Globalising through partnerships, Omnia company BME continues to roll out its plans for expansion in markets including African countries, Canada, Australia and Indonesia.

According to BME Managing Director Ralf Hennecke, the drive into these high-potential markets has been a key aspect of the company’s strategic direction.

“These markets are exciting for us as they boast high mineral exploration rates and a diverse range of battery and other minerals which are important for future growth,” said Hennecke.

Much of the achievement of recent years has been BME’s establishment of infrastructure in these markets, setting itself up to serve its customer base there. In Canada for instance, the company has been busy in recent years building assembly plants for electronic and non-electric detonators.

Differentiators

“This gives us the opportunity to highlight our differentiators such as our blasting technology and digital tools, as well as blasting products and our high level of technical service,” he explained. Each market had its own specific conditions, he emphasised, so the approach has to be tailored.

In Indonesia, the partnership with leading explosives producers MNK allows BME to contribute its blasting tools and equipment to new segments. While the softer mineral environments like coal are not as demanding in respect of technology, digitisation and services, there are a range of minerals and metals in Indonesia.

Plants in Australia

 “In Australia, we have been successfully conducting electronic detonator trials, and are also building infrastructure,” he said. “This includes plants in the east and west of the country.”

Non-nitrous technology

“We are also successfully partnering in the field of technology – where our recent tie-up with Hypex Bio strengthens our sustainability ambitions for non-nitrous emulsions,” he said. “Using hydrogen peroxide is a ground-breaking technology in our sector, and a direction that we want to help pioneer globally.”

He highlighted that this partnership also adds considerably to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) conversation which BME has with its mining customers, and opens doors in new and existing markets. The company’s dual-salt emulsions are already assisting mines to meet their decarbonisation targets, due to the lower greenhouse gas emissions from blasts. Much lower proportions of ammonia in its emulsions also reduces the risk of environmental contamination – an ongoing concern for miners.

Digital collaboration

Having built considerable in-house digital expertise, the company nonetheless continues to prioritise more partnerships that leverage cutting-edge technologies. Collaborations in these fast-developing fields are likely to feed into the company’s established efforts to automate areas like emulsion truck operations. He pointed to the growing number of mining companies who are looking to automate their sites, and who are looking for innovative solutions to facilitate this process.

BME has already introduced smart functionality into its mobile manufacturing units, using its Xplolog and Xplocharge solutions to enable real-time monitoring, data capture and analysis. This is raising the bar in the accuracy of emulsion pumping into blastholes, allowing cost savings and efficiency.

Blasting ecosystem

“Our global expansion is supported by the enabling ecosystem that we provide for customers, to achieve quality blasts which reduce downstream costs while enhancing energy efficiency,” said Hennecke. “This aligns with our customers’ sustainability goals while ensuring optimal productivity.”

He explained that BME is already working on the next generation of electronic detonators, and continuing to enhance accuracy to deliver blast results that support ESG targets.