Modern Quarrying July-August 2015

AT THE QUARRY FACE WITH BREWELSKLOOF

The Concrete and Readymix division supplies con- crete primarily to large-scale civil engineering and infra- structure projects through fixed and mobile plant, where concrete is batched on demand and transported to site. Coad says the majority of raw materials for the Concrete and Readymix division are supplied from Afrimat’s various quarry operations. Coad hails from a mining background with some 17 years in platinum production, where he was mine captain with extensive underground experience, later moving over to the old Pioneer Readymix, and then RMM (Lafarge) in the aggregate division before joining Afrimat seven years ago. He says Brewelskloof has come a long way since its old Prima days with Francois du Toit, who is still on the Afrimat board. (Interestingly, Prima was established in 1963, as the brainchild of Francois’ father Christiaan du Toit. He was a grader operator who identified a market for aggregates. Francois took over the Worcester-based company on his death, and the driven principles established then continue to influence the company of today). “The economy is up and down but our production drive is ongoing. We are very busy and there are several new tenders in the process at the moment. There is a lot happening in the Western Cape, and this is an advantage for our other quarries as well.” Asked about the DMR, he says the company has a great relationship with the Inspectorate. “Coming from a mining environment, I would say that this is the best I have experi- enced. With Louis Bezuidenhout as our Principal Inspector here in the Western Cape, our relationship is very good. He understands mining. We have an open door policy and appreciate any assistance they offer to us.” Coad also sees the company’s Aspasa membership as a major benefit. “I strongly believe in Aspasa because the issues they raise are relevant. They fight for our cause in terms of the new regulations, and that fact that under- ground and surface mining are identified in terms of legis- lation as one and the same. We are a Five Star quarry on the environmental and safety and health side. Also, the third- party audits by Aspasa, Sarma and external consultants support our environmental conservation and protection efforts and assist with our EMPs.” As a group, Afrimat prioritises health and safety as the key to successful and sustainable operations, with man- agement primarily responsible for implementing the com- pany’s extensive health and safety policy.“Implementation is monitored very closely and all incidents are tracked on a monthly basis,” Coad tells MQ . Drilling and blasting is handled by the company’s Contracting division with blasting at Brewelskloof carried out on a monthly basis. Talking about skills transfer, he says it is a work in progress to encourage youngsters into the industry. “Let’s face it, there is a shortage of artisan skills. The majority of youngsters don’t want to sit behind a welding machine and this is a problem across the board. We have to look after them and give them a decent start-up salary and incentives.”

Second wash plant in the foreground. While taking the photograph, the plant had just been started up, hence the dust in the background.

The weighbridge at Brewelskloof.

Phase one of the planned new development, of which the first stage has already been completed.

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MODERN QUARRYING

July - August 2015