Mining Developments News

In honour of the late Nelson Mandela, his birthday on 18 July is celebrated as Mandela Day and people are encouraged to spend 67 minutes helping a philanthropic cause. As 2018 marks the centenary birthday of ‘Madiba’, Epiroc wanted to make sure that their contribution is extra special to make a great impact on the lives of those in need. So this year Epiroc created Mandela Day moments at the Vita Nova Centre in Springs on Johannesburg’s East Rand where the company’s employees eagerly dedicated their time and handed out various gifts to residents at the Centre. “We showed our support to the children, aged between 3 and 7 years, living in the Vita Nova Sparrow Hostel,” says Kathryn Coetzer, Regional Marketing and Communications Manager at Epiroc South Africa. “We donated duvet covers and inners, toys, picture frames and mobiles. We also spent time with the children, residents and staff and shared some truly heart-warming moments.” Founded over four decades ago and spearheaded by Direc...

The month of June saw Chicago Pneumatic heading north to hand out a CPPG portable generator at each of the three Mining and Technical Exhibitions (MTEs) hosted by South Africa’s Northern Cape Province. Chicago Pneumatic invited its dealer, Turner Morris, to the Northern Cape MTEs which took place in Hotazel, Kathu and Lime Acres on 12, 14 and 15 June 2018 respectively. Christa van Wyngaardt from Turner Morris joined Eben van der Vyver, Business Development Manager for Chicago Pneumatic Construction Equipment in South Africa, to congratulate and hand over the portable generators to the respective winners - Marko Kamwendo of South 32 Wessels Mine (Hotazel MTE), Handré Cornelissen of Kumba Iron (Kathu MTE) and Japie Botma of PPC Lime Acres (Lime Acres MTE). According to Van der Vyver, all three MTEs were highly successful. ”There was a frequent flow of visitors and the Chicago Pneumatic brand was very well received at all three events. The first MTE in Hotazel generated some promising...

MEDIA STATEMENT A strong Health and Safety culture improves productivity and assists in creating a safe and great place to work. The health and safety dialogue company ensures labour force, management, community and all stakeholders are aligned in creating and respecting a safe and healthy working environment. Through workshops and visual campaigns, we bring your Health and Safety Policy to life. Legislation is designed to protect human life and to enforce safety standards. However, OHS Acts are often complex and difficult to understand especially in areas with low literacy. It is essential as a business to ensure your labour force truly understand the associated risks within their working environment; culture goes beyond ticking training boxes. Has your organisation considered the importance of promoting a Health and Safety culture? Are you confident your employees are living and working in a safety conscious culture beyond paperwork and legislation? The vision of the health and...

Powermite will use Electra Mining 2018 as a springboard to launch its new innovative Conductix Wampfler SR-Express Spring Reeling Drums as well as to introduce the market to additions to its range of plugs and sockets. Telefonika mining cable, Conductix Wampfler cable reeling drums, downshop and festooning systems, Mennekes and AMPCO plugs, connectors and sockets as well as crane accessories will complete the extensive display from Powermite. Powermite is part of the Hudaco group of companies and is a leading supplier of electrical and mechanical equipment for moving machinery in the southern African region. The company has been participating at Electra Mining for several years and Managing Director, Rolf Lung, says that the mining exhibition has always been a good platform to engage with not only the mining sector but also with general industry. “While past participation has led to new lead generation and business opportunities, the exact measurement of success at any trade exhibit...

BBC Africa, Johannesburg The South African government has offered relatives of miners killed in the 2012 Marikana massacre the sum of 100m rand ($7.4m; £5.7m) in compensation. Police shot dead 34 miners on strike over wages, saying they were acting in self-defence. The shooting at the Lonmin platinum mine was the most deadly police incident since the end of apartheid in 1994, and shocked the nation. Ten others were killed in the days leading up to the mass shooting. The violence left 70 injured, and police arrested more than 200 others. Families of the miners are being offered the settlement for general damages. A group called the Socio-Economic Rights Institute represented more than 300 claimants who sued the government for loss of support and shock. It says it will consult the families about the offer. Former President Jacob Zuma established a commission of inquiry led by a retired judge. Its findings led to the removal of a police commissioner. It also recommended investigat...

(Stand F16: Hall 6) Proof Engineering will reveal a newly designed tamper proof spindle for Ex Sockets alongside its latest range of Orion and Crater branded Ex glands at Electra Mining 2018. Part of the Hudaco group of companies, Proof Engineering leads the market in the design and manufacture of innovative flameproof, explosion proof and non-flameproof plugs, sockets, adaptors and cable couplers. Its extensive product offering is focused on the mining and tunneling industries. Donovan Marks, Director at Proof Engineering, says that the innovative tamper proof spindle, developed by Proof Engineering in close collaboration with an end-user, is a must-see on their stand. Thanks to its innovative design, the plug can only be removed once the circuit has been isolated, contributing to the safety of underground mine personnel. “Visitors to our stand will also have the opportunity to view our electrical cable connectors (under the Proof brand), lighting systems (under the Azolite bra...

High-performance hand-held equipment specialist, Chicago Pneumatic, gave away the ninth CPPG5 generator at the Mining and Technical Exhibition (MTE) held in Rustenburg on 31 May 2018. According to Eben van der Vyver, the Business Development Manager for Chicago Pneumatic Construction Equipment in South Africa, compared to some of the previous shows, the North West Province exhibition was considerably larger with participants having braved the cold rainy weather to attend the event, eager to view the latest products and services geared to the mining industry. Chicago Pneumatic is handing out a CPPG5 portable petrol-driven generator to one lucky winner at each of the MTEs taking place in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia during 2018. “As has been the custom at all the previous MTEs this year, we invited a Chicago Pneumatic dealer to join us in Rustenburg,” notes Van der Vyver. “Our partnerships with our dealers are extremely important to us. As our primary route to market, they are a...

Electra Mining 2018: Stand # P17 (at lake area) Atlas Copco’s Power Technique business area will display its four-pillared product portfolio that delivers the perfect balance between performance, versatility, reliability, efficiency, and portability at Electra Mining 2018. “Focused on mobility, our products power customer productivity across a wide spectrum of applications within the mining, construction, drilling and rental sectors,” states David Stanford, Business Line Manager at Power Technique. “The four pillars house air, power, light and flow solutions with service providing a solid foundation.” Power Technique’s compressors, generators and light towers have gained tremendous traction in mining and industry, supplying convenient and efficient on-site portable air, power and lighting. “Building on the success of these three power solutions, we decided to introduce pumps to our product portfolio almost three years ago, forming our fourth pillar – flow,” explains Stanford. “The...

Couplers facilitate the connection of electrical cables to mobile mining equipment. “Given that they are traditionally manufactured from brass, leaded gun metal or stainless steel, the extremely high weight-to-value ratio of these critical components presents a high theft risk,” explains Donovan Marks, Director at Proof Engineering. The cost of replacing stolen couplers is often further exacerbated by subsequent downtime and production losses. In an endeavour to come up with a cost-effective solution for customers and end-users, Proof Engineering embarked on a three year research and development programme and pioneered the ProAlloy zinc coupler. This revolutionary unit presents a three-in-one solution for industry – reduced theft risk, lighter weight and lower cost. Instead of the traditional materials, the ProAlloy is manufactured to specification from a zinc, copper and aluminium mix which holds no resale value thus earning the name, ‘non-theft material’. “The aluminium contamin...

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday lamented the recent spike in mine deaths, while praising Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe for driving the public engagement process of the draft Mining Charter since he took over in February. Addressing the elective congress of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Ramaphosa said government is committed to finalising the charter, which the industry has criticised as unconstitutional. “We want this charter to be finalised so that we can reposition the industry. I have said that we see the mining sector as a sunrise industry and that there is space for it to play a key role in the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP),” said Ramaphosa. Last week, Mantashe unveiled the revised charter following months of public consultations with the industry and communities. “The Mining Charter will be used to balance policy certainty, deal with the challenges of inequality and also promote transformation,” he said. The Mineral Council, which re...

Five mineworkers have died and a sixth is still trapped underground after a fire broke out at a copper mine in Limpopo, according to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). The union said the fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning at a in eastern Limpopo. “The fire reportedly started at conveyor belt 5, and when smoke was seen by a logistic belt operator, the workers were instructed to evacuate the area to the closest refuge chamber,” AMCU said in a statement. “The proto team at the mine itself was reportedly not ready to complete the rescue, and therefore another proto team from Burgersfort had to be called in.” The union said this team only arrived around 11:00 on Sunday. “They managed to recover one living and two deceased mineworkers from the mine, but the high temperatures which rose to [between] 64 to 67 degrees Celsius, made the rescue efforts almost impossible.” AMCU said at around 19:00 on Sunday, three other miners were confirmed to have d...

Advanced bearing design offers higher load rating and up to 300 percent longer rating life The oil and gas industry continues to push the limits of technology. Deeper wells, harsher environments and more sophisticated drilling approaches all place additional demands on equipment, calling for larger, more powerful and more robust solutions. Top drives, which power the drilling process, are right at the front line of that technological race, and when unplanned downtime can cost operators $1 million a day, performance and reliability are critical attributes. To meet the demands of leading top drive manufacturers, SKF has developed a new generation of tapered roller thrust bearings, the first to join its Explorer family of high-performance bearing products. With higher load ratings and bearing rating life extended by up to 300 percent, the SKF Explorer tapered roller thrust bearings are ready for the next generation of larger, more powerful top drives. They can also be used to optimis...

Using technology and innovation to change cross-border controls for goods not covered by eNaTIS By Kyle Dutton, Southern African Moveable Asset Register (www.samar.co.za) The Inter Provincial Policy and Procedural (IPPP) committee in 2011 instructed the NCRS to stop providing eNaTIS model numbers for all vehicles outlined in Regulation 5 of the National Road Traffic Act 1996. This ruling shifted anything from the jet ski to the generator out of the protective eNaTIS remit, leaving them without a trackable and robust record or the ability to manage and control them tightly. That’s a staggering total of nearly R40 billion in movable assets with no record. The doorway for the illegal movement of mining machinery, also known as yellow metal equipment, across borders was wedged wide open. Crime syndicates and criminals, emboldened by limited controls and inspired by increased demand – the growth of the illegal mining industry – are moving this machinery over the borders at a rapid ra...

SKF’s range of Disc Couplings in a variety of configurations, offer cost-effective, lubrication-free service in medium to high torque applications that require torsional rigidity. The Couplings consist of two hubs and a laminated stainless steel disc pack secured by a series of fitted bolts retained by nylon insert lock nuts. The Couplings feature a capacity range up to 178 kNm in a variety of configurations including single disc, double disc and spacer for both horizontal and vertical mounting, delivering benefits to a wide range of applications. “In many applications, the challenge posed by exposure to the elements requires quality parts that continue to operate smoothly,” says David Beggs, SKF Power Transmission Global Technical Manager. “The SKF Disc Coupling offers robust performance, with all-steel machined components that allow for high-speed applications to be handled with ease. With two-plane dynamic balancing, higher speeds are often permissible.” The Couplings minimis...

SKF Endoscopes TKES 10 series are first line inspection tools that can be used for internal inspection of machinery. They help minimise the need to disassemble machinery for inspection, saving time and money. The compact display unit, with 3.5” backlit screen, allows images and video to be saved and recalled, or to be downloaded and shared with others. Three different models cater to most needs and are equipped with powerful variable LED lighting allowing inspections in dark locations. High resolution miniature camera, with up to 2™ digital zoom, gives a clear and sharp full screen image. They are available with a 1 metre (3.3 ft) insertion tube in three different variants; flexible, semi-rigid or with an articulating tip. The small tip diameter of 5,8 mm (0.23 in.), with a wide field of view, allows easy access to most applications. It is supplied with a side view adapter allowing inspection of applications such as pipe walls. Powerful magnets, and a tripod mount on the bac...

With employee wellness at the core of Epiroc South Africa’s ethos, the company addressed the important topic of stress management in support of World Safety Day 2018. The World Health Organisation’s safety day focus this year was on child labour. However, globally Epiroc decided to focus on topics close to their own health and safety culture. Regional SHEQ Manager for Epiroc South Africa, Johnny de Mesquita, explains why the South African subsidiary chose to focus on stress management: “We took into consideration that, with the establishment of Epiroc South Africa on 1 November 2017 as a strong partner to southern African mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries, our employees have had to deal with numerous changes related to the company’s transformation over the past few months.” With restructuring come all the complexities related to changes in job descriptions and responsibilities, divisional shifts and office relocations. While some people are able to deal easil...

Following hot on the heels of the successful generator give-away at the Northam Mining & Technical Exhibition (MTE) in Limpopo, one week later Chicago Pneumatic once again handed out a portable generator, this time to a lucky visitor of the Sibanye Gold MTE held in Gauteng on 17 May 2018. Chicago Pneumatic has attained unrivalled success with the hand out of a generator at the past seven MTEs this year. “Our generator giveaways, which are handed out on a lucky draw basis, has proven to be a resounding success,” comments Eben van der Vyver, Business Development Manager, Chicago Pneumatic Construction Equipment in South Africa. Attendees to the MTEs have the opportunity to view the Chicago Pneumatic CPPG5 (5.5Kva) petrol-driven portable generator which is second to none when it comes to high performance, reliable power delivery and safe operation over a long service life. The exhibitions which have traversed through South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, have provided the ideal p...

Epiroc South Africa along with its divisions URE, SED and ADS, sponsored 120 jackets to support final 4th year Wits School of Mining Engineering students on their 2018 mine tour from 11 to 14 June 2018. The objective of this annual tour is to provide these students with practical demonstrations and knowledge of various mining methods practiced around the country. The tour forms the foundation of the two courses namely Mine Design Project and Rock Engineering and is a partial fulfilment of the requirements to graduate. According to Professor Cuthbert Musingwini from Wits School of Mining, most of their students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and therefore sponsorships are always received with much appreciation. “As the mining company has been a perennial sponsor of our final-year students we did not hesitate to once again request sponsorship. We are sincerely grateful to Epiroc for this in-kind support of our students,” says Musingwini. Twenty-three-year old final-year Wits ...

FOGMAKER South Africa (Pty) Ltd. will not only display its efficient triple-action fire-suppression system at the highly anticipated Electra Mining Africa 2018 but will also be conducting live demonstrations to show the remarkable effectiveness of water-mist technology. Intelligently engineered to fit in most engine compartments, FOGMAKER utilises the power of water in the form of high-pressure mist (50-micron droplets) to eliminate oxygen, heat and fuel, thereby effectively suppressing the fire in seconds. According to the Managing Director of FOGMAKER South Africa, John Russell, mining contractors are under pressure from mining houses to have their machines fitted with fire prevention systems. “When it comes to choosing the right technology, we are seeing a distinct move by both mining companies and contractors to adopt water mist technology as the preferred fire suppression system. In fact, two blue-chip mining companies have decided to change to water mist technology from powder...

At the SMM2018 trade fair (Hamburg, 4-7 September), SKF will showcase a range of new products that help owners and operators comply with present and future environmental regulations, as well as help them improve maintenance processes and performance. The new products include environmental-friendly shaft line and condition-monitoring solutions. The first new launch at SMM is SKF’s new environmental-friendly shaft line solution – Simplex BlueRun. This range of water-lubricated sterntube solutions includes Simplex BlueRun bearings, carrier bushes as well as the Simplex BlueRun tail shaft monitoring system. Also on show will be SKF’s EcoMode. This software has been developed to ensure optimised fin stabiliser operation and it delivers recommendations and actions based on retrospective movement analysis. In addition for the optimisation of oily water treatment processing onboard any kind of vessels SKF has developed two new products. The new products include the Turbulo SolidMaster, ...

/ MEDIA STATEMENT / This content is not written by Creamer Media, but is a supplied media statement. The DRA Group, a leading mining engineering firm, is to act as lead technical partner to CCP 12J Fund Limited (CCP 12J) in respect of engineering (EPC/M) and outsourced operations and maintenance services. CCP 12J is a new mining-focused Venture Capital Company, established in terms of Section 12J of the Income Tax Act. DRA will also be a principal investor in CCP 12J. Stockdale Street, a private equity fund manager which advises DRA’s largest shareholder, is a co-founder of CCP 12J. CCP 12J will leverage off both DRA’s extensive minerals processing, mining engineering and outsourced operations capabilities and Stockdale Street’s disciplined focus on capital preservation, to make mining related equity investments in South Africa. CCP 12J will seek to invest in mining projects which are, predominantly, related or ancillary to existing mining operations and which meet the criteria of a “...

When a UK-based electricity producer was experiencing frequent breakdowns due to bearing failures in two industrial fan units, the plant requested the services of NSK to propose and implement a suitable solution. After performing an application review as part of NSK’s AIP (Added Value Programme), a change of bearing and fixing arrangement led to significant cost savings. B042018-N-Image1.jpeg – An NSK application review attributed the root cause of industrial fan unit failure to incorrect bearing arrangement The two direct-drive overhung fans, which are supported by spherical roller bearings in plummer blocks, operate 24/7. As primary total air fans, their role is to feed air to the boiler at a rate of 8 m3/second with an output pressure of 13 kPa. However, the bearings in each unit were failing every three months on average, a situation that would take three engineers 10 hours to remedy each time, incurring high costs per breakdown. The long time and high cost of replacement was lar...

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario (May 25, 2018) – Haver & Boecker, a leading equipment manufacturer and solutions provider in aggregates and mining applications, introduces the skid-mounted Hydro-Clean™ 1000 Wash Plant as a complete solution. In addition to a Hydro-Clean 1000 washing system combined with a Tyler L-Class vibrating rinse screen, Haver & Boecker now offers semi-portability by mounting the complete system on a custom skid structure. The opportunity to purchase the three components together saves operations months of time they would have spent on designing and building a skid structure for a wash plant. The new package delivers maximum serviceability in a small footprint. “We’re always looking for ways to solve our customers’ problems and improve their productivity and efficiency,” said Karen Thompson, president of Haver & Boecker Canada. “By offering the Hydro-Clean 1000 Wash Plant, we’re saving producers from spending extensive time on engineering and manufacturing a...

Condition monitoring specialists WearCheck couldn’t be prouder of diagnostic manager John Evans, who recently diagnosed his two millionth oil analysis sample, making him the third in WearCheck’s team of eight diagnosticians to reach this milestone. While official statistics are not readily available, it is extremely rare on a global level to have diagnosed this quantity of samples, therefore the achievement by Evans aligns him with only a handful of top diagnosticians in the world who have reached an equivalent milestone – among them, fellow WearCheck diagnosticians Michelle Allis and Rowan Maartens. WearCheck has been conducting used oil analysis for more than 40 years, and the diagnosticians have, between them, a combined 175 years of experience. Thanks to meticulous record-keeping, the company has now amassed a sample diagnosis database of over 12 million samples, which grows by around 750 000 samples each year. Evans outlines the importance of the database, which contains i...