SOUTH AFRICAN SUPPLIERS
It ’ s all change at the top for underground mining contractor , Murray & Roberts Cementation , who recently named Japie du Plessis as Managing Director Designate , taking up the MD position on March 1 , 2023 . du Plessis will succeed the current MD , Mike Wells , who retires at the end of February .
Wells ’ retirement will mark the end of a career in mining that spans 39 years . After studying Mining Engineering at Wits University and graduating in 1981 , he spent the first 10 years of his career working for the gold division of Anglo American at the Elandsrand ( now Kusasalethu ), TauTona and President Brand gold mines .
He joined Cementation Africa in 1994 , a company subsequently acquired by Murray & Roberts in 2005 and merged with its existing mining contracting arm , RUC , to form Murray & Roberts Cementation .
His move to Cementation brought him into project work and , in particular , the sinking of the 3-km deep , 9-m diameter twin shafts of the South Deep gold mine , representing , at the time , the biggest shaft sinking contract ever agreed anywhere in the world . The project extended over nine years from start to finish , with Wells acting as Project Manager for part of this period , which he regards as one of the highlights of his career .
Japie du Plessis says he will work to ensure Murray & Roberts Cementation stays at the forefront of the move by the mining industry towards ‘ green ’ mining , digitalisation and automation
In du Plessis , Murray & Roberts Cementation has found a successor to Wells with a similar depth of technical and management expertise , the company says .
A Mechanical Engineer , he has spent most of his career in mining . du Plessis ’ first assignment after graduating was at Anglo American Platinum ’ s Amandebult mine , where he worked his way up to the position of Section Engineer . He then left for a two-year stint with a sugar company in Mpumalanga before joining Murray & Roberts Cementation in 2008 . He has been with the company ever since .
Contracts he has been involved in at Murray & Roberts Cementation over the years include Paardekraal 2 shaft and Impala 20 shaft , both in the platinum sector , the Wessels manganese mine , the Booysendal platinum mine and the Cullinan diamond mine . Positions he has occupied include Site Engineer , Contracts Engineer , Senior Project Manager , Engineering Manager and Project Executive .
Over the past seven years , he has had special responsibility for the Venetia Underground Project of De Beers , one of Murray & Roberts Cementation ’ s flagship contracts .
Looking ahead , du Plessis says one of his prime objectives will be to extend the company ’ s African footprint as the majority of its work is currently in South Africa ( although it does have raiseboring contracts in progress in Zambia , Tanzania and Burkina Faso ). He will also work to ensure that it stays at the forefront of the move by the mining industry towards ‘ green ’ mining , digitalisation and automation . undertaken by experts in the field of minerals processing , Maelgwyn explained .
The laboratory facilities also support the company ’ s proprietary technologies , including Imhoflot Flotation and the Aachen Reactor . These technologies have found favour across the globe in associated processes such as Leachox for precious metal recovery , Aachen Assist Leach and MMS-CND cyanide destruction .
SEW-EURODRIVE makes a move
The new facility moves keep coming , with SEW- EURODRIVE South Africa , a specialist in drive and control technologies , having recently more than tripled its available floor and factory space through its transition to a new 26,000 sq . m headquarter complex in Aeroton , Johannesburg .
Built and equipped at a cost of R200 million and modelled on SEW-EURODRIVE ’ s showcase factory in Graben-Neudorf , Germany , the facility – which accommodates some 150 employees – makes extensive use of the latest technologies to effectively network people , processes , services and data .
The investment reflects SEW-EURODRIVE ’ s confidence in the future of both South Africa and the African continent , according to Raymond Obermeyer , Managing Director of SEW- EURODRIVE South Africa .
“ This is a bold step that demonstrates our commitment to being part of solving South Africa ’ s problems and developing the economies of countries across Africa ,” he said .
SEW-EURODRIVE currently services 23 countries throughout the African continent from South Africa , with Obermeyer expecting African markets to account for around 50 % of the company ’ s turnover within the next few years .
The facility houses not only the group ’ s African head office but also an assembly plant for industrial gears and electric drives , expanded central warehousing and repair facilities . It also encompasses assembly and repair of all variable speed drives , AGVs and Servo motor technology .
In addition , it accommodates SEW-EURODRIVE ’ s Drive Academy , which delivers product awareness and maintenance training to customers .
The expanded warehousing gives SEW- EURODRIVE the ability to increase stock levels , with the company ’ s customers in Africa able to receive orders – for new equipment or spares – with minimal delay , according to the company .
Over a three-to-five-year period , SEW- EURODRIVE will incorporate further 4IR technologies , including automated assembly machines and guided vehicles , into the Aeroton factory at a cost of an additional R200 million .
SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa has recently more than tripled its available floor and factory space through its transition to a new 26,000 sq . m headquarter complex in Aeroton , Johannesburg
IM
JANUARY 2023 | International Mining