The contract mining division of construction and engineering group Murray & Roberts, Murray & Roberts Cementation, reports that the company has set its eyes on South America as a major growth area and has established a company, Cementation Sudamerica, in Chile to take advantage of this.

Murray & Roberts Cementation business development director Allan Widlake says that the company in Chile will be supported by Cementation Canada. “This will be key for the company as there are significant mining opportunities in Chile that the company can take advantage of,” says Widlake.

He adds that there are also significant opportunities for the Murray & Roberts Cementation group in Africa, particularly in Tanzania, Ghana, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe.

Commenting on the global economic crisis, Widlake says that Murray & Roberts Cementation has not been affected as harshly as the Murray & Roberts construction division.

In August, Murray & Roberts reported that its order book had been consolidated at R40-billion after project cancellations of about R17-billion. Most of the project cancellations occurred in the Middle East region, where the group had a significant presence.

Commenting on the cutbacks, Widlake reports that one must bear in mind that the construction sector was hardest hit where the majority of the projects were debt financed.

“The mining business was affected; however it did not see the large-scale cutbacks that the construction industry saw. The mining business had significant projects in the ferrochrome sector but, because of the crisis, a number of projects were scaled down and furnaces shut down. This meant that projects, such as the Dwarsrivier project, were moved in-house,” says Widlake.

Two platinum projects, the Spitskop project and the Blue Ridge project, were also cancelled as Eastern Platinum and Ridge Mining made the decision to complete the projects in-house. There was also a copper project in the DRC that was scaled back, rather then cancelled, and Murray & Roberts Cementation is reinitiating communication with the company.

Widlake comments that a number of the company’s current South African projects are still on time and within budget despite the financial crisis.

Contract mining for Aquarius Platinum in the North West province is exceeding expect- ations. Widlake reports that Aquarius Platinum gave Murray & Roberts Cementation a production target of 600 000 t/m of platinum ore that needs to be mined and supplied to the concentrator. Widlake reports that the company is achieving this target on a regular basis.

Work at Lonmin Platinum’s Karee mine, near Brits, in the North West province, where the company is developing the No 4 shaft, is on time and within budget. Work on BHP Billiton’s Wessels mine, in Hotazel, in the Northern Cape, where Murray & Roberts Cementation is developing new underground infrastructure as well as mobilising for a ventilation shaft project, is also on time and within budget.

Widlake reports that the only project where the company has schedule challenges is the Paardekraal 2 Shaft project for Anglo Platinum, where Murray & Roberts Cementation is sinking and developing the two vertical shafts. “Changes in methodology, owing to new technology that will improve safety on the shaft development, have meant that there is a slight delay on the development of this project: however, both Anglo Platinum and Murray & Roberts Cementation want to be safer while developing the project,” says Widlake.

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