As with all Victaulic products, the Victaulic Series 795 Knife Gate Valve has been produced to meet the challenging demands of the South African mining industry, not only reducing costs, but reducing the time and manpower spent in the replacement, and therefore greatly reducing underground risks.

At a recent industry address, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated the call for increased safety in mining operations, highlighting that industry bodies will escalate mine safety regulations to hold operators accountable for accidental deaths in the industry. This increase in awareness comes as a result of continued issues in South Africa’s deep and dangerous mining operations; with a number of fatal tragedies resulting in a roll-on effect with investors claiming decreased faith in South African mining operations.

According to Marcel Ley, Victaulic Regional Manager, apart from considering mine operational costs, mine operators have to champion and continue to promote health and safety on duty which he believes will continue to build trust not only amongst investors, but workers as well, showcasing that the company cares, and are investing in solutions to decrease the underground risks.

“With an alarming number of accidents and fatal instances taking place over the past 18 months, the South African mining industry is facing harsh criticism from not only industry bodies, but the public and private investors,” he says.

“And while some mishaps cannot be avoided, mines need to employ additional preventative measures to reduce the risks associated with working underground – and that starts with reducing the time spent underground performing tasks other than mining. In terms of maintenance, not only should the costs of the fittings be considered, but also the amount of time and the workforce needed to fit. With maintenance being hazardous activity, especially far underground, being able to decrease the amount of time spent on the replacement, coupled with that of a smaller workforce will greatly reduce the safety risks.”

As is the case with all Victaulic products, the reduction in time and manpower required to install a product is greatly reduced, which in itself lends to a reduction in health and safety risks. Ley passionately describes Victaulic’s Series 795 Knife Gate Valve as easy to assemble, disassemble, move, and reuse; flexible and leak-tight; and able to be fitted in a fraction of the time in tighter spaces with far less labour and equipment than conventional knife gates. Designed for fluid lines containing solids and abrasive materials, the valve allows for all wear parts to be easily replaced in-line without the need to remove the valve from the pipeline.

Whereas the safety aspects speak for themselves, it’s what the ease-of-installation characteristics of Victaulic products offers to a mine’s bottom line, where the impact of the reduced time necessary to maintain Victaulic’s coupling systems becomes especially evident in cases of unplanned maintenance.

“A mining client recently explained that every hour his plant stands still effectively costs him R250 000 in lost production,” comments Ley. “This means that reduced maintenance time when replacing a Victaulic Knife Gate Valve can save him as much as R 687 500 in just one day. Over a year where several cases of unplanned maintenance can occur this number can be much larger.”

Victaulic remains a major player in the mining industry, continuing to develop innovative solutions to serve the evolving challenges of modern mining, in addition to reducing underground health and safety risks. In the current environment of low commodity process coupled to an increase in underground accidents and deaths, the mining industry is under immense pressure to contain the rising costs, decreasing fatalities, and regaining trust and investor support.