MINING IN FOCUS
The diff erent kinds of materials that come out of the machine. River sand and plaster sands are produced simultaneously.
solutions to various mines and quarries around the world.
Partnering with the UK Department of International Trade and
Investment and organisations like Invest Northern Ireland (Invest
NI), they have been able to change the mining game. “We are
familiar with CDE and we support their global expansion. It’s really
noteworthy to see them doing more business in Africa,” says Her
Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa at the Department for
International Trade, Emma Wade-Smith. She explains that they
work with CDE on a strategic level looking at their expansion plans.
“So our role is to help speed that through to provide insights, on
the ground networks, and the like, to really understand how to
expand that business as quickly and effi ciently as possible.”
She further mentions that this kind of technology and innovation
is critical considering the current state of mining and economics
in Africa. “If you want to maintain your business and keep
standards increasing, preparing and being ready for that is really
important,” she adds.
The quality of the sand has likewise signifi cantly improved. Wade-
Smith says that this is a good thing because this will then refl ect
on the buildings constructed and the sand materials industry.
Meintjes shares the sentiment, “We drive the high standard in
quality home. With the technology we are increasing the quality
of aggregates being sold to the market and if everyone increases
quality of output then we’ll set a standard. The more we do that,
the less fl y-by night miners there will be coming into the industry.
This will create a cut line – everyone above the cutline will get
the contract and everyone below that will fall away.” Warren
states that CDE liaises with the Aggregate and Sand Producers
Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA) often to assist potential
clients in understanding the processes and procedures of
improving their output.
Impressed by the amount of water it uses to create double the
product, Wade-Smith asks, “In a water-stressed environment
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like South Africa, who wouldn't want to be using this kind of
technology to grow their business?”
Digging their heels in
Old school friends with experience in plant hire, logisitics and
quarrying operations, it was only natural to partner on the
operation. “The quarry is 60m deep; we can’t go deeper at
this point, but we can expand on the surface area. There is the
probability of going deeper once we’ve expanded,” says Meintjes.
Operationally, installing and running the machine hasn’t cost
Ground Breakers any job losses. Despite doing many jobs at once,
the Combo only requires one person to run. As effi cient as the
machine is, so is the quarry, so there is no material that ends up as
waste. “The raw feed is weathered or decomposed granite, which is
a product we also market,” Meintjes says. “To get to the right sand,
we strip the overburden, then from there on we have about three
or four metres of building sand. This also depends on which side of
the quarry we are on and from there on downwards, we are talking
about 20 – 30 metres of decomposed granite,” adds van Vuuren.
Beating the odds
Meintjes and van Vuuren agree that the CDE Combo is compact
and highly effi cient, adding that customers are happy that the
moisture content is very low. “The need for silt dams has been
signifi cantly reduced and we have been able to preserve valuable
mining areas while reducing operational costs.”
The immmediate recycling of water means the quarry relies less on
fresh water. According to the mine operators, similar sites around
the area have shut down owing to running out of water. They
believe that this technology sets them apart.
According to van Vuuren, anyone who wants to run a mine should
aim to not only work hard, but smart as well. “Never compromise
on the quality of the end product.”
African Mining
African Mining November 2019
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