African Mining June 2021 | Page 33

OPERATIONS •

All images BME Blasting

Modern detonators have revolutionised blast timing .

Blast alliance These digital innovations – along with other technology in BME ’ s stable such as its BME Blasting guide app and Xplolgog cloud data platform – now fall within the company ’ s recently launched ‘ Blast Alliance ’ brand . According to BME managing director Joe Keenan , the Blast Alliance brand represents the company ’ s journey of digital innovation , and the collaborative approach it has taken .

“ We believe this collaboration must be holistic , so we partner in three arenas ,” says Keenan . “ Firstly , we partner internally to optimise our solutions ; secondly , we engage directly with our customers ; and thirdly , we work with third-parties where the need is identified . This gives us a firm foundation from which to effectively enhance outputs for customers .”

By giving its software and solutions portfolio its own brand and identity , BME is asserting a unique market position underpinned by the company ’ s robust spirit of enterprise and the highest levels of integrity .

“ The Blast Alliance brand underscores our core objectives in our offering to customers ,” he says . “ These include optimising productivity , efficiency and safety while minimising risk through predictability ; we also want to help customers reduce costs , promote data-driven and real-time decision-making , and enhance process optimisation .”

Keenan argues that as the mining sector embraced more technology , it was likely to be increasingly viewed as a forwardlooking contributor in the transition to a more sustainable economy . “ Implementing digital communication infrastructure at mine level can also have positive spin-offs for local

communities – potentially improving connectivity in remote areas as part of mining ’ s environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) commitment ,” he says .

Digital integration BME software product manager Christiaan Liebenberg says that the portfolio will adapt and evolve with key solutions as needs are identified , applying BME ’ s growing depth of digital and technological expertise .

“ We are delivering flexibility , fluidity and future-facing solutions to our customers ,” says Liebenberg . “ A key focus here is the integration of our technology with mine-wide platforms , as part of the drive to support mining ’ s ongoing productivity efforts . Our initiatives also leverage digital technology to allow greater availability of real-time data .”

He emphasises that the digital age requires greater collaboration between technology providers , as well as closer partnerships between mines and their suppliers to develop and apply the systems for increasingly automated mining . Higher levels of business optimisation can be achieved through gathering and processing real-time data from all mining assets .

“ A key focus of BME ’ s development with digital tools for blasting operations is to leverage the value of real-time data on mines ,” he says . “ On the blasting side , this means integrating blast data with the mine ’ s digital systems .”

Blast planning underground Among the recent innovations in BME ’ s offerings is a version of its Blastmap blast planning software for underground mining .