ssamij mag file - Sub-Sahara Mining & Industrial Journal · 2020. 5. 23. · (HPGR) mill application. Both applications required non- ... implementation was aligned with government

Sub-SaharaMining & Industrial Journal

Perseuspushes aheadin West Africa, despitevirus threat Pg. 8

Mine designers, plannersand engineers to benefitfrom new Micromineupdate Pg.22

SEW-EURODRIVE JoinsNational 3D PrintingInitiative for Face MasksPg. 14

Amplats ramps upstricken smelter, forcemajeure to be lifted Pg. 7

Issue 2 April June Issue 2020 www.subsaharamining.com

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4 www.subsaharamining.com | April -June 2020

Ediitor’s Note

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Disclaimer: All material is strictly copyright. The magazine or any part thereof may not be reproduced or adapted without wri�en permission from the publisher: Sub SaharaMining & Industrial Journal welcomes material submi�ed for publica�on but retains the right to edit copy. The views expressed in the publica�on are not considered those of thepublisher (Revival Media), which accepts no liability of any nature arising out of or in connec�on with the contents of this magazine. While every effort has been taken incompiling this publica�on, the publisher does not give warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of its content. The publisher and the editor cannot accept responsibility forany loss inconvenience & damage that may occur there from.

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Miners involved in exploration know this too well:after spending so much time, manpower, effort andresources digging and looking for traces of mineraldeposits, and unearthing more questions thananswers, he has no choice but to continue theexploration.

For many of us, this marks a chance for renewal,and 2020 is no exception. Though marred by aglobal outbreak of Covid-19 affecting production inmines and industries it is imperative that the worldmoves together as one. Covid -19 brought change,which isn’t always easy, and sometimes it can behard to get motivated to embrace the new way oflife. Doing things “the way they’ve always beendone” feels so much more simple and comfortablein many cases. Change can be good for us though,and sometimes even necessary.

The same concept can be applied to yourmanufacturing plant or mine. Maybe you havespent so much time operating in a specific way thatimagining any other method can be stressful, to sayin the least. However, the mining & industrial sectorsare facing a slew of changes and challenges —from rapidly evolving technology to newregulations and everything in between, besidesCovid-19

So how can we address these growing issues? Theonly answer is change.

Change keeps us competitive. Implement newtechnology to improve operations, make eco-friendly changes to save on costs, use software tobetter track inventory — make these changes,because after the initial rough patch of transitioningfrom one method to another, you will very likely seeimprovement.

Please keep your eyes on this magazine for othersigns of resilience and renewal. Because whateverchanges, one thing remains constant: ourcommitment to this planet we share. We hope thatthis issue of Sub Sahara Mining & Industrial Journalhelps enlighten its readers, answer some of theirquestions, and inspire them to look for moreanswers.

Let's get to work.

Thanks,

Editor

Nicholas Mayo

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Front Cover

www.subsaharamining.com | April -June 2020 5

Contents

ContentsZest WEG keeps DRC mining project on track in face of COVID-19restrictions Pg. 6Amplats ramps up stricken smelter, force majeure to be lifted Pg. 7Perseus pushes ahead in West Africa, despite virus threat Pg. 8How the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the global miningindustry Pg. 10Hitachi’s EX2600-7 offers reduced fuel consumption Pg. 12SEW-EURODRIVE Joins National 3D Printing Initiative for Face MasksPg. 14Steel industry in financial distress because of lockdown Pg. 15Condra to show off crane building abilities on South Africa coalmine dragline contract Pg. 16World’s first synthetic wire rope hoist launched with Konecranesnew S-series Pg. 17Appetite for production: Industrial lifting Pg. 19Mine designers, planners and engineers to benefit from newMicromine update Pg.22Ucore to buy critical metals separation technology Pg. 24Australasian mines use the most technology: Global Data reportPg. 25How Swiss cobalt traders are trying to prevent child labour Pg. 26Australia-based junior IronRidge Resources takes big pictureapproach in Africa Pg. 28GHH’s new 45t capacity dump truck MK-42 to enter undergroundmarket Pg. 29Big miners battle with limiting climate change – TPI Pg. 30Push to liquidate Murray means coal mines will close, union saysPg. 31Continuous system increases survey productivity in blast holes Pg.32


Mining

Zest WEG keeps DRC mining projecton track in face of COVID-19restrictions

The Zest WEG Group, asubsidiary of leading Brazilianmotor and controlsmanufacturer WEG, is intent onkeeping its customers’ projectson track despite COVID-19-related travel restrictions andhas devised a way tocomplete the final step in themanufacturing processremotely.

In an innovative first to keep acustomer’s mining project inthe Democratic Republic ofthe Congo on schedule, ZestWEG successfully conducted aremote witness test of mediumvoltage (MV) variable speeddrives (VSDs) in WEG’s Brazilfactory.

David Spohr, BusinessDevelopment Executive forhigh-voltage equipment atSouth Africa-based Zest WEG,said these extraordinary timescalled for extraordinarymeasures.

“With the restrictions oninternational travel, we had tothink creatively about how tocomplete this final step in themanufacturing process – thewitnessed factory acceptancetest (FAT) – before theequipment could be shippedto the DRC site,” he said.Under normal circumstances,these tests would require thecustomer to travel to Brazil andspend a week at the factorywitnessing and signing off a

range of detailed test andequipment requirements. Thisorder comprised two 7 MW,3,300 V WEG MVW01 VSDs forthe ball and SAG mill driveapplication and two 1.2 MW,3,300 V WEG MVW01 VSDs forthe high pressure grinding roll(HPGR) mill application. Bothapplications required non-standard features, accordingto the company, namely“frozen charge protection”software on the ball and SAGmill application and a “masterand follower” configuration onthe HPGR mill application, itsaid.

Spohr said: “It was essentialthat we did not delay thecustomer’s project, so wearranged to conduct thewitness test using web-basedcommunication software. Thisallowed the participation ofZest WEG experts, theengineering contractor andthe end user, all from thesafety of their homes inJohannesburg –communicating with fivetesting technicians in the WEGfactory in Brazil.”

Using a high-definition cameraand web-basedcommunication software, thefactory technicians were ableto walk the contractor andend user through eachelement of the FAT, with clearand real-time visual images ofthe test results and equipmenton the factory floor, accordingto the company.

The tests continued for threedays, beginning at 13:00 andending at 19:00 to account fortime zone differences. Testingcovered three key areas – PLCcommunication softwareintegration, full functionaltesting and full load testing,according to the company.“As with any other witnessedFAT, the customer wasprovided with acomprehensive results reportby WEG,” Spohr said. “Thisenabled the customer tocheck, in exactly the sameway, that the remote FATresults were within the requiredtolerances.”

Spohr noted that thispioneering step is likely toinfluence the way these testsare done in future.“It has shown that the testingcan be done to the samestandards, but with significantsavings in time and cost,” hesaid.

“As with any otherwitnessed FAT, the

customer was providedwith a comprehensiveresults report by WEG,”


Mining

he repair of the strickenAnglo Converter Plant

(ACP) Phase B unit has beensafely and successfullycompleted ahead ofschedule, Anglo AmericanPlatinum (Amplats) said onMonday.Amplats’ chain of processingfacilities, as well as the ACPPhase B unit that was meant toreplace it, was temporarilyclosed on March 6 followingan explosion.

An 80-day completion date toMay 25 was predicted but theACP and full downstreamprocessing operations are nowcompleting a safe ramp-up forfull expected operational fromMay 12, the date on which theforce majeure to suppliers ofconcentrate would be lifted.The JSE-listed platinum groupmetals (PGM) mining andmarketing company said therepair had enabled the restartof refined production of PGMsand base metals.“We were vigilant in adheringto strict health and safetyprotocols to keep the repairteam safe during thelockdown, whilst ensuring thatwe were able to implementsocial distancing and hygienerequirements which form ournew way of working during theCovid-19 pandemic,” AmplatsCEO Natascha Viljoen statedin a media release to MiningWeekly.Viljoen said substantial testinghad been carried out toensure the stability of the ACPPhase B unit.The estimated final cost ofrepairs for ACP Phase B wasR150-million, in line with thelower end of guidanceprovided.“As we complete the ramp-up,we’re engaging with suppliersof concentrate to lift forcemajeure imminently. Alltemporary commercialarrangements applicableduring the force majeureperiod will revert to normalcommercial terms,” Viljoenadded.Repair work on the ACP PhaseA unit was continuing andprogressing in accordancewith the project plan. All ordersfor long lead items had been

placed and dismantling workhad begun on site.Owing to the time taken torefine the respective PGMsand base metals, the forcemajeure notice remained ineffect for the company’srefined metal customers. Forcemajeure arrangements withthose customers will be lifted inthe future and in line with theprovisions of our agreements.Given the collectiveuncertainty around the startupof ACP, the ramp-up of miningoperations and the potentialimpact of Covid-19, Amplatsstated that it was retaining itscurrent guidance and wouldprovide an update asappropriate when it hadfurther information and clarityon production.SAFE, SUCCESSFUL REPAIRUNDER LOCKDOWNIn accordance with lockdownregulations, the repair teamwas able to continue withrepairs throughout SouthAfrica’s extended nationallockdown.All materials required forrepairs were ordered andavailable on site ahead of thelockdown, and there were nosupply chain disruptions thatimpacted the ability tocomplete the repairs.Site safety protocolimplementation was alignedwith government approvalsand regulations. Aconstruction work risk reviewwas completed to determinework phasing, method ofexecution, key resource

identification and increasedhealth protocols.The ACP construction repairteam was split into two teamsthat self-isolated for theduration of the repair work,and Covid-19 specific healthprotocols were put in place forcleaning, screening andtransport to site.A new shift pattern introducedfostered physical distancing.Increased site hygienemeasures for sanitisation,together with site safety andhealth supervision, wereimplemented to ensure safetyand quality of construction.Zero injuries, and zero healthissues or positive Covid-19cases had been reported atthe time of going to press andno health and safety orconstruction issues had beenexperienced during the repairand ramp-up.The company’s ability tocontinue these essential repairsduring lockdown had beencritical to the resumption ofthe processing pipeline.As a result of the incidents atthe ACP, and the need to shutoperations to secure a safeoperational environment foremployees, Amplats wasunable to process any metalto final product during thisperiod.With mining activity resumingto varying degrees under thecurrent Level 4 lockdownrestrictions, the company wasnow able to begin processingconcentrate and releasingmetal from the pipeline.

T

Amplats ramps up stricken smelter,force majeure to be lifted


Mining

Perseus pushes ahead in West Africa,despite virus threat

Perseus Mining (TSX: PRU; ASX:PRU ) is building its secondopen-pit mine in Cote d’Ivoireand its third in West Africa,and expects to pour first goldin December despite theCOVID-19 pandemic.Once built, Yaoure willproduce 215,000 oz. gold peryear at all-in sustaining costs(AISCs) of US$734 per oz. overthe first five years of an initial8.5 year mine life.

On a recent conference call,managing director and CEOJeffrey Quartermaine saiddevelopment work on theYaoure mine, 40 km from thecapital of Yamoussoukro, was52% complete, with US$29million spent on developmentin the first three months of theyear. In total, Perseus hasspent US$129 million ondeveloping Yaoure, or 49% ofthe project’s total capex ofUS$265 million.

“This has been one of thebright lights for us this quarter,and we continue to makeprogress on all fronts atYaoure,” Quartermaine toldanalysts and investors on thecall. “Our stretch target ofpouring first gold byDecember 2020 continues tobe within our capacity,

provided we don’t have anyunusual delays coming out ofthe virus later in the year.”

Fabrication of the SAG andBall mills is complete and theequipment was delivered tosite ahead of schedule inFebruary, while otherprocured items have beenmoving efficiently through theport of Abidjan in Coted’Ivoire and deliveries to thesite have been taking placeon a regular basis, unimpededso far by COVID-19. It hascompleted 39% of its tailingsstorage facility, construction ofthe main Yaoure substation is56% complete, and accessroads are being upgraded.

“The pleasing news is that,notwithstanding COVID-19,cargoes are being efficientlycleared through the port ofAbidjan and transported tosite without too much delay,”he noted. “Yaoure is a veryimportant project for Perseusand does underpin our futuregrowth, and so we’re lookingforward very much todelivering further progress onthat.”

In the meantime, it continuesto operate its Edikan open-pitmine in Ghana, a historic

heap leach mine it broughtinto production in 2011, and itsSissingue open-pit mine inCote d’Ivoire, which startedproduction in January 2018.

Sissingue produced 19,964 oz.gold at US$685 per oz. andAISCs of US$781 per oz. duringthe quarter, while Edikanproduced 38,019 oz. gold atUS$1,090 per oz. and AISCs ofUS$1,242 per ounce. (Thehigher costs at Edikan weremainly the result of lowerrecovery rates due tocarbonaceous materials in theore from one of the mine’spits.)

Perseus is also pushing aheadwith exploration and hasearmarked an explorationbudget for the next 12 monthsof US$15 million this year — thebulk of which will be spent onareas around Yaoure, wheremanagement see “enormouspotential to add materially toour reserve inventory there.”The balance will be spent at itstwo other producing mines.“We are accelerating ourefforts on exploration, not onlyto extend the life of ourexisting operations but to,hopefully, also discover ournext mine. We have someinteresting targets.”


Mining

While supply chains remainopen in Ghana and Coted’Ivoire, the movement oflocal and foreign employeeshas been impacted bygovernment-imposed travelrestrictions, while work rostershave been extended. Nocases of COVID-19 have beenreported by any of thecompany’s employees orcontractors at either of its twomines or at the Yaouredevelopment project.

“We’re living in prettyuncertain times, and theCOVID-19 pandemic iscreating some seriouschallenges for us, but so farwe’ve met these head-on,and we’re ahead of thegame,” Quartermaine said onthe call. “What happens fromhere remains to be seen, butwe are confident that byremaining vigilant and beingproactive, we will successfullysee this crisis through.”

Quartermaine also noted thatthe company had offered itsexpat staff at Yaoure theopportunity to fly back to theircountries earlier on, before theairports were closed down,but virtually all of themdeclined. “Almost to a manthey said, ‘No way, we’regoing to see this through,’” hesaid, while those at itsoperating mines also declinedthe offer. “Our people arethere because they want tobe there. By and large, theteam was very determined toget through this. Now whetherthey have this same level ofenthusiasm in another threemonths remains to be seen.” Inthe event of a medicalemergency, Quartermaineadded, a charter flight couldbe arranged.

In an email to The NorthernMiner, Quartermaineexplained that part of thecompany’s successweathering in the currentpublic health emergency isdue to the company’sseasoned managementteams at each of itsoperations in West Africa thathave successfully managedseveral in-country crises inrecent years, including theEbola outbreak during 2014-2016. The deadly diseaseprovided Perseus with testedcrisis managementcapabilities and systems thatare proving useful today, hesaid.

Several of its key executives,prior to joining Perseus, hadspent the Ebola crisis on theground in Sierra Leone whereinfections were rife, he noted.“These guys brought a lot offirst-hand knowledge andexperience to the table,” heexplained, “and, under myleadership, our team hasdesigned and implementedthe systems that we havedeployed with success to datethroughout our business.”

“They had been part of ateam that operated all of theway through Ebola withoutlosing a day of production,”Quartermaine said. “Thestrategy that their formeremployee deployed wastaken and refined for oursituation. This is what we referto as our ‘Island Mode’business model.”

Essentially, the company hasdivided its mine sites into threezones – green, orange andred. The green zone containsall of the equipment, activitiesand people required toguarantee business continuity,he explained. “Access to thiszone is only possible after aperiod of quarantine todemonstrate that people areCOVID-free,” he said. “Theorange zone is a little morerelaxed – this is where theactual mining takes place –and the red zone permitsinterface with thecommunity.”

“On top of this, we havedeployed a lot of otherprotocols and practicesaimed at making sure oursupply lines remain open andensuring that we will be ableto continue operation, even ifthe virus spreads into oursurrounding community –which pleasingly it has not. Iwould like to think that we areassisting this by procuring anddistributing supplies to localhealth centres, undertakingdisinfectant spraying invillages, funding publicityprograms on local radioadvising people how to avoidcatching and spreading thevirus, etc.”

The Island Mode system hasnot been fully deployed atYaoure, however, as thedevelopment site “is simplytoo large and involves toomany people – a largeproportion of whom are

residents of the local area,and we simply cannot houseand feed all of these peoplein a quarantined area even ifthey were willing to go inthere.”

Nevertheless, Quartermainesaid, the company continuesto make headway at Yaoure.

“We do continue to make verygood progress, however, andare on track, but we maysuffer schedule disruption inthe future if we are unable tobring specialist constructiontechnicians andcommissioning people to sitewhen needed due tointernational and local travelrestrictions. We are not at thatpoint, and hopefully the travelrestrictions will be lifted beforeit becomes an issue.”

Quartermaine, who joinedPerseus as chief financialofficer in 2010 and wasappointed managing directorin January 2013, also praisedthe governments of bothGhana and Cote d’Ivoire foracting swiftly when thedangers of the pandemicbecame known, noting thatstatistics “are remarkably lowby comparison to developedcountries.”

He noted that reported casesin both countries were low bycomparison to many othercountries. (According to theWorld Health Organization,Ghana had 1,671 confirmedcases and 16 deaths andCote d’Ivoire 1,238 cases and14 deaths as of April 30.)“Whether this is a function oflow levels of testing,misdiagnosis, etc., I reallydon’t know,” Quartermainesaid. “What is clear though isthat both countries acted verypromptly and very firmly assoon as the problem surfaced(which not every country inthe world did, to their greatregret I am sure).”

“Obviously the resourcesavailable to these countriesare much lower thanelsewhere, but they seem tobe coping well at the momentand are getting solid supportfrom industries such as themining industry.”


Mining

How the coronavirus pandemic hasdisrupted the global mining industrySome have called the COVID-19 crisis a black swan event. Ithas had an extreme impactand the world wasunprepared for what hastranspired, even though, inhindsight, it was notunexpected.

The mining industry has alsobeen caught up in the turmoil.While previous globaleconomic downturns holdclues as to what will happennext, there are several aspectsto this crisis without similaritiesto the other economiccollapses that have affectedthe mining industry.

A mining downturn like noother Mining industrydownturns are usually due to adecrease in demand. Wheneconomic growth slows downthere is a decline in generalindustrial activity and this slowsthe demand for minedproducts, which causes fallingprices.For example, metal prices felldramatically following the2007-08 global financial crisis.In the precedingyears, Chinese growth fuelledconsumption of industrialmetals, expanding productionand driving prices upward.When the global financial crisisspread from the United Statesto the rest of the world,demand declined and metalprices fell in response.This coronavirus crisis isdifferent. Yes, demand formined products is falling aseconomic activity slows down,but for the first time fallingdemand is accompanied bysignificant supply-sideupheaval.

Mines remain open in somecountries. But in others, such asPeru, mining operations areseverely restricted as part ofgovernment efforts to controlthe pandemic. Viral outbreaksat specific mine sites in otherlocations have also causedthose operations to be closed.Some metals such as nickel (acomponent of electric vehiclebatteries) have lost more than30 per cent of production, dueto reliance on particularcountries such as thePhillippines.

This makes predicting futureprices no better than aguessing game. Until recently,the idea that copper priceswould hardly move inresponse to a 6.8 per cent fallin Chinese GDP wasinconceivable.

Even if demand for manycommodities falls, in somecases supplies of that productmay fall even faster. Thatmeans metal prices couldactually rise during thiseconomic downturn.

A case in point here isuranium, an essential materialfor nuclear powerstations. Uranium pricesincreased 20 per cent in Aprilfrom a low in March as fears ofsupply shortage have arisen.Coronavirus has affected anestimated 30-35 per cent ofglobal uranium production,according to the FinancialTimes, including the one-month closure of the world’slargest uranium mine, CigarLake, in northernSaskatchewan.Gold prices drive upwardsAnother theme emerging fromthe crisis is the growingdisparity between the pricetrends of precious metals andindustrial metals.

The global economy hasentered the current downturnin a weakened state. Mostgovernments have no cashreserves and are heavily

indebted. The trillions of dollarsin stimulus spending will befinanced with unconventionalmonetary policy. Goingbeyond fancy technical termssuch as quantitative easing,this essentially meansgovernments will have to printmore money.Increasing the supply ofmoney makes currencies lessvaluable and leads investorsto look to precious metals as away to store value. Gold priceshave performed extremelywell over the past year, risingto nearly US$1,800 per ouncecompared to around US$1,300per ounce one year ago.

One scenario for what followsfrom this current round ofmoney printing is a return to aperiod of stagflation, last seenin the 1970s, when inflationand poor economic growthoccur simultaneously.The disruption of global supplychains caused by thepandemic makes the globaleconomy susceptible tostagflation becauseproduction may not be ableto respond to governmentstimulus. If this occurs, goldprices could rise muchhigher than where they arenow, and profit margins fromthe gold mines that continueto operate may become verylarge.


Mining

Low energy prices, equipmentand labour costs wouldcontribute to these profitmargins. Expansion of outputand new mines would followas a consequence.

Struggle for control intensifies

The last theme that willcharacterize this economiccrisis is the importance ofcritical metals. Even before2020, critical metals, such ascobalt, lithium, neodymiumand nickel, were growingconcerns because of theuncertainty over their reliablesupply for the technology andrenewable energy industries.

Other materials,especially cobalt and rareearths are thinly tradedand dominated by Chinesecompanies. We are likely tosee the U.S. and companieslike Apple and Tesla securingtheir supply by investing

directly in processing andmining.The Pentagon has struck adeal with Australian rare earthmining group Lynas Corp. toproduce metals needed forelectric motors andtechnology products, in theUnited States.This trend to secure supply forcritical metals was in placebefore the pandemic and, ifanything, will accelerateduring the pandemic dueto concerns about supplydisruption.

Mining in the new COVID-19world

It is always risky to say, “Thistime it is different.” All miningindustry downturns have somesimilarities, but this one really isdifferent.

Some mines and metals willcontinue to perform well,while others may fall victim tothe recession with mine

closures, job losses and lostgovernment revenues as aconsequence. The key is tounderstand how thepandemic will require themining industry to change inresponse to the broaderdisruptions and the emergingdemands that are happeningaround it.

Companies looking to acquirecritical metals mines will likelyadd another set of acquisitioncriteria that focus onpandemic resilience,including automation, remote-controlled drilling andvulnerabilities to logisticsdisruptions. Mines rankedhighly on these factors arelikely to receive a premiumprice.These are truly interestingtimes and the mining industrywill need to think creativelyabout how best to respond tocreate a new future that cansupport sustainable growth inthe 21st century.

Hexagon– short interval control andthe art of smartA provenfleet managementsystem canbringmanytangible benefits to a mine, including betterand faster data to make real changes.ButHexagonadds that by integrating FMSwith adynamicscheduling solution meansthe dividendscanbe evenmore impressive. “Finding the bestFMSfor your mine, either through large-scaledynamic assignmentsfleet management,tablet-basedfleet management,or just using secondarydata collected by telematics or collision avoidancesystemsis critical. Findinga partner that canguideyou through that journey isequally important.”

Hexagontold IM it createdits Mining division toprovide customerswith a smarter,moreholisticview of their mine. Undergroundor at the surface,that meansbridging the gapsbetween a strategicplan, a tactical plan, and executionof the tasksinvolved in movingmaterial.

In other words,short-interval control. “Greatercontrol at a sub-shift level delivers evengreaterinsights and aligns companystrategy withexecution,” saysMining division CTO,RobDaw.“Hexagon’s customers areseeing great benefits inthis area from the integration of our MinePlanscheduling solutions, Activity Scheduler (MPAS)and ScheduleOptimizer (MPSO),and our fleet-management solution, MineOperate UGPro andOPPro.Thedata produced by that connection canpay hugedividends when it comesto

productivity.”MPASallows for

direct accessandfeedback fromactual productiondata in near real-time to compareand allowadjustments to theplanned scheduleand reconcilewithreal life. “Feed yourshort-term plan directly into the task managementsystemand automatically update your short-termplan based on actual task progress. Delaysareidentified and the schedulecanbe updatedimmediately to accountfor the uncertainty. In bothopen pit and underground design andscheduling,we canconnectwith real-time data through shortinterval control.”

By reducing the variance between plan andactual, Hexagonsayscustomers are capturinggreater project value. “A copper mine in Mexico,for example, had struggled to reconcile planspreparedwith different software tools. Thecustomer’smine plan called for a high profile ofrun-of-mine leach and total material movement.Asolution was required that would allow engineersto evaluateother planning alternatives to optimizethe material routing in the scheduleand reducethe mining rate.”

Themine migrated to MPSOto produceoptimum yet practical mineplans for long,medium and short-range planning, all in one tool.At the core of the mine planning process, MPSOisused to generatepractical short- to long-termproject schedules.

By also using MineOperate OPPro, the mineapplied field data (eg speedtable and cycletimes)to accurately model the equipment requirementsassociatedwith a mineplan and specific materialmovementproject. Theintegration between thetwo solutions dramatically improved performance,reducing the variance between plan and actual.

Elsewhere,similar integration at an

Hexagon’s MinePlan Activity Scheduler allowsfor direct accessand feedback from actualproduction data in near real-time to compareand allow adjustments to the planned scheduleand reconcilewith real life

Congratulations toour customers for

OPTIMIZING

TRILLION TONS ofHAULAGE over thelast 40 years

LeveragingDataand Innovation toOptimize the Mining ValueChainin RealTime


Mining

Hitachi’s EX2600-7 offers reduced fuelconsumption

At Hitachi, our iron will is tocontinuously improve so youriron will be even moreefficient, reliable and durable.The result? Our new EX-7 Seriesexcavators feature reducedfuel consumption andoptimized productivity.

The EX2600-7 is part of thisnew line of mining excavators,which highlights Hitachi’sfocus on continuousimprovement through fuel-efficiency technologies andadvanced engineering whileachieving superior productivityand enhancing sustainability.

Improved efficiency

The EX2600-7 features Hitachi’sFuel ConsumptionOptimization (FCO)technologies, which reducefuel consumption up to 8-10percent versus the previousmodel (EX2600-6) throughengine options. Customerscan choose from a Cumminsor MTU engine option. Forregulated countries, the EPAFinal Tier 4 (FT4) engine optionsuse diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

Improved hydraulic efficiencyincludes main pump electricregulators, which werepreviously controlled by ahydraulic pilot system, and areduction in the mechanical

workload to power thehydraulic pilot system. TheEX2600-7 also reduces thepower consumption with aboom lower circuitregeneration and a largehydraulic oil cooler and fanwhich can operate at a lowerspeed to maintain optimal oiltemperature.

Increased reliability

The EX2600-7 offers increasedreliability with cylinder strokeend control, which helpsensure structural longevity andoperator comfort by usingangle sensors to help reducethe cylinder pump flow ratefor smoother and slowermovement.

Acting on customer input,Hitachi also rearranged thehydraulic hoses from anarched to an underslungconfiguration, which makesthe hoses less prone todeflection due to decreasedhose load. Contaminationsensors in each main pumphelp reduce the risk ofmachine faults and costlydowntime by detectingexcessive contamination andalerting the operator whenneeded.

Enhanced durability

The machine also offersfeatures that strengthen itsdurability. A pressurized cabbed improves the life ofelectrical components andcontrollers by using an air filterto keep out dust and debris.Maintenance is also reducedwith a greaseless center jointthat utilizes available hydraulicoil for lubrication rather thanneeding grease lubrication.

Operator comfort and safety isalso enhanced with a best-in-class operation station thatoffers increased visibility andcomfort with ergonomicallydesigned controls to helpincrease productivity.Additionally, an advancedmulti-display monitor helpsimprove the machine’sperformance and uptime byproviding more accurateoperating status information.

The EX2600-7 also provides theoption of AerialAngle™, whichis popular among customersand works as a 360-degreevision system. The systemassists with noting equipmentsurroundings through a displaymonitor that combines a set ofimages captured by cameraspositioned at differentlocations around themachine.


Industrial

SEW-EURODRIVE Joins National 3DPrinting Initiative for Face Masks

Drive and automationtechnology company SEW-EURODRIVE has joined anationwide campaign to usethree-dimensional (3D) printingtechnology to produce much-needed face masks andshields for healthcare workersand first responders.

There is a global shortage ofcritical personal protectiveequipment (PPE) amid thespread of Covid-19.

South Africa too faces ashortage of PPE, promptingvarious companies to use theirexisting resources to produce3D-printed face masks.

The initiative was organised by3D printing solutions providerAdditive ManufacturingSolutions (AMS), withMD Bernhard Vogt havingcalled on all companies andindividuals equipped with suchtechnology to join the

campaign.

To date, the initiative hasproduced 15 000 face shieldsto meet the needs of privatehealthcare providers such asNetcare, as well as for theDepartment of Health.

Vogt says he was inspired tomobilise local 3D printingresources after Europeembarked on a similarinitiative.

“Only after South Africa’scases started to escalate afterthe national lockdown wasimplemented did the direneed for such gear becomeapparent,” he says.

SEW-EURODRIVE, which has a3D printer in its designdepartment, responded, andan engineer is printing masksfrom the safety of his home.The project is being overseen

by the design and engineeringdepartments.

“Not only do we adhere to allof the lockdown regulationsand stipulations, but aremaking a positive andpractical contribution tokeeping healthcare workersand first-line responders safe sothey can carry on with theirimportant roles,” SEW-EURODRIVE MD RaymondObermeyer comments.


Industrial

Steel industry in financial distressbecause of lockdown

he Department of Tradeand Industry has warnedthat the steel industrywould exit the coronavirus

(Covid-19) lockdown in severefinancial distress potentialplant closures and job losses.

The department’s Trade andIndustrial Policy Strategies(Tips) on Friday said theindustry could experience adevastating R1 billion negativecash cost on the five-weeklockdown unless thegovernment intervened.It said the situation would bemade worse by the fact thatChinese and Russian wereexpected to resume their low-price steel offering.Tips said its research showedthat the industry neededemergency funding andconsolidation for plants toreopen and be sustainable.It said cash flow had beenfundamentally disrupted withmany customers reporting thatthey would not be able to payas they had also not beenpaid.“This lack of liquidity will forcea spate of defaults andpossibly some parts of theindustry will not survive thiscrisis, not because they arebad businesses, but simplybecause the flow of cash driesup,” Tips said.

“Manufacturing companiesintegral to the supply chain ofSA Inc. may not recover, whichwill have a longer-term impacton the competitiveness ofsome other sectors.”Tips said steel production inthe second quarter wasexpected to be 50 percentlower.It said while there may beslight improvement in the thirdand fourth quarters, demandwas still expected to be 30-40percent lower than normal.The group said domestic steelconsumption was projected tobe below 3.3 million ton thisyear, 26 percent lower than 4.5million tonnes in 2019, “as themajor part of the forwardorder book is cancelled.” .The local steel industryproduces some 9 million tons ayear, making it a small globalplayer, compared with forinstance China, the biggestproducing country, with 928million tons produced in 2018.Tips said the downstream steelfraternity was “extremelypessimistic” from bothdemand and cash flowperspectives.It said a possible solution to theliquidity crunch was for theIndustrial DevelopmentCorporation to create atemporary lending facility toprovide payment-term relief tocustomers of the steel industry,

possibly administered by oneof the industry bodies.This would allow steel mills tooffer extended payment termsto customers of up to120 daysrather than the standard 30days, which would allowSouth African-basedmanufacturing to weather theshort-term impact to cashflows.The interventions also neededto cater also for largebusinesses with a turnover inexcess of R50 million a year.The upstream steel industryalso needed exemption fromtheCompetition Commission towork together “to savewhatever was possible tosave.”A proposal for the governmentto protect the manufacturingindustry included a review ofimports to prevent a flood ofproducts from countries thathad opened up earlier, andhad excess stock to dump intoSouth Africa’s market.There was ready-for-dispatchsteel export cargo at the portsof Saldanha and Durban, butthese were being held upbecause Transnet was unclearif this cargo was part of the so-called allowed activities, theTips report said.

T


Industrial

Condra to show off crane buildingabilities on South Africa coal minedragline contractCondra is to manufacture a“technically complex crane”to service a dragline at a coalmine in Mpumalanga, SouthAfrica, following a contractwin by its authorised agent forthe Witbank region, GTBIndustrial Services.

The order, won against strongcompetition, calls for amaintenance crane capableof working within the veryconstricted area of thedragline house. This containsmotors and gearboxescontrolling the excavatingboom and dragline, and largehydraulic cylinders to controlthe pontoons, meaning spaceis at a premium.

Condra said: “Condra provedbetter able than its rivals tomeet the complex criteria ofthe specification, chief ofwhich was the requirementthat the hoist be capable ofseparating completely fromthe maintenance crane, andmoving away along individualroof beams as anindependently operatedunderslung hoist to recovermachine components to thecentral working space.”

The hoist must also be able toindependently deliver loads totransport waiting outside thedragline house, shouldcomponent repair within thehouse not be possible, thecompany added.

The requirement was met bydesigning the crane’s 12.5 thoist as a beam changingmachine, and fitting the cranewith an interlock to preventthe hoist from leaving it unlessthe crane is securelyconnected to the selectedbeam, according to Condra.Power to the hoist is suppliedvia a cable drum instead of bythe crane’s cable loop system.

Managing Director, MarcKleiner, said Condra was ableto draw upon previousexperience of draglinemaintenance cranes,

overcoming engineeringcomplexities to deliver amachine that allows a singlehoist to carry out work thatwould more usually beundertaken by multiple units.

“Our design office tabled aninnovative proposal that wasalso able to deliver moreworking room than ourcompetitors,” he said. “Wecan quite often pull a rabbitout of the hat when nobodyelse can, but we think that thistime it was also our ability tomanufacture within a shortlead time that helped win theorder (lead time for thecontract is just 14 weeks).”

A key component of Condra’soverall design for the crane isits manual beam interlock,which incorporates an anti-derailment limit switch toprevent hoist movement untilbeams are locked together,the company said.

Besides rendering impossibleany movement of the hoistclose to the end of the beam,this design also delivers thelarge tolerances needed tocope with beam movementwhen the dragline movesposition, according to thecompany. Dragline movementtakes place by ‘walking’ onpontoons repositioned foreach step, tilting the machine

house forward and placingstress on the structure as wellas on the crane itself.

A hoist from Condra’s K-Serieswas chosen for the designbecause of its adaptabilityand particularly robustconstruction, well suited tothese stresses, the companysaid.

K-Series hoists are produced inthree main configurations:foot-mounted, underslungmonorail and double-rail crab.Fully covered hoists in the seriesprovide lifting capacities to 32t, while open-drum units havecapacities in excess of 250 t(open-drum and closed-drumCondra K-Series hoists arefeatured in the photo, paintedgreen).

Features on all models includeelectromagnetic DC discbrakes, standard frame-sizemotors with parallel rotors,double-acting limit switches,solid bronze rope guides andtotally enclosed splash-lubricated gearboxes. Liftingand reeving arrangementsinclude centre lift.

Condra says it will deliver thedragline maintenance craneduring the month following theeasing of COVID-19quarantine restrictions.


Industrial

World’s first synthetic wire rope hoistlaunched with Konecranes new S-series

Konecranes has launchedtheir new S-series overheadcrane which after years ofresearch, development andtesting, includes Konecrane’sunique synthetic wire ropehoist. The synthetic wire ropehoist gives a barb freeoperation, reducedmaintenance costs as well assafer handling and easier loadcarrying.

Emil Berning, ManagingDirector of Konecranes andDemag (Pty) Ltd said“Konecranes has alwaysbelieved that investment intoresearch and developmentdelivers improvedperformance and enhancedsafety to their cranes andassociated equipment whereit matters most, on the factoryfloor, so we are exceptionallyproud to launch this groundbreaking wire rope hoist andare the first cranemanufacturer globally tointroduce synthetic rope intheir standard serial product”.“The S-series represents thenext generation of ourcompany’s existing industrybenchmarked equipment. Itoffers our customers the latest

in technology bringinginnovation to, not only the wirerope hoist, but also motordrives, off-set reeving systems,clutches and brakes – allelements that deliverequipment that performsbetter, lasts longer, deliversgreater operational savings, acleaner and quieterenvironment, and mostimportantly adds greateroperational safety”.

“The S-series has beenradically re-designed, inparticular, the stepless hoistingmovement and synthetic wirerope will make lifting moreprecise and powerful withenhanced control” saidBerning.

The new synthetic rope isperfect for reeving and itsstable symmetric structureeliminates traditional ropedefects. Less surface pressurereduces wear and tearconsiderably.

A Tilted drum and off-setreeving are two first-in-the-world innovations to eliminatepeak rope forces and reducethe wear on reeving

components. A standardisedinverter for hoisting and uniqueSmart Features enable smoothand accurate load positioningwith total control.

The newly designed maingirder is the perfect fit for arunway, and the revolutionarysliding connection allows theend truck to betteraccommodate itself on thecrane runway. The newintegrated Smart Featuresensures that the new S-seriessystem offers a superiorperformance comprising ofadvanced automation andaccuracy. Customers canaccess a real-time view oftheir crane with TRUCONNECTand see the benefits of ourcutting-edge digital services.

“A key criterion of the S-seriesredesign is that it offers userstotal reliability. Everycomponent has beencarefully assessed during there-development phase. Thenew S-series has for example,eliminated over-heating issuesand introduces improvedcooling systems.


Industrial

The synthetic wire rope hoistgives the customer moreversatility between beams orframes and a greater liftingpower of up to 6.3 tons addedBerning.

“In addition to being barbfree, the new synthetic wirerope requires no lubrication,thereby reducingmaintenance costs for therope drum and sheaves. Therevolutionary trolley andreeving arrangement alsoreduce wheel loads by up to45% compared to previoushoist models”.

The new S-series cranes areequipped with sensors andhave the capability to collectand send data. Everycustomer can access, via theyourKONECRANES portal – thedigital service for operators,technicians and management– that allows customers toaccess all the necessaryoperational information thatwill ensure that theirequipment is performingoptimally, and all importantly,safely.

Advanced TechnicalSpecifications

New synthetic rope: Theevolutionary synthetic rope isdurable but light and doesn’trequire lubrication. The ropefeatures a strong, symmetricstructure for less rope defectsand safer handling.

The next generation reeving:the tilted rope drum enables

more direct rope angles todecrease

the wear and tear ofreeving components. Offsetreeving means morebalanced wheel loads for

less stress on the cranestructure.

Independent brake: the re-designed independent brakeis safer, quick and easy tomaintain, and enables higherhoisting speeds.

Smart features for advancedhandling and cranecontrol: Rope anglemeasurement allows for theuse of Smart Features includingHook Centering, SnagPrevention and Follow Me.

Hook Centering: hookcentering greatly reduces sidepull during lifting by positioningthe bridge and

trolley directly over the load.Snag Prevention: Snag

Prevention is designed to stopall crane movement if thehook, sling or load is detectedto be caught on an object.“We believe that our new S-series will re-set the industrybenchmark. Its radical re-design sets new standards. It

really is not merely an update,it is the new benchmark, and Isee major benefits toproduction

industries such as food andbeverage, pharmaceuticals,pulp and paper, cleanenvironments and generalmanufacturing” concludedBerning.

Konecranes’ S-series is one ofthree new lifting products thecompany has recentlylaunched; the other re-designed and improvedequipment ranges are the C-series and the M-series.


Industrial

Appetite for production: Industriallifting

Around the world modernsociety is dependent on arange of service andmanufacturing industries, writesChristian Shelton. No matterhow diverse these industriesare, they all share one thing incommon: at some point theyrequire the use of liftingservices. The cranes used forthese jobs vary almost as muchas the industries themselves;this is evidenced by the latestcollection of new cranes forindustrial applications.

One of the most commontypes of equipment used forindustrial lifting applicationsare hydraulic gantries. Italianmanufacturer Custom LiftingProducts (CLP) has expandedits hydraulic gantry range. Themanufacturer is focusing onsmall to medium liftingcategories, from 60 to 200tonnes, with its LG gantry seriesrather than its traditional heavylifting remit. The company saidthat with its LG gantries it islooking to minimise transportsize and weight while stillproviding a significantcapacity at an impressiveheight. There are five gantriesin the series, all of which areless than one metre wide andthey can lift up to heights ofbetween 5.05 metres to 7.5metres.

The LG202-0670 lifting gantryfrom Custom Lifting Products

The new LG series uses thesame lift control system asCLP’s larger capacity gantries.This control system includes liftsynchronisation between thefour towers and a radioremote control that displaysthe lift height reading on acolour LCD screen. The LGgantries are also equippedwith a safety limiting valvedesigned to avoid overloadingthe towers even when sideshifting the load. Each LGgantry has a self-containedpower pack in each tower. Thetowers have been designedfor ease of maintenance withthe oil reservoir being madeseparately and thenassembled in the tower frame.

This, CLP explains, means that,if required, it is easy to removefrom the frame for repair. Thelifting cylinders haveincorporated feed and returnlines rather than flexible hoseswhich hang around the gantrytower.

Pennsylvania, USA-basedcompany BuckinghamStructural Moving Equipmentmanufactures hydraulicjacking systems, hydraulicjacks, and heavy liftingaccessories. Its most recentadvancement is the design,programming, and productionof the SmartJack synchronisingsystem which allows multiplejack machines to beinterconnected to work as onelarge unit. This system bringsboth financial and efficiencysavings, BuckinghamEquipment claims, as itnegates the need for a large,rarely-used jack machine withdozens of ports and insteadallows smaller jack machinesfrom different crews to besynced together on a singleproject, as needed.

Buckingham Equipment hasalready rented its SmartJacksystem out for a project inTennessee where five spans ofa new railroad overpass wereconstructed beside their newlocation and then pushed intoplace all at once using fourjack machines to synchronisethe hydraulic push rams. This, itsays, kept the downtime forthe track usage to a minimum.

Also expanding its jack range isUSA-headquartered high-pressure hydraulics specialistEnerpac. “Our focus is onbroadening the options forindustrial movers with newdevelopments such as the self-locking cube jack andturntable, alongside ourgantries, jack-up, strand jacksand skidding systems,” saysPete Crisci, product linedirector, Enerpac Heavy LiftingTechnology.

Testing on the Enerpac SCJ50Cube Jack was completedtowards the end of 2019,

where four of the compact,portable hydraulic jacks wereconnected together via aSplit-Flow Pump to lift a 226.5tonne test load up to twometres.

The SCJ50 Cube Jack isdesigned to provide analternative to traditionalclimbing jack systems, saysEnerpac, offering contractorsa safer alternative to jackingand packing with woodencribbing. Enerpac explains theSCJ50 Cube Jack works in asimilar way to its other jack-upsystems but is simplified aselectrical controls are notrequired. Blocks are stackedmanually, with a mechanicallock on the up stroke anddown stroke. The operation isincremental; at the end of theup stroke the lock engages.Once engaged, the liftcylinder is retracted andanother block can be added.

The SCJ50 lifts up to two metresand has small footprintcompared to traditionalclimbing jack systems, Enerpacadded, making it suitable foruse in space-restricted sites.

“We also subjected the cubejacks to a 1.5 percent sideload at its maximum two metreheight to successfullydemonstrate the stability of thecube jack even with anoversize load,” added Crisci.

Enerpac’s ETT200 and ETT400Turntables are also findingfavour in industrialapplications. They aredesigned to facilitate saferepositioning of heavy oroversize loads, simplifyhandling and provideadjustment and preciseorientation of loads up to 200and 400 tonnes respectively.


Industrial

Top picks

Ormig is an Italianmanufacturer of cranes thathave become popular for usein industrial environments. Thecompany was founded in 1949and has continuously beendeveloping its portfolio eversince. In recent years its rangeof electric cranes, withcapacities between 30 to 60tonnes, have become popularfor indoor industrial loadmoving applications due totheir pick and carrycapabilities, compactdimensions and light weight.Being so light also means theycan be transportedthroughout Europe via truckwithout requiring transportpermits.

The company’s indoor electriccranes rotate on a patentedsystem akin to pivoting turretson SPMT. The company startedusing this system on its largercranes and is graduallymigrating it to its smaller cranemodels. The system meansthat the cranes have a veryreduced steering radius, somuch so they can turn-in onthemselves.

Stability, especially whentravelling with a load on thehook, is provided by fourpoints of wheel contact withthe ground. A kinematicmechanism prevents thewheels from sliding, in turn

improving steering accuracy,claimed Ormig. Althoughavailable globally, Ormig saidthe most number of sales todate have come from withinEurope.

Italian crane manufacturerValla has launched a neweight-tonne capacity electricpick and carry crane: theV80R. The crane has full radiocontrol and front wheel drive.Its overall width is 1.4 metres.

An 80V, 560Ah lead-acidbattery with automatic waterrefill provides the power for the4.2kW electric motor drivingthe front wheels with theirlarge-diameter 250-15 ins tyres.White non-marking tyres arealso available. Maximumgradeability is an impressive14-degrees and travel speed isstepless from 0 to 6 km/hr. Thetwin 23×9-10 ins rear tyres offera 180-degree steering anglefor a rear tail swing of only 2.8metres.

The crane has a three-sectionfull-power boom with amaximum angle of 70 degreesand a maximum height of 9.4metres, at which it can lift 2.5tonnes.

Maximum forward outreachfrom the centre of the fronttyres is 5.5 metres withcapacities of up to 1.8-tonnes.The boom also offers negative

angles of up to -10-degrees.For increased reach, a threetonne capacity two metrelong hydraulically-offsetablejib is offered. Maximum liftingcapacities are achieved bydeploying the hydrauliccrossbar stabiliser which issupplied as standardequipment.

Hot to handle

Spanish specialized andindustrial crane manufacturerJaso Industrial Cranes hasmanufactured two largecranes for use in the iron andsteel industries. The first crane isalready being used by steelmaker Tata Steel at its PortTalbot plant in the UK. It is a 41metre slab crane that handlesfreshly cast steel slabs withtemperatures of up to 800degrees. It is an outdoor open-winch double-girder cranethat can lift 135 tonnes. Thecrane’s winch is equippedwith alternative rotation andan independent control cabin.

The second is an EAF chargingand ladle handling cranewhich is currently beingassembled and is due forcompletion early this year. Ithas a main lifting capacity of500 tonnes and an auxiliarylifting capacity of 105 tonnesand comprises four 23 metregirders and an open-winchhoisting mechanism with twoengines connected to a -


Industrial

-central planetary gearbox.This way, Jaso Industrial Cranesexplains, if a component stopsthe crane will be able to movethe load at half the speed butwith the same FEM M8classification. It has a CCTVsystem, an uninterruptiblepower supply, a vibrationgauge, Ewon WiFi to manageand monitor it, heat shieldsaround the control area, aswell as two interconnected airconditioning systems.The fully-automated overheadcrane from Condra Cranesand Hoists at Lonmin’splatinum mine in Marikana,near Pretoria, South Africa

The fully-automated overheadcrane from Condra Cranesand Hoists at Lonmin’splatinum mine in Marikana,near Pretoria, South Africa

Heads-up

South African cranemanufacturer Condra Cranesand Hoists has developed afully-automated overheadcrane, the first model of whichit has delivered tomining groupLonmin.According toCondra, the fullautomationcrane providesan alternative totraditionalpendant andremote controland is in line witha general trendaway frommanual control inindustry andmining.

Lonmin is using the crane at itsplatinum mine in Marikana,near Pretoria, South Africa. Thecrane is a 16 tonne capacity,16 metre span electricoverhead travelling grabbingcrane, featuring a customer-specified mechanical ropegrab in place of the hydraulicalternative.

There are dual hoists in thedesign; one to raise and lowerthe load, the other tomechanically close the grabby means of an internalsheave arrangement toovercome the spring-loadedopen state.

Variable speed drives arefitted throughout the crane,

delivering maximum speeds of10 metres per minute on thelift, and 20 and 40 metres perminute on the cross-travel andlong-travel respectively. Fourlong-travel motors deliver thematerials handling equivalentof four-wheel-drive, enablingautomated control of all fourwheels for precise cranepositioning accurate to within5 millimetres.

The crane is fully automatedwith a manual override. It isprogrammed by an operatorfrom a remotely locatedcontrol room, where on-screenmonitoring is complementedby a visual monitoringcapability via closed-circuittelevision.

Condra managing director,Marc Kleiner, said that thecompany was making full useof new developments insensors, controls and softwareto offer a very precisepositioning capability inautomated applications. “Thisis a capability that we will offerto our customers as an

option,” Kleiner says. “We willmainly but not solely target thecopper mines, especiallytankhouse and copper-leaching applications wherewe have extensiveexperience.”

Another industry benefitingfrom lifting automation is therail industry. Rail networkowner Network Rail waslooking to increaseproductivity and enhancesafety in the lifting andhandling of rail tracks at itsEastleigh depot. Operatorswere having to walk onto railsto get into position, with therisk of slipping and catchingtheir feet between the rails.They also had to climb ontothe trains and rail stacks and

crouch over in order toengage and release theprevious clamps/grabsmanually.

The automated solution camefrom Spanish smart liftingsolutions company Elebia.After gathering keyinformation regarding thecurrent lifting solution and thelifting requirements, Elebiaconsulted Network Rail beforedelivering a concept modelfor real-time trial. The responsefrom Network Rail was positiveand, following a few tweaksand tests, 26 rail lifting clampswere produced. Elebia saysthese were then officiallyimplemented by Network Railas its preferred solution for thesafe lifting and handling of railtracks. A video of the rail liftingclamps in action, and moreinformation about them, canbe seen here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aOFVO6_CaY&feature=emb_title

Another supplier to the railindustry is Sheffield, UK-based

swing jib cranemanufacturer,Mechan. Thecompany workedwith main contractorBAM Nuttall todesign, built andinstall an eight-tonnecapacity jib crane,the Powermaster 270,for a renovated raildepot in Liverpool,UK. New trains fromSwiss trainmanufacturer Stadlerwill be kept andmaintained at thedepot

The underbraced crane standssix-and-a-half metres tall andspans six metres. It has acapacity of eight tonnes, apowered 180-degree slewand, because it is locatedoutside, it has also beensupplied with stainless steelpins and rollers to preventcorrosion.

The variety of cranespresented here provide just aglimpse of the demand thereis for lifting solutions fromindustries large and smallaround the world. As long asmodern life relies on having itsneeds met via industry, thenindustry can rely onequipment manufacturers tomeet their lifting requirements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aOFVO6_CaY&feature=emb_titlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aOFVO6_CaY&feature=emb_titlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aOFVO6_CaY&feature=emb_title


Technology

Mine designers, planners andengineers to benefit from newMicromine update

MICROMINE has expandedits suite of intuitive mineplanning tools which will beavailable in a significantupgrade pack to bereleased next month.

The software specialist,which is a market leader inmine design and productioncontrol, hasadded many new featuresto its Micromine solution.

Paul Hooykaas – MicromineChief Product StrategyOffice, said the MM2020.5upgrade extended the toolsavailableto help mine plannersand designers prepareprospective regions moreaccurately.

“The new features inMM2020.5 give users greaterpower to capture, manageand interpret exploration andproduction data, so they canoptimise their operations” hesaid.

The enhancements focus onthe software’s designtools offering greater flexibility,power and speed for minedesigners, planners andengineers in bothunderground and surfacemining contexts.

More than 12new features give users fasterand moreintuitive control over underground ring drill andblast design. Planners cannow use ring designtools and run calculations onas-drilled (actual) holes, andcompared them with plannedholes, enabling designsto quickly adapt to changes inthe field and identifying drillinginefficienciesand improving designprotocols.

Six newfeatures that have beenadded to Micromine’s surfacedrill and blasttoolbox including upgrades todesign and reporting tools for

blast plots. Anew interactive tool hasbeen released to mirror the terrain of blast face and speedup the processof creating blasthole patternswithin dig blocks of varyingshapes.

Grade control andwireframing tools have alsobenefitted from revampedworkflow features giving openpit planners deeper insight intothe value of each digblock. Users can producesimple reports that indicateore andwaste estimates or comprehensive reports broken down bymaterial classificationbins. Dynamic report updatesenable faster reserveevaluation and integrateseamlessly with wireframes forsubsequent planning activitiessuch as scheduling.The new functions are fullyintegrated into Micromine’smarket-leading explorationand 3D mine design software,which is used in over 90countries.

Paul Hooykaas continued;

“This is a substantialupdate and reflects ourcommitment to rollingout cutting edgetechnology that helps ourmining clients become moresuccessful and stay ahead ofthe competition.

“We are working hard toensure our users havecomplete visibility of theirproject and they will nowhave even more power toexplore, test and optimisemultiple scenarios, so the bestoptions can be implementedin the field.”

MICROMINE’s softwaresuite supports every phaseof the mining lifecycle – fromgeological exploration anddata management toresource estimation, 3D minedesign, planning andproduction control.

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Technology

Ucore to buy critical metals separationtechnology

Ucore Rare Metals Inc is takingover Innovation MetalsCorp (IMC), a privately heldCanadian company that hasdeveloped RapidSX, aproprietary technology for theseparation and purification ofcritical metals including rareearth elements, lithium, nickeland cobalt.

RapidSX is an acceleratedsolvent-extraction-basedseparation technology,successfully piloted by IMC.

Ucore said the process hasbeen highly effective at thepilot scale in separating bothheavy REE and light REEfeedstocks to commercial-grade rare-earth oxides, with

expected significant technicaland economic efficienciesrelative to existingtechnologies.

RapidSX combines thechemistry of solventextraction, the REE industry’scurrent standard bulkcommercial separationtechnology, with a newcolumn-based platform, whichsignificantly acceleratesseparation performance,resulting in smaller process-plant size and lower expectedcapital and operating costs,the company added.

IMC is also looking at utilizingRapidSX with other feedstocks,including nickel and cobalt

from Ni-Co concentrates andlithium from brines.

Ucore chairman PatRyan said:We firmly believethat RapidSX holdsconsiderable merit for Ucore’sown prospective AlaskaStrategic Metals Complex… as well as industry-widecommercialisation in particulardue to the scalable andmodular nature of RapidSX.”


Technology

Australasian mines use the mosttechnology: Global Data report

Australasian mines have seenthe highest penetration oftechnologies in 2019, aGlobalData survey on theadoption of technologies inmine sites shows. According tothe report – which wasconducted between Octoberand November 2019 in 179mining sites across the world –not only do Australasian minesuse more technologies on-sitebut mining companies aremore willing to invest.

The report shows that 63% ofrespondents wanted to investin mine communicationssystems, compared with 37%and 44% found in Asia andEurope-Middle East,respectively. As for investmentsin drone technology,Australasia stands out with56%, compared with Asia’s34%.

In the last three years,Australian mines have doubledin their investment in dronetechnology, going from 40% of

respondents in 2016 to morethan 80% in 2019.

The technological advances inthe Australasian miningindustry are not acoincidence; according tothe Reserve Bank of Australia,the country’s central bank,mining constitutes 10% ofAustralia’s industrial sector,making it one of the biggestcontributors to the economy.According to Reuters, theindustry’s revenue for the2019/2020 financial year standsat around $282bn.

GlobalData director of miningand construction David Kurtzsaid thatproductivityand safety areat the core ofAustraliancompanies’ useand investmentin technology.

“The scale ofmanyoperations,particularly ironore, suit

investments in areas such asautonomous vehicles. Ascommodity prices have fallen,miners have looked atautonomous mining andtechnologies such as drones tominimise costs,” Kurtz toldMining Technology.

“At the same time, with safetyparamount, Australian minersare taking advantage ofinnovations in wearabletechnology, collisionavoidance and fatiguedetection to minimiseaccidents and fatalities on themine site.


Health & Safety

How Swiss cobalt traders are trying toprevent child labour

Swiss cobalt traders Glencoreand Trafigura deal verydifferently with small-scaleminers in the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC),many of whom are children.

Eight kilograms of cobalt areneeded for every electric carbattery. More than 70% of theincreasingly sought-after metalis mined in the southeast of theDRC. But most of the minersare not employed by miningcompanies. Some 250,000Congolese, including manychildren, dig the cobalt-bearing rock with bare handsor with primitive tools at best.

As there are hardly any areaswhere small-scale miners canwork legally, thousands ofthem are entering theconcessions of large mineoperators in the areasurrounding the town ofKolwezi. Violence and fatalaccidents happen often. InJune 2019, more than 40people died in a concessioncontrolled by the Swiss mininggiant Glencoreexternal link.Last December, US attorneysfiled a class-action

lawsuit against American techcompanies on behalf of 13Congolese families inWashington, DC court. Themain accusation againstApple, Alphabet, Dell,Microsoft and Tesla is that theyknowingly use cobalt obtainedthrough “forced child labour”.

High-risk business

The lawsuit could reinforcecommodity traders’ and techcompanies’ trend towardscompletely avoiding cobaltfrom small-scale miners.Glencore, which dominatesthe global cobalt supply, ispursuing such a strategy inorder to avoid beingassociated with child labour.

But various NGOs believe thatthis may only worsen thesituation. “For the people inKolwezi there are hardly anyalternatives to mining,” saysEmmanuel Umpula Nkumba,director of the Congoleseorganisation African ResourcesWatch (AfreWatch).

Chantal Peyer of the Swissorganisation Bread for All has

been investigating theactivities of commodity tradersin the DRC for years. “Boycottis always a bad answer,” shesays. “Companies thatcompletely reject materialfrom informal mines fail tomeet their responsibilities.”

Trafigura – a model to follow?

As a promising attempt to takeon corporate responsibility,Peyer mentions a pilot projectof Trafigura, the commoditiestrader with headquarters inSingapore and Geneva.

In 2018, Trafigura signed athree-year agreement to buyall the cobalt extracted by themine operator Chemaf. TheDubai-controlled companyruns the Mutoshi mine nearKolwezi. Trafigura was facedwith the challenge of how todeal with the more than 5,000informal miners – among themhundreds of children – workingillegally in parts of the site. Onaverage, every third daysomeone died becausetunnels collapsed.


Health & Saftey

Mutoshi pilot project in Kolwezi,DRC.Under the pilot project, anarea equivalent to 94 footballfields (0.67 square kilometres)was fenced in, allowingaccess to thousands of adultmembers of a designatedcooperative. The top layer ofearth was removed withexcavators to avoiddangerous tunnels. Theworkers were equipped withprotective helmets andoveralls; sanitary and medicalfacilities were put in place. Thecooperative was obliged tosell all the cobalt to Chemaf ata periodically negotiatedprice.

At the end of 2019, Trafigurapublished a report on the pilotprojectexternal link. Theindependent authors of thecommissioned report criticiseChemaf’s suspension of someagreed services for economicreasons – worn safetyequipment had not beenreplaced and the workers hadbeen paid late (within two tothree weeks instead of everyone or two days).Yet in principle, the pilotproject was found to be agood model for improving theworking conditions of small-scale miners as they hadbenefited from safer and moreproductive working conditions.Everyone, but especiallywomen, who make up about40% of the workers, earnedmore than before, the reportconcludes – partly becausethey had lower costs fortransport and health care.

Mixed reviews, viability inquestionNkumba of AfreWatchdisagrees. “The safety situationhas improved, but there areneither economic nor socialbenefits for the workers,” hesaid, noting that thecooperative had strong ties toChemaf and was not able tonegotiate a fair price.“Chemaf makes a big profit.”

James Nicholson, head ofcorporate responsibility atTrafigura, finds Nkumba’scriticism unfair. “From aneconomic point of view, it islogical that Chemaf pays thecooperative a price that isslightly lower than that in thelocal market,” he reckons.“Ultimately, Chemaf hasinvested a lot of money inpromoting the safety, healthand wellbeing of the workers.”

For Nicholson, it is a win-winsituation, rendering the modelsocially and economicallysustainable.

Thanks to the project, childlabour was eliminated on theMutoshi site, and parents wereable to care for their childrenmore often due to shorterworking days, according tothe report. However, becausethe world market price forcobalt fell sharply in themeantime, some parents inthe project were no longerable to pay school fees.

Complicating matters, due tothe Covid-19 epidemic,Chemaf decided totemporarily shut down theMutoshi mine, includingthe semi-mechanised site forthe informal miners.externallink Whether the project wouldcontinue was in doubt evenbefore the pandemic. “Thedecision lies with Chemaf,”according to Nicholson. WouldTrafigura renew theagreement with Chemaf if themining operator definitelycancelled the project? Therewas no comment on this fromGeneva.According to Peyer fromBread for All, “Trafigura at leasttries to do the right thing andinvests in a sustainable supplychain.” But she too insists thatthe small-scale miners at theMutoshi mine should receivethe usual market price.

The international NGO Pact,which oversees the project onbehalf of Trafigura, believesthere is a lot of potential in itsapproach.

“Around the world, almost 40million people depend onartisanal and small-scalemining. This is a fact of life thatmore and more processorcompanies of cobalt andother minerals arerecognising,” says StephanieShumsky, technical managerfor Pact’s “Mines to Markets”programme. “Some buyers arewilling to accept such materialif it has been sourcedresponsibly and safely.”

Shumsky adds that “otherlarge mining companies” areinterested in testing the“Mutoshi model” themselves.

Glencore avoids artisanalmining

Glencore is not among them.Anna Krutikov, Head ofSustainable Development atthe Glencore headquarters inZug, makes this clear: “Wedon’t buy or process anymaterials that come fromartisanal mining. As anindustrial miner, we can keepour supply chain free of risks ofchild labour or poor workingconditions. However, we donot ignore the issue of artisanalmining in the country.”

Krutikov highlights thatartisanal mining is a complexchallenge that requirescollaboration with variousstakeholders. To bettermanage the risks, Glencore isworking with local authoritiesand various organisations, aswell as partners along thesupply chain. With around15,000 mostly local staff, thecompany is one of the mostimportant employers andtaxpayers in the southeasternDRC. Despite the Covid-19pandemic, Glencore’soperations in the areacontinue unabated.

“Nobody should have to workin an artisanal mine where lifeis at risk,” said Krutikov. “That’swhy we work with over 140local cooperatives, with morethan 4,000 members in total, todrive economic diversificationso that people have analternative to artisanal miningand can build a sustainablelivelihood in, say, agriculture.”

In addition, Glencore,together with an internationalNGO and local churches,launched a leisure programmefor schoolchildren in 2016. “In2018, we reached over 9,000children and their parentsthrough our school holidaycamps,” said Krutikov. “Thechildren received meals andschool materials; therecreational and educationalactivities included discussionson children’s rights, theimportance of education andthe risks associated withartisanal mining.” Glencoreexpects to report morechildren taking part in 2019and 2020.Glencore’soperations organise schoolholiday camps in which thechildren receive a meal eachday and participate inrecreational and educationalactivities.


Markets

Australia-based junior IronRidgeResources takes big picture approachin Africa

Successful explorer IronRidgeResources (AIM: IRR) is taking abig picture, strategicapproach as it moves tocreate shareholder valuethrough the discovery anddevelopment of province-scale gold and lithium projectsin Africa. It has systematicallysecured large-scale, highlyprospective lithium and goldportfolios in both the emergingfrontiers and establishedmining jurisdictions in West andCentral Africa.

The Australia-based junior hasnotched up a successfulexploration track record withthree discoveries in threejurisdictions in three years,including the first hard-rockspodumene lithium discoveryin Ghana. CEO VincentMascolo explains thatIronRidge’s focus on Africastems from its belief that Africais where the next bigdiscoveries, serving the needsof the future, will be made.

The Company offers abalance to investors: exposureto gold, a traditional safehaven investment in

geopolitically uncertain times,and a hook into newtechnologies, such as electricvehicles, via its lithiumportfolio. The lithium market isexpected to balloon with therise of EV technology andstored energy space. Lithium-ion batteries have alreadycemented their position as thedominant battery to be usedin EVs globally.

IronRidge’s key explorationportfolios are gold in Côted’Ivoire and Chad, and alithium pegmatite discovery inthe pro-mining jurisdiction ofGhana. The Cape Coastlithium portfolio in Ghanacontains the Company’srecently announced maideninferred JORC compliantresource of 14.5MT at 1.31%Li20 containing an indicatedresource of 4.5MT at 1.39% Li20from surface.

The Cape Coast portfoliocontains the Ewoyaa, Abonkoand Kaampakrom resourceswith significant explorationupside including but notlimited to the historicalEgyasimanku Hill deposit,

which has a non-JORCcompliant 1.48MT historicaldeposit grading 1.66% Li2Owith the deepest hole drilledto 30m only.

The Project is very well locatedbeing within 110km of thedeep-sea Port of Takoradi,1km from the Takoradihighway and adjacent to gridpower. The project hasproduced high-grade 6.29%Li2O spodumene concentratewith low-level contaminants,by simple crushing and gravityseparation without the needfor flotation, pointing towardslow capital intensity.

Mascolo is enthusiastic aboutthe Cape Coast’scommercialisation potential,citing prospective geologyand exploration upside,exceptional metallurgy andproximity to operationalinfrastructure implying firstquartile cost projections. Theproject has already producedhigh purity battery gradelithium products and is withinclose shipping distance toEurope.


Markets

GHH’s new 45t capacity dump truckMK-42 to enter underground market

German heavy machinerymanufacturer GHH hasdeveloped a new 45 tonne (t)payload dump truck thatoffers maximum drive power,improved turning radius, largedumping angle, and highlevels of safety.

The dump truck is speciallydesigned for use inunderground hardrock miningapplications.

Fulfilling the latest emissionstandards as per Stage V, the460kW Mercedes OM473 formsthe basis of the engine of thetruck.

The German manufactureralso offers Tier 3 and 4 versionsfor less regulated markets,while providing an alternativeVolvo TAD1651 or 1671.

The vehicle is equipped withKessler axles with an oscillating

articulation as well as frontaxle suspension, while thepower is transmitted via aconverter and gearboxcombination from the Dana8000 series.

In a press statement, GHH said:“Special emphasis was placedon a safe and simple design inthe best sense of the word:Low maintenance and repaircosts are a core discipline ofthe manufacturer, withoperator safety and comfort inmind through the entire designprocess:

“The ROPS/FOPS certified cabis ergonomically designed tobe spacious, quiet, pressurisedand effectively air-conditioned, to ensuremaximum operator comfortwhile minimising fatigue. Andthe strategically placed trainerseat provides for effectiveoperator training maximising

the outputs and minimisingtime spent on training.”

GHH noted that the new MK-42 fits seamlessly into themanufacturer’s range ofdump trucks and serves as oneof the best haulage partnersfor GHH’s LF-14 loader withthree pass loading.

The prototype truck is in its finalstage of testing and is shortlyexpected to enter globalsales.

The company will exclusivelymarket the special version MK-A45 for the Russia market.

GHH is a provider of servicessuch as extensive consulting,aftermarket support, partssales and technical training tocustomers worldwide.


World

Big miners battle with limiting climatechange – TPIOnly two of the world’s tenlargest mining companies arealigned with limiting climatechange to 2 °C below pre-industrial levels, new researchby assessor The TransitionPathway Initiative (TPI) hasfound.Miners Freeport and GrupoMexico have been identifiedas the twolargest mining companies thathad such low emissionsintensity that they are alreadyaligned with the 2050benchmarks, including below2 °C.

TPI’s research shows thatGlencore and AngloAmerican are currently withinthe 2 °C benchmark, but theiremissions pathways are tooflat to keep them in alignmentby 2050, the company said onMonday.

Glencore’s plans to cut Scope3 emissions by 30% by 2035 arepromising, but do not includeits marketing activities.

TPI noted that stated net zeroambitions from majors BHP, RioTinto and Vale only coveroperational emissions,typically just 6% of theemissions TPI assess. As a result,

these companies are actuallyfurther away from alignment in2050 than they are today.

Iron-ore major Fortescue anddiversified miner South32 haveyet to set credible long-termtargets and need to cut theiroverall carbon intensity bynearly 80% by 2050 to claimalignment with 2 °C, whileMMC Norilsk providedinsufficient disclosure forassessment to be possible.

“The sector has madesignificant progress over thelast six months. Severalcompanies, including RioTinto, Vale and Glencore,have announced new, moreambitious emissions targetsand BHP has acknowledgedthe role of Scope 3 emissionsin their future approach.

“Anglo American is currentlybelow the benchmark butwithout further action is due tobecome unaligned with thegoals of the Paris ClimateAgreement,” said TPI co-chair Adam Matthews.“TPI’s analysis shows that notall commitments cover allactivities and companies willneed to go significantly furtherto meet investor expectations

from initiatives such as ClimateAction 100+”.

“Many assessed companiesmine materials that bothsupport the transition andthose that do not. It isessential that investors have acomplete picture of theircarbon performance, whichincludes public targets forScope 3 emissions.”

TPI is a global initiative led byasset owners and supportedby asset managers. Aimed atinvestors and free to use, theTPI tool assesses companies’preparedness for the transitionto a low-carbon economy,supporting efforts to addressclimate change.


World

Push to liquidate Murray means coalmines will close, union saysConsol Energy’s effort to pushrival coal company MurrayEnergy into liquidation isaimed at shuttering mines andreducing output in anoversupplied industry,according to the largest UScoal miners’ union.

“Liquidation plays to thebenefit of all the competitorsin the region,” United MineWorkers of Americapresident Cecil Roberts saidduring an online newsconference Thursday.Murray, America’s biggestprivately held coal producer,filed for Chapter 11 protectionin October. Last week, Consolpetitioned the court toconvert the case to Chapter

7, a liquidation. Putting minesup for sale piecemeal wouldlikely result in some beingacquired primarily to takeover their existing salescontracts, then closed,Roberts said.

A new owner, which mayinclude Consol, “would takeorders and fill them from theirother mines,” he said.

Consol disputed the notionthat it has “ulterior motives”.

“We are preserving our rightsand interests in thesecomplicated courtproceedings to ensure thejobs and livelihoods of our

nearly 2 000 miners,” aspokesman for the companysaid by email.

Roberts was speaking mainlyabout five mines Murrayacquired from Consol in 2013that now employ about 2,000union workers, though otherMurray mines could also facethe same fate under Chapter7.

“Consol argued forliquidation,” Roberts said. “It’san attempt to eliminate viablecompetition.”

A Murray spokesman didn’timmediately reply to inquiries


World

Continuous system increases surveyproductivity in blast holes

There are many variables thataffect the drill and blastprocess but all blast holes areprone to deviation. Highamounts of such deviationcan cost the mining industrymillions every year in lostproduction, yet it’s possible toprevent or minimise bridgingand ore dilution throughroutine measurement.

Since 1992, Downhole Surveyshave been leaders in blasthole surveying innovations,continuously improving theirsystems to make it anaccessible part of the drill andblast process. Establishing sucha routine enables engineers toconsistently analyse the as-built position and makeinformed decisions prior tofiring, reflecting the idealscenario ofdrill, measure, analyse, blast.

Now part of the Devico group,DHS have taken the newlyreleased, Norwegianmanufactured DeviGyro, andincorporated it into aproduction hole qualitycontrol package purposefullydesigned as a rental orpurchase model. Whereheavy gyros were previouslyfed into the hole using poly-pipe and held for 10 secondsin 2m increments, the newsystem supports continuoussurveying with a customdesigned countingrodder and total tool weightof 3kg. Recording 50 timesmore data points comparedto the stop/start method,positional accuracy isimproved significantly; atypical 15m survey now resultsin a misclose between the inand out run of just 65mm.

Utilising north seekingprinciples and proprietaryalgorithms to determine thetrue borehole path, theminiature DeviGyro recordsthe rate of change from agiven start direction and cansurvey all angles. Unaffectedby steel mesh and magneticmaterial and less suspectableto vibration than othersystems, the DeviGyro is idealfor underground conditions.

Since trials began this year,DHS have seen surveyproductivity more than doublein some cases, with resultsproving over 1000m can beachieved in just seven hours.Faster, lighter and moreaccurate, the new PHQCsystem is more approachablethan ever and ideal for minesites looking to take control oftheir blast hole deviation.

www.subsaharamining.com | April -June 202034

Advertiser’s Index

Australia on copperand gold mine flotation plantsto evaluate HOSTAFLOTxanthatereplacements, inall casesto replace potassium amylxanthate, thecompany said.

In South Africa,it is platinum and palladiumproducers currently interested in HOSTAFLOTxanthate replacementproducts, according toClariant.

At one platinum producer, the HOSTAFLOTxanthate replacement showedthe new productcanoperate at a lower dosagethan xanthate andresult in reduced chromecontent in theconcentrate –an undesirable metal in this case,asit increasesthe slag liquid temperature in thesubsequent smelting process,Clariant noted.Therearealso indications from the plant trial thatfrother consumption canbe reduced,which willlead to additional reagentsavingsfor the operator.

Further,there arelab trial qualifications forHOSTAFLOTxanthatereplacements ongoing in thenew Clariant mining development lab inJohannesburg,South Africa, with the aim ofmovingto plant trials later in 2020.

It’s clear from the breadth of testing to replacethe likes of sodium isopropyl xanthate, sodiumethyl xanthate, potassium amyl xanthate andother xanthate collectors that there is no one-size-fits-all flotation solution. It is alsoapparentsomeof these replacementchemistries positively

Phosphine-basedflotationalternativesWhenit comesto the adoption of ’sAEROPHINE3418Axanthate replacement chemicaltechnology, the company also seesthree marketforces leading to further market adoption.

First, with basemetal prices subdued, the likesof copper, zinc and lead miners are exploring waysto effectively extract precious metals that canbesold as by-products. AEROPHINEena

Documents

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