Modern Mining March 2015

COVER STORY

building include a development model for staff accommodation, which, as in all Liviero activities, will be governed by the company’s ISO 9001 and 18001 quality control management systems. Total adherence to health and safety is defined by Liviero’s acronym LIFE, which stands for ‘Liviero Incident Free Environment’. The Liviero Group DIFR benchmark is 0,36 and all operations are continually assessed against this threshold. As for Liviero Civils, the ability to win and deliver on large scale, multi- faceted mining contracts is backed by a comprehensive earthmoving fleet that is constantly being updated. Included in the mining mix are Cat earthmov- ing machines sold and supported by Caterpillar’s Southern African Cat dealer, Barloworld Equipment. The Liviero Plant Division supplies all Liviero business units, as well as the external hire market, depending on project capacity con- straints. Mainstay Cat products on the mining front include Cat D9T, D10T and D11T track- type tractors, with the backbone of the haulage operation provided by 90,5-tonne nominal pay- load Cat 777D off-highway trucks. Powered by a Cat 3508B EUI engine delivering a net output (ISO 9249) of 699 kW, the Cat 777D achieves a top speed (fully loaded) of 60,4 km/h. Haul road maintenance is performed by a series of Cat 14H and 16H motor graders. At Vanggatfontein, Liviero’s current scope of works entails the movement of around 4 Mt of run of mine (ROM) per annum, which equates to approximately 14 million BCMs for the same period. Mining the 2, 4 and 5 seams, the top bench is between 12 to 15 m; the mid- dle bench is 20 to 25 m; and the bottom bench around 6 to 10 m. The drilling depth is down to around 70 m. This project runs in parallel with other min- ing ventures. These include long-term Liviero plant hire solutions at Usutu West Colliery for client Vunene Mining, an older under- ground mine where the remaining in-situ coal is now being extracted from surface. Vunene subsequently outsourced the turnkey contract mining solution to Liviero in September 2014. Currently, Liviero moves around 1,5 million BCMs per month. This mine provides a dedi- cated supply to Eskom’s Camden power station in Ermelo. “To achieve the monthly production tar- gets set by our clients, we need to guarantee minimal downtime and maximum efficiency,”

explains Liviero Mining Director Nehan Deysel. “For this reason we place major emphasis on optimum machine selection combined with strong working relations with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that we partner with. It all comes down to designing and maintaining the most efficient mechanised load and haul model that maximises cycle time throughput from the production face to the pri- mary crusher.” Liviero Mining’s operating model hinges around the ongoing replacement of earth- moving equipment at pre-determined hours so this is a young fleet. On the maintenance front, Liviero is also addressing artisan skills requirements, particularly for earthmoving mechanics, where there is a critical industry shortage. For Vanggatfontein, an added train- ing initiative will identify and develop suitable candidates from surrounding communities in line with Keaton Energy’s Social and Labour Plan. To address key skills gaps in industry, Liviero has also set aside funds for external learnerships, ranging from boiler-makers to auto electricians, with a main emphasis on diesel mechanics. “Our success as a group has been on plan- ning and delivering a quality product in all operational sectors,” Cloete concludes. “We built Liviero Mining around three focal areas: firstly, on our existing experience in the plant hire industry; secondly, our investment in the best OEM solutions; and thirdly, our abil- ity to identify, attract and retain key skills. These ingredients are the solid foundation on which our future mining roll-out strategy will be based.” 

At Wesizwe’s Bakubung PlatinumMine, Liviero’s project scope included in- tensive reinforced concrete pre-sink works, a key portion entailing the collaring of the main and ventilation shafts.

March 2015  MODERN MINING  19