Capital Equipment News September 2018

Sandvik’s safety drive to take centre stage at EMA

For the first time in several years, IMS Engineering is back at this year’s Electra Mining Africa. The timing cannot be more fitting; the comminution and separation solutions giant will be showcasing several new cutting-edge innovations, all the way from innovative crushing, sorting and screening technologies, to better monitoring and optimisation solutions for existing equipment. That the local mining industry is at an inflection point, in which newer, innovative technologies have the potential to unlock new ways of managing variability and en- hancing productivity, is no point of conten- tion. For this reason, having not exhibited at Electra Mining Africa for many years, South Africa’s leading comminution solutions pro- vider, IMS Engineering is back at this years’ event – scheduled for 10-14 September at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Southern Africa will showcase mining solutions which have been developed in conjunction with mines to boost overall safety and productivity across all types of mines at Electra Mining 2018. The technology on display will be re- al-world technology that has been devel- oped in response to changes in the industry where efficiency is the key to mining and has become paramount to profitability and sustainability of operations. Safety as usual will be centre stage to illustrate how Sand- vik can provide solutions to help customers in their commitment to the mining industries zero harm policies. Barriers to achieving safety and produc- tion outputs that seemed impossible just a few years ago are being overcome and innovation from companies like Sandvik are undoubtedly making mines more productive and safer with intelligent equipment, better systems and the proliferation of autonomous mining solutions that can work more produc- tively and remove workers from the high risk exposure zones in the mines. Information systems such as Sandvik’s proprietary OptiMine ® provide miners with tools to more effectively manage their operation. Sandvik’s AutoMine ® mining solutions are also making it feasible to auto- mate parts of, or entire mining operations. At this year’s trade show, Sandvik plans to display how its mechanisation and automation solutions also hold the key to faster and more efficient techniques within our ever-deeper, narrower reefs and hold

Technical staff will be on standby for the duration of the show to provide information on information systems such as Sandvik’s AutoMine ® automated mining system.

Nasrec Expo Centre – to showcase what it believes are the well-timed solutions that offer the mining sector improved ways of executing projects, innovatively, cost-effec- tively and safely. Penny Höll, PR & marketing manager for IMS, believes that the local mining industry is fully aware of their need to innovate, and Electra Mining Africa, affords them an ideal occasion to shop around for their equipment and technological requirements, all in one place. She is of the view that the local mar- ket is dramatically more receptive to new technology and innovation to ensure they keep pace with global industry trends. “To respond to these industry needs, one of the exciting developments we will be showcasing at Electra Mining is our IMOST system,” says Höll. IMOST is an acronym for Integrated Management & Engineering the promise of returning South Africa to the top of the production pile for many of the world’s most sought-after commodities. Visitors will also see how the global solutions provider has spent the past 70 years in South Africa partnering with mines to find real-world solutions to different mining challenges, with equipment ranging from surface drill rigs and processing equipment, to continuous miners, underground equipment, fully- autonomous mining solutions and advanced

systems; Optimisation of the equipment and process performance; Support to site through an expert group using leading edge Technologies and tools. IMOST remotely monitors and manages customers’ IMS equipment in real time via telecommunica- tions, helping them improve their plants’ intelligence, reliability and performance. While traditional methods of monitoring and control using PLCs and SCADA systems are well established in the mining industry, Höll reasons that these were designed for a world of central management and control, tailored for the production envi- ronment, and not necessarily suited to the new world of business imperatives, such as increased plant availability, reduced en- vironmental impact, lower operating costs, reduced labour resources and increased ‘green’ credentials. b mine optimisation tools utilising real time information and analytics. Furthermore, visitors can expect to learn more about how automation and informa- tion management can be used to improve operations. Automation solutions range from single machine tele-remote operation to full fleet automation. This includes driverless trucks and loaders, roof bolters and drilling equipment that can automatically respond and adapt to conditions and improve the lifespans of consumables and equipment. b

IMS Engineering returns to EMA 2018

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