Capital Equipment News February 2019

INTERVIEW

Dries Lottering, manufacturing renewal executive at Bridgestone South Africa.

Tal Zarum, head of Projects for Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology.

Sandvik has partnered Resolute Mining for a full end-to-end automation and process optimisation at the Syama underground gold mine in Mali, West Africa. Tal Zarum, head of Projects for Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, explains that the project places Syama mine as the world’s first purpose-built, fully-automated sublevel cave gold mine in the world. Creating a mine of the future in Africa

Q: You recently partnered Resolute Mining at its Syama gold mine in Mali. What does the partnership entail? Tal Zarum [TZ]: The partnership between Sandvik and Resolute Mining will see full end-to- end automation and process optimisation at the Syama underground gold mine in Mali, West Africa. We believe the project gives both companies the opportunity to bring cutting edge technologies together into a large-scale project, creating the mine of the future in Africa. Resolute and Sandvik have designed the operation, collaborating on equipment selection, underground infrastructure design and the ability to match solutions to the miner’s requirements to operate machinery that increases profitability, reduces costs and improves safety. The partnership has also provided an opportunity for shared knowledge of technologies, linking Sandvik equipment and the software Resolute uses with its value chain and operations. Sandvik is delivering its AutoMine® and OptiMine® systems for planning, analysis, process optimisation and automation, including a full fleet of Sandvik TH663i trucks, LH621, DL421 autonomous drills, and Sandvik LH514E electrical loaders to fully automate the mine. Q: What is the timeframe for the project? TZ: Resolute Mining has agreed to work with Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology for three years. The partnership includes the introduction of current and future Sandvik technology.

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