The perception of mining companies that imported equipment is of better quality than that which is manufactured locally is hurting South African businesses.

This is the opinion of Robert Alcaraz, MD and owner of Rham Equipment, a local manufacturer of specialised hydraulic mining equipment. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Alcaraz tells Mining Weekly that his company is finding it difficult to get a fair slice of particularly the hard-rock mining market.

“Although our machines have proved to be efficient and very cost-effective, we still have to be content with the crumbs, while international equipment suppliers dominate the market,” Alcaraz laments.

“This does not only hurt our business here in South Africa, but also our export potential.

“If our own mining companies don’t give us back-up, it becomes difficult to enter the international market,” Alcaraz adds.

Rham Equipment is not a newcomer to the mining market.

Established in 1980, the fully-owned South African company has some 1 200 vehicles in a suite of 200 different types of mining equipment.

Originally the company supplied equipment into the coal-mining industry but, with the advent of mechanisation in the hard-rock mining sector a few years ago, it decided to diversify its product portfolio to include low- and ultralow-profile machinery as well.

Although the majority of components are imported from the US, Germany, France and Italy, all equipment is manufactured and assembled locally at the company’s two factories, in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng.

The company’s head office is also located on these premises, but it also has two more sales and maintenance offices, in Delmas and Rustenburg.

“The Delmas office serves the collieries in that area, while the Rustenburg office looks after platinum-mining clients,” Alcaraz explains.

The company, with a 100-strong workforce, has, during the last five years, introduced 24 diesel-powered hydrostatically-driven transporters into a number of chrome- and platinum-mines, with more currently on order.

Designed primarily with ease of maintenance in mind, Alcaraz says the units are devoid of troublesome propshafts, axles, torque converters and transmissions “A diesel engine drives a hydraulic pump, supplying oil-flow to four individual hydraulic wheel motors. The frame is articulated and oscillates at the centre section, providing the greatest in ground contact,” he continues.

The company also recently commissioned its 32nd load-haul-dumper (LHD), featuring the same hydrostatic principles as the transporters, in an asbestos-mine in Zimbabwe.

This was a 30 HD LHD with a load capacity of 9 t.

The current operating units consist of models 10 HD, 20 HD and 30 HD, with bucket capacities of 1 m3, 2 m3 and 3,4 m3 respectively.

Also included in the company’s LHD suite of equipment is the world’s largest underground hydrostatic machine – the 1000 HD weighing in at 54 t and capable of handling a payload of 25 t.

“A 40 HD LHD with a carrying capacity of more than 15 tons will be available shortly to bridge the gap between the 30 HD and the 100 HD,” Alcaraz notes.

Another machine is the electrically-powered LHD with trailing cable and cable reel handling equipment.

This machine is currently operating at a Rustenburg platinum-mine and, says Alcaraz, future electrical machines can be produced to operate in heights of less than 1 000 mm if required.

As far as face-drills are concerned, the company has developed a Rham FD 32 diesel electric hard-rock percussion face drill that can cover a panel of seven or eight metres from one position and, using a Montabert drifter, can drill at a rate of over 4,5 m a minute.

Meanwhile, the company is currently undertaking third-phase development of a low-seam stope face-drill and a stopedozer – both of which are remote-controlled.

“In response to a lower seam-height requirement, we have also developed and commissioned a radio remote-controlled rock hauler that features an injector blade scoop bucket and is less that 1 000 mm high,” Alcaraz says.

In addition, the company has developed low-seam hard-rock roofbolters and twin-boom face- drills.

Although Rham Equipment only has a small percentage of the hard-rock mining equipment market, it boasts a much larger share, of about 75%, of the roofbolting and service equipment market in the coal- mining sector.

However, of particular concern to Alcaraz is the ease with which one of Rham’s competitors has managed to copy and produce almost perfect replicas of the low-seam hard-rock twin-boom panel drilling-rig.

“This was a Rham concept and design, but was being manufactured and put into service by the competitor before our first unit was accepted,” Alcaraz claims.

Looking ahead, Alcaraz believes that the company can increase its market share in the hard-rock mining sector.

“We have the equipment but, ultimately, it will be up to the local mining houses to give us a fair opportunity,” he concludes.

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