AFRICA NEWS
Taking proximity detection to new heights
Anton Lourens, managing director of Booyco Electronics, says the company is once
again raising the bar for safety, quality and local content in the mining sector through
a technology collaboration with fellow South African supplier Mernok Elektronik and
Selectronic.
Proximity detection systems (PDS)
specialist Booyco Electronics is once
again raising the bar for safety, quality
and local content in the mining sector,
through a technology collaboration with
fellow South African supplier Mernok
Elektronik and Selectronic.
Anton Lourens, managing director
of Booyco Electronics, says the
companies are cooperating to bring
the substantial advantages of new
generation technology to the PDS
market. Significantly, Booyco Electronics
pioneered the use of PDS in South
Africa and today has about 5 000 of
its PDS units in the field, which have
delivered over a million hours of service
to date.
“The experience we have
gathered in the field with our existing
technology has informed the direction
of more recent technology, and this
collaboration agreement allows quicker
development and rollout of technology,”
says Lourens.
According to Mernok Elektronik
founder and managing director Schalk
Janse van Rensburg, his company’s
strength lies in its in-house design and
engineering capability. “This expertise,
which we have been developing for
more than 10 years, drives our research
and development efforts,” says Janse
van Rensburg. “The result is a
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
world-class product range developed
for the specific needs of the South
African mining sector.”
With its extensive branch footprint
developed over the past 13 years,
Booyco Electronics will ensure that the
new generation technology is within
reach of customers and is constantly
supported. The company’s strategically
located service facilities are manned
by trained field technicians, capable of
both installing and supporting hi-tech
equipment.
“Our proven levels of field support
will ensure that the technology benefits
of the latest PDS design are translated
into bottom-line and safety benefits for
our mining customers,” says Lourens.
The collaboration also recognises
the value of greater localisation in the
mining supply chain, in line with the
requirements of the Mining Charter.
Together, these two South African
companies are able to further enhance
their respective contributions to local
economic development by promoting
the country’s technology advancement
and skills growth.
Lourens highlights that regulatory
compliance has been an important
factor in driving the application of PDS
in mining. All products are therefore
certified in terms of Department of
Mineral Resources requirements.
SEPTEMBER 2019
5