Modern Mining March 2015

SURFACE MINING CONTRACTING

Concor pioneers a new approach to contract mining

As part of our value-added service, we can also back up or augment the internal design sched- uling capacity of our clients by being able to verify or carry out our own studies as well. In addition, if clients do not have access to such a service, we can offer this as well.” Buitendach adds that contracts delivered purely on price often do not entail the best long-term solution for the client. “There is a trade-off between short-term benefits and long- term losses. This is particularly prevalent in commodity sectors such as coal, which are under pressure and hence extremely competi- tive in terms of contract pricing.” He believes the advantage Concor Opencast Mining has in this tight market is its proven capability to deliver results and meet the requirements of its clients. The company has operations in both soft- and hard-rock mining, from coal to platinum and iron ore. “We have experience in the full commodity spectrum. We have also diversified into certain value-added mining requirements by offering crushing solutions, drawing on the construction infra- structure we have at our disposal.” Having full access to the group resources of Murray & Roberts itself gives Concor Opencast

Concor Opencast Mining, part of the Murray & Roberts Group, reports it is pioneering a new approach in the con- tract mining industry whereby it forms alliances or part- nerships with its clients in order to agree upon a common objective and a defined initiative to realise the best out- come for all concerned. “Our vision is to move away from conventional practice which is dominated by a rate-per-ton approach,” Gert Buitendach, Contracts Director, says.

A ccording to Buitendach, Concor Opencast Mining is diversifying away from conventional con- tract mining and focusing on offering a value-added service in terms of its practical knowledge base. “This means we have an intimate understanding of the cost structure of a mining operation and how to achieve the required production rate,” he says. He also reveals that one of the com- pany’s most significant investments in 2014 was its procurement of the Geovia Surpac and MineSched mining software. “This enables us to carry out detailed sched- uling of projects, which means we are able to fully quantify the solutions we offer our clients.

Concor Opencast Mining operations at the Vlakfon- tein coal mine.

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42  MODERN MINING  March 2015