Tag Archives: Booyco CXS

Booyco Electronics expands into Chile with gold mine installation

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South Africa-based proximity detection system (PDS) specialist Booyco Electronics has further extended its global reach with a recent contract at a surface gold mine in Chile.

According to Anton Lourens, CEO of Booyco Electronics, over 50 of its market-leading Booyco CXS systems have been installed on vehicles and other machinery on the mine. The installations followed a demanding testing phase which confirmed the customer’s trust in the technology, Booyco explained. The project was carried out in collaboration with Booyco Electronics’ distributor in the region – mining and industrial technology company Insucam.

“South America is a key focus in our drive to open markets abroad, so we are excited about the take-up of our latest CXS offering in that region,” Lourens says. “Safety on site is always a core concern for mines, and we value the opportunity to help them ensure that all their teams get home safely at the end of every day.”

Carlos Pinto Reyes, Business Development and New Technologies Manager at Insucam, says the customer analysed several systems in the market, finding that the Booyco CXS gave them the greatest reliability.

This latest generation offering is built on Booyco’s role in developing PDS solutions for over 15 years. Ongoing product improvement has allowed the company to continuously enhance its features and functionality, creating a best-in-class product, it says.

“After the installation of the Booyco Electronics CXS systems, every operator on the mine is aware of the exact location of machines and their distance away,” Pinto Reyes says. “They are quickly alerted to any possibility of collision, as the system tracks the trajectory, speed and position of each machine. Operators also appreciate how intuitive the system is, while not overwhelming them with persistent sounds.”

He highlights that the Booyco Electronics CXS uses direct GPS signals from three constellations of satellites to determine spatial positions, so it is not reliant on the GPRS coverage used by mobile phones. This is an important advantage for mines located in remote areas without reliable GPRS signal.

Lourens emphasises that the success of Booyco Electronics has been based on its high level of support wherever its products are installed, through which it builds long-term relationships.

“We therefore partner with credible companies like Insucam, with the requisite technical skills, resources and footprint to ensure the optimal performance of our PDS products,” he says.

Insucam has over a decade of experience in systems to improve the operation of mining machinery, and serves customers in South American countries including Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.

The technology advances made by Booyco Electronics’ CXS solution elevates it from being a warning system only to being a fully-fledged collision avoidance system – avoiding collisions between vehicles or between pedestrians and vehicles. It therefore provides a comprehensive and integrated response to Level 7, Level 8 and Level 9 safety levels – as defined by the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT).

Booyco expects further global proximity detection tech growth

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Proximity Detection System (PDS) specialist, Booyco Electronics, says it is continuing to grow its global footprint, securing key relationships with miners and service providers outside of its native South Africa in the last half decade.

Having recently made export development a strategic imperative, the company is seeing enthusiastic uptake of its technologies, according to Booyco Electronics CEO, Anton Lourens.

“These are exciting times, where we are already doing business in Southern Africa, West Africa, South America and Australia, while seeing considerable interest from countries in Europe and North America,” Lourens says. “Expanding our footprint has been made possible by building strong relationships with experienced channel partners who serve and know these mining regions.”

Booyco Electronics’ journey into international markets began many years ago through its involvement with the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT), Lourens noted. This global initiative of major mining companies guides best practice in minimising vehicle interactions and collisions.

With South Africa leading the world in regulating this space, Booyco Electronics was, and still is, able to contribute valuable insights to this global forum, it says.

“When we began designing our latest Booyco CXS generation of collision avoidance technology, we developed a solution that would lend itself to application in international markets,” Lourens says. “We then identified and engaged reputable partners who understand their customer base and are technically capable of supporting our innovative product line.”

The latest generation CXS system is a comprehensive and integrated proximity detection solution, taking a step beyond being just a warning system to become a “true collision avoidance system”, he says.

The first Booyco PDS system exported from the South Africa facility was installed in Madagascar about five years ago. This has been followed by further international installations in Ghana, Namibia (at B2Gold’s Otjikoto gold mine) and Chile.

“With our focus on developing safety equipment that ensures every employee returns home safely every day, we collaborate with responsible, diligent partners who apply their technical resources to realising that vision on individual mine sites,” Lourens says.

Key relationships have been established with Australia-based RCT, Ramjack Technology Solutions and Insucam. RCT has operations in 70 countries, Ramjack Technology Solutions provides system integration services globally and Insucam has a strong South American footprint, Booyco says.

“While our channel partners support the technology and the end customer, there is also significant value-add in our collaboration as our partners are already experts in automation, remote control and interfacing,” Lourens says. “Their experience in on-mine implementation opens doors to integrating our various technologies to the customers’ benefit. We can even incorporate their technologies into our solutions.”

Positioning Booyco Electronics well for its global growth is its familiarity with most mining environments, and its ability to address the various scenarios specified by EMERST in its protocols and guidelines.

“We have now been able to enhance this offering by adapting our machine displays and text to different languages to suit new markets, including our manuals and training materials for technicians,” Lourens says. “We also provide training – online as well as in person, where possible – to our channel partners. To do this, we leverage the power of video while also experimenting with innovations like body cameras for the more technical aspects of learning and on-site fault finding.”

Mining professionals in many countries are still relatively new to PDS, as regulations have not required the implementation of this technology previously, according to Lourens. This has led to Booyco Electronics focusing extensively on information and training tools that familiarise the international mining sector with the value of this technology.

It is clear, Lourens says, that PDS technology has much to offer mines globally, especially as mining operations seek digital integration that will continuously improve safety and productivity.

South Africa coal mines continue proximity detection rollout, Booyco Electronics says

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South Africa-based proximity detection system (PDS) specialist Booyco Electronics says it is continues to grow its footprint in the domestic coal mining sector as more mines work towards “Level 9” compliance.

According to Booyco Electronics CEO, Anton Lourens, the scale of recent orders from underground collieries and open-cast operations are testament to the company’s leadership in the sector.

“We support an extensive population of our proximity detection equipment on trackless mining machines (TMMs) in coal mines and expect to see enthusiastic take-up of our new-generation Booyco CXS product,” Lourens says. He highlights that the customer base includes not only the Mpumalanga coalfields, but also those in KwaZulu-Natal province – supported by the company’s network of branches including Witbank and Richards Bay.

Regulations currently demand that any electrically-powered TMM in an underground mine must be equipped with a PDS, but many coal operations have a combination of diesel and electric units. He emphasises that the regulatory framework will soon enforce Level 9 requirements – with more advanced collision avoidance capability – for both diesel and electric TMMs.

“We are working closely with many OEMs and mining customers on aligning and testing our respective equipment for Level 9 compliance,” he says. “It should be remembered, however, that the industry still has considerable work to do on the application of PDS technology to surface diesel TMMs, which pose a range of technical challenges.”

An active participant in the mining industry’s Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT), Booyco Electronics says it collaborates extensively with stakeholders to support mines’ safety and compliance efforts.

“Coal mines have a key role to play in the testing and application of collision avoidance systems, as the industry upgrades to ever-more effective safety protocols,” Lourens says. “The Booyco CXS consolidates all we have learnt in our 15 years in business, taking that vital step from a warning system to a fully-fledged collision avoidance system.”

He highlighted that the Booyco CXS retains the intrinsically safe technology of previous generations, making it more cost effective and generally easier to manage. “The common alternative to intrinsically safe equipment is for suppliers to add a flameproof enclosure to house the PDS, which tends to be heavy and impractical,” he says.

Another contribution to safety and productivity is the Booyco Electronics Asset Management System (BEAMS) – a central information hub for a mine’s PDS assets. Centralising information from PDS hardware and monitoring devices, BEAMS enhances operations by identifying patterns of unsafe behaviour that can be promptly addressed, according to the company.