Mining Developments News

(Munich/Verona, January 2020) The first fully electric, battery-powered mini-excavator from Wacker Neuson, EZ17e, performs and handles just like a diesel-powered model. For this innovative development, the jury of the SaMoTer Innovation Award 2020 awarded the electric mini-excavator with the Innovation Award in the category hydraulic mini-excavators. Wacker Neuson is strengthening its position as an innovation leader in the zero emission segment with machines like the fully electric excavator EZ17e. In Verona, the mini-excavator was awarded with the SaMoTer Innovation Award 2020. The innovation was selected in the category hydraulic mini-excavators for efficiency and optimal integration of electric propulsion with a design identical to the diesel version and for performances identical to the classic diesel version despite ensuring null gas and noise emissions. The excavator will be the highlight product at the Wacker Neuson stand C11-C12 at SaMoTer, that is taking place from March 2

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa (tkISSA) has streamlined the sample testing process with the recent development of a mobile containerised High-Pressure Grinding Roll (HPGR) test unit. By enabling customers to test samples on site, this eliminates the costs, time delays and complex logistics related to the transportation of samples for testing purposes. The inspiration to create this distinctive containerised laboratory was spurred on by a customer who required the pre-crushing of uranium ore causing various dilemmas in ore processing, transportation logistics as well as handling of radioactive material. Taking all these factors into consideration, the company came up with a game-changing idea; bring the test laboratory to the customer. The mobile laboratory consists of a semi-pilot scale HPGR fully enclosed in a 20-foot container. “The HPGR was developed in Germany, but we have adapted the design for manufacturing in South Africa,” says Gerhard Van Wyk, Process Manage

SKF is urging users of rotating equipment to rethink the way they pay for bearings and related items. In the traditional transaction-based model, suppliers’ profits depend on numbers of parts sold and not on improvements in machine performance. There’s fundamental conflict of interest, as longer component life means fewer sales for the supplier. SKF is now offering a forward-thinking, fee-based Rotating Equipment Performance (REP) service, in which both SKF as a supplier and its customers are benefiting from maximising machinery’s productivity, reliability and efficiency. Under a REP contract, the customer pays a fixed monthly or quarterly fee dependent on SKF meeting agreed targets for machine production level, uptime or other KPIs. The all-inclusive fee covers provision of bearings, seals, lubrication and condition monitoring. SKF’s engineering expertise in this specialised area ensures the ideal specification and application of all elements, which is important as 90% of industrial