Modern Mining October 2022

SUPPLY CHAIN News

High in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, explosives and blasting specialist BME recently achieved the first blast outside of South Africa with its new AXXIS Silver electronic initiation system. BME is assisting a diamond mining customer to conduct quality blasts in all weather con ditions. According to BME’s AXXIS support manager Hennie du Preez, BME has been active on this mine since 2016. Located at an altitude of over 3 000 metres, the operation frequently experiences snow and sub-zero temperatures. “This means blasting under challenging conditions, including extreme cold, snow and ice,” said Du Preez. The AXXIS Silver initia tion system employed at the mine is a leaner version of BME’s flagship product AXXIS Titanium. The company conducts the priming, logging and firing of the blasts, and ensures a regular supply of emulsions to the site. “Among the benefits of AXXIS Silver is its thin, copper-cladded downline wire, which de-coils easily for use in small diameter holes – even when they are waterlogged,” he said. “Due to their robust quality, our electronic detonators were able to remain in the holes for two days before blasting, in temperatures below zero, where the hole collars froze solid.”  BME’s AXXIS Silver debuts at sub-zero Lesotho mine

BME’s AXXIS Silver debuts at Lesotho mine.

Verder launches the Verderflex Ds500 Verder Liquids, a division of Verder Group, recently launched its Verderflex Ds500 – a metering and dosing pump designed specifically to challenge traditional technological solutions to chemical dosing in municipal and industrial pumping applications. The principle behind this

technology is to improve the accuracy and save the end user money by looking at Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which equals upfront costs and lifetime operation. For the end user it is not just buying the pump but the working life and all it entails, i.e., service, tool free maintenance and chemical usage, the company said. 

Verderflex Ds500 – a new metering and dosing pump.

October 2022  MODERN MINING  39