MTE EXHIBITIONS •
on the day comprised engineers taking maintenance and plant operations to the next level with a resolve to reduce downtime and improve throughput , including the engineering manager for Cullinan Mine and his senior engineers .
“ There is no better way to share an experience , which is precisely the purpose of an expo , than by ‘ word of mouth ’,” says Macnamara . “ Excellent service delivery ”; “ It was great to connect with new and old customers ”; “ Friendly , professional , good leads – a must ” were just some of the compliments received from exhibitors after the event .
The proof of the pudding however , always lies in the consumer ’ s words and this is what was said by Walter Lumadi , manager of engineering at Cullinan Diamond mine , “ I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the first show . The setup was great as usual , and there were some great connections made due to your event . In a nutshell , it is safe to say there is significant value in what you are doing and long may it continue .” These words and this incredible start to the new year reverberated into the March combo tours to follow in Botswana .
Waves of change When it comes to disruption in the mining and power industries – Botswana knows exactly how to attract and implement waves of advancement . A perfect depiction of this lies in a story that broke on 3 March this year . Botswana ’ s Debswana Diamond Company , in partnership with Huawei , announced the world ’ s first 5G-oriented smart diamond mine project . 1 The Huawei-enabled system has supplied a private eLTE network to the Jwaneng open-pit diamond mine , enabling the mining company to connect more than 260 pieces of equipment – including drilling rigs , excavators , heavy trucks and pickup trucks and allowing interconnection between the mine ’ s production , safety and security systems . The new system , which offers real time data transfer , thus improving equipment efficiencies , has started a ripple effect , with the positive operational benefits starting to mount – with increased yield , reduced operational expenses and improved safety .
© Andrew Macnamara , Mining and Technical Exhibitions © Andrew Macnamara , Mining and Technical Exhibitions
The Lethlakane expo , showing the MTE guided walkways , which ensure that visitors have an opportunity to visit all exhibitor stands .
A birds-eye view of part of the MTE Letlakhane expo .
“ This ‘ can do ’ attitude in the country and the openness to innovation is exactly why we host expos in Botswana annually – to bring our valued suppliers and their technical expertise to decision-makers seeking innovation , and those who offer a stable environment to do business in ,” explains Macnamara .
The three back to back MTE expos , each a day apart , proved to be an operational feat to be reckoned with : Letlhakane on 6 March
© Andrew Macnamara , Mining and Technical Exhibitions
Daniel Pule , engineering services coordinator at Debswana , visitor at one of the combo shows this year , won the lucky draw prize – a BWP500 fuel voucher .
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African Mining • May 2023 • 23 |