A new double drum mine hoist has recently been shipped by Qualter Hall to the Imiter silver mine in Morocco. Qualter Hall secured the contract, awarded by the mine owner Managem and operator Societe Metallurgique D’imiter (SMI) Casablanca, for the design, manufacture, supply, supervision of installation and commissioning of one 175 kW double drum hoist, complete with DC motor, in December 2010. The hoist weighs approximately 15 t, with a diameter of 1,600 mm and a rope speed of 4 m/s; designed to carry 8 t at any one time.

It will be used to transport men and materials within the Imiter mineshaft to a depth of 400 m.  One of the drums is clutched so that the hoist can operate at different levels in the mine. Imiter is situated in central Morocco, which provides enough ore to produce around 200 t of silver each year. The mine is the largest silver mine in Africa and the ninth largest in the world. Representatives of Managem visited Qualter Hall for the final stages of testing. The hoist was given approval and is due to arrive in Morocco by end-December 2011. Two engineers from Qualter Hall will follow it in the New Year for the installation, testing and final commissioning stages, expected to last four weeks and due to be completed by March 2012. George Orton, Managing Director, Qualter Hall commented: “While over more recent decades, Qualter Hall has diversified its core engineering skills, the company has a heritage in servicing the deep mining industry that goes back over 150 years, so we are always delighted to have the opportunity to take on work that falls into this specific area of expertise.”