Capital Equipment News February 2019

MINING NEWS

Three Liebherr R 920 excavators for SA mine

KEDASE, based in Boshoek, South Africa and active in mining, purchased three R 920 crawler excavators from Liebherr in 2016. The compact dimensions of the machines and their fuel efficiency were key factors in the decision-making process. And after more than 1 000 operating hours, these criteria still hold true. The three Liebherr R 920 crawler excavators are used for trenching, pipe laying and for the feeding of a screener at a chromium mine. With an operating weight of 21 t and equipped with a Stage IIIA / Tier 3 engine with an output of 110 kW / 150 HP, the R 920 crawler excavator was developed specifically for these types of applications. For KEDASE, the machines have been configured with a 5,7 m boom, a 2 m stick and a 1,15 m³ bucket. Since their arrival in 2016, the R 920 crawler excavators have met all expec- tations. After more than 1 000 operating hours, the machines are currently used for 9 to 12 hours every day with an average fuel consumption of 15 ℓ /hour. The manoeu-

• 15 ℓ /hour – The amount of fuel consumed by KEDASE’s

three Liebherr R 920 crawler excavators

The three Liebherr R 920 crawler excavators are used for trenching, pipe laying and for the feeding of a screener at a chromium mine.

vrability and hydraulic performance in particular make the machines efficient on site. From the operator’s point of view, the R 920 is characterised by its speed, comfort, stability and performance. For Ofentse Sekano, KEDASE’s MD, the

partnership with Liebherr is certainly on the right track. With the expectation that these machines will keep performing over time and reach 15 000 operating hours, he will certainly be choosing Liebherr again in the future. b

FLSmidth acquires IMP Automation Group

underground operations – Deeps and Swartberg – and a processing plant. The Deeps shaft produces copper, lead and zinc, with silver as a by-product, and the Swart- berg mine produces primarily copper and lead, with silver as a by-product. BMM is also develop- ing the Gamsberg Project, a new zinc mine in the Northern Cape district of South Africa. “Sandvik is proud to work with the Black Mountain Mining team to integrate and optimise its min- ing processes with OptiMine, de- veloping a world-class, data-driv- en operation and accelerating productivity and safety,” says Patrick Murphy, president, Rock Drills and Technologies, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. “The process will become fully transparent and predictable based on the advanced OptiMine data management and analytics capabilities. This means Black Mountain Mines will leverage the full value of digitalisation, and we are really pleased to partner with them to achieve their goals.” b

By taking over IMP Automation Group, FLSmidth has completed its portfolio of automated laboratory solutions for the mining industry. The market for automated laboratories is growing due to a combination of high exploration activity and an increased focus on productivity, automation and digitalisation. IMP is the global leader in automated laboratory solutions for the mining industry and has a strong foothold in Aus- tralia and South Africa. Its solutions complement the products FLSmidth offers for quality control and optimisation for the mining process. The acquisition includes +130 IMP employ- ees, including the MD, Boyne Hohenstein. “In FLSmidth we have found a partner with the right global sales network to take us to the next level. For years, we have combined profound laborato- ry process knowledge with automation skills and developed novel and innovative solutions. I am very excited that we now can reach a global audience with our offerings and solutions,” says Hohenstein. “Knowing your ore characteristics from the mine and all the way through the processing plant is of increasing importance in mining as declining ore grades make it necessary to in- crease productivity by process optimisation. We see a strong match between some of our digital initiatives in FLSmidth and IMP’s automation solutions that will help miners get better data on

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and closing is expected in Q2 2019.

their ore and assist in optimising the processing. With this acquisition, our flowsheet of laboratory solutions within mining and minerals processing is complete, and this will be of great value to our customers,” says Manfred Schaffer, President Mining, FLSmidth. Included in the transaction is IMP’s 50% share in a joint venture (JV), which provides complete O&M based solutions for automated labs. The acquired parts of IMP Automation Group, including the JV, generated revenues in excess of DKK250-million in 2018. The JV will be ac- counted for with the equity method in FLSmidth accounts. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS FEBRUARY 2019 37