Modern Mining February 2025

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS

Condra wins Namakwa Sands crane order Mineral sands miner, Tronox Mineral Sands, has ordered a 35/12,5-ton Condra crane for mill maintenance at the Namakwa Sands East OFS Project, Brand-se-Baai, 385 kilometres north of Cape Town. The company has

successful tenders.” The drawing office at Condra’s Germiston headquarters designed the three Tronox machines, with manufacture taking place in the factory there. The mill maintenance crane is a double-girder electric overhead travelling machine equipped with a 35 ton main hoist and 12,5 ton auxiliary on a single crab. Span is 23,3 metres, lifting height 30 metres. There is a storm brake to prevent unintended crane movement caused by excessive wind loading. Other features include a full-length walkway, radio control with pendant back-up, and audiovisual safety warnings of crane movement. Delivery of these machines took place late last year after professional engineering certification. Blue Cranes of Cape Town, the company already servicing much of the lifting equipment at Namakwa Sands, is to carry out installation and commissioning. The same company will maintain the crane and hoists, in line with Condra’s policy of working with companies already possessing knowledge of local conditions. n

also ordered two Condra hoists with capacities of 5 and 7,5 tons for the mill discharge and run-of-mine stockpile. East OFS is being developed to allow extraction of orange feldspathic sand (OFS), a mineralised grit, from levels deeper than have been mined at Namakwa Sands before. Extraction will begin this year. Marc Kleiner, Managing Director at Condra, thinks a

reputation for quality, durability and service helped secure the Tronox contract. “Customer surveys have shown these characteristics to be the ‘big three’,” he said. “They are uppermost in the customer’s mind at the time of purchase. “We’ve been working on them for many years now. I think it’s fair to say our ability to tailor lifting equipment to the specifics of a particular application is the key to many of our

Tronox Mineral Sands has ordered a 35/12,5-ton Condra crane for mill maintenance.

Advanced sorting technology used at Pilangoora Operation TOMRA Mining’s advanced technology and unique experience in designing and installing large-scale ore-sorting plants were key to the successful completion of the world’s largest lithium sorting plant. The sorting installation, part of Pilbara Minerals’ P680 Expansion Project, has a capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes per hour, and demonstrates the power of TOMRA’s cutting-edge technology to improve overall ore recovery and reduce energy consumption through early and effective waste reduction. Pilbara Minerals, a major player in the global lithium supply chain, has successfully commissioned the world’s largest lithium ore sorting plant at its Pilangoora Operation in Western Australia. Powered by TOMRA Mining’s cutting-edge sensor-based sorting technology, the facility breaks new ground in hard-rock lithium processing, improving lithium recovery and increasing final product quality, while significantly reducing energy consumption through the elimination of waste early in the process. The new facility

TOMRA Mining’s sorting technology used in lithium ore sorting plant.

“The success of this project is a testament to TOMRA Mining’s

is part of Pilbara Minerals’ P680 Expansion Project. The large-scale project for the design and installation of the new crushing and ore-sorting plant was delivered on schedule, within the deadlines set by Pilbara Minerals. The successful delivery hinged on the effective collaboration and coordination of the teams from TOMRA Mining, Pilbara Minerals, international companies involved in the manufacturing and shipping of components, and multiple contractors on the work site.

collaborative approach and capacity to deliver innovative, large-scale, high capacity sorting solutions tailored to the unique demands of our clients, providing continuous support from the testing and design phases right through to installation, commissioning, and beyond,” says Gavin Rech, Area Sales and Technical Manager Australia at TOMRA Mining. “What’s more, the scale and success of this plant have demonstrated to the mining industry the benefits and capacity of sorting.” n

36  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | February 2025