Modern Quarrying Q4 2018

QUARTER 4 – 2018

REACHING NEW LEVELS OF EFFICIENCY

CONTENTS A fleet of 11 Scania G460CA6X4MSZ truck tractors has introduced a ‘new level of e ciency’ to Sand Shifters’ aggregate retail and haulage business.

QUARTER 4 – 2018

ON THE COVER

DRILLING

AT THE QUARRY FACE

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WET PROCESSING ADDS ENORMOUS VALUE PAGE 24

PDS COMPLIANCE – WHERE ARE WE NOW? PAGE 28

AROUND THE INDUSTRY 04 Civils in survival mode for 2018 04 Contractor sentiment falls to an historic low 06 2,3% upswing not a true reflection of the state of construction 06 Hillhead 2020 dates announced SUPPLY CHAIN 36 Caterpillar launches its smallest rotary blasthole drill 38 World’s first ‘emission-free’ quarry 40 DISD SD310 wheel loader series from Doosan 42 Weir Minerals’ mill liner lasts longer

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PROTECTING QUARRIES FROMROCKFALLS Any quarry’s safety and operations may be threatened by rockfall hazards, which can sometimes cause serious disruptions to mine productivity. This may result in significant financial losses. With more than 120 years’ worldwide experience, Maccaferri offers a wide range of rockfall protection systems to help open-pit operations stabilise rock faces.

OFFERING NEW CONCRETE POSSIBILITIES With its newly-launched

DBP 60-M dry batch plant – locally developed to meet the needs of the African market – Liebherr Africa is offering new possibilities to customers looking to produce concrete for short to medium-term projects.

CIRCULATION Karen Smith PUBLISHER Karen Grant

EDITOR Munesu Shoko quarrying@crown.co.za ADVERTISING Bennie Venter benniev@crown.co.za DESIGN Ano Shumba

DEPUTY PUBLISHER Wilhelm du Plessis

PRINTED BY: Tandym Print

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY: Crown Publications P O Box 140 Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: +27 11 622 4770 Fax: +27 11 615 6108 www.crown.co.za

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TOTAL CIRCULATION 2 465

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

SURVIVING A CHALLENGING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

W e have come to the end of yet another tough year for the industry. Despite huge prospects of improved activity at the start of the year, the general sentiment is that construction remains sluggish. Considering that the quarrying sector feeds off construction activity, 2018 has once again turned out to be a tough year for the industry. The root of it all is an economy that has taken a few hard knocks in recent months. The technical recession is proof enough that things have been tough. In such a tough economic climate, the business environment has become more competitive, and quarry owners may have to change the way they do business to stay afloat. As you will see in this edition of Modern Quarrying , we go on site at Alpha Sand Group’s Roodepoort Quarry, a three-year old operation that has already proved itself against some well-established competitors in the Polokwane area. Having previously purchased aggregates from different quarries for retail, in 2015 Alpha Sand identified an opportunity to expand its business by establishing its own quarry. This has also allowed it to have better control of all the production processes, all the way from drilling

Peninsula quarry, including relentless pursuit for operational excellence, a range of in-house and group-wide innovations and the identification of niche, high value products, are key success drivers. In an environment where traditional big sellers don’t fly anymore, management at the 1-million tonnes per annum quarry continues to investigate several niche products that are also largely made possible by the quality of its blue rock material. For example, Peninsula is the only quarry in the Western Cape province that can produce -37,5 mm drainage material through a first crush. Any other operation would need to run material through a number of various processing stages. The -37,5 mm is a new product specification recently approved by SANRAL engineers and is to be written into the revised edition of the COLTO, called COTO – standard specifications for construction of roads and bridges in South Africa. Investigating new, niche products is one of the practical ways operations can improve their margins. In recent years, there has been a big drive towards the use of Ultra-Thin Fraction Couse (UTFC) on South African roads. UTFC calls for high-value aggregate material. In the past five years, UTFC has been successfully paved on some of the heaviest trafficked national highways in the country, as well as on other national routes, provincial highways and rural roads, as well as some major and minor urban arterials. UTFC is ultimately a very thin asphalt layer paved at between 15 and 20 mm thick while spraying a thick tack-coat to the road surface all in one pass. It has several functional properties and advantages over other conventional asphalt paving procedures and products. I believe it is during low growth environment that smart quarry owners can create opportunities for themselves. This can be a good time to innovate and identify new revenue streams by diversifying the product offering, particularly if the type of the rock permits and this can be done without a large capital outlay.

and blasting, to crushing and screening. An uncompromising focus on product quality has been a key driver of Roodepoort’s early success. A massive jump in sales from just 2 000 to 20 000 t per month in just three years is testimony to its early market share gains. Key quality enablers are washing and product shaping. Wet processing is helping improve the quality of end products, thus adding enormous value to the operation. The quality of its aggregates is also based on the shape of its end product. Producing high-quality wash sand has enabled the operation to obtain a premium in the market. Meanwhile, there is also a growing demand for cubical-shaped material in asphalt and concrete production. Complemented by the geology of its rock, this is an area where Roodepoort is thriving. Elsewhere, one of my key takeaways from another recent site visit at AfriSam’s Peninsula quarry is that when times are this tough, quarry owners should reassess their business models. They should also rein in operating expenses and overheads, while working hard on improving operating efficiencies. In the face of such tough market conditions, several initiatives at

COMMENT

Munesu Shoko – Editor quarrying@crown.co.za

@MunesuShoko

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MODERN QUARRYING QUARTER 4 - 2018

INDUSTRY NEWS

Civils in survival mode for 2018 The construction sector – and particu- larly civil engineering – will remain in the doldrums for 2018 with hopes for some improvement to begin next year, according to Industry Insight senior economist, David Metelerkamp. Speaking to construction indus- try stakeholders at a recent AfriSam breakfast briefing on the State of the South African Construction Industry, Metelerkamp said the civils sector was bearing the brunt of the construction downturn, and companies reported the worst levels of confidence since the early 1990s. “Over the past 18 months, there has been a significant decline in the value of tenders awarded,” he said, pointing to a 26% decrease in the value of proj- ects over the past year. He highlighted that order books across the civils sector remain flat, and even dropped in recent months, possibly as a result of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s planned clean-up of the state-owned enterprises which had in some instances delayed expenditure. But he saw more efficient SOEs as a positive factor in the medium to long term for civils.

“Conditions will remain tough this year, which will possibly be the worst year for the civils sector,” he said, “but we are expecting some improvement next year and the following year.” The civils sector had experienced poor annual growth levels for many years up to 2016, after which its per- formance had worsened further with five consecutive quarters of negative growth. Some good news came recently with Energy Minister Jeff Radebe’s interventions to progress 27 indepen- dent power producer agreements; Metelerkamp noted that civils contrac- tors would have to rely more on the private sector contracts like these. There might also be good news in store as the next national election looms, with an election run-up often coinciding with the issuing of more government tenders. Rob Wessels, CEO of AfriSam, empha- sised the positive role that construction played in creating employment. Urging greater partnership between the stake- holders at the briefing – which included construction firms, retailers, trade unions, management, material suppliers like AfriSam and industry associations General building confidence has been trending downwards since the beginning of 2017. During the third quarter, business confidence shed another 3 index points to register a level of 30. “Business confidence amongst general builders fell to its lowest level in almost seven years. Unfortunately, the outlook for this sector does not look promising, as the demand for new building work remains a constraint,” comments Ntando Skosana, project manager for Monitoring and Evaluation at the cidb. “The third quarter survey results suggest that pressure on smaller building contractors in particular is escalating”. Since last year this time, business confidence for Grades

Flats and townhouses will drive future growth in the residential segment.

– Wessels said that while construction contributed around 3% of gross domes- tic product, it employed roughly 9% of South Africa’s labour force. The sector employs about 1,4 million of South Africa’s total workforce of approximately 16,3 million people.. l

CONTRACTOR SENTIMENT FALLS TO AN HISTORIC LOW

3 and 4 builders has dropped by a cumulative 19 index points to a his- toric low of 28,” adds Skosana. On a provincial level, the deterio- ration in sentiment for both general builders and civil contractors in the Western Cape was of particular interest. “After outperforming other provinces for some time before this quarter, building and civil contrac- tors in the Western Cape recently came under pressure – in line with the other provinces,” says Skosana. “The fact that the lower confidence was so pervasive across grades and provinces highlights the broad- based nature of weakness in the building and construction sectors,” concludes Skosana. l

The cidb SME business conditions survey showed that civil contractor confidence fell by 6 index points to a historic low of 27 during the third quarter. Weakness in all the under- lying indicators, especially construc- tion activity, supported the drop in confidence. Discouragingly, demand for new construction work remains a constraint and implies that activity growth is likely to remain under confidence fell to historic lows of 25 and 15 for Grades 5 and 6 as well as Grades 7 and 8 respectively. Respondents in these grades expe- rienced a sharp slowdown in activity which weighed on profitability. pressure in the near future. From a grades perspective,

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Improved activity in Afrimat’s Construction Index for Q2 2018

real terms during 2018.” Botha commented that the role of greater cooperation between the state and the private sector in the areas of mining and construction cannot be overstated, particularly given the need to reduce unemployment. “According to a recent survey among members of the Minerals Council of South Africa, greater policy certainty and pragmatic incentives could lead to an increase of more than 80% over the next four years in capital expenditure by the mining sector, which is currently projected at R145-billion. This could add another R122-billion of capex. According to Botha, it is a miscon- ception to suggest that the construction sector is on its knees, despite sluggish growth during the first half of 2018. Total output for the sector’s contractors amounted to R89-billion during the first six months of 2018, representing an increase of 7,2% over the first half of last year (in nominal terms). Andries van Heerden, Afrimat’s CEO, is also optimistic, saying that opportu- nities are still available, both within the construction sector and outside of it. “Despite the prevailing economic head- winds, there are still nuggets of growth within our operating environment. Even though these are relatively small, they may well be working through the system, to be reflected in future results.” l

Preliminary data for July confirms a further upward trend for the volume of building materials produced, while the sales value hovered close to the R1-billion mark.

the country’s real GDP of 13,8% over this same period.” The star performers during the second quarter were the value of buildings completed in the country’s larger munici- palities, labour remuneration in con- struction, and both the value and volume of building materials produced. Looking ahead to prospects for the third quarter, Botha notes that prelim- inary data for July confirms a further upward trend for the volume of build- ing materials produced, while the sales value hovered close to the R1-billion mark. “Construction activity neverthe- less remains constrained due to high interest rates and policy uncertainty, especially regarding the possibility of land reform. The latter has resulted in a drop in the value of agricultural land, whilst residential property val- ues on average also declined further in

Afrimat, a JSE-listed open-pit mining company providing industrial minerals and construction materials, has released the findings of the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) for the second quarter of 2018. The ACI is a composite index of the level of activity within the building and construction sectors, compiled by respected economist Dr Roelof Botha on behalf of Afrimat. According to Botha, the index level recorded in the second quarter of the year improved by almost 7% over the first quarter figure, signifying a wel- come recovery in the level of activity in the South African construction sector. Seven of the eight indicators recorded gains from the first quarter of 2018. “It’s also encouraging that the overall Index has improved by 15,1% since the first quarter of 2011, the base year, which is marginally higher than the increase in

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INDUSTRY NEWS

2,3% upswing not a true reflection of the state of construction

Hillhead 2020 dates announced The 2,3% growth in the construction sector reflected in the Stats SA GDP Q2 2018 figures is not an accurate reflection of the state of South Africa’s construction sector, says Musa Shangase, President of the Master Builders’ Association North. MBA North, which represents members in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, was react- ing to a GDP snapshot that indicated slight growth in the construction sector in Q218, following up to 10 years of slow growth and stagnation in the sec- tor across the country, with confidence in the sector dropping to a 17-year low last year. “Although the construction sector showed a 2,3% increase in the statis- tics released by Stats SA, these are based on infrastructure projects that do not have any influence on the building industry,” says Shangase. “Earlier this year, we noted that the entire sector faced a ‘state of emergency’, with even major construction firms living ‘hand to mouth’, and the situation has not improved. Confidence in the building industry is at its lowest level since the third quarter in 2000. The initial euphoria in January has rapidly given way to massive negativity. A number of large construction companies are in business rescue or have declared Organisers of the Hillhead Quarry Exhibition, The QMJ Group, have announced the dates for the 2020 event. The biennial showcase for the quarrying and construction industry will take place from 23-25 June 2020 at Hillhead Quarry, near Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The event follows a record-breaking show in 2018 which featured 546 exhib- itors and an ABC-audited attendance of 19 753. Demand for stand space is expected to be very high at the next edi- tion of the show. l

Confidence in the building industry is at its lowest level since the third quarter in 2000.

slowed the number of projects that are being awarded.” “Master Builders SA has issued a number of statements around the state of the industry and is actively inter- acting with treasury in an effort to get members paid. The lack of payment by government is negatively impacting a large number of smaller players in the industry and also sub-contractors who traditionally rely on the larger com- panies for work. A lack of new work is further impacting on the support profes- sions such as architects, civil engineers and quantity surveyors. This is height- ening competition within the building industry and suppliers to the industry,” says Shangase. l

insolvency. As the construction sector is an important indicator of overall economic performance, this should be cause for concern across the country.” Shangase notes several key challenges impacting the sector’s performance, including lack of payment, illegal protest action, skills shortages and the struggling economy as a whole. “Since 2013 the industry has been in the headlines for all wrong reasons. Most notable has been the finalisation of the Competition Commission enquiries,” he says. “Private investment in building has declined 16,7% for the first six months of 2018 versus the first six months of 2017. Government is not paying suppliers on time and has also

The 2018 event featured 546 exhibitors.

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ON THE COVER

Sand Shifters took delivery of its 11 Scania G460CA6X4MSZ truck tractors at the beginning of this year.

A fleet of 11 Scania G460CA6X4MSZ truck tractors has introduced a ‘new level of efficiency’ to Sand Shifters’ aggregate retail and haulage business, writes Munesu Shoko. REACHING NEW LEVELS OF EFFICIENCY

A s part of its fleet its 11 x G460CA6X4MSZ truck tractors from Scania at the start of this year. The order was complemented by two P410CB8x4MHZ brick carriers used in the company’s brick division. To date, Garth Greenwood, MD of Sand expansion programme, leading Gauteng-based aggregates retailer, Sand Shifters took delivery of

Shifters, reports that the Scania range has introduced a new level of efficiency to the aggregate haulage business. Started by the Coleman family back in 1995, Sand Shifters is a well- known aggregates retailer across the Gauteng area. “We started out with one owner-driven truck and today we run a fleet of well over 50 units. Our core business is retail of aggregates

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Sand Shifters covers upwards of 4-million km a year in its operations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A fleet of 11 Scania G460CA6X4MSZ truck tractors has offered new levels of fuel efficiency to Sand Shifters’ aggregate retail and haulage business.

During testing, Sand Shifters found that the Scania truck was 8-9% more fuel efficient than the nearest competitor.

Sand Shifters covers upwards of 4-million km a year in its aggregate haulage operations.

The company moves between 180 000 and 200 000 tonnes of material per month.

T

parameters. Reliability means that customer orders are always deliv- ered on time, while uptime ensures that the fleet is always on the move, delivering scheduled orders as planned. Efficiency means that the fleet is running cost-effectively. To date, Greenwood is mostly satisfied by the “new level of fuel efficiency” the Scania fleet has injected into the business. Why Scania? Being leaders in the aggregate supply and haulage industry, Greenwood says it’s Sand Shifters’ belief that it should always partner with the best suppliers. Additionally, the company believes that, to remain competitive in challenging operating conditions, it should employ the best technol- ogies in its business. “Our trucks

and trailers are our biggest capex spend, so it’s critical for us to get our purchasing strategies right. Scania ticked all the right boxes for us,” says Greenwood. “We looked at the trends in the industry. We looked at companies that run large, established transport businesses and there are certain brands that they trust in their stables. Once we looked at the trends, we decided to put up the Scania trucks up against its closest competitors and we conducted some rigorous trials,” adds Greenwood. During the stringent three-week testing, Sand Shifters discovered that the fuel consumption of the Scania truck was considerably better than that of the nearest competitor. “We found that the Scania truck was 8-9% fuel efficient than the nearest

and building materials. Over the years, we have established ourselves as leaders in the aggregate retail and haulage business,” explains Greenwood. Over the past 23 years, Sand Shifters has built up strong relationships with all the big players in the quarrying sector. Because of the volumes that the company moves, it gets the benefit of good product pricing. “The real beauty of our business is that we are not area based. Our main operations happen across the whole of Gauteng. We collect material from over 40 different quarries, which allows us to be competitive across the whole province,” explains Greenwood. For a business of this nature, reliability, uptime and efficiency of the fleet are crucial operational

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Previously, the downside of many fleet management devices was that fleet managers regarded this technology, and the big data that can be derived from it, as more than just a device that spits out a whole lot of information. “As the telematics game has moved on in the industry, fleet operators have so much data at their fingertips and we should be very careful of paralysis by analysis; having so much infor- mation which we don’t do anything about. I believe it’s important for fleet managers to get the right data out of the fleet management system that is relevant to their business,” says Greenwood. He tells Modern Quarrying that this is one of the areas he has been impressed by Scania. “Scania has a very simple document that gets sent to us on a weekly basis, highlighting major issues like fuel consumption and driver behaviour, among others, and it’s simple to read that it doesn’t require any tedious analysis. The information that we require as a fleet operator is there and we are able to make decisions quickly on the data provided,” says Greenwood. Features of consideration Going into quarries, the terrain can be challenging and there are some steep gradients and confined circumstances on sites. With the previous brand of vehicles, Sand Shifters would get many small, minor damages on the front bumpers of the vehicles. To get the better of this set- back, Scania offered Sand Shifters its high-bumper version of the G460 truck tractor. “This has reduced the amount of accident repair work that we had to do on our vehicles because the front bumper is consid- erably higher than our previous truck range,” says Greenwood. The second thing that appealed to Greenwood and his management team from a features’ perspective is that as much as the vehicle is at the top of its game in terms of new technologies, it fuses that with sim- plicity, with features such as manual window winders. “We often work in dusty conditions and the less stuff that you have that’s electronic, the better it is for us. These are seem- ingly minor issues to consider when making such a big ticket purchase, but they contribute towards running

ON THE COVER

Equipped with 40 m³ side tipper interlink trailers, the Scania tippers are achieving 34-36 t of payload.

your cost per kilometre (CPK) down to the third decimal point. So, the old adage that every cent counts is no longer applicable. It’s not the just the cent that counts, it’s even past that,” explains Greenwood. Coenie Kaufmann, sales repre- sentative at Scania South Africa, concurs, saying that the 0,1 differ- ence or a 100 m per kilometre that you run cheaper than the competitor sounds trivial. “However, if you look at a big fleet, if you are conservative with a 0,1% fuel saving, multiplied by the number of vehicles over a 12-month period, for example, the savings run into millions of rands,” says Kaufmann. FMS in focus Fuel expense in owning and operat- ing haulage trucks is a constant and accounts for a large chunk of total operating costs. With the unpredict- able nature of fuel prices and fuel’s absolute necessity for fleet-driven operations, most owners have sim- ply looked at how much fuel they are burning and paid the bill. Recently, technology has changed, and now with the addition of production data, they can look at their fuel effi- ciency (how they are using fuel) and know its impact to the bottom line. As capital equipment-driven busi- nesses fight to reduce operational costs and maximise efficiencies, fleet management solutions can provide significant cost savings and opera- tional efficiencies. Sand Shifters uses Scania’s Fleet Management System (FMS) and one thing Greenwood likes about the system is that it produces a particularly easy to read report.

competitor. Scania came out the best and that’s why we decided to purchase the 11 truck tractors,” says Greenwood. “If there is a byword to summarise the experience, it is efficiency, and certainly for us it’s a new level of efficiency that has been introduced to our fleet. The major reason we went for Scania, and why we will con- tinue to buy more Scania trucks, is because of the level of efficiency they have added to our business,” asserts Greenwood. Fuel efficiency matters Speaking about fuel consumption, Greenwood elaborates that the aggregate haulage industry is very competitive and to run a sustainable business, there is need to ensure that you deploy the most efficient truck for the application at hand. Bear in mind that Sand Shifters covers upwards of 4-million km a year in its operations, moving between 180 000 and 200 000 tonnes of material per month. Equipped with 40 m³ side tipper interlink trailers, Scania tippers are achieving 34-36 t of payload. Haul distances vary from as little as 5 km, all the way to 350 km one way, depending on contracts. Therefore, fuel consumption in Sand Shifters’ fleet is of critical importance. An 8-9% fuel effi- ciency translates into millions of rands per year. “We have found that Scania trucks have returned favourable results, especially considering the ongoing fuel price increases. In today’s oper- ating conditions, you need to know

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with the industry. The G460 is a robust unit which comes with no extra bells and whistles, making it ideal for the application. It comes with basic features such as window winders and steel rims,” explains Kaufmann. In conclusion, Greenwood mentions that Scania offered Sand Shifters a very good package, from a product backup perspective, maintenance contracts, guaran- teed buyback and an experienced support team standpoint. “It’s important for me to highlight that Scania has the right recipe when it comes to putting the right package together, and they also have the right people running the business. They have a great management team and I feel confident as a customer to buy their brand,” says Greenwood. “However, the real benefit for us is that we have been able to save fuel on these Scania vehicles and it is our belief that there isn’t any other man- ufacturer in the market that can come anywhere near Scania’s efficiency,” concludes Greenwood. l

Coenie Kaufmann, sales representative at Scania South Africa (left), and Garth Greenwood, MD of Sand Shifters, have forged a close client-supplier relationship.

clearance bumper, which is also a steel bumper instead of the normal hard plastic bumpers synonymous

a sustainable aggregate haulage business,” says Greenwood. “Sand Shifters opted for the high

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Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has introduced its new Sandvik Leopard DI650i, an intelligent down-the-hole surface drill designed for high-capacity production drilling in surface mining and large-scale quarrying applications, writes Munesu Shoko. NEW LEOPARD DI650i FOR HIGH-CAPACITY DRILLING

DRILLING

T his year’s Electra Mining Africa provided an ideal platform for the global unveiling of Sandvik’s newest down-the-hole (DTH) drill rig, the Leopard DI650i. It is a diesel-powered, self-contained crawler mounted intelligent DTH drill rig designed for high-capacity production drilling applications in surface mining, as well as large-scale quarry applications. The drill is equipped with an operator’s cabin, fixed boom, dry dust collector, drill pipe changer and incorporates a state-of-art design and layout. Combining proven engineering solutions and innovative new components, the new DTH drill rig is said to offer better fuel efficiency, improved safety and higher productivity in challenging

KEY ADVANTAGES

Scalable automation from on-board options to full automation systems.

The advanced serviceability and reliability features can increase the Leopard DI650i’s availability by up to 20% compared with conventional DTH rigs at a similar technology level.

Intelligent control technology applied in both the compressor and the hydraulic system’s cooler fan can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15% compared with conventional DTH rigs.

Ground level access to all daily maintenance and service points.

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MODERN QUARRYING QUARTER 4 - 2018

“For the Leopard DI650i, we also offer a new heavy-duty option, the MRH6, which is designed to perform in tough environments and for drilling larger hole sizes. It is a perfect fit for Sandvik’s new RH560-series DTH hammers,” explains Cooke. Simon Andrews, vice president, Sales Area Southern Africa, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, says the new drill is a result of Sandvik’s market research, and closes the gap in the OEM’s current offering. According to Ilkka Lahdelma, director, Product Management, Surface Drilling & Exploration and Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, pipe sizes for the new Leopard DI650i range from 89 to 140 mm, depending on the size of the hammer. The maximum hole depth is 53,6 m when using the carousel option with pipe sizes from 89 to 114 mm. “The capacity range of the 403 kW Tier 3 CAT C15 diesel engine and the reliable compressor is adequate for high-pressure drilling with 4-6,5 inch DTH hammer sizes,” says Lahdelma. Key features With good visibility to the drilling area and a single integrated touch screen for all monitoring, diagnos- tics and mining automation displays, the Leopard DI650i’s ergonomic iCAB cabin provides the rig operator with a safer, productive working environment. With both safety and uptime in mind, the maintenance crew can carry out all daily servicing tasks at ground level on both sides of the machine. “The advanced serviceability and reliability features can increase the Leopard DI650i’s availability by up to 20% compared with conventional DTH rigs at a similar technology level,” explains Lahdelma. Intelligent control technology applied in both the compressor and the hydraulic system’s cooler fan can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15% compared with conventional DTH rigs. The Leopard DI650i’s fuel efficiency is further boosted by the flow-controlled drilling control system which eliminates fluctuations in airflow, allowing the pressure level to fluctuate in response to more difficult ground conditions and increased back pressure (for example, due to groundwater or collapsing holes).

The newly-launched Sandvik Leopard DI650i DTH comes with a range of new or re- designed components to boost productivity.

Technical data Recommended hole diameter

115-203 mm

Drill rod / tube diameter

89, 102, 114, 127 and 140 mm 4, 5 and 6 in. (Sandvik RH460 & RH560) HTRH6, MRH6 (heavy duty option)

DTH-hammer

Rotary head Engine type

Caterpillar C15

Engine output power Production capacity

403 kW /1800 rpm (Tier 3)

2,1 Mt/a, one shift

Transport length Transport width Transport height

12,4 m

3 m

3,5 m

Approximate weight

25 100 kg

new or re-designed components to boost productivity. The standard rotary head option, the HTRH6, has a proven track record on current Sandvik DTH rigs.

rock conditions. Joanne Cooke, President of Surface Drilling and Exploration at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, says the new drill comes with a range of

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The Leopard DI650i joins Sandvik’s other i-series drill rigs compatible with the latest scalable automation solutions. “This results in maximum flushing pressure and penetration rates in challenging rock conditions, while still retaining the low fuel consumption of the traditional pressure control approach in easy ground conditions,” says Cooke. Lars Engström, President, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, says the machine is a game changer for Sandvik. “We see the trend towards digitalisation and autonomy in the mining sector as part of the industry’s response to low productivity and tough market conditions,” he says. He reveals that Sandvik already has significant number of machines operating in autonomous setups globally. The Leopard DI650i joins Sandvik’s other i-series drill rigs compatible with the latest scalable automation solutions. The latest onboard options include the TIM3D drill navigation with wireless data transfer; My Sandvik fleet monitoring system; and full-cycle drilling automatics, which merge functionalities such as uncoupling, feed auto aligning and feed auto positioning into a single efficient sequence. The capabilities can be further upgraded with more advanced modules such as single-rig or fleet remote control systems by Automine ® Surface Drilling. Ideal for contractors Andrews reasons that the new Leopard DI650i is ideally suited for the contract mining market because it speaks directly to lower fuel consumption,

The machine made its global debut at Electra Mining Africa 2018.

increased productivity and safety, three key parameters of sheer significance to mining contractors, especially in light of the current tough operating conditions. Consequently, mining contractor Aveng Moolmans has become the first company to deploy the first Leopard DI650i to work at its Northern Cape mining project. According to Stuart White, MD of Aveng Mining, the mining contractor is already a proud owner of over 50 Sandvik surface drill rigs. “The skills set we need for drills is intense, and we believe it makes sense for us to standardise our drills with the Sandvik range,” he says. White is mostly excited about the drill’s increased availability of up to 20% compared with conventional DTH rigs at a similar technology level. This is complemented by up to 15% reduced fuel consumption compared with conventional DTH rigs. “About 25% of the costs of contract mining are related to fuel. A 15% saving on fuel is significant and we are excited to be deploying this unit to work at our operation,” says White. White also mentions the versatility of the drill as another major talking point. “We will be able to drill hole diameters from 115 mm to 203 mm at the top end, and that’s quite a range,” he says, adding that normally rigs of this size range from 140 to 200 mm. In conclusion, White notes that

Joanne Cooke, President of Surface Drilling and Exploration at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, at the global launch at Electra Mining Africa 2018. mining starts with a hole in the ground, and if you don’t get it right, you end up with poor blasts and poor floor conditions. “Drilling is the first unit operation in the mining process and has a crucial impact on the performance and cost of subsequent unit operations. An increase in the degree of fragmentation gives loading equipment a higher rate of productivity. This translates into lower costs per tonne moved. The effect of wear and tear also decreases, offering lower operating cost per hour. All this starts with the right hole, and the new Leopard DI650i will give us exactly that,” concludes White. l

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AUTHOR: MUNESU SHOKO

With its newly-launched DBP 60-M dry batch plant – locally developed to meet the needs of the African market – Liebherr Africa is offering new possibilities to customers looking to produce concrete for short to medium-term projects. OFFERING NEW CONCRETE POSSIBILITIES

CONCRETE BATCHING

H aving listened to its customers, Liebherr Africa has locally developed its DBP 60-M, a fully automated mobile dry batching plant that is said to set new mobility standards. It is a trailer- mounted plant which is road legal. The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) allow for such equipment to be registered as platform equipment, which avoids registration costs associated with a goods-carrying trailer. Martin Greyling, service manager – LMT at Liebherr Africa, explains that the new plant is a result of customer feedback and is designed to meet the operational needs of the local market. However, the plant will soon be exported to other markets. Sean van der Merwe, area sales manager – Concrete Technology at Liebherr Africa, explains that the DBP 60-M was developed with a specific focus on addressing local customers’ operational concerns.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The DBP 60-M is ideally suited to customers who wish to produce concrete for short to medium-term projects, such as housing developments and road construction.

It is automated so that there is consistency in batching, according to mix designs which are pre-programmed by the customers’ concrete technologist or engineer.

Plant in detail The DBP 60-M is a fully-automated mobile dry batching plant. It features a four-compartment aggregate storage system of up to 50 m³, with a weighing conveyor belt, cement and admixture scales, as well as a water dosing mechanism to accurately batch the material for concrete. “It is automated so that there is consistency in batching, according to mix designs which are pre-pro- grammed by the customers’ con- crete technologist or engineer. Being controlled by a computer, records are kept for quality assur- ance purposes. Delivery notes

He mentions that the key require- ments the market demands are low maintenance costs, cost-effective transportation, assured concrete quality to the end customer and reduced installation time (cost). “The plant is ideally suited to customers who wish to produce concrete for short to medium-term projects, such as housing devel- opments and road construction, to mention a few. Rural grassroots projects can also benefit from the DBP 60-M as it offers a quick solu- tion for consistent production of concrete in remote environments,” says Van der Merwe.

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Liebherr Africa has locally developed its DBP 60-M, a fully automated mobile dry batching plant that sets new mobility standards.

It features a four-compartment aggregate storage system of up to 50 m³, with a weighing conveyor belt, cement and admixture scales, as well as a water dosing mechanism to accurately batch the material.

The key design features considered a number of operational parameters, but mainly low maintenance costs, cost-effective transportation, quality of concrete and reduced installation time and cost.

weighing principles as a wet plant, but without the wear and tear of an integrated mixer as the plant discharges directly into mixer trucks. This is comple- mented by Liebherr’s fleet of truck mixers already configured for dry batching. “The DBP 60-M offers the capabilities of a wet batch plant. However, we removed all the unnecessary features found on wet batch plants. 90% of local customers use only about 40% of the wet batch plant’s capabil- ities. This translates into a lower upfront costs, as well as reduced

automatically and send the ingredi- ents into a central integrated mixer where they are mixed to make concrete, which is then discharged into a truck mixer. However, the downside to this approach is that the mixer endures wear and requires ongoing maintenance. “Typical mobile dry plants have a rudimentary system which requires manual weighing of ingredients. This can be less accurate compared with wet batch systems, but the maintenance costs are lower on the plant by not having a mixer in the equation,” explains Van der Merwe. The DBP 60-M offers the same

and invoices can be generated by the system, if required. By being a mobile platform equipment, the plant is self-contained, enabling cost-effective transportation,” explains Van der Merwe. Theoretically, Greyling explains that Liebherr Africa expects the plant to produce 60 m³/hour of concrete. However, in reality, the company expects 53-55 m³/hour, depending on good logistics and setup. Explaining the difference between dry and wet batch technology, Van der Merwe says wet plants weigh material

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to keep everything off the shelf. This translates into maximum uptime for our customers,” says Greyling, adding that even the software is developed locally and is exclusive to Liebherr Africa. “It’s a truly African plant designed for local African conditions.” When it comes to cost-effective transportation of the plant, Van der Merwe explains that by being fitted onto a single trailer, transport costs are reduced significantly. Greyling explains that Liebherr opted for hori- zontal silos, which allows the silos to be horizontally loaded onto the trailer. The design allows the plant to meet all the required specs: 4,2 m high, 2,4 m wide and under 17 t in weight – all achieved on a single trailer. In terms of assured concrete quality to the end user, Van der Merwe explains that the DBP 60-M’s batching software allows the customer to prove batch constituents. “Meanwhile, com- puter-controlled batching allows for consistency in quality,” he says, adding that the automatic batching control maximises quality assurance to gain a competitive edge on more demanding projects, while reducing the need for excessive cement usage. “From a skills level perspective, we modelled the software around average operators. The plant is easy for an aver- age operator to operate, which ensures accuracy on site,” explains Greyling. Another major design consideration was reduced installation time (cost). Due to its self-contained design, little assembly is required on site, allowing for quick establishment. “Site estab- lishment is quick as no civils work is required – establishing the plant only calls for two pieces of founda- tion to stabilise the trailer,” explains Greyling. He adds that the plant can be erected in two days using a 20 t mobile crane. However, to maximise self-sufficiency, owners can choose to mount cranes on their trucks. Van der Merwe says the plant sets new levels when it comes to mobility in concrete production. “By being a high-output plant that is complete on a single trailer, the DBP 60-M allows Liebherr customers to access new markets which are not already satu- rated by competitors. Simply attach the plant to a truck-tractor (horse), tow it to site and with little preparation on site, the plant will be batching in no time,” concludes Van der Merwe. l

Liebherr Africa expects the plant to produce 60 m³/hour of concrete.

CONCRETE BATCHING

Due to its self-contained design, little assembly is required on site, allowing for quick establishment.

The DBP 60-M offers the same weighing principles as a wet plant, but without the wear and tear of an integrated mixer as the plant discharges directly into mixer trucks.

installation time and cost. In terms of low maintenance costs, by being a plant without wearing parts associated with wet (mixing) plants, wear and tear is reduced. Meanwhile, local com- ponentry assures ease access to spare parts through Liebherr itself or its local component partners. “All the parts are locally sourced

lifecycle maintenance costs due to less components,” says Greyling. Key design features As Van der Merwe explains, the key design features considered a number of operational parame- ters, but mainly low maintenance costs, cost-effective transportation, quality of concrete and reduced

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DRILLING: • Sandvik DX 800 drill rig

LOADING: • 1 x 40-t Hitachi ZX400-3 hydraulic excavator • 2 x 20-t Doosan 225 LCV excavators • 1 x Liebherr L550 front-end loader • 2 x Komatsu WA250 front-end loaders • 1 x Volvo L150G front-end loader

AT THE QUARRY FACE

EQUIPMENT ON SITE

ON PHOTO: ROODEPOORT CRUSHER Commenced operations in November 2015

PRODUCT QUALITY PAYS DIVIDENDS

In three years of operation, a newly- established quarry in Polokwane has grown its production capacity tenfold. Pivotal to Roodepoort Crusher’s early market share gains is its sheer focus on quality of product, writes Munesu Shoko. N ewly-established Roodepoort Crusher operates a granite quarry located on the outskirts of Polokwane, the largest town in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. Its first blast went off in November 2015, and crushing started in January 2016. Part of the Alpha Sand Group and a member of Aspasa, Roodepoort Crusher specialises in aggregates production, while its sister company, Alpha Sand, concentrates on sales and distribution. For over 30 years, Alpha Sand has specialised in buying and selling of aggregates from several quarry operators in the Polokwane area. In 2015, management took a decision to operate its own quarry, and two years later, the operation is already a force to be reckoned with in the Polokwane aggregates market. This is despite fierce competition in the area, with two other well-established quarries located in a radius of about 5km jostling for a share of the market. An uncompromising focus on product quality has been a key driver of Roodepoort’s early success. A massive jump in sales from 2 000 t to 20 000 t per month in just two years is testimony to the early market share gains.

“Over the years, we have gained a lot of experience in the aggregates industry through our sales and distribution business, Alpha Sand. Having previously purchased aggregates from different quarries, we identified the opportunity to extend our business by establishing our own operation. This has also allowed us to have better control of all the processes, from drilling and blasting, to crushing

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HAULING: • 1 x Bell B20C

CRUSHING: • 1 x Metso C120 jaw crusher (primary) • 1 x GP220 cone crusher (secondary) • 1 x Techroq T12R VSI (tertiary crusher) • 1 x Komatsu BR380 mobile jaw crusher

SCREENING: • 1 x Liming Heavy Industries screen

articulated hauler

• 2x Bell B18D

articulated haulers

quality of end products, thus adding enormous value to the operation. “Our washing strategy is already yielding tangible results. Producing high-quality wash sand enables us to obtain a premium in the market. We have a clever system of washing our product, and it’s unique to us. We have had some people coming from as far as Finland to see our innovative washing system,” says Botha.

and screening, to ensure better product quality,” explains Niekie van Waveren, director at Alpha Sand Group. Jan van Waveren, director at Alpha Sand Group, reiterates that quality is non-negotiable at Roodepoort Crusher, adding that there is a strong emphasis on it than quantity. Key quality enablers are washing and product shaping. Phillip Botha, mine manager at Roodepoort Crusher, says material washing is helping improve the

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AT THE QUARRY FACE

A 20-t Doosan 225 LCV excavator equipped with a hydraulic hammer is deployed to break down oversized material.

A Volvo L150G is used for stockpiling at the ISP.

Quality matters Roodepoort Crusher’s quality is also based on the shape of its end product. There is a growing demand for cubical-shaped material in asphalt and concrete production at the expense of flaky material. Flaky material is weak and can be broken by the pressure of large vehicles, while an exposed hole will fill with water and quickly become a pothole. The water demand is also higher for flaky material compared with cubical material, and this increases the amount of cement needed to achieve the required strength of con- crete. Cubical-shaped material also greatly increases the workability of the various mixes. Cubical-shaped stone fits close together and more compactly, ensuring that less asphalt (or cement) is required in production, thereby reducing costs significantly. “We have experienced increased demand for our product as a result of these innovations,” explains Botha. To ensure optimal quality of the end product, maximum controls are implemented throughout the production process. It starts in the pit, where drilling and blasting, outsourced to contractor Demwreck, is undertaken every second month. Blasts are kept fairly large at 20 000 m³ of material on the ground. With proper fragmentation in mind, which has a significant impact on downstream processes such as

crushing and screening, as well as load and haul, management specifies the use of high-quality electronic detonators from leading South African supplier, BME. Electronic detonation has become popular due to its reliability, accuracy and flexibility, making blasting more predictable and allowing for larger and more cost-effective blasts. BME – which has built a strong reputation in the mining and quarrying sectors in Africa and Australia – has been behind some of the world’s largest surface blasts in terms of the number of electronic detonators fired in a single blast. For example, at Zambia’s Kansanshi Mine – the largest copper mine in Africa – 6,690 electronic delay detonators were successfully initiated in one blast in 2017 using the AXXIS system. Operational processes With load and haul being one of the biggest cost drivers for any opera- tion, distances from the pit to the processing plant have been kept at a maximum of 700m. Two Bell B18D articulated haulers, loaded by a 40-t Hitachi ZX400-3 hydraulic excavator, haul material from the pit to the tipping point at the primary crusher. Two 20-t Doosan 225 LCV excavators are also part of the in-pit fleet. One is equipped with a hydraulic hammer to break down oversized material, while the other unit is deployed to strip overburden and load a Bell B20C

articulated hauler. One of the key challenges in the pit is the oversize material from blasts. The pit is still in its infancy, so when you blast there is so much fall-over boulders. This is largely due to the loose joints in the granite rock; the loose the joints, the poor the management at Roodepoort opted for a cheaper Chinese processing plant which was designed specifically to meet the operation’s specific needs. The team travelled all the way to China to incorporate their “voice” in the design of the plant. However, this was a temporary solution to just get the business off the ground. A year later, parts of the plant were replaced impermanent solution. It was never going to be sustainable – our granite material is too abrasive and hard to handle, with very high silica content,” explains Botha. The crushing plant has since been replaced with a Metso C120 jaw crusher (primary), a GP220 cone crusher (secondary) and a Techroq T12R vertical shaft impactor (VSI) (tertiary crusher). Haulers tip directly into the primary jaw crusher. From there, material goes onto an intermediary stockpile (ISP). At any given point, the ISP stockpiles material worth three days of production. An additional two days’ worth of material is stockpiled fractioning when blasting. To kick-start the business, with tried and tested brands. “The Chinese plant was an

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