The South African mining sector remains the backbone of the country’s economy contributing largely to the country’s GDP. However, the industry has been plagued by a number of challenges in recent months since strikes started as early as last year in Marikana.

This resulted in 61 % of gold mines and 59 % of platinum mines reporting losses in profits and production.

At Shell South Africa, we believe that in order to achieve efficient mining operations, it is important for the mining sector to review its production and maintenance costs. This can be achieved through choosing the right lubricants and services, says Raymond Abraham, Commercial Technical Manager of Shell South Africa Abraham explains that buying low-quality lubricants can be a false economy.

“Lubricants costs can be as little as 1-2 % of the total maintenance costs. However, Shell is committed on providing performance products that can help reduce maintenance requirements and energy use, and services that are designed to improve maintenance and business practices, and in turn lower overall costs,” says Abraham.

With a large team of mining sector specialists, Shell offers a wide range of lubricant-related services to help mining operations maximise the positive impact of lubricants on their operation.

These services include lubricant surveys and recommendations; inventory management including product rationalisation; critical equipment inspections and staff training.

For example, reliability can be improved by using top-tier oils that offer enhanced protection for longer along with services such as the Shell LubeAnalyst used lubricant analysis service, which is designed to reduce costs and add value by:
· Identifying potential oil or equipment failures before they become critical
· Extending lubricant life, thus reducing change-out frequency, maintenance downtime and procurement costs
· Reducing risks and contributing to safe and reliable operations
Abraham says that Shell also works with equipment manufacturers to make sure that its products help to lower operating costs and increase machine availability.

“We have over 3 000 equipment manufacturer approvals across our product range, and are either approved by or meet the specifications of many manufacturers,” says Abraham.

“We can use our knowledge and experience to create a lubricants plan for any mining operation to provide value that can improve any bottom line,” concludes Abraham.