NEWS
Hillhead 2018 will be bigger
than ever before, with both
outdoor and indoor space set to
expand significantly in 2018. The
event will take place from 26 to
28 June at Hillhead Quarry, near
Buxton in the UK.
Major industry players
including Terex Group, SMT
(Volvo), JCB, Komatsu, Finning,
Case, Sandvik, Hyundai, Bell,
Liebherr, Doosan, Atlas Copco,
Bomag, Wirtgen, McCloskey,
Telestack, Hitachi, Metso,
Parker Plant and CDE will all
be present, together with other
Hillhead regulars and a host of
new companies.
According to event manager
Harvey Sugden, the rebooking
level for the 2018 show has
been exceptionally high. “It
is fantastic to see so many
companies coming back to us
year after year. It emphasises
the importance of the show
to the industry, which is a real
highlight in the calendar for
exhibitors and visitors alike.”
Visitor registration is already
open, and the full exhibitor list
was released on the Hillhead
website (www.hillhead.com)
in January, along with the new
inter active ‘Engage’ facility,
which allows visitors to schedule
meetings with exhibitors and
customise their individual
show experience through its
recommendation engine.
Hillhead looks forward to record-breaking 2018
Held in a limestone quarry in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside,
Hillhead is the largest exhibition of its kind anywhere in the world.
BME has completed the
acquisition of Australia-based
Advanced Initiating Systems
(AIS), a company that it was
instrumental in establishing
five years ago. The move signals
a rebranding and expansion of
BME’s technical services and
products in Australia.
According to Brad Bulow,
BME’s general manager
Australia Asia and a director
of AIS, the rebranding process
will begin in the second
quarter of 2018, and will take
forward the considerable
progress that AIS has made in
the Australian market.
“As AIS, we have become
well-known as the distributor
of BME’s pioneering AXXIS
digital detonation system,
as well as forging close
relationships with clients
through our proactive
support, professional approach
and strong service ethic,”
said Bulow. “Our technical
capability has also been well
proven with the record blasts
a record blast at a large central
Queensland coal mine.”
The AXXIS system was
used at the mine to initiate the
largest electronic detonator
blast ever at that time – firing
5 665 detonators in 2 683
blastholes. This also broke a
previous record achieved at
the mine when an AXXIS-
controlled blast successfully
initiated 4 303 detonators in a
single blast to break 2.8 million
cubic metres of overburden.
The world’s largest electronic
detonator blast record is now
held by BME in Zambia.
Bulow says BME – a
member of the JSE-listed
Omnia Group – will look for
opportunities to offer its range
of other technical services,
equipment and emulsions as
the market required.
“With over three decades
of growth in the explosives
business, and as the leading
supplier of emulsion explosives
to South African opencast
mines, BME has innovated a
broad range of solutions that
are being applied across Africa
and in a growing number
of markets abroad,” he says.
“Our position as part of the
Omnia Group – which has
facilitated our considerable
manufacturing capacity –
places us well to meet customer
demands in Australia.”
BME has a blast ‘down under’
From left: Dillon Grant, blast technician; Tom Dermody, technical
services manager; Paul Lightbody, product manager; Krysten
Odendaal, logistics officer; Brad Bulow, AIS director and BME’s
general manager, Australia Asia.
BME has steadily expanded
its emulsion production
facilities, as well as
automating its manufacture of
initiating systems. Alongside
its AXXIS detonation system,
it has also developed the
BlastMap blast planning
and design software, as well
as mobile applications to
promote quality blasting.
A mining engineer with
explosives specialisation and
25 years of experience in the
resources sector, Bulow will
head up the Brisbane-based
business following the latest
acquisition.
QUARRY SA | MARCH/APRIL 2018 _ 7