SOUTH AFRICAN SUPPLIERS
Ticking local and global standard boxes
Booyco says other countries in southern Africa are feeling the benefits of South Africa ’ s leadership in the Proximity Detection System ( PDS ) and collision avoidance space .
“ South Africa is leading the drive for PDS deployment due to its legislation , but the country is also probably the most experienced in the world on this topic ,” Anton Lourens , CEO of Booyco Electronics , says . “ We have seen that most southern Africa mines are adopting technology and solutions that have been deployed and proven in South Africa .”
Lourens notes that most of Booyco Electronics ’ solutions and products are suitable for rollout in neighbouring countries , meeting local compliance standards . At the same time , the company drives a continuous improvement program to meet global best practice .
“ The flexibility in our offering – facilitated through firmware optimisation on a universal hardware platform – ensures that we can effectively meet new customer demands without re-inventing the wheel for specific needs ,” he explains .
This has underpinned the company ’ s expansion strategy that includes southern Africa , where there has been considerable new development in the region ’ s mining sector .
Booyco Electronics ’ long history in South Africa has fed its success in the rest of the region , as it is regularly contacted by mining decision makers who were previous customers in South Africa and are now working in neighbouring countries .
In its expansion , Booyco Electronics has adopted the strategy of partnering with incountry providers where a local support base can be established to ensure PDS technology is looked after and maintained .
“ We implement a skills transfer plan to develop the expertise of local support personnel while we are overseeing deployment and initial roll-out ,” Lourens explains . “ By including these local resources as soon as possible in the deployment process , the in-country personnel become more competent and experienced . We retain oversight until the local team is able to provide full support and maintenance .”
Transfer chute considerations
With most of its 5,000-strong global footprint of transfer chutes being installed in southern Africa , Johannesburg-based Weba Chute Systems says it has built a reputation in demanding mining conditions .
The region is a leading producer of platinum and manganese , for instance , metals that typically come from highly abrasive orebodies , Dewald Tintinger , Technical Manager at Weba Chute Systems , points out . The company ’ s innovative approach and customised designs control material flow and resist wear , matching specific site conditions .
“ First and foremost , a chute must facilitate optimal throughput so that mining production is not hampered by frequent blockages or repairs ,” Tintinger says . “ It is well known that the cost of a quality chute is a fraction of the cost of lost production through downtime .”
He highlights that Weba Chute Systems takes a systematic approach to assessing each customer ’ s requirements , starting with the general arrangement of the area around transfer points . The depth of experience accumulated over 40 years in business allows the company ’ s experts to suggest improvements to the layout –
Controlling material flow through the right chute design protects costly equipment like conveyor belts , according to Weba Chute Systems
where these are possible and where they affect the chute performance .”
A range of key factors like material characteristics , throughput tonnages and speed of travel are also factored into the design , he says . “ These considerations guide the application of our controlled flow philosophy .”
The design is built on scientific calculations using the anticipated trajectories , impacts and pressures on the structure . The main conceptual options are Weba ’ s Cascade Chute with dead boxes , the Weba Superflow chute with liners or a combination of both .
“ A key element of our popular Cascade Chute is the use of dead boxes and lips on the inside of the structure , which traps material and allows other material to flow over it ,” Tintinger says . “ This ensures that up to 70 % of the wear surface is protected by stationery material , which substantially reduces wear and maintenance costs while extending service intervals .”
As material enters the chute and flows through , it lands mainly on other material which absorbs the impact more effectively , protecting the underlying wear plates and structure from
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JANUARY 2025 | International Mining 17