22 / 44
CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2016
20
E
xhibitions are valuable for original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
and equipment owners alike, be-
cause they allow businesses to meet the
people that matter to them in one place, in-
cluding existing customers, new prospects,
suppliers, investors and key decision mak-
ers in the targeted industries.
For African mining, construction and indus-
trial sectors, there is no such better platform
than Electra Mining Africa; it is a great plat-
form to learn of newer technologies that, in
most cases, are predominantly upgrades or
radical redesigns of what is currently avail-
able in the market.
Scheduled for 12-16 September 2016 at
the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg,
South Africa, this year’s Electra Mining will
see a total of 850 local and international ex-
hibitors showcasing their products, services,
technologies and trends.
PDS in the limelight
Following the recent promulgation of
legislation compelling the mandatory use
of proximity detection systems on South
Africa’s opencast mines, including quarries,
one of the technologies likely to be in the
limelight will be the Proximity Detection
System (PDS). Prior to the promulgation
of the legislation, there were about four
suppliers of PDS technology in South
Africa. To date, in excess of 40 suppliers
are vying for a share of this market.
Among the leading manufacturers of PDS
technology is local supplier Booyco Electronics.
Managing director Anton Lourens tells
Capital
Equipment News
that one of the major
highlights at the company’s Electra Mining
stand will be its PPS for surface operations,
which is an enhancement to the Booyco PDS
which is already considered to be a leading
system for underground mining operations.
“Following further development, the system
now includes GPS, providing a fit-for-purpose
solution for surface operations,” says Lourens.
“Visitors to the Booyco Electronics stand
at Electra Mining Africa 2016 will also be
able to have a look at our BEAMS offering,
an asset management system that allows ac-
curate real time management of data,” adds
Lourens. The technology allows operations
to actively monitor assets and enhance safe-
ty. It also affords easy access to information
for production reporting.
Lourens says there has definitely been an
increased interest in Booyco Electronics’ PDS
technology following the promulgation of the
legislation in South Africa. However, he be-
lieves that there is still need to educate end
users about the differences between tech-
nologies available in the market. “When it
comes to something as critical as the safety
of people, there is need to be sure that the
system applied is fit for a particular purpose,
reliable and will perform in accordance with
the prescribed performance parameters,”
adds Lourens.
Lourens believes Electra Mining is a per-
fect platform for the company to engage the
African mining fraternity and showcase the
capabilities of Booyco Electronics’ PDS of-
fering. He is of the view that South African
miners and their SADC counterparts, to some
extent, have gone down the PDS road further
AFRICA’S DEAL-CENTRIC
PLATFORM
New products are at all times at the centre of every trade fair.
OEMs are targeting this year’s Electra Mining Africa as the
perfect launch pad for their new offerings, while fleet owners are
embracing it as a platform to shop around for their equipment and
technological needs in one place, writes
Munesu Shoko
.