Modern Quarrying Q2 2018

QUARRYING QUARTER 2 / 2018 www.crown.co.za MODERN

Terex plant – a quality differentiator Aspasa – more than a voice for the industry Weir entrenches comminution range in Africa

IN THIS ISSUE

QUARRYING MODERN

CONTENTS

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16

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Terex plant – the quality differ- entiator for quarries

Aspasa secures a prosperous future for its members

Conveyor belt safety in the 21 st century

Now representing a diverse membership base, Aspasa is concentrating on actively training its members in skills develop- ment, linking up with well-known training facilitator from Prisma, Jacques Farmer. The association has developed an SDA tool which can be carried out at any site, as well as technical issues relating to blast- ing, crushing, equipment and in-pit best practices, among others. 33 The other yellow metal 34 Motul takes pride in lubricant offering 35 New GM appointed for SANY range 37 Orders roll in for Osborn apron feeders 39 Bell broadens Kolbeco relationship MARKETPLACE

ELB Equipment is one of a few South African companies offering a broad range of earthmoving, construction, mining and quarrying equipment from a single supplier. The company has established itself as one of the most respected names in the industry, representing a number of world-renowned manufacturers.

The final section of this industry-intensive paper by Jaco Swartz looks at where the in- dustry finds itself in terms of the legal rules applicable to the safe use of conveyor belt installations. The paper was first presented at the Beltcon 19 conference in the fourth quarter of 2017 and is published with the kind permission of Beltcon.

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Industry hopes that the new broom sweeps clean

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

The mining industry is poised on a knife’s edge with its future largely dependent on what the ANC’s newly-installed manage- ment team does in the months ahead. It is time for level heads and an appreciation by all stakeholders of the daunting future the country will face if the once-thriving mining industry is not rebuilt.

4 CEO initiative reacts to SONA 5 Wits Mining School gets top ranking 6 SRK Exploration expands 7 CDE announces massive expansion 9 CESA welcomes Cabinet reshuffle

36 LAST BLAST – Has industry changed since the early 1980s?

ON THE COVER

QUARRYING QUARTER2 /2018 www.crown.co.za MODERN

Published quarterly by: Crown Publications cc P O Box 140 Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: +27 11 622 4770 Fax: +27 11 615 6108 www.crown.co.za

Editor Dale Kelly

Swift progress in rolling out and supporting the Trio range of crushing and screening equipment has been an important factor in Weir Minerals Africa’s solutions- driven focus in the quarrying sector. The company established its own direct route to market in the country for its Trio range in mid-2015, having acquired the product line in 2014.

dalek@crown.co.za Mobile: 0834199162 Advertising Bennie Venter benniev@crown.co.za

Design & layout Adèl JvR Bothma

Average circulation 2 465 Printed by: Tandym Print

Circulation Karen Smith Publisher Karen Grant

www.modernquarryingmagazine.co.za

Read the full story on page 10.

Terex plant–aqualitydifferentiator Aspasa–more thanavoice for the industry Weir entrenchescomminution range inAfrica

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

INTHIS ISSUE

MQQ22018 covers.indd 1

4/5/2018 11:14:21AM

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY EDITOR’S COMMENT

This is au revoir but not goodbye

T o everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. I have been putting off writing this, my final comment in a magazine I started up for Crown Publications in 2007; a magazine that has been a privilege to edit and an industry that I love and which has been an honour to serve. As many of you know, I have been contracting to Crown as editor of Modern Quarrying for the past five years, after relocating to Britannia Bay in the Western Cape; something that I was very fortunate to be able to do, and I thank Crown for enabling me to do this. There are several reasons behind the change, one of these being that Crown has taken the deci- sion to bring the magazine back in house for eco- nomical reasons. I understand this completely and fully support them in their decision – which I have been told was a difficult one to make. That aside, it is also time for me to refocus on my family and my husband in particular, who last week fell off a ladder, severely damaging his shoulder and arm, and breaking his pelvis. This has been an incredible shock and has made me realise that it really is time for change. He has had an operation and is due for pelvis reconstruction as I write this comment with the outlook being a long and difficult path ahead for both of us. So how does one put 30 years onto a single page? It is impossible. But what I want to do is firstly thank Crown for supporting me in starting up this quarrying magazine and its complete faith in my editorial direction. It has been wonderful being part of the Crown family and this after hav- ing established another quarrying journal some 20 years prior to this one for another publisher. What a career and what a pleasure it has been. Looking back over the past 11 years of editing MQ , I have made many friends – people without whom I could never have achieved the status that this magazine has earned in the industry. So many of you have opened up your doors and your hearts to me, welcoming me and trusting me to write with honesty and integrity (with many ‘off the record’ confidences), which I really valued. I can’t possibly name you all but you know who you are and I will always be grateful for the trust and effort you have made in teaching me about this wonderful industry. You have shared so

much with me and on many occasions, just like the quote above, we have wept and laughed, mourned and danced. Literally! We have travelled together throughout the country, across borders and abroad on many occasions, times I will always remember with a happy smile. We have also lost colleagues and wonderful members of our industry over the years – people I still think of often and miss dearly. Sadly, I won’t be able to attend the IQSA confer- ence later this month, something I was looking for- ward to doing, and wish both the IQSA and Aspasa much success for this year’s event. Incidentally I have attended this event from as far back as 1989 and look back at many wonderful times with incredible characters over these last 30 years. I have had the honour of interviewing many founders of the quarrying sector during my time as an editor, who have opened up to me about their experiences behind establishing this incred- ible industry. That is another tale to tell and I sincerely hope that the history of the quarrying sector is not lost to future generations. I have been fortunate enough to have expe- rienced the development of this sector and the growth of small companies into leading role play- ers. It was me who was responsible for the term ‘cowboy miners’ which is what some of you were many years ago and many of which have today become global, industry-leading entities. I am so proud of you all. I am handing over the reins to Munesu Shoko, an excellent journalist with some 14 years of experience. He has been in the business-to-busi- ness space for the last eight years, having worked for two years on another quarrying title. Some of you may possibly have met him during that time, and he is also the editor of another successful Crown title, Capital Equipment News . I know that he thoroughly enjoyed working in this industry previously and he is truly a quality journalist, of whom Crown is proud. So please welcome him as you have welcomed me. Finally, and with a sad heart, I must say adéu. I have no doubt that the friendships and strong links we have made will continue for many years to come. You have my contact number and my email address will shortly revert back to dalekelly@mweb.co.za. I will be contributing from time to time in MQ , so please stay in touch. May this industry grow from strength to strength and I wish you all much success for the future.

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

The CEO Initiative has welcomed the President’s commitment in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to achieving policy certainty and consistency, as well as the commitment to work with labour and business on a number of initiatives to stimulate growth and address the significant unemployment challenge. CEO Initiative reacts to SONA

the revenue-collection capacity can produce much-needed resources to enhance growth; and • restoring the country’s state-owned enterprises, with particular atten- tion to the respective funding mod- els which – if efficiency is achieved – will significantly improve the fiscal position. On the whole, the CEO Initiative is encouraged by the positive tone of the SONA. “With certainty, stability and consistency we are confident that the country should see the much-needed improvement in investment that will stimulate growth and ultimately create jobs,” Mabuza confirms. “Business is committed to continue working with labour and the government in realising these goals, which should set the country on the course for sustained success,” he adds. About the CEO Initiative The CEO Initiative is formed of leaders from various sectors, with the main work streams being led by Jabu Mabuza, chair- man of Telkom SA, chairman of Eskom, chairman of BLSA and president of BUSA; Sim Tshabalala, CEO of Standard Bank; Mike Brown, CEO of Nedbank; MikeTeke, CEO of Seriti Resources; Nicky Newton- King, CEO of the JSE; Adrian Gore, CEO of Discovery; Brian Joffe, CEO of Long4Life; Dr Dan Matjila, CEO of the Public Investment Corporation; Colin Coleman, MD for Goldman Sachs in South Africa and Stephen Koseff, CEO of Investec Group. www.ceopledge.co.za

A ccording to Jabu Mabuza, conve- nor of the CEO Initiative: “Policy certainty and consistency are fun- damental foundations for attracting the investment that our country needs to achieve inclusive growth. The business community maintains its willingness to invest in an environment that is condu- cive to achieving sustainable economic output. “The CEO Initiative agrees with the President that youth unemployment is South Africa’s most pressing challenge, and the Initiative has made significant progress in the establishment of the Youth Employment Service (YES). We are encouraged by the urgency that the President communicated in finalising this programme on the part of government. The SA SME Fund has continued its work towards strengthening the ecosystem that our small and medium enterprises operate in, which is crucial for employ- ment creation,”Mabuza says. “We have always maintained that a commitment to fiscal discipline is of the utmost importance if we are to protect our economy from outside shocks and retain an investment grade credit rat- ing. In this regard, we acknowledge the President’s assurance that the implemen- tation details for free tertiary education

and the National Health Insurance – two items that are bound to have a significant impact on the country’s already con- strained fiscus – will be clarified in the Budget Speech.” Mabuza continues: “It is critically important for South Africa to redress its many social challenges, but this has to be done in a responsible manner and bal- anced with the need to stabilise our debt profile and close the fiscal gap.” SONA welcomes the positive rein- forcements contained in the statement, in particular the priorities that aim to reform key elements for investor confi- dence, such as: • confronting state capture and corrup- tion through the immediate prioritis- ing of the Zondo Commission – this is crucial in the battle against malad- ministration which undermines the government’s objectives; • restoring the credibility of public institutions, including dealing with leadership challenges in key organisations such as the National Prosecuting Authority and the South African Revenue Service (SARS), as well as the commitment to establish a commission of inquiry into tax administration and governance at SARS – addressing the credibility of

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Wits Mining School 15 in world ranking The School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand has shot up the world league tables to take 15 th place on the 2018 QS World University Rankings. Up from its position as No 22 in last year’s rankings, it is the only mining engineering school in Africa to feature in the top 50 ranking of mining engineering schools worldwide. This accolade also makes it the highest ranked school at Wits University. “It is extremely encouraging to earn this recognition in the light of our ongoing efforts to keep our school at the leading edge of learning and research,” says Head of School, professor Cuthbert Musingwini. With about 800 undergraduate and postgraduate students – about 15% of them from countries outside South Africa – the school is the largest mining engineering programme in the English-speaking world. The QSWorld University Rankings name the world’s top universities in 46 different sub- ject areas and five composite faculty areas. It is the only international ranking recognised by the International Ranking Expert Group. www.wits.ac.za/miningeng

Professor Cuthbert Musingwini, Head of the School of Mining Engineering at Wits University.

New chairman for SRK SA William Joughin has been appointed chairman of SRK Consulting (South Africa) from 1 January 2018, taking over from Graham Howell. With 27 years of experience in the field of rock engineering, Joughin worked for Anglo American’s gold division and Gold Fields before joining SRK in 1998 as a senior mining engineer (geotechnical). His specialisation is in underground rock engineering investigation and risk-based design, and he has worked around the world in various areas including geotechnical investigations, mining method selection, design of mining layouts, shaft stability and support. He is a leading expert in his field, having published almost 50 refereed papers on various aspects of rock engineering. He served as president of the South African National Institute of Rock Engineers from 2013 to 2015 and is currently the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM) vice-presi- dent for Africa. He has been a partner at SRK since 2009. “My focus as chairman

Basil Read on turnaround path

With R300-million in new cash in its cof- fers, construction and mining firm Basil Read is on track to effect a solid turn- around, according to CEO Khathutshelo Mapasa. The company successfully con- cluded a rights offer on Friday 23 February this year. The full R300-million required for repayment of the bridge loan and working capital was raised. The sale had opened on 12 February. Mapasa is confident the steps planned to effect a turnaround – for which the rights offer was key – will work. “The shares, offered at a dis- counted price of 22 cents/share, was supported by the company’s major shareholders.” Shareholders led by Allan Gray, PSG Asset Management, Prudential Investment Managers, Sishen Iron Ore Community (SIOC) Trust and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) undertook to follow their rights. Mapasa acknowledges that the path to a turnaround is not a short or easy journey. “With this new cash injection, Basil Read is on a firm path towards recovery. We are cognisant of, and grateful for, the shareholders’ faith in us. There’s hard work ahead, but we’re ready.” www.basilread.co.za

will be on leveraging SRK’s distinctive combination of experience and innovative capability, where our exper- tise gathered over decades is captured and applied in new technologies that generate more value for our clients,” Joughin says. www.srk.co.za

SRK (SA) chairman, William Joughin.

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

SRK Exploration expands As the number of drilling announce- ments has increased steadily over recent months, Cardiff-based SRK Exploration Services is expanding with a new office in Johannesburg. SRK Exploration Services, a disci- pline-led practice within the global SRK Group, has for 15 years supported pros- pecting and mining companies from the spark of an initial idea through to the defi- nition of mineral resources. A key player in the establishment of the new Johannesburg office is Bill Brodie Good, a director of SRK Exploration Services. Brodie Good is a principal explo- ration geologist with 25 years of expe- rience in establishing and managing exploration programmes, predominantly in Africa. “We are excited by the prospect of what this new office will offer as it gives us the ability to work more closely with SRK South Africa in offering a broad range of field exploration services to cli- ents in the region,” says Oliver Bayley, southern African exploration manager at SRK Exploration Services, based in the Johannesburg office. “These services focus on the execution of exploration pro- grammes – providing support that ranges from a single technical team member to managing and executing every aspect of multi-million-dollar turnkey exploration programmes.” The company’s capabilities extend

increased number of opportunities from established mining companies outsourc- ing specific brown-field exploration proj- ects – as the commodity downturn has led to the shedding of many traditionally in-house technical skills. “Due to the reduction of in-house technical capabilities, we have grown our service provision over the last four years,” he says. “Our presence in South Africa will give us a larger exposure to this market, as well as to investment groups and gov- ernment departments – leveraging our growing range of services.” Theart emphasises the value of the collaboration between SRK Exploration Services’ focus on project execution and SRK South Africa’s traditional consulting services. “Project execution entails the physical geological work in any explora- tion project, where our well-trained geo- logical staff in the field will ensure that quality and timing objectives are met,” he says. “Close collaboration ensures the seamless flow-through of the required quality information from this work to our consulting functions – including mineral resource estimation, project assessment and valuation, and finally to the multi-dis- ciplinary teams responsible for scoping, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies and related public reports.” Bayley highlights the significance of integrity and independence in providing these services for clients, especially in the

to the construction, management and staffing of field exploration camps and in-country support offices – as well as pro- viding safety and security training courses focused specifically on exploration and mining settings. According to Hennie Theart – corpo- rate consultant, partner and economic geologist at SRK South Africa – the local presence of SRK Exploration Services will allow closer collaboration with the team of senior SRK SA consultants who have provided exploration consulting services for 17 uninterrupted years. “We have seen that many mining companies do not have the in-house abil- ity to execute exploration programmes that meet international best practice stan- dards,”says Theart.“An integrated consult- ing and project management exploration function offered from our Johannesburg office will assist clients to conduct qual- ity exploration work – so they can avoid the costly and time-consuming remedial actions that often result from sub-stan- dard exploration processes.” As exploration becomes more tech- nically challenging, the growing ranks of mid-tier and junior mining companies – who can lack in-house technical ability – has created a rising market for SRK to offer an integrated exploration solution, according to Bayley. In addition to its regular client base of junior explorers, SRK Exploration Services has also seen an

context of listing or finance rais- ing processes.“SRK remains one of the only global consultancy groups that is independent, fully employee owned, and with no interests in exploration or mining projects. This allows us to provide an internation- ally recognised, independent service whose integrity can be relied upon by all stakeholders in a mining project.” www.srk.co.za

SRK’s Hennie Theart and Oliver Bayley.

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Hillhead announces further extension

A new 70 m-long structure will be sited alongside the existing Registration Pavilion to boost its capacity to 90 exhibitors. “With the Main Pavilion selling out before the end of last year and enquiries still flooding in, we have made the decision to extend again,” says event director Richard Bradbury. “This will create the opportunity for another 30 exhibitors to attend.” With only a handful of outdoor stands left to allocate, Hillhead 2018 will host more than 500 exhibitors for the first time. Visitor registration is open for the event, which takes place from 26-28 June at Hillhead Quarry, near Buxton. www.hillhead.com CDE announces massive expansion CDE, a leading global wet processing equipment company, has bought the Caterpillar Northern Ireland manufacturing facility on Monkstown. This gives CDE 300 000 sq feet of extra plant, effec- tively multiplying its existing operations tenfold and one that will drastically cut lead times for project delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa. CDE made the announcement just before exhibiting at the bauma CONEXPO AFRICA in Johannesburg where the com- pany also launched its CDE Meta division focusing on the mining industry. CDE head of mining, Adam Holland says the announce- ments are significant: “We are demonstrating the company’s considerable commitment not only to the region but also to meet demandand respond to the company’s rapidexpansion.” Regional director for CDE in sub-Saharan Africa, Nicolan Govender adds: “Our equipment and engineering prowess has seen major growth in Africa and we are delighted that we can not only reduce lead times but also deliver a fully

integrated and bespoke service to our customers. Our compliance standards – for water recycling, health and safety – are beyond exemplary and our customers are realising the value of gaining significant competitive advantage through maximising return on their investment while minimising environmental impacts.” www.cdeglobal.com

HPE appoints sales manager HPE Africa, part of Capital Equipment Group (CEG) of Invicta Holdings Limited, has appointed SeanYates as sales manager. HPE Africa – exclusive distributor in Southern Africa for Hyundai Construction Equipment – distributes

Hyundai wheel loaders, wheeled and tracked exca- vators, backhoe loaders and skid steer loaders, as well as Soosan hydraulic hammers and McCloskey crushing and screening plants. www.hpeafrica.co.za

Sean Yates, HPE Africa sales manager.

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

CESA welcomes Cabinet reshuffle As the leading body of Consulting Engineering companies in South Africa, Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) remains committed to the same ideals as espoused by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the most recent state of the nation address. CESA comprises over 540-mem- ber firms, who employ more than 22 000 staff in the engineering sector and the organisation stands willing and able to take up the challenge posed by the president. In particular, CESA welcomes the

the country out of a looming potential National Water crisis and we hope that indeed he will be a ‘Mr Fixit’ for the sake of our nation. As South Africa grapples with issues of state capture and corruption, it is crit- ical that we all remain vigilant to ensure that we continue to ‘connect the dots’. CESA welcomes the President’s intention to review the number and size of cabinet and is encouraged by the commitment shown to streamlining the executive. www.cesa.co.za

Resources. The mining sector in South Africa is without doubt one of the main drivers of employment and economic growth in our country and it is critical that conducive conditions for investment and growth are created by national gov- ernment as soon as is practically possible. CESA further notes the reappointment of Minister Thulas Nxesi to the Ministry of Public Works. It is critical that service delivery through infrastructure invest- ment and rollout is expedited to ensure that the goals of the NDP are achieved in as short a time as possible. We expect to see this actioned with more vigour than was the case when he previously held this portfolio. The organisation also notes the appointment of Minister Gugile Nkwinti to the crucial portfolio of Water and Sanitation. As South Africa is a water- scarce nation, security of our water sup- ply and sustainable implementation of both treatment and distribution schemes throughout the country remain crit- ical priorities for the nation. Minister Nkwinti has the invidious task of steering

return of highly respected and compe- tent ministers to the critical portfolios of Public Enterprises and Finance. Both Minister Gordhan and Nene have a chal- lenging task ahead of them to get both South Africa’s SOEs as well our economy on an upward curve again. CESA is confi- dent however that under the stewardship of both these ministers, positive interna- tional sentiment and hence investment will begin to flow once again. The organisation also welcomes the new appointment of Minister Gwede Mantashe to the portfolio of Mineral

CESA’s deputy president Sugen Pillay; CEO Chris Campbell; and Neresh Pather, president.

ON THE COVER

Weir entrenches Trio ® comminution range in Africa

He brings to Weir Minerals Africa some 27 years of hands-on process experience across a range of commodities in the min- ing sector. “Combining our flexibility with our full suite of minerals process equipment, Weir Minerals Africa can provide the customer with a total solution,” says Steenkop. “Our focus is therefore not on selling a piece of equipment, but on achieving what the customer needs, especially in terms of better efficiencies, less downtime and higher output.” He emphasises that Weir Minerals Africa measures its achievements through the success of its customers. “We succeed in business only by improving the sustain- ability and profitability of our customers, which is why our focus on being close to customers and understanding their oper- ations is central to our philosophy. Our commitment to the individual quarry or mine is for the long haul – we are here to stay, and to see through the commitment we make to customers.” Building local skills Getting the right skills on board has always been vital, says Singleton, and there is now over 100 years of combined experience in the crushing and screening team. “As part of our commitment to skills development and transformation, we train our own engineers so that custom- ers can be assured of the best support and advice available,”says Singleton.“This includes selecting high-potential school leavers and sponsoring their studies, giving them engineering bursaries and learnerships within the company, and developing them into managerial posi- tions longer term.” The comminution team now includes a project engineer and applications engi- neer – graduates in mechanical and pro- cess engineering respectively – who have come through the two-year graduate

Swift progress in rolling out and supporting the Trio range of crushing and screening equipment has been an important part of Weir Minerals Africa’s solutions-driven focus in the quarrying sector, according to process director JD Singleton.

“O ur Trio journey in Africa has been an exciting one, as we have been able to put the full strength of Weir Minerals’ technical and support network behind this quality brand,” says Singleton. “Most importantly, the flexibility of our customer-centred approach allows us to be as effective in serving the owner-managed quarries as we are when serving large corporate mines.” Weir Minerals established its own direct route to market in South Africa for its Trio range by mid-2015, having acquired the product line in 2014. It has put in place its local teams to deal with aftermarket and product support, devel- oping a local Trio-specific stockholding of what is today worth close to R100-million to underpin quick and efficient response times.

“Our stock is now available across Africa to support local installations, and importantly is supported by a fully-fledged applications teams and sales teams,” Singleton says. “What makes all the difference is the level of skill and experience residing in these teams, which include process engineers and applica- tions engineers.” A separate aftermarket and spare parts team streamlines the reaction time for the local market. In addition to this, the product support and service team brings in-depth technical know-how to advise customers on key issues including trou- ble-shooting, optimising operations for better production and improving uptime. “Our efforts have now established Trio as a truly local OEM,” he empha- sises. “While we still bring in machines from our global manufacturing facilities, we develop our flow-sheet and solution designs locally, as well as the steelwork

and ancillary structures according to custom- er’s specifications and on-site needs.” To further bolster the company’s skills base to deliver, Weir Minerals Africa has brought in chemical engineer and process expertVernon Steenkop as general manager Comminution, tak- ing over this role from Singleton. Steenkop’s most recent role has been managing the company ’s flagship Middelburg branch.

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A Trio TC36 short head cone crusher.

A Trio TIH4102 double deck inclined screen.

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT POT IGHT ON BRICKMAKING ON THE COVER

With the expansion of its offering through the Trio range, Weir Minerals Africa is fully invested in the continent and is looking forward to the recovery of commodities markets, as well as better times for the global economy in general, he adds. “Closer to home, our commitment to development and transformation earned us the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) award last year for the most transformed organ- isation,” Singleton says. “This says a great deal about our approach and our enthusi- asm in this sector and this region.” www.minerals.weir

programme at Weir Minerals Africa and are well primed to add value. “There are a further three graduates in the comminution team undergoing their graduate programmes. This highlights the way we build local skills in-house rather than simply ‘buying in’ the expertise we need,” he says. “This crushing and screen- ing focus in the comminution team is in addition to the broader learnership and apprenticeship training that the company conducts.” This on-going development of local skills feeds the extensive network of 18 Weir Minerals service centres around Africa, allowing branches to source the talent they require from within the organisation. “Our involvement in the sector extends to taking an active role in industry bodies such as the Institute of Quarrying, where we exhibit regularly and present papers on occasion,” says Singleton. “We also exhibited our products and skills at the Bauma trade show, where we high- lighted our capacity in both wet and dry processing.”

Trio ® – supply and skills now fully ‘local’ Since acquiring the Trio product line in 2014, Weir Minerals Africa has invested in a strong stockholding of the range of jaw crushers, cone crushers, grizzly and belt feeders, ver- tical shaft impact crushers, horizon- tal shaft impact crushers, conveyor sections and hoppers. This allows the market to be serviced with very short lead times, if not same-day delivery. The equipment is the result of research and development invested over many years, with the aim of producing equipment that best serves customer operations. For instance, the Trio TP cone crusher has been engineered with a unique combination of high crushing force, high throw and high pivot point. Similarly, Trio TV verti- cal shaft impact (VSI) crushers offer high throughput with reliable and cost-efficient performance, featuring advanced open table designs, multi- port rotors and a larger bearing capacity thanmost other VSI crushers in the industry. Capacity of the Trio crushers range from50 tph to 1 500 tph and caters for all ore bodies. All crushers and screens in the range can be mounted on skids, eliminating the need for large civil-re- lated infrastructure to support these plants.

Rajen Govender, marketing director at Weir Minerals Africa.

JD Singleton, process director at Weir Minerals Africa.

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AT THE QUARRY FACE WITH ELB EQUIPMENT

Terex plant – the quality differentiator for quarries

ELB Equipment (ELB), is one of a few South African companies offering a broad range of earthmoving, construction, mining and quarrying equipment from a single supplier. The company has established itself as one of the most respected names in the industry and represents a number of world-renowned manufacturers whose products are designed to meet the strict emission and safety control regulations that apply to the industrialised first-world countries. In this special feature, MQ looks at two Terex machines that are boosting production and saving costs.

needed to refurbish it, we decided to go the route of purchasing the best, most suitable newmachine to get the job done more efficiently. “Having put in a lot of research of other types of machines available, we went with the upgraded version of the trusty FM120, as it is still the only wash plant able to completelymeet our require- ments. It remains the one best suited to our dry screening mode of operation. The unit has a true 120 t/hour throughput with better handling of slime (fines) and a resultant higher quality end product; striking the perfect balance between effi- ciency, low running costs and improved production,” he says. After several months of operation, he says the Terex FM120 has positively boosted production by at least 35%, resulting in the company’s loading cycle needing optimisation to keep up with the new washing plant’s increased capacity. There are also positive spin-offs for the environment due to its efficient oper- ation. The extended efficiency of the plant’s hydrocyclones is better able to capture fines rather than simply expelling this to the settling ponds on the property. This ensures better recirculation of water

Wash plant boosts production Through ongoing investments in the quality of sand produced, Kilo Sand in Tshwane is a first choice for suppliers and contractors servicing the northern sub- urbs and the lower reaches of Tshwane. In this heavily traded area, where numerous quarries are similarly posi- tioned to service two of the fastest grow- ing areas in Africa, Kilo Sand’s quality differentiator is key to its success. Driven through an ongoing investment in mod- ern machinery and purpose-built equip- ment, the company is able to supply the best quality materials at cost-effective prices. Its latest acquisition of the Terex FM120 pushes the quality boundaries still further with its ability to produce more

sand of a higher quality, while simulta- neously minimising water usage. For its many customers, this means the company can produce a superior quality river sand with the right balance of coarse and fine material for more useable product per load. Procured from ELB Equipment, the sole distributor of Terex washing systems in Southern Africa, the new machine has also boosted production of washed river sand on site by over 35%, which is assist- ing the company to keep up with ever-in- creasing demand. “ I t r ep l a c e s ou r 10 - ye a r o l d Powerscreen FM120, which had become tired and in need of refurbishing,”explains Kilo Sand owner Josef Lewis. “Rather than taking it out of production for the time

Kilo Sand’s Josef Lewis with ELB Equipment’s Heath Dickson and Wakefield Harding.

The Terex FM120 produces more washed sand with less water and reduces slimes to settling ponds.

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AT THE QUARRY FACE WITH ELB EQUIPMENT

alongside his father, Johann Snr. “Today we are proud of our mobile crushing and screening plants together with a large fleet of earthmoving equipment that dig, load and haul materials, making it possi- ble for us to deliver quality product to our customers.” The delivery fleet consists of over 40 tipper trucks that run on a six-day/week basis through the greater Johannesburg area, managed in house by efficient trans- port managers. Lion Park Quarries is now breaking new ground with the commissioning of a first-of-its-kind in Africa Terex WJ1175 electric wheeled jaw crushing plant. As a fully electric drive-operated crushing plant, the new Terex is a sig- nificant departure from diesel-guzzling predecessors with a smaller price tag and requiring significantly less support and maintenance on site. Its powerful elec- tric-driven jaws and materials handling components have thus far slashed run- ning costs by nearly half of its predeces- sor’s energy costs. Supplied locally by ELB Equipment, the Terex WJ1175 is a game-changer for mines and quarries with access to the national electricity grid or other similarly reliable sources. With fewer moving parts and no hydraulics, it is a simpler machine which is less expensive to buy and main- tain. Operationally the impressive electric drive-operated crusher provides powerful and precise crushing operations. It is con- siderably quieter with enhanced operator safety. “Diesel bills for the predecessor Pegson XF jaw crusher were mounting up and added a considerable margin to the cost of our sand and stone products,” Meintjes confirms. “The new machine’s electricity bills are about 40% less by comparison. With its bigger, more efficient crushing cham- ber, it adds considerably to our sand and stone production. By contrast to the mechanically-operated plant which required servicing every 200 hours at a cost of over R20 000 each time and a five- hour shutdown, the new Terex requires a daily brush-off and check-up in order to run flawlessly for years to come. Being mobile, it can also be hitched to a truck or loader and taken to any crush- ing site. Once in place, the wheels serve

the right equipment needed to turn the operation into a fully-fledged quarry with multiple streams of high-quality saleable products. “Since those early days, we have gone on to buy more than 30 pieces of equip- ment from them, ranging from crushers and washing plants to wheel loaders, excavators and everything we need to run a slick operation,”Lewis says.“The fact that the relationship has lasted over three decades is, in many ways, testament to the quality of equipment provided by ELB Equipment and the quality of service it provides to its customers. Trust is import- ant and they have earned ours.” In the heart of the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg, in the midst of some of the most fiercely-contested markets in the country, the acquisition of a new crush- ing plant has put Lion Park Quarries in a favourable position, with better product availability at sustainably lower prices. Lion Park Quarries is situated some 28 km east of Krugersdorp just off the N14/ R28 and in close proximity to Fourways, New crushing plant sets benchmark

on site and prolongs intervals between excavating or relocation of the ponds. Considering the fact that the entire operation is located on Lewis’ genera- tions-old family farm, which still produces crops and livestock, the environmentally friendlier operation is an important con- sideration. With everything in its place and the lands well cared for, the Kilo Sand operation is responsibly managed to cohabit with the thriving and beautiful farm. “In many ways, we uphold most of the traditional values of bygone gener- ations on the farm,” Lewis says, “and still value honest, sincere relationships. Just as it is important for us not to pollute our neighbours’ drinking water, it is similarly important that we do business with rep- utable and reliable suppliers. “ELB Equipment has been one of the most important parts of our business from the early 1980s, when we needed more water and decided to excavate our farm dams; to the realisation that the sand excavated was of a saleable quality and valuable in its own right. The company’s experts have given us sound technical advice and financial assistance to procure

Sandton andMidrand. The business is an operational sand and aggregate mining concern, operating under a new order conver ted mining right in Nietgedacht, Lanseria. “We had a mod- e s t s t a r t back i n 1989, where sand wa s wa s hed and loaded by hand. At that stage, our entire delivery fleet con- sisted of a single own- er-driver truck,” says Johan Meintjes, who co-owns the quarry

Since commissioning the new Terex FM120 washing plant, Kilo Sand has boosted washed river sand production by over 35%.

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MODERN QUARRYING

Quarter 2 / 2018

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AT THE QUARRY FACE WITH ELB EQUIPMENT

Lion Park Quarries co-owner Johann Meintjes.

to anchor and dampen the vibration of the plant, giving it a stable and smooth platform to operate from. Meintjes says the quarry has devel- oped an excellent ongoing relationship with ELB Equipment. “Although we inves- tigate new technologies from various sup- pliers, the vast majority of our equipment is procured from ELB Equipment. Its tech- nical service, support and importantly, technical advice, has played a decisive role in the development of our quarry.” While the purchase of any plant is usually based on well-researched facts and figures, the purchase of the Terex WJ1175 was more of a chance encounter, when Meintjes Snr noticed the unusual machine at ELB’s stockyard. While he had been scouring equipment suppliers to

find a new crushing solution, little did he realise that the right machine had already been brought into the country as a pre- launch demo. After a few enquiries and a favourable price tag, the deal was signed. “This kind of innovation and access to world-leading equipment is what sets ELB Equipment apart and gives us an oppor- tunity to be one step ahead of our com- petitors. Service and support go without saying and with lower running costs, it sets us on a new path of profitability,” he adds. www.elbequipment.co.za

The Terex WJ1175 wheeled jaw plant is suitable for working in many different crushing spreads and will handle almost any material. Whether operating in hard rock, sand and gravel, iron ore or recycled concrete, the Terex WJ1175 is designed to enhance profitability.

FACE TO FACE WITH ASPASA

Aspasa secures a prosperous future for surface mines

Aspasa embarked on a new focus in the last quarter of 2017, retaining the acronym only and making Aspasa its brand name. The association is now able to represent a growing and more diverse membership base. MQ catches up with director Nico Pienaar in the second quarter of the year.

A spasa’s work in represent- ing the industry is aimed at creating a safe, sus- tainable, and level play- ing field, which has led to organisations outside the quarrying industry requiring assistance and mem- bership. This has resulted in the associ- ation adopting the salt and dimension stone industries and taking the Coal Ash Association into its care. Open to other surface mining operations wanting to take up membership – provided they agree to uphold Aspasa’s strict standards and abide by legislation – membership is open to industries which include mobile crushing, formal quarrying/mining, con- tract crushing, rubble crushing, ash and coal, and borrow pits, among others. “As far as aggregate is concerned, our members are industry leaders producing the majority of the minerals required for infrastructure,” Pienaar says. “We have leading members from the dimension stone, silica mining and the lime produc- ing industries; the clay brick producers are also taking up membership as their needs are very similar to those of the mining industry.” Several contractors involved with borrow pits and contract mining have also taken up membership. The association has been actively assisting its members with training over the past year and while these elements include technical, health and safety, man- agement and environmental training, its ongoing training is more focused on spe- cific elements of operations. Pienaar says that the technical issues relating to blasting, crushing, equipment, in-pit best practices and road transport

are among the training courses offered. “These courses dovetail with our two audit programmes covering both health and safety, as well as environmental standards.” During the course of last year, Aspasa was actively involved in skills develop- ment training. Logistical arrangements around scheduling and attendance was not always actively attended as antici- pated. “We went through a steep learn- ing curve in this regard,” Pienaar says. “However, in conjunction with our main training service provider, we have carried out comprehensive planning work.” Together with Prisma, Aspasa has developed a skills development analysis (SDA) tool which can be carried out at any company. For corporates, the SDA can be held at a central point with the company’s relevant training staff, such as the skills development facilitator, trainers, senior training officer, among others. A one-day kick-off workshop allows the company, its various regions and operations to be on the same level. “The audit is not only for production operations,” Pienaar asserts, “but also for small operations and associate members. One this exercise is done, the company is able to decide on how to take the matter further with Aspasa handling the detailed work and ensuring that all procedures, documentation and systems are in place.” What about quarry manager training? MQ asks. “After numerous consultations with mining specialists, we have drafted a generic quarry manager training plan, which can be used across all quarry indus- tries as a baseline in developing potential mangers for the future,” he says.

Aspasa director Nico Pienaar (Photo: Dale Kelly).

Towards the end of last year, Aspasa held a special training course entitled Competent Person ‘A’Training. Explaining this further, Pienaar says that regulations require a competent person to examine and make safe a workplace (Competent Person A) and determine that such com- petence will vest in a candidate having achieved the requirement of the relevant skills programme registered with the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). “The programme has been developed to ensure a period of only four days, with practical assessment carried out at a con- venient operation. This ensures that stu- dents complete the full course, and on returning to the company, there are no further evaluations or costs incurred by the employer.” This course includes an introduction in terms of the Mine Health and Safety Act and Regulations (Act 29 of 1996). For the purposes of Regulations 14.1 (1) and 14.1 (5), a competent person means someone who has been assessed and found competent to examine and declare a workplace safe. Such competent person must ensure that, if at any time a work- ing place or part becomes unsafe during a shift, that:

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MODERN QUARRYING Quarter 2 / 2018

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT POTLIGHT ON BRICKMAKING FACE TO FACE WITH ASPASA

unless the matter needs immediate attention in which case it needs to be addressed promptly.” Giving an example, Pienaar says some- thing as seemingly insignificant as faded warning signs may be reported at the end of a shift, but these should be reported to the relevant supervisor timeously to avoid risks,“or when danger is imminent such as a missing guardrail on an exposed con- veyor or piece of equipment. “These immediate actions should be reported and recorded as per the opera- tion’s protocols and may further require reporting via safety representatives. Whatever the case is, it is the individual’s responsibility to familiarise themselves with these procedures and to act quickly and appropriately to prevent any risks on site.” Aspasa audits For many years, Aspasa has been running its own audits for member companies, and being a member means that the company has to undergo these audits. The audits are conducted by independent

• Blasting assistant training • Plan, organise, lead and control activ- ities in the mining operations process • First Aid Level 1 • Demonstrate knowledge pertaining to fires in a workplace • SHE representative • Operator skills programme • Collect, store and issue explosives from a surface magazine • Legal liability • Incident cause analysis method • Roles and responsibilities of a pro- duction supervisor in a mining environment • Competent A training • Coaching • Outcomes-based assessments “Safety must be a top priority, especially where large equipment is used or work conducted at heights or where ground falls may occur. We believe that surface mining ticks all these boxes when it comes to working in a dangerous envi- ronment,” he tells MQ. “This has led to comprehensive legislation being put into place to protect miners in these con-

• All persons, other than those exam- ining and making safe, are removed from such unsafe area. • No persons are permitted to return thereto until declared safe by a com- petent person. • A competent person must declare a workplace safe before any work can be done and also when the work area changes. Pienaar says the course was well attended and plans are to run this again in the future. Prisma is a specialist training ser- vice provider to the mining sector. The company was established in 2007 and has trained over 40 000 learners in underground and opencast in min- ing, team development and supervisor development. It is accredited for full qualifications, skills programmes andmore than 400 Unit Standards with the Mining Qualification Authority (16/MQA/0489/AC4/210814) and is Alpha ISO 9001:2008 certified. Prisma’s aim is to build and main- tain lasting relationships by consistently delivering customised and sustainable education, training, and organisational development solutions that are accred- ited and embody best practice. This ensures that its customers are able to real- ise a return on investment with increased productivity and efficiency through qual- ified trained individuals and teams, while operating within the most competent and safe environment. Prisma is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Workforce Holdings Limited and works closely with sister company Training Force, to bring training solutions to all industry sectors across South Africa and abroad. Prisma Training Solutions’ training director Jacques Farmer has some15 years’ experience in HRD and OD in both the private and public sectors. He is a human resource development practitioner, organisational development specialist within various private sectors (Prisma Training Solutions, Audit Campus, Anglo American, South 32, Tharisa Minerals, and Aspasa). He is also an external lecturer at the NWU. “Having industry specialists like Jacques is what adds invaluable benefits to the courses we provide,” Pienaar says. He cites some of the Prisma courses as:

ditions. Yet, despite the gov- ernment and companies’ best efforts to manage safety risks, the onus still falls largely on individuals to raise the alarm whenever a potential hazard is encountered.” Aspasa is therefore encour- aging workers, contractors and mining stakeholders to make safety a priority and to raise the alarm whenever poten- tial risks are observed. Pienaar believes that many preventable accidents can be avoided in this manner leading to further improved safety in this area. “Whatever the risk, no mat- ter how large or small, it is the individual’s responsibility to report risks to a supervisor or the responsible person in the case of a visitor or contractor. This should be done according to a site’s specific protocols,

Quarries should lead by example by adopting strict management policies relating to environment, and health and safety (Dale Kelly).

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