Modern Mining December 2021

MATERIALS HANDLING

Portable sizer solution for small to medium operations

In line with government’s push to empower junior miners and in a move to provide these miners with the premium equipment used on large mines, MMD Mineral Sizing Africa offers a range of mobile sizing solutions that can be deployed to remote locations by standard road trucks. This makes them ideal for small to medium‑scale operators in the mining, aggregate and recycling sectors. By Mark Botha .

A ccording to MMD Mineral Sizing Africa’s direc- tor Janis Lombard, this drive to support junior miners also extends to the coal mining mar- ket. He says that, as mines become depleted, it becomes unfeasible for large mining houses to exploit them further, although there is still some life left in these mines, which are generally sold to smaller mining concerns. “Large mining companies are divesting from coal mining because of the growing preference for renewable energy sources, and financial institutions are becoming reluctant to grant loans for fossil-fuel projects.” He says large mining companies dispose of their coal assets while Eskom, on the other hand, still requires coal to keep the electricity grid operational. “South Africa’s energy sector relies on

The MMD NaviCore 500.

is the void which junior mining companies fill. “South Africa will be dependent on fossil fuels for a good number of years to come and junior miners don’t necessarily have the means to afford proper sizing solutions.” According to MMD business development man- ager Mark Peeters, “the capex for a mineral sizer is sometimes inhibitive, “so we look to use a different business model where we considered a rand-per- tonne ‘contract crushing’ basis. “The idea was to make the solution as cost- effective as possible while having access to premium equipment. All the bells and

whistles are stripped out, leaving a lean machine with only the nec- essary safety requirements.”

coal even as we distance ourselves from its use,” says Lombard. “This

The MMD NaviCore 150.

16  MODERN MINING  December 2021