South Africa-based explosives leader BME has taken another step in its global expansion by supplying its market-leading AXXIS electronic detonators to customers in the US.
According to BME managing director Joe Keenan (pictured), the company is already active with shipments of AXXIS detonators to customers in Atlanta and Texas, and the introduction of a number of BME’s other products and services is soon to follow.
“Our range of highly stable emulsion formulations has also been approved by the necessary authorities, and these will soon be available to the US market,” Keenan said. “We expect considerable interest from users and distributors alike as we unveil our offerings to this market.”
Keenan highlighted that much of the anticipated initial demand is likely to come from large existing customers who have experience of working with BME in Africa and Australia – and who also have US operations that could benefit from BME’s offerings. Providing a base for BME’s US presence is its recently opened office in Denver, Colorado.
The company took its first steps into the US market last year with a number of successful test blasts making use of its digital initiation system, blast planning software and electronic detonators.
“We expect that the powerful features of the AXXIS system and its user-friendly interface are going to prove as attractive to this new market as they are in our existing markets,” he said. “Our immediate plans for the US market are to establish and develop our distribution network for the AXXIS system and emulsion explosives – to develop customer relationships in mining, quarrying and construction.”
BME’s emulsion products, developed over the past three decades, will be toll manufactured in the US to BME’s specifications. The company’s emulsion technology, production capacity and customer service culture has made it one of the largest explosives suppliers to Africa’s open-pit mining sector.
BME’s AXXIS system has been behind the world’s largest surface blasts, measured by the number of electronic detonators fired in a single blast. At Zambia’s Kansanshi Mine – the largest copper mine in Africa – 6,690 electronic delay detonators were successfully initiated in one blast last year using AXXIS.
Electronic detonation has become increasing popular due to its reliability, accuracy and flexibility, making blasting practice more predictable and allowing for larger and more cost-effective blasts.