Victor Moolman

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Victor Moolman

Victor Moolman is a Creamer Media Writer for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.

Tel: +2711 622 3744

Regulatory certainty could boost industry growth in Africa

25th November 2016 African oil and gas extraction operations are dealing with the effects of a lower oil price – at $46.90/ bl as opposed to $139.05/bl in 2008 – high operational costs because of accessibility, the slowdown in economic activity and, consequently, lower oil and gas demand. →

New technology laboratory opens in Johannesburg

18th November 2016 Last month, education consultancy Sangari launched the Life Sciences Lab and the Land Rover 4 x 4 in Schools Technology Challenge at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre science museum, in Johannesburg. →

SCIENCE LABORATORY The Sangari Life Sciences Lab allows students to experience experiments at their own pace

More adjudicators needed for new regulations

18th November 2016 With the implementation of the Prompt Payment Regulation and Adjudication Standard for construction contracts imminent, multidisciplinary consulting firm MDA Consulting laments the lack of adjudicators in the industry to deal with disputes. →

Photo by Duane Daws
CONSTRUCTION DISPUTES Disputes between construction contractors, employers and subcontractors will soon be handled by adjudicators

PROTEC opens more education centres

18th November 2016 South African nonprofit organisation PROTEC opened two new education centres in Gauteng, on June 6, 2016, in Ebony Park, Midrand, and on October 3, 2016 at the Soweto Empowerment Zone, with plans to open another in Atteridgeville, in Pretoria, next year. →

PROTEC CENTRE The centres provided by PROTEC include some of the latest technology

Final position on regulations requires greater impetus

11th November 2016 Although government has shown a willingness to consider the concerns raised by industry regarding the recently promulgated Financial Provisioning Regulations under the National Environmental Management Act (Nema) and softening some of the “hard edges”, greater urgency in establishing a clear... →

MINE ACIDITY The new regulations should help to decrease the acidity of the acid mine water discharge from mines that have been closed

Toolbox to guide mine closure, rehabilitation

11th November 2016 The rehabilitation toolbox for the closure and rehabilitation of mining operations being developed by engineering and infrastructure advisory services company Aurecon aims to enable a mine’s management to plan effectively for and mitigate the environmental and community impact of a shuttered... →

S Africa behind global curve

11th November 2016 South Africa is behind the global curve when it comes to the integration of mine closure and rehabilitation in the mining life cycle with the historical approach of mining companies being to focus predominantly on driving production, state consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting. →

ABANDONED MINE A typical extraction at an abandoned and derelict asbestos mine

Bearings manufacturer completes upgrades at the Port of Saldanha Bay

4th November 2016 Split roller bearing specialist OE Bearings installed 500-mm-diameter split bearings last month on the third of three stacker reclaimer bucket wheels at the Port of Saldanha Bay, in Western Cape. →

SALDANHA BUCKET WHEEL Three of the bucket wheels at Saldanha Bay have been fitted with new split roller bearings from OE Bearings

Industrial supplier receives authorisation

4th November 2016 Industrial equipment supplier Bearings 2000 has been appointed as an ABB authorized value provider for Dodge mounted bearings, gearboxes and power transmission products. →

Photo by Duane Daws
DODGE CERTIFIED DISTRIBUTOR Bearings 2000 is an authorised value provider for Dodge bearings

Equipment supplier adapts to meet industry needs

21st October 2016 Mining equipment supplier Tenova Takraf Africa is offering junior miners in the surface mining industry a tailor-made package that will help new mining operations produce State-owned power utility Eskom-grade coal. →

BRADFORD BREAKER The coal breaker has and its support structure have been designed for easy relocation to a new mining area

GPS-enabled surface miners to launch in South Africa

21st October 2016 Industrial equipment supplier Vermeer expects to soon make its GPS-enabled precision surface miner available for sale to the South Africa market, following positive test results at a local coal mining operation. Vermeer application specialist Paul van Helden says precision surface miners can be... →

Increased interest in machine tools trade exhibition

14th October 2016 With the machine tools market having grown significantly over the past few years, exhibition specialists Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery plans to expand Machine Tools Africa by extending it from one hall at the Nasrec exhibition centre, in Johannesburg, to two halls in 2017. →

Photo by Duane Daws
MACHINE TOOLS Machine tools, such as CNC machines, will be exhibited at Machine Tools Africa in 2017

Shaftless conveyor system repairs to be completed before year-end

30th September 2016 Materials handling solutions provider Spiral Tech Screw Conveyors expects to complete repairs to the triplex shaftless spiral conveyor systems at platinum miner Impala Platinum’s (Implats) Marula mine, in Rustenburg, before the end of the year. →

Photo by Victor Moolman
EFFORTLESS WORK Shaftless screw systems can handle aggressive materials with ease owing to the hardened materials used

Local roller manufacturer expands into new markets

30th September 2016 South African conveyor, roller manufacturer and distributor Megaroller expects its new manufacturing plant outside Toronto, in Canada, to be operational from mid-November. Megaroller is expanding its footprint into North America, launching its Canadian distributorship at this year’s MINExpo... →

Photo by Victor Moolman
ADRIAN EVANS Depending on the operating environment, rollers manufactured by Megaroller last longer than standard steel rollers operating in the same environment

Certification enables company to work on rail projects

9th September 2016 Metal fabricator Fabrinox received the EN 15085 certification last month. This enables the company to work on rail infrastructure projects in South Africa, the rest of Africa and European Union (EU) countries. →

Photo by Bloomberg
WELDING QUALIFICATION Fabrinox has been awarded EN 15085 certification, which enables the company to work on railway projects

SAIW continues to make significant contributions to education

9th September 2016 Despite there being a decline in enrolments in inspector and competent persons courses for welding, the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) continues to be well positioned to make a significant contribution to capacity building through its education and training programmes. →

WELDER TRAINING The welding industry has slowed down amid the slow-moving economy

Welding industry seeks new alternatives

9th September 2016 With fewer projects being available in the power generation and petrochemical sectors, South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) executive director Sean Blake says that for those seeking welding industry opportunities alternative sectors have to be considered. →

TRAIN FABRICATION Train manufacturing is a possible alternative for the welding industry

Zimbabwe mining potential not fully realised

2nd September 2016 The full potential of gold mining in Zimbabwe has yet to be reached, says gold producer Metallon Corporation, which believes the future of the country’s mining industry is bright. →

GROUP FIRST The Shamva mine, near Harare, is the first mine in the Metallon group to employ full-time contract workers

RHA tungsten mine LoM to be confirmed

2nd September 2016 The RHA underground tungsten mine, in Zimbabwe, has a forecast eight-year mine life, but a resource upgrade, which is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, should “more accurately” assess the life-of-mine (LoM). →

PROJECT ADVANCMENT Plant upgrades have been completed at the RHA tungsten project, which produced its first concentrate last year

LSFB demand shows steady growth

12th August 2016 The use of light steel frame (LSF) building has been growing steadily for the last seven years, partially owing to architects looking for alternative building methods to overcome the inefficiencies of conventional masonry building, says the Southern African Light Steel Frame Building Association... →

Enamel steel cladding supplied to new ATC tower

12th August 2016 South Africa-based Vitrex’s vitreous enamel steel cladding has been used at the new air traffic control (ATC) tower in Muscat, in Oman, and can withstand the corrosive, abrasive and high saline coastal conditions. →

OMAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER The new air traffic control tower, in Oman, has been cladded with vitreous enamel steel cladding

Aus company involved with work at top South African projects

5th August 2016 Australian consulting company QCC Resources and process solutions company Mineral Technologies have discussed with Waterberg Coal Company (WCC), the lead partner of the Waterberg coal project, supplying the proposed mine’s coal handling and processing plant (CHPP). →

LC3 SPIRAL The new spiral from Mineral Technologies can provide two high-quality coal products

Mabesekwa, Mbeya coal projects march ahead

29th July 2016 The Mabesekwa coal mine, in Botswana, is at an advanced stage of the Mabesekwa Export independent power producer (MEIPP) project and will seek to secure its mining licence and agreements to supply electricity to the South African Coal Baseload IPP programme and the domestic Botswana Greenfield... →

Photo by Duane Daws
ROBUST LIFE EXPECTANCY The Mabesekwa mine's coal reserves are forecast to last well over 50 years

New Largo, Thabametsi top projects on coal analyst’s radar

29th July 2016 Coal mines are being built close to power stations to increase their profitability, says consulting service XMP Consulting senior coal analyst Xavier Prévost. Two such coal projects under development are diversified miner Anglo American’s New Largo project, in Mpumalanga, and mining company... →

WEALTHY WATERBERG The Waterberg area, in Limpopo, has more than 48-billion tons of coal in reserve

Elandspruit on track to deliver 200 000 t/m of coal

29th July 2016 Coal production at the Elandspruit mine, in Mpumalanga, is on track to reach 200 000 t/m run-of-mine (RoM) with the development of the colliery’s underground mining project, says coal mining and trading company Wescoal Holdings CEO Waheed Sulaiman. →

Photo by Victor Moolman
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Elanspriut reached its nameplate production capaity of 165 000 t/m by October 2015, but can produce more coal

Mines need to overcome current challenges in the near future

8th July 2016 The South African economy contracted by 1.2% quarter-on-quarter during the first quarter of 2016, dragged lower by the poor performance of mining and agriculture – the economy was also 0.2% weaker year-on-year. The performance of mining came amid a drop in volumes and weak commodity prices and... →

TRYING TIMES Mines have to improve operations to stay afloat in the global economy

African mining has potential to grow stronger

8th July 2016 Africa is the most mineral-rich continent in the world and has the potential to become a mining mecca, says global consulting firm KPMG. →

Photo by Bloomberg
CONDITIONAL SUCCESS Mining has a future in Africa if issues such as security, corruption and supply chains can be well managed and resolved

Ncondezi contractor, financing yet to be finalised

8th July 2016 Construction of the Ncondezi Power Company (NPC) coal-fired power plant and the Ncondezi coal mine, in the Tete province of Mozambique, is expected to start in the second half of 2017, once power developer Ncondezi Energy has finalised an engineering, procurement and construction contractor and... →

THERMAL COAL Coal mined at the Ncondezi openpit coal mine will be used to power the new Ncondezi power plant

Steel exporter adapts for changing steel landscape

1st July 2016 Owing to the global economic downturn, and tough and volatile trading conditions, steel distributor Building System Integration (BSi) Steel has continually adapted and modified its handling of the supply of steel products, to meet the demand in the sub-Saharan African markets. →

Conference celebrates 19 years of success

24th June 2016 The longest running rail conference and exhibition in Africa, Africa Rail, will mark its nineteenth year of existence, says international business to business media company Terrapinn. →

CONFERENCE Several conference will run concurrently with the Africa Rail 2016 event

Transport demand underestimated

24th June 2016 The number of passengers that could use rail transport has been grossly underestimated, says WSP Parsons|Brinckerhoff Africa (WSP) Transportation and Infrastructure divisional director Vishaal Lutchman. →

Photo by Duane Daws
RAIL SYSTEM Transnet is upgrading the freight rail infrastructure across South Africa

New US products showcased at Africa Rail

24th June 2016 New material testing equipment from US-based company MTS that can determine the strength and durability of rail infrastructure will be showcased at the Africa Rail 2016 conference and exhibition by laboratory equipment and services suppliers IMP Scientific & Precision. →

Photo by Duane Daws
WELD TEST Testing equipment provided by IMP test the strength of welds

Rail upgrade project largest in the world

24th June 2016 The new rolling stock procurement programme from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is the largest passenger rail and system upgrade in the world, says professional service firm KPMG. →

PRASA TRAINS The new trains that will work on the upgraded infrastructure system are larger and faster than previous trains

New lock washer and nut replace traditional fastening systems

17th June 2016 HEICO-LOCK wedge lock products can be used as replacements for traditional locking systems because of their ability to stay secure and in place even under the most extreme vibration and dynamic load applications, says fastener distributor The Fastener Factory MD Darryl Campbell. →

Company eyes increase in export sales

17th June 2016 Plastic manufacturer Easyhold is increasing its product offering to new markets as it foresees an increase in sales levels through exports. →

WALL PLUGS The Easyhold wall plugs can resist 122 kg of force

Clamps remain a trusted product across projects

17th June 2016 Distributor of connection systems for steelwork Structural Fixing Systems has been providing products from UK-based fastener systems manufacturer Lindapter for South African projects since 1976. →

GAUTRAIN Structural Fixing Systems has supplied the Gautrain project with Lindapter products

Air filter solution leads mining and industry expansion

3rd June 2016 Specialised engineering company RTS Africa has experienced significant success over the past 26 years while expanding into Mozambique and further afield in Africa. →

MOZAMBIQUE MATTERS RTS Africa has installed several air filtration systems in Mozambique, experiencing only technical challenges related to site constraints

New service centre helps to improve regional service

27th May 2016 Technical solutions provider Bearing Man Group (BMG) has recently opened its regional service centre (RSC) in Riverhorse Valley – one of Durban’s rapidly growing industrial hubs – in KwaZulu-Natal. →

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES The service centre enables young students to learn basic engineering skills

Consulting company creates innovative infrastructure solutions

27th May 2016 Engineers are continuously searching for more creative ways to design and complete infrastructure and other projects, says international engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV, which has in joint venture with Knight Piesold and Naidu Consulting completed the Ashley... →

Growing CSI project in KwaZulu-Natal

27th May 2016 More business and projects in KwaZulu-Natal has subsequently led to increased involvement in corporate social investment (CSI) projects there for international engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV. →

CRECHE EQUIPMENT Royal HaskoningDHV has supplied crèches in rural areas with equipment and furniture to help teach young children

Adequate environmental management systems boost health, safety

13th May 2016 An effective environmental management system (EMS) has to reduce the possible environmental damage caused by and the overall cost of a mine, as well as ensure that workers are safe and healthy, says mining industry consultant The MSA Group. →

ROBIN BOLTON Water, air and noise pollution, the loss of resources through spills or leaks, along with accidents and the impact on surrounding communities, are repercussions of not identifying risks timeously

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