Modern Quarrying Q3 2018

Peninsula quarry is one of the largest operations of its nature in South Africa in terms of its size and production capacity.

Three Cat 950 front-end loaders are deployed to load customer trucks at the stockpiles.

Two 40-t Cat 745 articulated haulers with a payload of 38 t haul ROM material from the pit to Primary A.

Pushing boundaries When Modern Quarrying recently viited Peninsula quarry, it was encour- aging to see that the management team, led by works manager, Chris Kruger, is pushing boundaries, main- taining high sales volumes during such a difficult economic spell. According to Bradley Thomas, terri- tory manager, West Region, Western Cape at AfriSam, the quarry is the highest volume producer among AfriSam’s 15 other operations across the country. It is also one of the very few quarries in South Africa that has an annual production capacity in excess of 1-million tonnes per year. The basis of its success is the geology of the rock; the operation is endowed with a top quality rock, which pro- portionally divides itself between the staple blue (blue rock) and brown (G-type) material. As Kruger explains, the operation lies within the rocks of the Malmesbury system, comprising of greywacks/hornfels, clay slates

Chris Kruger, works manager at Peninsula quarry.

Bradley Thomas, territory manager, West Region, Western Cape at AfriSam.

the key red flags. By September 2017, confidence was at its lowest level since the third quarter of 2000. Weak growth in construction activity, pegged at just 3% year-on-year, and a contraction of around 1% in the value of spending, contributed to poor growth.

That the construction industry is in a protracted tough cycle is no overstatement. To give an idea, confidence in South Africa’s construction industry plummeted to 17-year lows in 2017. Policy uncertainty, slow economic growth and an underperforming rand were

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QUARTER 3 - 2018 MODERN QUARRYING