The Pantera DP1500i surface top-hammer drill rig
KwaZulu-Natal-based drilling and blasting company Brauteseth Blasting says it is expanding nationally, supported by its multiple drill rig acquisitions from Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions which have helped to bolster its production capacity.
The units acquired by the company include the Leopard DI550 and Leopard DI650 down-the-hole drill rigs, the Pantera DP1500i and the Ranger DX800 and Ranger DX900i surface top hammer drill.
Brauteseth Blasting MD Clive Brauteseth points to the geographic expansion beyond KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, into Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and beyond South Africa into Zambia. He says the company has acquired almost 50 Sandvik drill rigs over the years, with more acquisitions in the pipeline.
He asserts that the quality and performance of Sandvik drill rigs ensure the uptime and reliability that its projects demand, backed up by the experience and skills of its teams. In addition, ongoing upskilling ensures that the latest technology investments are put to the most productive use in the field.
The Leopard range is designed for high capacity production drilling in medium-sized to large opencast mining operations, while the Ranger DX800 and Ranger DX900i drill rigs serve mainly the construction and small mining sectors. The Pantera DP1500i rig is described as a ‘cross over’ for applications in quarries and smaller opencast mines.
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions account manager Andre Blom says that the company provides original-equipment manufacturer support to enable Brauteseth Blasting to remain self-sufficient operationally and technically.