Test Feb 2021

UPPLIER POTLIGHT POT IGHT ON RICKMAKING

EQUIPMENT PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Drilling firm lauds Epiroc drill rigs “Mobility, flexibility, reliability, efficiency and precision drilling capacity define Epiroc’s ROC family of drilling machines making them the most suitable and up for the task,” states Pieter Malan, GM Booysen Bore Drilling Company, Sishen. The specialist drilling company is currently operating three generations of surface drill rigs – the ROC L8 MK I and L8 MK II supplied by Atlas Copco alongside the latest FlexiROC D65 machines from Epiroc. When founded in 1977 by Hennie Booysen, Booysen Bore mainly focused on exploration drilling. In 1990, the family busi- ness expanded its services to blast-hole drilling. Part of the Mogs (Mineral, Oil & Gas Services) group, Booysen Bore’s offering includes down-the-hole (DTH), percussion, exploration and core drilling as well as in-pit dewatering drilling services. Operating with a staff of 430 from the Kuruman head office, supported by an office in Beeshoek under the auspices of Booysen’s son Hein as GM and a facility in Kathu, the company is active mainly in the province’s iron ore and manganese mines. It also holds a sizable market share in the supply of drilling services to solar facilities in the region, with 38 out of the total of 51 ROC L8, D60 and D65 machines currently in operation.

A solid long-term business partnership, from left: Cobus Engelbrecht, Epiroc; Booysen Bore’s Pieter Malan and Hein Booysen; and Epiroc’s Hedley Birnie.

The Northern Cape area presents some of the most challeng- ing conditions in the world. “We drill into some of the hardest rock in the world with compressive strengths above 500 MPa under extremely surface and weather conditions,”explains Malan. “While most machines start to fall apart after only a short time of drilling, the Epiroc drill rigs give us up to 80% availability over many years of operation. “Only machines of this exceptional quality will last 30 000 hours plus. In addition, the ROC boasts the lowest fuel consump- tion per drilling meter compares to all other machines used by us in the blast-hold environment. As far as we are concerned, when it comes to technology, reliability, ease of operation, manoeu- vrability and fuel efficiency, the ROC machines are in a class of their own,”Malan adds. www.epiroc.com

Motul takes pride in quality lubricant offering “Today’s mining equipment often runs at max- imum stress with machine elements unfortu- nately expected to run for prolonged periods,” says MOTUL’s global manager for Mining and Power Generation, Keith Johnson. “The result often is equipment breakdowns, which in turn can compromise project schedules and prevent a company from earning revenue.

(two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles), as well as lubricants for industry via its Motultech activ- ity. As early as 1971, the company was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formula- tion of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines, the 300V lubricant. Patrick Bergman, MOTUL’s heavy duty busi- ness development manager for Africa, who repre- sented the brand at the recent bauma CONEXPO AFRICA exhibition, says lubricant choice can impact up to 90% of maintenance costs. The MOTUL brand is present in many coun- tries across the world through its products and services, as well as production, research and development facilities. www.motul.com/za/en

“MOTUL’s greases, oils and fluids for mining address this challenge. Our products are formu- lated to deliver outstanding equipment protec- tion over an extreme range of temperatures and environmental conditions,” he adds. MOTUL is a world-class French company specialising in the formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants

MOTUL’s global manager for Mining and Power Generation, Keith Johnson.

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MODERN QUARRYING Quarter 2 / 2018