Despite the industry downturn, drilling services, drilling equipment and performance tooling provider Boart Longyear continues to invest in new product development and innovation in mining and expects to launch more new products this year.

The company aims to share its latest product developments at the 2016 Investing in African Mining Indaba, which runs from February 8 to 11 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Boart Longyear also intends to connect with new and existing customers to find out how it can help them achieve their goals and objectives.

The Mining Indaba provides delegates with several valuable sessions and access to speakers who provide deep insight into the mining interests of Africa, Boart Longyear product management and marketing director Monika Portman tells Mining Weekly. “From networking and thought leadership presentations to sustainable development and career skills, the Indaba is a one-stop shop to grow your customer base, build a greater understanding of mining in Africa and connect with experts from around the world.”

She notes that it is important to participate in the event, as Africa is and will continue to be a very important market for the company: “Boart Longyear has a long history of designing, manufacturing and selling products for the minerals exploration industry.”

The company will promote its new LS250 MiniSonic rig at the Mining Indaba. The LS250 MiniSonic is a compact rig perfect for a variety of projects in environmental, geotechnical, water and mining. “The LS250 MiniSonic offers unmatched versatility and reliability for outstanding value,” emphasises Boart Longyear.

The rig is suitable for soft-ground, shallow drilling projects, including environmental, tunnelling, water management, grade control and leach pads. Faster penetration, nearly undisturbed samples using little or no fluids, and its casing advancement system make the LS250 MiniSonic ideal for several applications.

The Drill Control Interface (DCi) will also be on show at the Mining Indaba, and offers semiautomated drilling, rod feed and pull functions, while controlling the rod handler and rig as well as providing real-time feedback on drilling conditions. The DCi incorporates controller area network technology to enable communication between the drill rig, the rod handler and the DCi to self-monitor and semiautomate most drilling operations.

The rod handler and DCi take safety and productivity to the next level, says the company. The patented rod handler is easy to use, versatile and, most importantly, offers drillers a safer working environment. Boart Longyear notes that rod handling devices are a safer alternative, which allow the operator to load rods into the rod handler horizontally at a comfortable height. The rod is then mechanically loaded into the rod string and prethreaded for drilling. Once drilling has started, with the push of a single button on the DCi control panel, the control system monitors the drill rod position, rotation speed and feed, and continues drilling.

Boart Longyear’s exhibition stand is number 514, directly across from the speed- networking area.