MECHANISED COAL
A cut above the rest
John Chadwick looks at some of the recent installations, in particular Anglo American’ s world leading Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine, new machines and proximity detection
In a major consolidation in this sector, on June 27 this year FAMUR acquired 65.83 % of KOPEX shares from TDJ. It is one of the key steps in the integration process of Kopex and FAMUR Group.
The Kopex and FAMUR integration plan was published in May this year( http:// immining. com / 2017 / 05 / 11 / famur-finalises-kopextakeover /).“ It assumes the inclusion of the machinery section of Kopex in the FAMUR Group. The finalisation of the process will make it possible to increase the scope of activity and potential and to significantly speed up the implementation of the international expansion program – Go Global, on which the development strategy of the Group companies is based. The FAMUR plans assume that half of the company revenue will come from foreign markets.
“ The takeover of Kopex by FAMUR opens a new chapter in the history of Polish manufacturers of mining machinery. This operation is crucial for the future of the FAMUR Group. The merger of potentials of both companies gives us the opportunity to create the Polish champion, which will be ready to implement comprehensive mining and energy projects around the world. We want to be a strong player on the international market of mining machinery and fully exploit business opportunities carried by the noticeable revival in the investments on the mining market – both in Poland and in the world,” explains Mirosław Bendzera, CEO of FAMUR S. A.
The integration and the release of the full synergy effects, is planned for the end of 2017. The formal finalisation of the process is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2018.
Polish companies are strong candidates for expansion and modernisation of the coal industry in Argentina. Expansion of the mining sector, construction of new power plants, railway lines and transshipment ports- these are the main infrastructure investments to be implemented in the coming years by the Government in Argentina. In June this year Poland hosted an official delegation from Argentina, composed of key
Power meets safety: Eickhoff’ s shearer loader automation system EiControlPlus: 1) LED spot lights, 2) Radar sensor and 3) Infrared sensor. The human operator can focus completely on monitoring functions in a safe and unencumbered environment. The machine’ s sensors are capable of‘ seeing‘,‘ hearing‘ and‘ feeling‘. Eickhoff says it“ is considered the smartest shearer loader automation concept worldwide.”
One essential feature of the system is the powerful and transparent communication structure between the machine and the mine control centre via which all relevant information is transferred online through redundant and compatible communication paths. This unique holistic approach to shearer loader automation delivers the user considerable advantages in terms of sustainable extraction of hard coal. This is at the forefront of a development which will enable fully autonomous mining systems in the future
persons responsible for the mining industry in that country, including the Ministry Representative for Mining and the representatives of Yacimientos Carboníferos Río Turbio( YCRT), the largest mining company in Argentina.
State-owned YCRT operates in a coalfield located in the department of Guer Aike, southwest of the province of Santa Cruz, according to BNAmericas and has total reserves of 697 Mt.
Representatives of both FAMUR Group and Kopex took part in the discussions.“ The plans of Argentina for the coming years include the implementation of several infrastructure investments, mainly in the mining, railway and energy industries, the scale and the scope of which can be of great interest for many Polish companies,” said Bendzera.
“ Our technical solutions have been known and appreciated in Argentina for several years. For example, the mining plants of YCRT Group are already using four Polish longwall systems
38 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2017