Achieving a safer, more productive and cost efficient industry in the coming months and years will require strong leadership from its stakeholders says Arne Lewis, vice-president of Sandvik Mining South Africa hard rock cutting. The company has made a commitment to achieving these objectives by collaborating with its customers on these three critical issues. “The necessary leadership does exist in the industry to navigate a path to a safer and more profitable environment,” says Lewis, who is a mining engineer with more than 20 years’ experience. He predicts that mechanisation will be pivotal in the years ahead and believes that the risk of not making the change to mechanisation will be much larger than some of the perceived risks currently associated with mechanised mining.

“Industry statistics prove that mechanised mining is safer than conventional mining,” he says. “Major players in the mining sector have placed comments on record to support this. To this end, Sandvik Mining has developed products to mechanise operations and devised methods that allow mining to take place via remote control. Certain processes have been completely automated, making it possible for the operator to control the machine from surface. “Right now we’re collaborating with customers to develop fit-for-purpose XLP (extra low profile) equipment, providing a direct link to our factory to facilitate the best possible outcome.” Sandvik Mining participates in the global EMESRT (Earthmoving Equipment Safety Round Table) initiative between major mining companies and OEM’s to advance the design of equipment capable of improving safe operability and maintainability beyond existing industry standards. “Being part of this important initiative has afforded us first-hand knowledge of leading industry requisites and standards,” Lewis says. “We’re utilising this information to engineer products that ensure that Sandvik Mining remains ahead of the industry benchmark.”

Productivity and cost efficiency

In the arena of productivity, Lewis says using mechanised equipment has proved it is possible to achieve more than 200 metres per month on twin ends on a sustainable basis. In some instances where all conditions are optimal, up to 280 metres is being achieved using a fleet of Sandvik equipment. This is compared to an industry standard for handheld development of twin ends of somewhere between 50 and 70 metres per month.“This is a dramatic comparison and the benefits are numerous,” he continues. “Primarily, it allows ore reserves to be opened far quicker, improving the viability of any project. We have actual references to substantiate the metres achieved per month by the Sandvik DD 210 and DD 321 machines and would be happy to take potential customers to view this machinery in operation.”

Lewis says it’s a recognised fact that the lowest cost producers in the South African and Zimbabwean platinum industry are mechanised operations, with the exception of some high grade Merensky operations that still use conventional mining methods. “It’s important to understand how the costs are measured in these mining operations,” he explains. “We believe it should be a rand per ounce of platinum equivalent — and not just a rand per tonne of ore cost. Many operations only measure rand per tonne and, where grades are low, achieve high tonnages but this is not necessarily a quality end product. Measuring rand per ounce is a better approach, because you are also being paid revenue on the rand per ounce.”

Quality workmanship

Björn Göhre, general manager, marketing and sales at Sandvik Mining, says mechanised bolters assure mining companies of quality workmanship — a prime example being the integrity of bolt work achieved by the repetitive nature of a mechanised roof bolter operation. “Making use of mechanised bolters also has the effect of up skilling the general workforce and opens opportunities for all miners to progress, given the appropriate training,” he says. “Mechanised mining is an ideal career opportunity for the younger generation, who are more adept at radio remote control skills and therefore require less application training.” The Sandvik DS-210L-M low profile mechanised bolter is currently the industry’s only fully mechanised bolter, featuring proven technology that has been operating for the past ten years in local mines. “The steady decline of the fatality rate at mechanised operations underpins the move towards more mechanised mining. Although the use of mechanised bolters is perceived as a higher cost to miners, the reality of a Section 54, which could halt production and cause revenue losses, is causing modern miners to focus more strongly on systems solutions than on the capex.”