Mining

Optimised burden relief is crucial for optimal fragmentation during the blasting process. (Image source: BME)

BME has helped a South African coal mine that was facing highwall challenges cuts costs while retaining optimal fragmentation through the implementation of a modified pre-split design

The hydrogen-powered T 264 haul truck prototype at Fortescue’s facility in Perth. (Image source: Liebherr)

The Liebherr and Fortescue hydrogen-powered T 264 haul truck prototype has been operated for the first time in a significant achievement for both companies

The truck, known as Europa, contains a 1.6MWh battery and 500KW of fuel cells. It can store more than 380 kg of liquid hydrogen.

“With Europa soon moving to site, Liebherr and Fortescue have taken an important step closer to their common target of developing and building zero emission solutions for the mining industry that are both field proven and energy agnostic,” commented Joerg Lukowski, vice president of sales and marketing for Liebherr Mining. “This success demonstrates the incredible capabilities of two Tier 1 companies working together to develop viable technologies today that can help the mining industry move towards a decarbonised future.”

Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, remarked, “Following the success of our battery electric haul truck prototype at site, we’re thrilled to now have Europa up and running on hydrogen. This is a huge achievement for the team and brings Fortescue another step closer to having a fleet of zero emission trucks at our sites by the end of this decade.

“We’re aiming to transport Europa to our mining operations within the coming weeks where it will then undergo further site-based testing and commissioning. The subsequent test results will inform our future fleet of zero emissions trucks that we’re delivering with Liebherr.”

There has been a number of initiatives from top manufacturing companies to incorpoate hydrogen in their offerings including from Bobcat and Caterpillar. 

WEG Africa has become the first OEM to produce medium voltage softstarters in South Africa. (Image source: WEG Africa)

WEG Africa has become the first OEM to produce medium voltage (MV) softstarters in South Africa, reducing lead times for customers and supporting the drive for local manufacture

The WEG SSW7000 units are produced at WEG Africa’s Robertsham facility south of Johannesburg to the high quality standards for which the company is well known. According to Pervin Gurie, director of the digital & systems division at WEG Africa, the popular SSW7000 range is well-regarded by the market. These softstarters, which are extensively used in pump and fan applications in Africa’s mining sector, have now also become more cost effective.

“As the demand for our MV softstarters has grown in recent years, we recognised that customers could benefit considerably from having these products manufactured locally,” said Gurie. “The immediate benefit is that we can almost halve the lead time from 20 to 24 weeks to 10 weeks, by removing the need for long distance shipping from WEG’s Brazil facilities.”

He noted that the strategic value of softstarters has come to the fore as users look for ways to address the rising cost of electricity, as well as to protect their electric motors and extend their operational lifecycle. Softstarters allow a gentle ramp up of power as electric motors are started, reducing the peak energy demand during startup. Motors starting with a conventional direct-on-line (DOL) starting will draw up to 700% more than its rated current, while a softstarter can reduce this to just 300%.

“Our Robertsham design and production facility already manufactures a range of Variable Speed Drive Panels and Motor Control Centres, among other solutions,” he explained. “Our customers are always impressed by our infrastructure and expertise here, and we look forward to welcoming more of them when they visit to inspect the new MV softstarter manufacturing area.”

The local manufacturing capability will include the continued customisation of MV softstarters, where units are designed to meet specific requirements in customers’ applications. Gurie highlighted that solutions can also be packaged in a containerised substation, as was the case with a recent order for a mining customer in Angola.

“The order of 11 units that we built last year was delivered in three containerised substations, and could be easily transported and installed on site for quick commissioning,” he continued. “We have also found that customers in Africa have particular needs, such as extra space in their panels to accommodate thicker cables with less flexibility.”

Gurie sees ongoing potential for the WEG SSW7000 range, which includes a monitoring feature that tracks whether the electric motor is overheating or drawing excessive current. This enables the shutdown of the motor down before damage is caused.

“To produce these MV softstarters locally, we have been able to apply our stringent manufacturing quality systems facilities in place at Robertsham,” he concluded. “We also use the proven WEG designs from our head office in Brazil, as well as technical input from our engineers there, as and when required. This assures customers that all these units continue to be produced to WEG’s world class standards.”

This article is sponsored by WEG Africa. Click here to navigate to the company's website to discover more. 

Ricardo Ribeiro, managing director at Rosond. (Image source: Rosond)

Drilling technology solutions provider Rosond introduced a new mascot to promote health and safety awareness among its crew across all of its sites last year

The company has an existing mascot called Sindile, and in December 2023 launched a competition to come up with a name for his sister, explains Rosond safety manager Andre Kleynhans.

Sindile, which means ‘safety’, was introduced in 2013 to assist Rosond to promote a zero harm culture on all its operational sites. “With the increasing number of women in mining and our diverse workforce, we felt it important for our mascots to represent diversity,” said Kleynhans.

An internal competition was launched for the Rosond workforce to select a name for its female mascot, with Sindisa, which means ‘to take care of each other’, being the eventual winner. As part of Rosond’s health and safety campaign, Sindile and Sindisa appear together across the company’s safety bulletins. As brother and sister, they promote the Rosond family values such as achieving zero harm, mutual responsibility, identifying danger, coaching each other, and only using equipment that is safe.

“Safety is embedded in our culture and will always be our number one priority. It is our anchor value that formed the foundation of our business 68 years ago and continues to support and protect us today. These achievements, and those at other locations, are attributable to the culture of caring and responsibility embedded across all our operational sites,” remarked Rosond MD, Ricardo Ribeiro.

Rosond’s journey to zero harm received a boost when it had great success in training an all-female crew deployed at a major iron ore operation in the Northern Cape.

In terms of the training requirement for any new technology introduced, such as Rosond’s latest-generation drill rigs, it carefully drafts operational procedures in conjunction with the manufacturer and tests these in a controlled environment.

The procedures are then refined following input and analysis from various departments. Training manuals and assessments are drafted and approved by the manufacturer before employee training on any new equipment commences. All assessments are drafted to allow for a formative, summative and practical assessment.

Rosond’s in-house training department ensures that employees are trained in all relevant health and safety aspects. This includes all client-related mandatory training and operational training pertaining to the fleet of machines to be used on a specific project.

Custom documents are drafted in consultation with the client to ensure its needs are met in terms of what they expect from a training perspective. Each project comes with its own challenges, risks and hazards, and therefore it is best to tailor training for a specific project without jeopardising the quality of the training.

Limiting LTI

Rosond currently has four training centres in Postmasburg in the Northern Cape, Rustenburg in the North West, Thabazimbi in Limpopo and Carletonville. It has an extensive network of safety personnel. “We have enjoyed great benefits in reducing our Lost-Time Injury (LTI) rate by incorporating feedback from the safety department into the training department. We are very proud of our safety culture and in keeping our employees safe,” highlighted Ribeiro.

Different types of training are offered, with the most common being health and safety related. This includes basic rigging and slinging, first aid, firefighting, truck-mounted cranes and (Mining Qualifications Authority) operator skills programmes. Employees can even complete various trades, for example mechanical fitters, boilermakers, coded welders and electricians. Junior managerial positions enjoy management development programmes through accredited institutes.

Rosond assists those employees wishing to achieve their trades from enrolment to completion. It also develops training officers through various skills programmes to ultimately achieve national certification. Safety officers are also developed through Comsoc 1 and Comsoc 2 training. Various programmes cater for employee development to work through the different ranks from novice to manager.