Modern Mining September 2020

Concor has developed effective and accredited in-house maintenance systems tailored to maximise equipment life. – which can happen unexpectedly on account of commodity price move- ments – it can be left with depreciated equipment of limited value. The contractor, on the other hand, will be able to move equipment fleets from one contract to the next. This reduces the mine’s risk at the end of its life.” Contact mining: value-adds Herne says Concor Opencast Mining provides mining clients across south- ern Africa with professional engineering and mining services in the fields of opencast contract mining, drill and blast, and bulk material handling services, as a single-source contract mining services provider. “Our services include the provision of professional personnel, plant and equipment, as well as a range of associated design capabilities. We offer clients across the mining sector a comprehensive turnkey solution with our in-house abilities.” “Notably, we own and maintain a large fleet of mobile mining equip- ment that can be deployed to meet our clients’ requirements.” This fleet which, in the past, consisted mainly of 80 t excavators and 40 t ADTs has evolved to a diverse fleet with rigid dump trucks ranging from 55 to 100 t payloads, loaded by excavators varying in operating weights of up to 140 t. Access to capital affords the company the agility to expand its fleets and so to meet clients’ requirements. “To ensure maximum availability, utilisation and productivity, we have developed in-house maintenance systems tailored to maximise equip- ment’s economic life in a workable, reliable and predictable manner. These systems include safety, preventive maintenance, lifecycle costing, and a number of other measures.” Petter-Bowyer says safety, reliability and versatility are all vital to a suc- cessful mining contract. “SPH Kundalila has a full safety department, so the mine does not have to worry about our safety performance. This is critical, as any oversight could lead to costly Section 54 shutdowns by the regulator.” The company also prioritises high availability on its own machines, to avoid downtime. This enables it to achieve maximum production and to remain competitive. “We have an experienced and diversified team to deliver results while being versatile enough to respond to inevitable changes on site. Our skills cover all areas of surface mining, from engineering, cost accounting and surveying to safety, production and efficiency. A highly skilled and well-resourced mechanical department keeps our equipment working optimally at all times.” 

September 2020  MODERN MINING  27