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COVER STORY
January 2015
MODERN MINING
25
we’ve already picked up a gold mine contract
on the strength of this technology and we’re
expecting another in the platinum field to be
awarded shortly.”
BME’s narrow reef system allows mines to
deploy cost-effective emulsion-based blast-
ing in highly confined underground spaces.
Advantages of the system include the compact
size of the equipment, simplicity of operation
and high levels of safety.
At just 14 kg, the pump can be easily carried
to the drilled face for charging; the emulsion
and sensitizer itself is contained in two sepa-
rate bags – which can be filled on surface or at
a central point underground and then sealed to
avoid any contamination by dust or dirt. The
bags, each weighing 25 kg for easy portability,
are connected to the pump just before charging.
The fail-safe pump control mechanism allows
the volume of explosive per hole to be pre-set,
ensuring that blasting performance and emul-
sion costs are carefully controlled.
Looking at the value that BME can add to
its customers’ operations, Hay quotes BME’s
Blasting Technology Director, Tony Rorke,
who a few months ago went on record as say-
ing that “the days of just selling explosives as
a commodity are long over.” Rorke added that
a commitment to technology was an essential
part of BME’s ethos.
“Tony had it absolutely right,” says Hay.
“The margins in mining are progressively
becoming tighter and mines therefore need to
be ultra-efficient in every aspect of their opera-
tions, including blasting. Many mines get their
blasting right but others – particularly those
operated by juniors, who don’t normally have
any depth of in-house expertise – can get it
badly wrong. The point is that poor blasting
practice can be very costly, impacting not only
on the efficiency of mining operations but also
on ‘downstream’ processes such as crushing
and milling of the ore. The consultancy service
we provide – which addresses both blast plan-
ning and execution – can ensure that mines
achieve highly efficient blasting.
“I think it’s only fair to say that our competi-
tors also provide expertise to their customers
so our ‘value add’ services are not unique. But
I would venture to suggest that nobody does
consulting better than BME. The services of
Tony and his technical team are in demand
not only here in South Africa but throughout
Africa. The reputation of the team is such that
they’re sometimes called in to assist even when
we have no contract in place for the particular
mine or quarry involved.”
Pointing to other highlights of the past year
for BME, Hay says the company
has eliminated the supply
constraints that sometimes
caused it problems in
past years. “There was
a time when we had
to source raw mate-
r i a l s on occa s i on
from competitors,”
he states. “The open-
i ng o f t he Omn i a
Group’s new R1,4 bil-
lion nitrate plant in
Sasolburg in 2012
has totally reversed
this situation. The
plant – which is state
of the art – has pushed
up Omnia’s nitric acid
capacity by 140 %. It is
a strategic asset that will
give Omnia and BME a
competitive edge for years. The tim-
ing was fantastic. Anyone trying to
put up a similar plant today would
probably need twice the capex.”
He adds that BME now has total security
of supply with two nitric acid plants and two
ammonium nitrate facilities in place, as well
as two major emulsion plants in South Africa
(quite apart from ten smaller plants in the rest
of Africa). “We’ve increased the capacity of our
Fochville emulsion plant on the outskirts of
Johannesburg and we’re also in the process of
commissioning a brand new plant in Delmas in
Mpumalanga at the site of our very first emul-
sion plant, which was established in the late
1980s,” he says.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that BME
recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Reflecting on this, Hay says that BME has seen
sustained growth over these three decades, par-
ticularly over the past five years, during which
the company’s employee complement more
than doubled with the number of emulsion
trucks in the field rocketing from 80 to over 180.
“The company has had a fantastic ride and
has established itself as one of South Africa’s
‘Big Three’ suppliers and indeed one of the
leaders in its field in Africa,” he concludes.
“As I’ve said, current conditions mean that
there could be a temporary pause in our rapid
growth but we are highly positive on prospects
for Africa’s minerals industry in the medium to
longer term and remain committed to expand-
ing our footprint both in South Africa and on
the continent generally.”
Report by Arthur Tassell, photos courtesy of BME
BME’s reef-pump is light
and small and easy to move
around narrow stopes.