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Drilling and Tunnelling News
Shaft solutions to address commodities crunch
By: Simon Sonnekus 1st April 2016 Some of the most exciting opportunities are in deep-level mining, says Hatch Goba associate and Africa, Europe and the Middle East mining director Kevin Seyfried. The scarcity of capital, lower operating costs and the reaffirmation of safety by mining companies have prompted multinational... →
Master Drilling maintains eye on growth as strategy gains traction 
By: Natasha Odendaal 31st March 2016 JSE-listed Master Drilling continued to pursue its geographic, commodity and business diversification strategy throughout 2015, with gains expected to start being realised in the coming year. The company had set the platform with the acquisition of a Sweden-based company and its Chilean... →
Master Drilling delivers higher FY earnings, no dividend yet
By: Natasha Odendaal 31st March 2016 As JSE-listed Master Drilling continued its steep upward earnings trend, the company declared no dividend for the period ended December 31, 2015. The drilling solutions provider, which on Thursday reiterated it was still in a growth phase, posted basic earnings per share (BEPS) of $0.13 in 2015,... →
Mining deeper while maintaining value
By: Kimberley Smuts 18th March 2016 Multidisciplinary professional services firm Hatch Goba is continuously developing more cost-effective means of extracting ore, especially in South Africa, where mining is deeper and more difficult amid falling commodity prices, resulting in decreasing profit margins. Technologies that allow for... →
Series increases safety, importance of students emphasised
18th March 2016 There is increasing focus on safety within the mining industry, says sustainable productivity solution provider Atlas Copco, adding that its Diamec Smart core drilling rigs eliminate many of the hazardous operations at mines involved in underground core drilling. Atlas Copco introduced its Diamec... →
Manufacturer offers enhanced productivity and reliability
18th March 2016 Construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar notes that it is the only manufacturer offering rock drills designed to be serviced on site for reduced downtime and costs. The company explains that CAT drills are designed for easy maintenance with simple and well-organised electrical... →
Company showcases drilling products at Indaba
18th March 2016 Drilling services, equipment and performance tooling provider Boart Longyear’s product experts were on hand at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba to discuss its range of new solutions suited to the African mining market. The company, exhibiting at the event in Cape Town, which ran... →
Spin filters reduce dust exposure underground
By: Kimberley Smuts 18th March 2016 Specialised engineering solutions provider RTS Africa Engineering is receiving an increasing number of enquiries from various markets, such as sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and India, for its inertial spin filters used in small to medium-sized mining applications. This increase in interest can... →
Hackathon fast-tracks development
By: Kimberley Smuts 4th March 2016 Technology implementation costs time and money – two critical resources that the mining sector currently requires to reinvent itself, says Anglo American Technology and Innovation head Jeannette McGill. “The Unearthed hackathon is the perfect platform to fast-track innovation and short-circuit... →
Gold explorer to start third round of drilling
12th February 2016 Vancouver-based gold explorer Pilot Gold expects to resume drilling in March at its Goldstrike property in Southwestern Utah, in the US, to focus on extending and defining mineralisation along the main gold trend. The company released the results of the second phase of its inaugural drill... →
New ultralow-profile mining machine operated successfully for 500 hours at SA mines
By: Ilan Solomons 12th February 2016 Local ultralow-profile mining machinery and equipment supplier CMTI Consulting’s MT100 ultralow-profile mining machine has successfully operated for more than 500 hours at several gold and platinum mines throughout South Africa, CMTI Consulting MD Dr Danie Burger tells Mining Weekly. The MT100,... →
Council for Geoscience advances shale gas research in the Karoo
By: Ilan Solomons 4th February 2016 The Council for Geoscience (CGS) has embarked on a three-year research programme involving a range of geoscientific investigations associated with the drilling of a vertical deep-core borehole to better conceptualise some of the geological issues related to potential shale gas resources in South... →
‘Frack mining’ mooted as a future mining innovation
By: Ilan Solomons 29th January 2016 Miners currently face many challenges, from low commodity prices to the exhaustion of accessible high-quality orebodies and high development costs. However, by drawing on the oil and gas industry’s process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, miners may have new ways to tackle those problems... →
Merger enables engineering firm to weather tough market conditions
By: Nadine James 22nd January 2016 Metallurgical engineering company MDM Engineering has kept its head above water and has been able to secure new contracts despite the depressed market conditions in the mining industry, MDM executive director and founder George Bennett tells Mining Weekly. He attributes the company’s... →
Faster, easier access to orebodies
By: Mia Breytenbach 22nd January 2016 JSE-listed drilling solutions provider Master Drilling will not only exhibit but also launch a new technological advancement – a mechanised blind shaft boring system – at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, following a successful experience at the 2015 Cape Town-based event. Master... →
Supplier to feature LS250 MiniSonic in 2016
By: Kimberley Smuts 22nd January 2016 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 than four new products this year. The company aims to share these latest product... →
DTI invites local companies to participate in DRC expo pavilion
By: Megan van Wyngaardt 19th January 2016 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has invited South African manufacturers and exporters of mining equipment and related products and services to apply to participate at DRC Mining Week 2016, scheduled to take place on June 8 and 9 in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The... →
New geology software version due for release next year
27th November 2015 Mining solutions developer Maptek will release the latest version of its mine-planning software suit Vulcan 10 in the first quarter of 2016. Vulcan incorporates a dedicated geology package that features tools that enable geologists to access and view drillhole data, define geological zones and... →
Master Drilling expands European footprint 
By: Megan van Wyngaardt 25th November 2015 Drilling services provider Master Drilling International (MDI) has inked a €5-million deal that will see it acquire a 40% stake in Scandinavian raisebore drilling company Bergteamet Raiseboring Europe. This formed part of MDI’s long-term growth strategy and was an effective entry into the... →
Benefits of electronic detonation being realised
20th November 2015 Electronic detonators are fast becoming an integral part of effective mining processes across the world, says electronic initiation system designer DetNet marketing director Johann Smit. “[The benefits of] electronic blast [initiation] are being recognised worldwide,” he says, adding that using... →
Mining solutions provider introduces hard rock mining truck
13th November 2015 US-based mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global recently debuted the Joy 16TD hard rock mining truck, its newest offering for the global mining market. Based on the popular DT-1804 truck model, the 16TD features lower hood lines for improved visibility, a digital operator display, shorter... →
Increased volumes of mining, construction assets auctioned online
By: Mia Breytenbach 30th October 2015 Owing to the continued global and local economic challenges that the local mining industry faces, several mining houses are shifting their focus from growth and expansion to efficiency and cost control, says online mining and construction equipment auctioneering company Clear Asset. The slowdown... →
Company to launch underground mining machines
By: Bruce Montiea 30th October 2015 Ultralow-profile mining machinery and equipment supplier Centre For Machine Technology and Innovation (CMTI Consulting) will launch two underground mining machines next month. CMTI Consulting MD Danie Burger says the machines are still being developed and will be delivered to gold miner Sibanye... →
New pneumatic face advance and roof bolter rock drill systems launched
By: Ilan Solomons 9th October 2015 Local pump and rock drill manufacturer Scamont Engineering’s range of locally manufactured pneumatic rock drills and roof bolters, the Shova face advance and Shova roof bolter have the ability to significantly increase mining extraction volumes and improve the safety levels for rock drill... →
Master Drilling remains optimistic with headline earnings up, focused on diversifying
By: Megan van Wyngaardt 28th September 2015 JSE-listed drilling services provider Master Drilling has declared a 22.9% jump in headline earnings from 61c to 75c for the six months ended June 30. At its results presentation in Johannesburg on Monday, the group also noted a profit of $10.4-million, up by 11%, and cash generated from... →
Prevalent mining risks necessitate more protection measures, says consultancy
By: Mia Breytenbach 18th September 2015 The pervasiveness of key risks to mineworker health and safety, notably silicosis and fall-of-ground incidents, underscores that much still needs to be done to protect workers, states multidisciplinary consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting South Africa (SA). SRK Consulting SA... →
PROTECTION MEASURE The mechanisation or automation of drilling and other mining operations is a solution that could reduce miners’ exposure to silica dust
Aircore drilling starts at Fisher East
7th August 2015 ASX-listed exploration company Rox Resources has started an aircore drilling programme on the Fisher East nickel sulphide project located 500 km north of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia. The drilling programme, announced by the company last month, will test several strong electromagnetic (EM)... →
Assay results find significant zinc concentration
7th August 2015 ASX-listed metal producer Mungana Goldmines last month announced high-grade zinc results from previously unassayed diamond drill holes, within its Red Cap project area, 4 km from Mungana’s partially completed base metals concentrator at Chillagoe, in north Queensland. The drilling was done by... →
Updated Jorc mineral resource announced
7th August 2015 Australian strategic metals company Pilbara Minerals in June announced a significant increase in the Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant high-value lithium content of its Pilgangoora tantalum-lithium project, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The updated mineral resource includes... →
$2m drilling programme starts at Alaska Peninsula copper-gold project
By: Sashnee Moodley 17th July 2015 A drilling programme had started at the Alaska Peninsula copper-gold project, in south-west Alaska, explorer Millrock Resources reported on Thursday. →
Hydropower can effect 90% reduction in drilling energy
By: Bruce Montiea 17th July 2015 Hydropowered rock drills can reduce the drilling energy requirement of a mine by up to 90% compared to pneumatic systems, as they operate at more than twice the penetration rate of air drills. In addition, as hydropower is more energy-efficient, it also reduces the number of drillers in a working... →
Local company unveils Turkey-manufactured drill rig range
By: Ilan Solomons 10th July 2015 Local diversified information technology, mining and cooling solutions and products provider Troya Trading officially unveiled its new Geo 900 exploration drilling rig range to the local market at a company open day, in Midrand, last month. The drill rig was manufactured in Turkey by drilling... →
Fuel-efficient blasthole drill rig can drill larger holes
By: Mia Breytenbach 19th June 2015 Sweden-based construction and mining tools and equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco launched its PowerROC T50 surface drill rig, designed for use at limestone, cement and aggregate quarries, onto the African market earlier this month. The PowerROC T50 is a tophammer, blasthole drill rig that is... →
Miner confirms high-grade gold mineralisation
5th June 2015 Aim-listed Savannah Resources has defined an initial 65-million tons maiden inferred mineral resource estimate (MRE) at its Jangamo heavy mineral sands (HMS) project in southern Mozambique. Savannah CEO David Archer said in December that initial resource drilling was targeting two areas within... →
Downhole geophysics helps mines avoid costly mistakes
By: Bruce Montiea 8th May 2015 The profit margins of opencast mining have decreased, necessitating cost reductions while effcient production is maintained, says wireline-logging company Geoline Logging Services. Geoline manager Charles Gould states that most opencast mines tend to operate on a “best guess” basis in terms of... →
Simulation enhances preparation of mining learners
By: Donna Slater 1st May 2015 Using simulation facilities, such as mining environment mock-ups, coupled with electronic-learning (e-learning) techniques, holds significant benefits when training mining personnel, says mining services company Murray & Roberts Cementation. Murray & Roberts Cementation risk manager Tony... →
New shaft drilling method under development
By: Kimberley Smuts 17th April 2015 Body copy: Raiseboring and drilling services group Master Drilling is evaluating the possibility of drilling a shaft without bottom access, which could bring about “a radical change” in the industry, executive director Koos Jordaan tells Mining Weekly. He explains that, traditionally, raiseboring... →
Obtaining social licence a manageable challenge for emerging miner
By: Kimberley Smuts 17th April 2015 Obtaining a social licence to operate is one of the main challenges faced by emerging miner Wesizwe Platinum, which is sinking the main shaft of its Bakubung mine, on the western limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Wesizwe corporate affairs and investor relations executive Hamlet Morule tells... →
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