Project management company DRA and bulk- materials handling solutions provider ELB Engineering officially launched their large-scale materials handling project-focused Ardbel joint venture (JV) last month.

“Ardbel will initially target projects in sub-Saharan Africa and has already identified several opportunities in commodities such as iron-ore and coal,” says Ardbel MD Ken Bromfield, who has more than 30 years’ experience in construction and in the mining industry and more than 20 years in senior management.

He is positive that Ardbel will, before the end of the year, be awarded a project of significant scale.

Bromfield believes that the JV will enable both companies to further increase their large African footprint by effectively redefining large-scale materials handling and infrastructure engineering services in the mining industry.

DRA has established a signifi- cant presence in Africa and is involved in some of the largest mining projects in the region, including Africa-focused miner Randgold Resources’ Kibali gold project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Brazilian mining group Vale’s Moatize coal project, in Mozambique.

DRA has also been involved in the Lubambe copper project, in Zambia, which is jointly owned by South Africa’s African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), Vale and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines, and in the Khumani iron-ore project, in the Northern Cape. This project is managed by manganese ore and alloy company Assmang, which is jointly owned and controlled by ARM and mining holding company Assore. ELB Engineering was also contacted as a materials handling specialist for this project.

Meanwhile, ELB Engineering has a record in specialised materials handling, including projects such as State-owned power utility Eskom’s Medupi coal project, in Limpopo, fuel-from-coal producer Sasol Mining’s Impumelelo coal project, in Mpumalanga, and London-listed African Minerals’ Tonkilili iron-ore project, in Sierra Leone.

Fostering long-term relationships with its clients as well as pro- viding solutions that are appropriate, sustainable, creative and innovative is the cornerstone of Ardbel.

Ardbel is focused on pit-to-port solutions and can offer tailored materials handling services for the full project life cycle, from inception to project implement-ation.

The company’s focus areas include establishing materials handling systems from the run-of-mine (RoM) tip feed bin to the plant feed conveyor head chutes, specifically including a tip, crushing circuit, stockyard and the RoM feed conveyor for the bene-ficiation plant.

The company can establish not only materials handling systems downstream from the beneficiated discharge conveyor, including storage and product loading onto trains or trucks, but also all the associated materials handling systems once the ore reaches the port, including tippers, stockyard layout and shiploaders.

It also undertakes all waste and materials handling systems downstream of the process plant waste discharge conveyor, including the dump conveyor and spreader.

Ardbel’s service offering includes project feasibility studies, concept, basic and detailed design and logistics in flexible contracting arrangements, which include engineering, procurement and construction, engineering, procurement, and construction management or lump-sum turnkey.

Further, through DRA’s asso- ciated company, Minerals processing and maintenance company Minopex, Ardbel can offer commissioning, operations and maintenance to its clients.

Bromfield says that Africa is on the threshold of a new era of development, as its significant mineral resources will provide opportunities for large-scale infrastructure upgrades.

“With access to more than 2 000 engineers, project managers and other key professionals, as well as extensive resources and experience, Ardbel is strategi- cally positioned to capture a significant share of those opportunities,” says Bromfield.

DRA CEO Paul Thomson and ELB Engineering CEO Stephen Meijers agree, declaring that “Africa offers almost unlimited growth opportunities for South African companies”.

“This joint venture comes at an excellent time,” adds Thomson, noting that leveraging the expertise and resources of DRA and ELB Engineering, will enable Ardbel to engineer massive and complex pit-to-port materials handling systems.

The company also intends to invest in the communities in which it operates and will con-sistently place emphasis on economic and environmental sustainability, skills transfers, local employment and community empowerment to ensure that buy-in from all stakeholders is obtained.