic rig-mounted hydraulic breakers with the addition of new RX8 and RX54 units. The breakers are destined for use in demanding applications within the programme of infrastructure projects culminating in Qatar’s hosting of the IAAF World Athletics Championship in 2019 and World Cup in 2022. Hosting of these prestigious sporting competitions has spurred Qatar to not only build new eco-friendly stadiums but also undertake a total upgrade of its infrastructure. This includes major construction ventures such as an integrated road and rail network, as well as new drainage systems. These initiatives, plus the new Hamad Port and the expansion of Hamad International Airport, are all part of scheduled upgrades to accommodate the anticipated vast increase in tourists and passengers in and around Doha. As Shaukat Ali, Chief Operations ...

Rail Africa 2017 presented the ideal platform for Atlas Copco Industrial Technique to launch its ‘Disc to Wrist’ campaign as well as to showcase its comprehensive tool portfolio for the local rail industry. According to Paul Groves, Atlas Copco Industrial Technique Business Manager, the combined success of their participation in last year’s Rail Africa and their strong penetration into the rail sector, prompted Industrial Technique to once again support this year’s rail exhibition. To maximise exposure and build on their combined strengths in serving the rail industry, Industrial Technique shared the stand with Compressor Technique as the two Atlas Copco business areas work in close partnership. “It was also valuable for our customers to see us together as complete rail solutions providers on one stand,” adds Groves. Rail transport is an important element of South Africa’s transport infrastructure and it is therefore imperative that Atlas Copco works in partnership to deliver SHEQ ...

Atlas Copco South Africa is committed to playing a meaningful role in creating employment. The company recognises the importance of two fundamental elements of job creation, developing skills and providing experience in the workplace and has hosted a number of learnerships and internships over the years with great success. While there is a tremendous need for skills development and experience in abled persons, these needs are even greater for the disabled who are faced with so many challenges in their daily lives. Recognising these challenges, Atlas Copco decided to implement a one year learnership programme for twelve disabled learners from the Skills Development Corporation (SDC). “Our learnership and internship programmes are leading to fruitful relationship for both the learners and our organisation and the resounding success of the last two internships further motivated this latest learnership opportunity,” says Kathryn Coetzer, Corporate Communications and ACademy Manager fo...

SKF releases a new compact, easy-to-use model in its IMx range - offering sophisticated yet highly cost-effective, fit-for-purpose condition monitoring for a multitude of industrial applications. SKF has launched a compact 8-channel version of its highly popular IMx machine health monitoring platform. Initially targeted at the Offshore Wind and Marine sectors, this versatile system brings affordable machine health monitoring to a much wider industrial user base. The Multilog IMx-8 eight-channel unit provides an attractive option for users of mechanical and fluid power train applications, while the combination of an 'Event Capture' feature will appeal to Machine Tool users requiring a cost-effective crash detection capability. Unlike its 16 and 32 channel variants, the compact DIN-rail mounting 8-channel IMx-8 takes up very little cabinet space, so it can be installed into instrument cabinet enclosures, often alongside existing instruments. Suitably housed, it also ser...

Atlas Copco’s Power Technique business area is created from the people, products and technologies of the current Construction Technique business area. Moving forward, Power Technique will better reflect the product applications and industries served. The change is effective today. The Power Technique name derives from the fact that power is the key term that customers identify with when it comes to the core product portfolio, consisting of air, power (including light) and flow. The business area serves multiple customer segments including construction, industrial, oil and gas, and petrochemicals. “Construction customers will always be close to our core,” said Philip Herselman, General Manager, Power Technique (previously Construction Technique). “However, we serve customers in many segments, and the Power Technique name better reflects this and our offering.” The business area will continue its focus on service through the Power Technique Service and Specialty Rental divisions. ...

Atlas Copco Portable Energy supplied four state-of-the-art HiLight V5+ LED light towers mounted on custom-built double-axle trailers to trading partner, Tracpart Mining Supplies. The end-user, a coal mine in Mpumalanga, uses the light towers for above ground lighting applications. When approached by the coal mine to supply light towers, Tracpart immediately turned to Atlas Copco for a solution. “We supply Atlas Copco dewatering pumps and portable generators and are familiar with the proven quality of this globally renowned brand,” says De Wet van Wyk, co-founder of Tracpart together with brother, Jaco, in 2009. Thanks to the state-of-the-art LED technology, the HiLight V5+ light towers provide up to 25% more light compared to metal halide lamps while delivering average fuel consumption savings of 60% and reduced CO2 emissions of up to 70%. Tracpart’s core business is the supply and servicing of new and used tractors for underground and surface applications primarily in the coal m...

Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate’s Regional Director – Western & Eastern Cape: JHI, Liezel Conradie, is the winner of the Business Women’s Association (BWA) Regional Business Achievers Awards – Corporate Category. Conradie received the prestigious award at a formal Gala Dinner last night (26 July), at the Kelvin Grove Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town. A skilled property professional, Conradie is responsible for JHI’s regional team of some 60 staff members in South Africa’s Western Cape and Eastern Cape. She has gained excellent industry insight over 19 years in commercial, retail and industrial property management, and has been with Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate for the past five years. Conradie administers high-profile properties and blue-chip accounts for Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate, ranging from some of the biggest names in South African real estate to smaller private clients. The total area currently under her supervision is approximately 800,000sqm. Withi...

Implementation of the new Mining Charter, intended to transform the industry, has been halted pending the outcome of an urgent application for an interdict by the Chamber of Mines. The interdict proceedings are just the first step in what is likely to be a protracted review process, says Vanessa Jacklin-Levin, Partner at Dentons South Africa. “We currently have two processes running in parallel—an application for an interdict and an application for judicial review,” Ms Jacklin-Levin explains. “The interdict application has been brought by the Chamber of Mines to halt the implementation of the Mining Charter pending the outcome of its application for judicial review of the Charter.” The Department of Mineral Resources has agreed not to move forward on the implementation of the Charter in the meantime. Both parties have agreed to ask for the interdict application to be heard in September, which will give the Department time to file its answering affidavit in opposition to the inter...