All posts by Paul Moore

FLSmidth acquires mill services specialist Farnell-Thompson Applied Technologies

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing

FLSmidth has acquired 100% of the shares in the Canadian grinding mill engineering, supply and services provider, Farnell-Thompson Applied Technologies Inc. Its offerings will be integrated into FLSmidth’s core Mining business. The acquisition is effective immediately.

Farnell-Thompson is a global supplier of engineering services, parts and mills to the mining industry. The company already has a long-standing business relationship with FLSmidth. The majority of Farnell-Thompson’s revenue and earnings are generated through the supply of mill engineering services, sale of new mills as well as of spare parts and other services to the company’s customer base, which consists of approximately 70 mills worldwide. Prior to the acquisition Farnell-Thompson has been a consulting partner providing these services to FLSmidth for many years. Consequently, a seamless integration of the new business and staff is anticipated.

“This acquisition is fully aligned with our Mining CORE’26 strategy, which includes targeting service growth through strategic investments and prioritisation. I am therefore very pleased to welcome Farnell-Thompson and its employees to FLSmidth. We have for long enjoyed the skills and competences of the company as a dedicated business partner. By fully joining forces, we will further strengthen our market-leading position within milling and grinding,” said Mikko Keto, Group CEO of FLSmidth.

 

AngloGold Ashanti introduces its first 100% electric vehicle for underground operation in Brazil

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mine ventilation, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining

AngloGold Ashanti continues its journey towards net zero with the introduction of a 100% electric loader at the Cuiabá Mine in Sabará, Minas Gerais. The initiative is in line with the company’s decarbonisation strategy to achieve a 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, from a 2021 baseline and is part of the journey to net zero Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2050.

Compared to the traditional diesel version, the new Epiroc Scooptram ST14 SG is zero carbon. Running on battery power, the miner says the loader will reduce diesel oil consumption by approximately 9,120 litres per month, which corresponds to a reduction of 500 kg in CO2 emissions during a six-hour shift and a 285-ton reduction over the course of a year.

The fleet electrification project is to be expanded to Cuiaba Mine’s other loaders after this pilot test phase. The equipment has the potential to bring an 8% increase in loading productivity, as a result of the gain in speed and displacement generated by the instantaneous torque. It also has systems with minimal heat and noise emission rates, increasing employee safety.

The Cuiabá complex includes the Cuiabá and Lamego underground mines and the Cuiabá and Queiroz plants. Ore from the Cuiabá and Lamego mines is processed at the Cuiabá gold plant. The concentrate produced is transported by aerial ropeway to the Queiroz plant for processing and refining. Total annual capacity of the complete Cuiabá circuit is 1.75 Mt. The Queiroz hydrometallurgical plant also produces around 1900,000t of sulphuric acid as a by-product, which is sold commercially in local Brazilian markets.

Metso’s pump operations gain momentum in South America

Base metals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Industrial minerals, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining

In the past few years, Metso has made significant investments in its slurry pump capabilities in South America by establishing pump assembly and competence centres in Peru and Brazil. These regional Metso Pump hubs serve mining customers by offering a full range of slurry handling solutions with shorter lead times and reduced transport-related CO2 emissions.

“Our investments in our regional pump hubs have paid off. Our customers get fast access to our experts and the whole breadth of our pumps offering. As examples of some of the latest orders, I’d like to mention this quarter’s record-breaking order of nearly 100 pumps for an iron ore mine and another major order for a copper mine in 2023, including a significant number of horizontal and vertical slurry pumps. A key enabler of these sales has been our comprehensive technical and service support, as well as our quick delivery times, effective collaboration, and competitive prices,” says Eduado Orsi, Manager, Pump Application and Sales at Metso in Brazil.

“Slurry handling is vital in maximising productivity and efficiency of minerals processing plants. Our offering has been designed to serve our customers’ needs for effective slurry handling. In addition to the major growth in new pump equipment orders in South America, customers are increasingly interested in our aftermarket offering, including our agreement-based services. To support our customers, we have strengthened our regional supply chain and assembly capacity, as well as application and engineering resources. Metso will continue to invest in slurry handling capabilities in South America and other key market areas,” says Kalle Sipilä, Vice President, Pumps business at Metso.

Metso offers complete solutions for slurry handling, including equipment and parts, as well as optimisation and maintenance services. The equipment offering includes slurry pumps, pipes, hoses, valves and hydrocyclones.

West African Cat dealer Neemba signs distributor agreement with FuelActive

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining

Neemba, the Cat dealer for 11 countries across West Africa, has become a distributor for the innovative FuelActive fuel pick-up system, which ensures that fuel is taken from the top of the fuel level rather than from the bottom of the tank, where over 95% of contaminants reside.

By using only the cleanest fuel, sensitive engine components are protected and operators can achieve a 3-5% fuel economy improvement, with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. Using clean fuel also maximises the operating life of filters, pumps and injectors, reducing operating costs for customers and cutting the risk of unexpected downtime.

The UK-based company, which has extensive experience in the mining and construction sectors around the world, initially started working with a customer in West Africa over 18 months ago. In collaboration with Neemba, FuelActive was installed on a number of Cat 777s as part of a trial. Six months later and with over 100,000 data points Neemba has decided to sign an exclusive five-year deal to distribute FuelActive to customers across its territories in West Africa.

FuelActive will supply up to 20 different fuel pick-up systems, to suit a range of Cat products suited to mining applications including motor graders, rigid haul trucks, excavators and shovels, along with many of Cat’s larger dozers. Additional systems will be added as required and FuelActive will also supply a range of products for Neemba’s broad range of construction & power generation equipment.

“We are delighted to have signed this agreement with FuelActive,” said Neemba Deputy CEO Denis Paput. “We always strive to provide our customers with the highest quality equipment and with leading, innovative technologies, that will make a positive impact on their business. The FuelActive system delivers improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and, in countries that don’t always have the highest quality fuels, it will ensure that engine component life is maximised.”

Neemba will carry stock of the systems within its parts supply chain across the region. FuelActive is also training Neemba’s service engineer team, to ensure that the company can install and support customers across a range of machinery. Neemba says it has a clear focus on offering its customers the very latest ESG technologies and FuelActive is an important part of that strategy.

The company has been a Cat dealer for more than 90 years, although it only adopted the Neemba company name recently, having separated from the JA Delmas network. The name derives from Mount Nimba, one of the highest peaks in West Africa, underlining the company’s drive to always offer customers the very highest level of service excellence.

“Central to our strategy is the empowerment of our employees,” said Paput. “By focusing on continuous learning and development initiatives we acknowledge that our people are our most valuable asset in driving innovation and excellence throughout Africa.”

Max Lytle, CEO of FuelActive: “Since we entered the mining sector the most common customer comment after a successful pilot is to ask why Cat dealers don’t supply it. This represents a very credible step in achieving this goal. We are proud to partner with Neemba who obviously place such a premium on delighting customers, proactively researching innovative carbon reduction initiatives.”

FuelActive’s Mining Sector Director Thomas Michaelson-Yeates also welcomed the distribution deal, adding: “Neemba is well established as the leading heavy machinery distributor across West Africa and we are proud and delighted that they have recognised the potential benefits of the FuelActive system for their customers. Our easy to install, patented fuel pick-up system ensures that only the cleanest, uncontaminated fuel is drawn from the tank. It will deliver improved fuel consumption, reduced carbon emissions, along with engine and component longevity, offering a rapid return on investment for operators in the field. We look forward to working together, to bring a reduction in operating costs, an increase in machine uptime and a benefit to the environment, across the West Africa region.”

Caterpillar and Simformotion™ LLC extend Global Licensing Agreement for Cat® Simulators

Bulk handling, Careers in mining, Mining equipment, Mining people, Mining services, Mining software

Simformotion™ LLC, a leader in simulation training solutions, has announced the extension of its agreement with Caterpillar to deliver heavy equipment training simulators around the world. It says the agreement underscores a commitment to training the world’s heavy equipment operators with state-of-the-art Cat® Simulators and the importance of their partnership in producing innovative training options.

The collaboration provides Simformotion with continued access to Cat technical data, product engineers, and operator experts, which enables Simformotion to create accurate and realistic operator training in Cat Simulators. “For the last 15 years, we’ve been working together to develop Cat Simulators for the construction, mining and forestry industries. We will continue our focus of using technology to design Cat Simulators that directly affect safety training, increase operator productivity and reduce machine maintenance costs for years to come,” says Lara Aaron, Simformotion CEO.

The latest training simulator systems include the Backhoe Loader and Hydraulic Mining Shovel which feature authentic Cat controls and the ability to convert models from one to another on the same base unit. Companion curriculum, SimScholars™, are available for each model. The online curriculums are a one-to-one match to Cat Simulators training exercises and include instructor guidance, videos, lessons, quizzes, and more, which can be used in the classroom or remotely. Caterpillar and Simformotion say they are committed to using simulation technology to elevate heavy equipment training, increase safety, and reduce machine wear and tear.

Oyu Tolgoi’s C2S starts to come together as first conveyor belt pull goes ahead

Base metals, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services

Copper and gold mine Oyu Tolgoi recently marked the beginning of its C2S underground conveyor belt commissioning in Mongolia with the posting on February 24 of an informational video on the project to coincide with the first belt pull. Delgerdalai Lkhamsuren, Senior Manager Construction at MCS Property LLC, which has been carrying out underground facilities development for Oyu Tolgoi since 2016 commented: “Today is a big day for us. MCSP started working on the construction of the conveyor to surface (C2S) project in 2022. It is a big project that involves a lot of people. It is a huge conveyor system that is 6.7 km in length from a depth of 1,300 m, capable of transporting 95,000 t/d of material.”

He adds: “Behind me you can see that the belt is being prepared for a pull up and flaked at the surface facility. Then the belt is pulled down the decline conveyor for about 2.2 km. The decline is at an 18 degree incline angle which can be compared to pulling from the regular inclination of a mountain. Just 1 m of belt weighs about 112 kg, the belt at its overall length weighs about 320 t. This is a high risk task that is performed by many people based on engineering calculations, with pre-determined methodology and risk assessments. After all the risk mitigation controls are in place, the task is being performed…right now we are pulling the first ever belt and in total we will go through 6.7 km of belt ups. It should be noted that the task if being performed in cold weather, therefore the preparation works from an ambient temperature point of view are extra challenging. However, our team has made all possible preparations for this moment.”

The C2S system is a key component of the Oyu Tolgoi underground Material Handling System (MHS) and will be the main means of transporting ore from underground as well as providing direct access to the mine from the surface. The first phase, often called MHS1 entails production shaft 2 which has a production capacity of 25,000 t/d through the hoisting system. With the second phase, often referred to as MHS2, the conveyor to surface (C2S) system will take the mine to approximately 95,000 t/d of ore. The C2S system comprises three identical 2,202 m long, 1.6 m wide steel cord conveyors that will operate at 6 m/s.

Andrew Weir, Worley Commissioning Manager talked specifically about MHS2 and C2S project: “So the belt up of CVB2022 represents 14 months of planning and execution. That equates to 2,291 FICs or 176 CVC packs. Overall that equates to 23% of total completion for MHS2.” He said it has taken the collaboration of a number of companies to get to this this point – these include MCSP, Worley, FLS, Bubenzer, Siemens, Ampcontrol, ABB, Belle Banne, Tavan Ord, Energy International, Sempertrans, Syntron Material Handling and of course OT. He adds: “It’s been a fantastic effort to date – we still have a long way to go to get overall completion for MHS2, but this represents a significant milestone in our journey towards first ore for MHS2.”

These companies have supplied a range of technologies, services and products. Worley’s involvement with the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project began in April 2015, when it provided mine restart support services. In June 2016, it was then appointed to provide EPCM services for Oyu Tolgoi’s materials-handling systems and associated surface and underground infrastructure.

To detail some of the other companies involved, the main conveyor contract was originally awarded to thyssenkrupp in 2017, whose mining business was then sold to FLSmidth in 2022. The main components were four high-lift conveyors, each equipped with 1.6 m wide steel cord belts and dual 5,500 kW gearless drives from Siemens, and one of these Siemens drives can be seen in the latest video. Siemens has also supplied a range of other electrical equipment such as transformers and switchgear as well as E-houses.

Siemens spun off its large drives business, including those for mining, in 2023 to new company Innomotics and its ASEAN & Taiwan CEO based in Singapore, Christian Dirscherl said recently of the project: “Innomotics is playing a key role in the implementation of our gearless conveyor drives in a cutting-edge underground material handling system at Oyu Tolgoi. This system will efficiently transport 95,000 tons of copper ore daily to the surface. Proud to be part of this innovative project.”

Ampcontrol has supplied a full range of electrical equipment to power the mine including jumbo, pump and fan starters, substations and distribution control boards. It has also provided a range of electronic monitoring equipment including iMAC conveyor control equipment. ABB has supplied motor solutions plus electrical installation services. US company Syntron Material Handling and Australia’s Belle Banne Conveyor Products have supplied the key conveyor components including rollers/idlers, belt cleaners and pulleys. Dellner Bubenzer is a major conveyor braking systems supplier. Tavan Ord supplies fire safety systems and is a distributor for Tyco and Energy International is a specialised energy consultancy.

Sempertrans has also made a significant contribution to the project, supplying nearly 21 km of conveyor belts. This includes approximately 15 km of its advanced ST6300 Transevo belts, which it says are known for their low rolling resistance and exceptional durability. Sempertrans told IM that its commitment to quality extends beyond product delivery, adding that its dedicated supervisors were on-site to ensure the precise splicing of most of the belts, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

Looking at the big picture, Oyu Tolgoi has also recently released its latest performance scorecard highlighting key performance metrics for the fourth quarter of 2023 and provided an update on underground mine production. Oyu Tolgoi continues the ramp-up of the underground mine safely ahead of plan with a total of 86 drawbells opened from Panel 0 as of 30 December 2023, including 14 drawbells during the fourth quarter. The operation is expected to ramp up to deliver an average mined copper production of ~500,000 t/y (100% basis) between 2028 and 2036. Construction of the conveyor to surface works continued to plan and was approaching 88% completion as at the end of December. Commissioning remains on track for the second half of 2024. Construction works for the concentrator conversion remains on schedule. Commissioning is expected to be progressively completed from the fourth quarter of 2024 through to the second quarter of 2025.

Cementation Canada and Dumas mark successful shaft milestones at Onaping Depth & La Colorada

Base metals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mine ventilation, Mineral project development, Mining safety, Mining services

Two global shaft sinking leaders recently announced the completion of major projects in the Americas. In Canada, Cementation Americas in late February said that its Onaping Depth Project team had completed the final shaft blast in the 7.2 m production winze for Glencore Canada at the Craig nickel mine, northwest of Sudbury, Ontario.

The new internal shaft is at an elevation of 2,635 m below surface, making it the deepest shaft in the Sudbury Basin. The company said this had set another record for Cementation in Canada, adding: “This significant milestone is a true demonstration of the unparalleled teamwork and performance our crews deliver. Cementation’s engagement on this project began over two decades ago. We are honoured to have contributed to this breakthrough and look forward to working with Glencore’s leadership and talented teams for years to come.”

Cementation Canada was awarded the design and construction of the new production winze (internal underground shaft) for the Onaping Depth Project at Craig Mine in 2018. The deposit is approximately 2,500 m below surface and is critical to the long-term sustainability of Glencore Canada’s operations in the Sudbury basin. Cementation designed and constructed the winze which was sunk from the 4025 Level of Craig Mine and is approximately 1.5 km horizontally from the existing Craig shaft.

Down in Mexico, Dumas has successfully completed the 5.5-m diameter Guadalupe ventilation shaft project to a depth of 580 m at the La Colorada silver mine in Zacatecas. This shaft is part of a larger project undertaken by Pan American Silver to provide enhanced ventilation to the underground environment, thereby improving the health and safety of the underground workforce while enabling production growth at Pan American’s flagship asset.

Dumas stated: “We proudly partnered with Pan American Silver and the project was completed safely with zero Medical Treatment Injuries, zero Restricted Work Injuries, and zero Lost Time Injuries. Our Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of 0.00 and Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) of 0.00 with over 337,000 hours worked displays the outstanding performance at all levels of the project team. This project is a representation of Dumas’ strong safety culture and our commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, values that we share throughout STRACON Group.”

 

Hitachi to begin verification of large hydraulic excavator Operator Assist System at Rio Tinto mine

Automation, Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining techniques, Steel and iron ore

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd (HCM) has developed an Operator Assist System aimed at supporting the digging and loading operations of ultra-large hydraulic excavators for improved operational performance and says it will conduct a verification test at one of Rio Tinto’s mine sites in Australia from late March 2024.

Through the application of the Operator Assist System, HCM says mine sites will benefit from reduced operator burden, improved mine site safety, increased productivity and reduced fuel consumption. The conducting of testing on a site operated by the mining giant will demonstrate the practical application of the Operator Assist System and will help to improve the accuracy of the system going forward.

Mines producing iron ore, copper and other mineral resources are required to provide stable operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and the operators of ultra-large hydraulic excavators at these sites are tasked with efficiently digging material and repeatedly loading them onto dump trucks, while carefully avoiding contact and collisions with surrounding machinery. Therefore, developing solutions which proactively support operators by reducing their workload, while enhancing site safety and productivity is a critical issue for the mining industry to explore.

The verification test will be performed at one of Rio Tinto’s iron ore mines in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Sensors, monitors and other equipment will be attached to a backhoe EX3600-7 ultra-large hydraulic excavator (operating weight of 360 t) to conduct a performance verification of digging and loading tasks by the Operator Assist System and verification of the usability of the monitor display installed in the operator cab.

Based on the verification at the mining site and through insights gained via collaboration with customers, such as through this partnership with Rio Tinto, Hitachi Construction Machinery aims to achieve practical application of the Operator Assist System in stages from 2025.

All of the functions of the Operator Assist System enable retrofitting support for the EX-7 series of ultra-large hydraulic excavator models EX2000-7 through to EX8000-7 (operation weight of 200 to 800 t), backhoe front specification machines to provide added value to customers for machines that they already own.

The Digging Assist function assesses the situation from the load on the hydraulic cylinder and the operation of the front attachment, detected by sensors to automatically improve control of the hydraulic excavator operation according to the situation. To efficiently excavate material, the amount excavated by each operation must be as optimal as possible. At the same time, when the bucket load during digging becomes excessive, the hydraulic circuit protection function activates to curtail additional digging force and intermittently redirect the operation of the front attachment. In this case, the load on the engine and the hydraulic system continues to be at the maximum level, which leads to decreased productivity due to lost work time and increased fuel consumption.

While experienced operators are able to judge the situation based on the movement of the front attachment and the sounds and vibrations emitted by the hydraulic circuit to reduce the cylinder load, inexperienced operators may be unable to skillfully achieve the same results. This function can automatically perform operations which reduce the cylinder load regardless of the operator’s level of experience.

The Loading Assist function automatically controls the front attachment when loading material excavated by an ultra-large hydraulic excavator onto the dump truck to help avoid collisions. Typically, the operator recognises the position, orientation and height of the dump truck body to turn the excavator upper structure and perform the loading work while operating the front attachment.

To avoid contact and collisions with the dump truck and surrounding structures during the loading work, the operator must combine the operation to raise the front attachment of the hydraulic excavator with the operation to swing the upper structure. This combined operation poses a high degree of difficulty for inexperienced operators and even experienced operators require a high level of concentration. Since this function automatically performs the operation to raise the front attachment, the operator can concentrate on just the swing operation, which reduces mental load on the operator.

In addition, the dedicated monitor installed in the operator cab of the ultra-large hydraulic excavator displays information such as the bucket payload and the hydraulic cylinder load of the front attachment, which helps the operator manoeuvre and assess the status of the machine.

Rio Tinto has been a longstanding, important partner company of Hitachi Construction Machinery and since August 2023, has been jointly conducting durability testing of the boom and arm for ultra-large hydraulic excavators.

Going forward, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group says it will strive to solve customer issues as ‘a true solutions provider’ to help increase safety and productivity and reduce the life cycle cost of customer machinery through collaboration with customers.

DRA builds on long relationship with Lynas Rare Earths’ Mt Weld with Expansion Project work

High tech minerals, Mineral processing, Mining maintenance, Mining project news, Mining services

With applications in electric vehicles, wind turbines, energy-efficient lighting, and other clean technologies, the growing global demand for rare earth elements is no surprise. More countries are turning to renewable energy, and the race to diversify the rare earths supply chain is becoming essential.

Lynas Rare Earths is the only significant producer of separated rare earths products outside China, providing an important alternative for manufacturers in technology markets including green technologies. DRA Global has been a key delivery partner in Lynas’ Mt Weld Rare Earths Project since 2008, providing bespoke engineering services, and recently summarised its work so far at the operation.

Lynas’ Mt Weld mine in Western Australia is one of the world’s premier rare earths deposits. Here Lynas mines and concentrates rare earth ore to produce a mixed rare earth concentrate for shipment to Lynas’ advanced materials plant in Malaysia.

DRA says its team members were involved in the original design and construction of the Mt Weld processing plant in 2009 and the subsequent upgrade in 2013. In 2023, DRA was appointed to deliver the resulting studies and detailed engineering design for the Mt Weld Expansion Project, currently in progress, working closely with the Lynas team.

Over the past 40 years, DRA has built a differentiated service offering around its strong EPCM and O&M capabilities. DRA gained extensive experience in the development of rare earth hydrometallurgical projects in Africa. These projects ranged from upfront beneficiation and concentration to the production of either rare earth oxides or chlorides or purified rare earths.

Although much of DRA’s experience was initially gained in Africa, the company has expanded that knowledge and expertise in the Australian rare earths industry over several projects. “It is this experience, combined with a trusted and proven relationship, that secured DRA this latest contract with Lynas. As the Mt Weld Expansion Project progressed from a high-level concept design into a detailed design, DRA remained agile in all aspects to ensure Lynas’ strategy was effectively executed.”

DRA adds: “The importance of a seamless transfer of project and client knowledge from the previous works to the current Expansion Project is something all parties were keenly aware of. Including key team members who have an established and respected relationship with Lynas is crucial in maximising insights and ensuring continuity on the project. This extended to DRA providing a design for each upgrade stage using the same team, allowing for information sharing across all stages, common reporting and project management.”

The Mt Weld Expansion Project includes a plant upgrade constructed adjacent to existing operations. All aspects of the design were considered to ensure operations could continue with the minimum impacts and construction could be safely executed near operations.

As the project is a brownfields plant, the design incorporates many inputs including 3D point cloud scans, LIDAR scans, and aerial photography. These items, supplemented by site visits and working with Lynas’ operations team, have resulted in a design that integrates well into the existing plant. DRA adds that its history in flotation concentrators has placed the company well to work with Lynas. The team’s experience in fine-grind tenacious flotation froths will see benefits for the operation. DRA is also involved in supporting the non-process infrastructure.

DRA concludes: “Rare earths projects are complex and challenging, requiring specialised skills and expertise in mining, processing, and environmental management. A trusted and innovative engineering partner can be the difference between failure and success. DRA has been that engineering partner for Lynas’ Mt Weld Rare Earths Project, providing high-quality design and engineering services, advanced technology and research capabilities, and strong ESG credentials. DRA has demonstrated its expertise and experience in delivering complex and challenging rare earths projects, while ensuring the best outcomes for its clients, stakeholders, and the environment.”

MacLean announces expansion of global sales, service & support footprint

Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services

As the mining world prepares to meet next week in Toronto for the annual PDAC convention, MacLean Engineering has announced the expansion of its global service and support platform, through the signing of three new in-country dealer agreements that will extend and enhance the company’s market reach in Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

The newly announced strategic alliances in South America and Africa will enable MacLean to offer its innovative underground mining vehicles and support services to the growing mining markets in these mining regions. Maclean has been operating in Latin America since the early 1990s, with branches in Peru and Mexico, along with in-country dealer partnerships in Chile (HRI), Ecuador (IASA), and Guatemala (Prosain). On the African continent, MacLean has been established in South Africa since the early 2000s, with branches in Parys and Phalaborwa, facilities and operations that continue to this day.

“With their strong local technical and commercial knowledge, we are confident that through these collaborations we can meaningfully expand the reach of our value proposition in the global mining industry for ground support, secondary reduction, and production support mining vehicles,” notes Stella Holloway, President, MacLean. “What’s more, we can also offer up battery electric mining vehicle (BEV) optionality across the majority of our product line, with 20+ models electrified to date, 60+ BEVs in the field, and 400,000+ hours logged since the launch of our Fleet Electrification program in 2016.”

“Latin America and continental Africa are significant growth regions for us, and they both have huge potential for mining development and equipment innovation,” remarks said Tony Caron, Vice President, Global Sales, Maclean. “We are excited to partner with Stewart & Stevenson, Machbert, and Kanu Equipment, three well-established and reputable companies that share our vision for providing safe and productive mobile equipment solutions to the underground mining sector around the globe.”

“We have been successful to date in growing our fleet presence outside of our home base in South Africa and have already expanded into underground mining hubs in Southern, Eastern, Central, and West Africa,” adds John-Paul Theunissen, General Manager, Africa, MacLean. “But to continue this growth curve outside of South Africa where we have an established branch network, we need to partner with in-country support specialists, so this is why our collaboration with Kanu Equipment makes so much sense as we pursue a common objective to support safety and productivity across the African mining sector.”

Stewart & Stevenson Colombia is part of the Kirby Corporación group of companies and has 234 employees in Colombia. It provides heavy equipment service and parts support coverage across Colombia through five branches, with clients in the mining, oil & gas, agriculture, transportation, marine and naval, construction and infrastructure sectors. Stewart & Stevenson will be the exclusive distributor of MacLean products in Colombia, as well as providing technical, spare parts, and training support.

Machbert has been providing sales and aftermarket support in the Brazilian mining sector for over 30 years. The company was founded in 1992 and has been the exclusive distributor of Furukawa Rock Drill in Brazil since 2014. Machbert also offers a range of other hydraulic accessories for excavators, such as compactors, crushers, shears, and drills. Machbert will be the exclusive distributor of MacLean products in Brazil and will provide technical support, spare parts, and training.

Kanu Equipment is a specialist in the supply and support of world-class earthmoving, mining, construction, road construction, agriculture, and forestry equipment. “With spare parts distribution centres across the continent, Kanu Equipment has the people and the infrastructure in place to deliver customer service & support to MacLean as MacLean expands its continental fleet footprint on the African continent in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania in particular.”