21 / 60
COVER STORY
March 2015
MODERN MINING
19
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.