Capital Equipment News January 2019

MICROMINE to showcase software solutions at Mining Indaba 2019

slow. “Mining Indaba has always been a place where we can show the industry what our solutions are capable of, as well as displaying new releases, upgrades and general networking with like-minded people in the industry. It is good to catch up with our clients, as well as provide demonstrations to organisations looking at mining solutions to streamline processes, increase productivity and efficiency,” adds Sternslow. “The world is becoming a more dig- itally-minded space, with an emphasis on safety, longevity, efficiency and high- er profitability being the main drivers of a digital world. This is starting to apply more to the mining industry, especially as mines become more technology-driv- en. It is becoming imperative that mines adopt technology to increase efficiencies and safety.” In terms of the outlook for the mining

industry in 2019, Sternslow points out that commodity prices have seen a pos- itive trend, and the outlook seemingly is on the up. Although the main focus has been on gold, base metal assets have also rebounded. Many drilling programmes subsequently resumed or were relaunched throughout the year. In addition, there has been an in- crease in exploration activity for certain minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, due to the global interest in cleaner technologies and a push towards a low-carbon economy. West Africa is anticipated to reap the most benefit from this rise in explora- tion, due to high-grade lithium discover- ies as seen in Ghana. However, exploration in other regions has seen a sharp decline, due to certain regulatory and legislative changes that have resulted in a sharp drop in inves- tor confidence, reducing the funding available for exploration. b

MICROMINE software modules range from exploration to mining and scheduling.

Industry-leading software solutions from MICROMINE will be showcased at Investing in African Mining Indaba from 4 to 7 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, and billed as the world’s largest mining investment conference, and the largest mining event in Africa, the Mining Indaba is “a great platform to market our company and people”, says MICROMINE Africa marketing coordinator Craig Stern-

Commodity-wide success for Kwatani screens The recent orders won by vibrating screen

put from 250 to 500 tonnes per hour and later breaking the mine’s tonnage record. While screening in heavy minerals is Kwatani’s stronghold, the company has moved extensively into coal, supplying the country’s leading coal producer with no fewer than 45 items of large screening equipment, including out-sized 4,3-m wide units. Other recent coal-related

and feeder specialist Kwatani have cemented its reputation as the leading South African original equipment supplier (OEM) with a truly cross-commodity footprint. Kwatani’s custom-engineered products are now in some of the world’s largest mines, and many customers have stan- dardised on their screens to ensure lowest cost of ownership and high performance, according to GM of sales and service, Jan Schoepflin. “While our base and core markets are in Africa, the global demand for Kwatani products has grown rapidly. A leading diamond mining company in Russia is very pleased with Kwatani screens at their newest operation and specified Kwatani for future projects,” Schoepflin says. In another order from a large diamond operation, this time in South Africa, the customer also replaced the last of their competitor screens with a Kwatani unit. Schoepflin says this is because the customer has enjoyed years without unplanned stoppages by using Kwatani screens. “It has shown that our equipment and service are just as effective in unusu- ally harsh climatic conditions.” At a local brownfield diamond expan- sion project, the company’s multi-slope banana screens were matched to the available plant footprint, raising through-

A 4,3 m Kwatani scalper screen ready for despatch to the customer.

by-product chromite, where the compa- ny supplied a complete solution which included feeder, dryer and screen to treat chromite of 45 micron size at 15 tonnes per hour. b • Kwatani recently helped a local brown- field diamond expansion project to raise throughput from 250 to 500 tonnes per hour • Supplied SA’s leading coal producer with no fewer than 45 items of large screening equipment, including out-sized 4,3-m wide units • Recently replaced 24 items of competitor equipment at Africa’s largest iron ore mine • Supplied a complete solution which included feeder, dryer and screen to treat chromite of 45 micron size at 15 tonnes per hour in Zimbabwe

orders included run-of-mine screens for a medium-sized coal mine in Mpumalanga. Again, competitor equipment was replaced by custom-designed screens with optimised deck angles which significantly increased tonnage. The positive results achieved with the Kwatani equipment also led to addition- al orders for the mine’s expansion. For world largest zinc mine, Kwatani was contracted to supply all the screens for the world’s largest zinc mine. At Af- rica’s largest iron ore mine, the company has recently completed two projects, renewing existing equipment with up-to- date solutions and replacing 24 items of competitor equipment. The platinum sector is also keeping Kwatani busy, not just in South Africa but over the border in Zimbabwe too. A recent turnkey solution focused on the platinum

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