HIGH PROFILE shifted our strategy to grow outside India & our production capacity in Coimbatore is more than capable of handling it . Our rich engineering past as part of Chicago Pneumatic and Atlas Copco and then partnering with Bucyrus means we know what is expected in the global market . While we are not rushing , we believe we can reach a market share of 13-14 % in the next five years . The growth of Vedanta and Adani outside India is also helping to raise our profile as they are both very familiar with us having large domestic REL fleets . NMDC is also looking to expand and diversify overseas in gold and other mining types .
REL rising
Revathi Equipment Ltd ( REL ) is now an option for global miners using large blasthole drills . It offers models from the simplest to the most advanced autonomous designs , as well as unmatched levels of customisation . Paul Moore caught up with Naveed Shaikh , Global Manager - Sales & Marketing
Q How has your experience and success in the Indian market helped you grow globally ? A The Indian mines have tough conditions with intensive production for which REL supplies rugged drill rigs capable of delivering maximum performance and productivity as well as being overengineered in design and safety features as maintenance at many Indian mining sites is not as good as it could be . The mines also include some of the biggest in the world – India is the second largest coal producer as an example . Overseas , maintenance regimes in larger mines tend to be better & more structured – with parts changed according to specifications instead of being run to failure . But the fact that our drills stand up to Indian conditions mean they can perform well anywhere including demanding markets that are not dissimilar to India such as Indonesia , Russia , Mongolia and parts of West Africa & Latin America . These locations tend to prefer simpler designs that are mechanically easier to maintain . We have also listened to our global customers to take onboard what they want – right up to offering teleremote & autonomous capability , so our designs bring together aspects from both the Indian and non- Indian markets . But things in India are changing , with safety & environmental scrutiny from the government creating more interest in teleremote & lower emission drills .
Q How do you see the market breakdown worldwide ? A I would say global drill rig customers generally , not just our customers , fall into three types – the mining companies themselves , the large mining contractors and the more specialised drilling contractors . Globally the big miners prefer larger models above 10 inch hole diameter class (> 250 mm ) which would include our largest C750 and C850 models & they consider both diesel or cable electric models . The contractors , depending on their client , prefer drills from the 3 inch to the 10 inch class ( 75 to 250 mm ) which includes our best-selling C650 machine & want mainly more contract flexible diesel machines . In India almost 100 % of the mining by Coal India and NMDC ( iron ore ) is still owner operated , with contractors only starting to get a foothold ; but these companies are using most of our models for various applications . Outside India our best selling model is also the C650 but we are close to selling other models such as the C625 and C615 which have articulated rather than pedestal booms . We have been also successful with major contractors like Thiess in Indonesia and Basil Read in Africa .
Q What work has been done and is still to be done to increase REL ’ s profile around the world ? A We need to further bolster our on the ground presence with more dealer distribution partnerships to service & support machines in the key mining hubs , with our service engineers providing training , as well as getting REL machines to those markets for trials and testing . We have made considerable progress already , with active dealerships in South Africa ( Paramount Equipment ), Mexico ( VMX Minepro ), Russia and Indonesia for example with Australia the next priority on our list . It was only in 2019 we really
Q You successfully sold an autonomous drill rig with FLANDERS tech to contractor Basil Read for use in the Jwaneng mine in Botswana . How did that come about and what is the latest ? A Its been just over a year since we first made contact with Basil Read in Botswana . Some in their team were familiar with Hindustan Zinc having worked in India so knew about the performance of our drills . We made a big effort to understand how we could add value to their operations and business with customised solutions , such as customised mast designs with a fast turnaround , something no other OEM would or could offer . As a company we can also offer engines from Cummins or Cat from Tier 2 to Tier 4 Final . Basil Read wanted autonomous drills and we were able to offer them a solution with FLANDERS ARDVARC technology onboard . And this was not just a bolt on technology , we worked closely with FLANDERS to fully integrate & factory fit it into our drills . We took the Basil Read team to various mines in India so they could see the scope of conditions and mine types that our products are used in . They wanted the drills for a contract with De Beers Botswana at Jwaneng diamond mine which is one of the most modern and productive mines in the world so they had exacting standards but ones which we were able to meet . They are looking to order five 100 % teleremote operation C650 H ( but which have full autonomous capability ), which are to be deployed at the huge De Beers Botswana Jwaneng diamond mine and operated from a control room at the top of the pit . The final decision will be made based on the performance of the initial rig which was shipped in October 2020 and will soon start six months of trial operations to monitor KPIs , availability , efficiency etc . If the program goes well they are considering ordering a further five drills of the articulated boom C625 model for other contracts in Africa . There is a lot of potential , for example , they also have the drilling contract at De Beers Venetia . In Africa , we also have two machines at Dangote Cement in Nigeria , machines in Zimbabwe & Zambia plus LOIs for six other drills in South Africa and Botswana . IM
78 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020