CONTRACT MINING
IM Editorial Director, Paul Moore, with the U & M team and their autonomous Cat 777 at its proving grounds near Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Equipped for the transition
Contract mining firms are setting mines up for longterm and sustainable success, Paul Moore reports
One would expect a story title such as the one above in the context of mining to be tied to the energy transition and the expected deluge of metal demand set to accompany it.
In a contract mining context, it means something different.
“ A key advantage we offer is that we can initiate and develop everything until the project reaches a steady state, then hand it over to the client,” Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Cementation Africa, says
“ We have the expertise to do it all; from setting up shafts and declines to ore reserve expansion and extraction. This is particularly useful for clients who may not have the necessary in-house skills or the training and assets to begin mining operations themselves.
“ As a contracting company, we have done this successfully for over 50 years, allowing clients to start projects without immediately investing in extensive training infrastructure and personnel.”
A comprehensive systems and system handover process is behind the ease of transition Chamberlain talks about, which covers all aspects from procurement, warehousing and equipment maintenance to payroll and safety systems.
“ We understand the risks involved and have the institutional knowledge to manage them effectively,” he added.“ Our executives are drawn from mining operations, so they have experience on the client’ s side, giving us a good understanding of client requirements and how to meet them.”
Underpinning each project Cementation Africa gets involved in is a collaborative approach, where it works closely with clients to select the best-suited equipment for their needs. This could see the contractor purchase the equipment on the client’ s behalf or use equipment they already own.
Arthur Adams, Manager of Engineering at Cementation Africa, says the company maintains a‘ strategic fleet’ to support its infrastructure and shaft-access work, including winders and flameproof equipment for specialised applications such as box-cut development in coal mining.
“ This fleet allows us to respond rapidly to specific project needs while maintaining a high level of control over safety and performance standards,” he said.“ The balance between owning this strategic fleet and operating client-owned machinery gives us flexibility without the financial burden of depreciation of an underutilised equipment base.”
Such an approach supports the company’ s goal of achieving the best total cost of ownership for the fleet.
Adams added:“ Intermediate and major rebuilds are timed strategically to maximise uptime while controlling longterm capital and operating costs – based on historical data and established formulas for manning levels and maintenance cycles. These fleet management practices contribute to productivity and also to the cost effectiveness of each project. We even operate our own rebuild facilities, where we refurbish both our own and clients’ machines to OEM specifications.”
Most recently, Cementation Africa has have used past experience on two platinum projects in South Africa where it demonstrated a capability in helping clients move from contractor models to owner-
International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025