African Mining January 2023 | Page 51

TECHNOLOGY •

the end-user to make faster and more informed decisions on when replacement is necessary . “ The Internet of Things ( IoT ) has placed end users in direct contact with OEMs – removing the requirements and the need for middlemen – and together with smart algorithms , such as blockchain technology in making certain communication links are fail safe – we want to start introducing these technologies into our valve products and hardware across the board , making them economically accessible and allowing our clients to have absolute control and gain maximum benefit from our products , in line with a ‘ just in time ’ economy . By predicting the optimal time that one can run equipment to before having to replace it – just before failure – is critical to get the best return on investment from that capital acquisition . AR Controls is therefore planning to focus on in-house R & D and product development , tying this into the IoT , to enable the end user to have 24 / 7 , real time data accessible on smart devices to monitor the status of all our equipment .”

AR Controls has been manufacturing ARVALV ® since 1999 at its Vanderbijlpark and the product has been an industry mainstay for over 25 years .

Van Niekerk notes that the product is well suited for any slurry application in sulphide ore processing plants , as well as for any front-end processing slurry applications on an oxide ore processing plant . “ We plan to expand the size range and product line into the future .”

Market trends bode well “ The future is looking positive ,” says Van Niekerk , “ We are entering the next commodity super cycle right now and the biggest trend we are seeing in the market is an uptake in CAPEX expenditure – across the industry globally . The copper price is the highest it ' s been in 10 years , it ' s robust and it ' s stable . Mining houses are competing to build new mines or expand their processing facilities to produce more copper , gold , uranium , nickel and lithium , among others – and Africa is the place to be . The massive increase in CAPEX expenditure on purchase orders awarded to AR Controls complements our existing MRO ( maintenance repair operation )/ OPEX business .”

AR Controls already supplies status and condition monitoring systems to support ‘ just in time ’ strategies , but extensive R & D is required to make it more economically viable and therefore more accessible to smaller budget operations and upgrades on older operations . Installation of the technology currently comes at a huge cost due to integration requirements and more , even though the technology will ultimately reduce cost of ownership in the longer term , which will be sustainable year on year .

“ AR Controls is known as a pioneer in valve technology and service in Africa , and we plan to maintain that reputation ,” concludes Van Niekerk . •

He adds , “ Zimbabwe is on the cusp of exploding with opportunity – the country seems to be following the same privatisation route that Zambia took in the early 90s , and we are well positioned and poised to capitalise on this development . It ' s a territory that we ' re incredibly excited about , while West African countries such as Ghana , Guinea , Mali , Burkina Faso , Senegal , and Côte d ' Ivoire are areas also presenting significant returns on investment for the company .”

The future of the valve Van Niekerk notes that the future of the valve industry lies in valve status monitoring and valve condition monitoring – smart technologies incorporated into hardware , allowing clients to have a greater reliance on automation , thereby reducing operational risks through human error , and reducing their labour component and cost .

He emphasises , “ If you don ' t schedule the time to maintain your equipment , it will schedule the time for you .” Smart technologies – their predictive and preventative maintenance capabilities enabling the monitoring of trends and better projections on service life of valves and valving products – are allowing