IM 2017 August 17 | Page 30

HOISTING TECHNOLOGY
Thuthukani Engineering was recently tasked
with the design and drafting of the headgear,
shaft collar and winder house for a new service
shaft at the Philsaga Mining Corporation in the
Philippines
can now announce that all the components are
working correctly and no issues have been
reported regarding the performance of the
headgear, shaft collar and winder house we
designed,” says de
Jongh.
“Thuthukani is
currently canvassing for
future projects in that
region as we feel that
there is tremendous
potential in the area
and a need in that
market for the kinds of
expertise that firms like
ours have to offer. In
terms of operational
optimisation there is a
need in the South
African market but in
terms of capital
investment in new
infrastructure, there is
greater potential
overseas,” de Jongh
states.
De Jongh goes on to
explain that the nature of the South African
mining industry makes local engineers uniquely
equipped to deal with any type of mining
landscape. “The shaft sinking and vertical shaft
expertise really lies in South Africa. It would be
safe to say that no other country mines to the
deep levels that we do in South Africa – this gives
us great potential to serve large mining
companies overseas as there is a wealth of
experience here that can be leveraged.”
Back at home, de Jongh says, local mining
companies can be best served by the
professional auditing and inspections of
mechanical and structural mining equipment that
Thuthukani offers. This he says is critical to
establishing whether a component can be
upgraded, repaired or refurbished – or whether a
full retrofit of outdated infrastructure would be
needed in order to be compliant with the relevant
legislation and sector requirements.
Productivity innovations from
FLSmidth Mine Shaft Systems
FLSmidth Hoist (incorporating Vecor) has vast
experience in hoist projects, supplying the full
range of double drum (including Blair hoists),
single drum and Koepe hoists and carrying out
in-depth TCO studies for clients to ensure they
invest in the best option for them with no bias. In
Zambia, for example, a copper mining client had
already mined all the available sulphide ore
around the existing shaft and needed a new shaft
to reach new mining areas. The Koepe friction
hoist, double drum and Blair multirope options
were all considered by FLSmidth and a leading
industry shaft engineering consultant with TCO
analyses done on all of them based on depth of
the wind and the hoisting payload. The Koepe
friction and Blair options came out on top. The
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