Tag Archives: India

Eriez-India

Eriez strengthens India mining presence with Somnium Management Consulting pact

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining people, Mining services, , , , ,

Eriez® has announce a new representative agreement with Somnium Management Consulting Pvt Ltd based in Delhi, India, that is aimed at furthering the company’s business in this key mining market.

According to Subhasis Das, Eriez Regional Sales Director-North Africa, Middle East, and South Asia, this partnership is poised to enhance Eriez-India’s ability to meet the distinct needs of the Indian mining and minerals market while simultaneously opening doors to new opportunities and market segments.

Abhishek Shukla, an industry professional with nearly two decades of experience in the Indian mining sector, spearheads Somnium Management Consulting Pvt Ltd. Shukla, a alumnus in mineral processing from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT/ISM), has amassed extensive professional experience, including pivotal roles at organisations such as Tata Steel, Metso Minerals, Ludowici/FLSmidth, and Derrick, Eriez says.

Following his tenure at Derrick, Shukla assumed the position of Director at Somnium Management Consulting, with a dedicated focus on delivering comprehensive mineral processing solutions to an underserved market.

Das says: “Abhishek’s extraordinary technical expertise, mining industry network and strong reputation position him as a driving force for transformation in the Indian mining market. We firmly believe that his partnership will enable Eriez to enhance our customer focus on this crucial market sector.”

IMARC 2023 organisers preparing for ‘grand slam’ event

IoT, Mining events, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The world’s mining and resource leaders are heading to Sydney, New South Wales, for the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) from October 31 – November 2 in what has become a “grand slam” event of the industry, globally, event organisers says.

IMARC Chief Operating Officer, Anita Richards, said this year’s event was looking to be the largest ever, with over 520 speakers from global giants such as BHP, Fortescue, MMG, Gold Fields, Wesfarmers, Worley, Perenti, IGO, the US Departments of Energy and Defense and the ICMM, coming together to collaborate on themes including digital transformation and innovation; sustainability, social value, environmental resilience, people and culture; trade, investment and project opportunities; and energy transition.

She said: “The mining and resources industry is evolving rapidly to meet the growing energy demands of today while developing the minerals needed for a decarbonised economy – under unprecedented scrutiny from communities, regulators and investors.

“IMARC 2023 comes at a time when explorers and miners are diversifying portfolios to align with future demand, triggering the highest level of M&A activity across both mining and METS we have ever seen.”

This year’s conference will see the return of the IMARC NextGen Program, which will provide an opportunity for 200 NSW school children to learn about the diverse and exciting mining and resources industry.

IMARC 2023 also features:

  • A special ESG focus on creating social value;
  • An extensive look at First Nations engagement, human rights and transparency;
  • A look at best-practice mine rehabilitation;
  • A global perspectives on heritage and environmental custodianship and economic development;
  • A return of the successful Balance for Better Program which promotes equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of the mining and resources sector.

Richards added: “Mining and resources have never been more important for sustainable economic, social and innovative development across the globe. We need more exploration and development to match surging demand for the critical minerals that are central to the global energy transition. IMARC 2023 is where the most important conversations are being held about how mining and resources can help achieve global development sustainably and equitably.

“IMARC is a key forum to address these challenges, and the global profile of the event is reflected in delegations already confirmed from India, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Chile, Mongolia, United States, South Korea, Japan, Germany and many more.”

At IMARC 2023 a range of new features have been added to the program. These include the Low Emission Technology Australia session to help accelerate innovation in the clean technology sector, the 4,000 sq.m IMARC Mining Pavilion with over 150 exhibitors present and the final of the Unearthed Global Innovation Games where the winners will be announced and their technology displayed.

IMARC 2023 will take place at the ICC Sydney from October 31 to November 2 and will be a celebration of what has grown into one of Australia’s biggest business events, with a record 8,500 delegates from over 120 countries, including upwards of 50 government delegations expected to attend, organisers say.

International Mining is a media sponsor of IMARC 2023 and will be in Sydney reporting on the event.

Metso expands crushing, screening manufacturing capacity in India

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Metso has extended its manufacturing capacity of mobile track-mounted crushing and screening equipment in Alwar, India, by opening new manufacturing facilities.

After the extension is complete, the total size of the Alwar factory is approximately 340,000 sq.m, adding 35% more capacity to the factory initially opened in 2008.

The Alwar factory has become one of Metso’s biggest manufacturing sites, employing approximately 1,300 people in total. The official opening took place on September 19, 2023, and production ramp-up to reach full capacity will continue until the end of the year.

The new factory showcases the most modern manufacturing practices, hosting several sustainability-driven functions like automated warehousing, automated assembly lines, modern painting lines and 13,000 solar panels installed to enable the increased energy production. After the extension, solar energy covers 85% of Alwar’s total power generation, which is maximum permitted as per state government guidelines.

“With the increased manufacturing capacity, Alwar becomes the major Metso site for increased domestic business in India and exports to Metso’s customers globally,” Markku Simula, President of the Aggregates business area of Metso. “Additionally, significant investment has been made in engineering and R&D resources, making it one of our key global engineering hubs.”

The Alwar factory will facilitate the manufacturing of several Metso Group brands. In addition to the mobile Metso Lokotrack equipment, the increased capacity in India will be used for the manufacturing of mobile McCloskey and Tesab equipment. At the same site, Metso is also producing wear parts and pumps for the aggregates and mining industries.

Metso books filter and pump orders from India iron ore projects

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , ,

Metso has been awarded orders to deliver concentrate dewatering filters and pumps to two iron ore projects in India. The combined order value exceeds €10 million ($11.01 million) and was booked in the Minerals segment’s June-quarter 2023 orders received.

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of the engineering, manufacturing and supply of several VPA pressure filters and filter feed pumps as well as spare parts.

Vijay Dhar, Vice President for Minerals Sales in the Middle East and India market areas at Metso, said: “We are pleased having been chosen to deliver the pressure filters to the two sites. The VPA filters are one of the most sustainable filters available and are classified as Planet Positive products because of their water and energy efficiency.”

Metso says its filtration portfolio consists of 15 different filter types and a comprehensive service offering for various mining and industrial applications, with more than 5,000 installations globally. The Larox® legacy is carried over in five filters in the portfolio. Over 80% of the Metso filters are part of the company’s Planet Positive portfolio.

Austin makes inroads in India with customised ULTIMA truck tray order

Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Austin Engineering says it has received purchase orders for four haul truck trays from a major iron ore producer in India, potentially opening up a substantial new market opportunity for its Asia Pacific business.

Austin has not sold truck trays into India before.

The truck trays in this order will be used in iron ore operations to demonstrate the benefits of the Austin design, however there is no commitment at this stage from the customer for further orders, the company said.

The customer’s full order requirement is for up to 165 trays across its various iron ore and coal mines. Iron ore truck trays are expected to have a service life of around four years before they will be required to be replaced.

The orders follow nine months of engineering work with the customer to develop a customised ULTIMA tray designed to be used without a steel wear liner and can, therefore, outperform the OEM unit in this application. The Austin tray is designed to deliver an additional circa 66,000 t/y of ore per truck with less downtime for maintenance to replace wear liners. This equates to a significant lift in overall tonnage delivered across the full operation per year, and additionally leads to a reduction in fuel and tyre usage, thereby reducing carbon emissions per tonne of ore delivered.

Austin’s Mainetrack condition monitoring software will be used to monitor the performance of all Austin trays deployed at the sites allowing wear rates to be accurately evaluated, the company said. Austin added the digital wear monitoring system to its service offering through its acquisition of Mainetec in 2022. Initially used on Mainetec’s excavator and dipper buckets, Austin has now configured it for deployment on its truck tray range.

The four trays are being manufactured in Austin’s facility in Batam, Indonesia, and are expected to be ready for delivery in the next six weeks. Austin has established a small team on the ground in India to oversee the delivery and assist with the use of the Mainetrack digital monitoring system.

The order for the four trays is expected to be completed by the end of July and will be settled ex-works Batam. The customer will organise transport from Batam to India using its own logistics system.

Austin CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton, said: “We are very excited to have this entry point into India as we continue to broaden our customer network across the Asia Pacific region. India is the world’s third largest iron ore producer, and we are pleased to have secured an order with one of the country’s major miners. It presents an important opportunity for Austin to market its customised equipment and the potential advantages it could bring the country’s iron ore sector. We also see India as a logical market expansion opportunity given our existing experience in the Australian iron ore sector.

“The Australian Government has vastly improved business access and trade opportunity with India through an elimination, reduction or phase out of tariffs, and we see a long-term future potential for Austin in this market.”

BEUMER Group and FAM ‘the right project partner for all challenges’, Hotz says

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining safety, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In June, BEUMER Group completed the acquisition of the FAM Group of Magdeburg, Germany, in the process, increasing its conveyor system and loading technology offering and becoming a significant player in the in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) space.

Close to six months after closing, IM put some questions to Stefan Hotz, Director Sales FAM Group, to find out how the integration of the two companies is going and how the transaction should strengthen the enlarged company’s market position in the minerals and mining sectors.

IM: Where – regionally – do you see the most opportunities in the mining sector for the integrated company to gain market share? South America has been a particularly strong market for FAM in the past; do you see this as a big opportunity for the integrated group?

SH: FAM – member of BEUMER Group – is one of the world’s leading full-range suppliers of bulk handling and processing systems. The customers come from more than 80 countries and the solutions are successfully in use everywhere. With BEUMER’s acquisition of the FAM Group, we were able to expand our portfolio to include bulk material handling, crushing technology as well as conveyor technology. Customers receive solutions from a single source with which they can work efficiently. In addition to engineering and project execution competences, FAM also brings the complete value chain, including after-sales service, to the BEUMER Group. This makes us a sought-after partner worldwide.

Of course, South America is a strong market, especially countries with iron ore and copper resources such as Brazil, Chile and Peru. For example, in Peru, the mining companies are transporting iron ore to the stockyards, which are often located at distances of several kilometres from the port. Callao Port, for example, is home to the most modern and largest ship loading terminal in the country. A reliable and safe connection for material transport is required, which at the same time ideally prevents the emission of particles into the atmosphere. Conveyors are the preferred solution here that can be individually adapted to the respective environmental and technical requirements and to the topography, as well as protect the environment from dust emissions.

IM: Are you expecting to increase your manufacturing capacity or acquire new premises to fulfil this demand, or do you have enough capacity to serve these growing markets in the near-to-medium term?

SH: The FAM Group has subsidiaries in Brazil, Chile, China, Canada and India. In addition, there are the numerous subsidiaries and agencies of the BEUMER Group. This means that we are very well positioned worldwide and can optimally serve these growing markets in the short to medium term. In our project business it’s a must to be, on the one hand, close to our customers but, on the other hand, using our global resource network and know-how to balance workloads. But, of course, we expand the network of our subsidiaries if we notice that we cannot serve certain regions with the desired reliability.

IM: Is the company already pursuing mining projects that involve the solutions/expertise of FAM and BEUMER Group? Can you elaborate on what type of projects these are and what solutions they involve (ie overland conveyors, bucketwheel excavators, spreaders, etc)?

SH: Yes, we are already in the process to support our mining clients from one hand, integrating FAM and BEUMER solutions. For example, we are working on one large project for gold extraction, where BEUMER is providing the long-distance overland conveyor and FAM supports the client with spreader technology to dump overburden. We have combined this with an attractive digitalisation and service package to ensure optimisation of the client’s total cost of ownership.

IM: With this transaction the company has effectively become a major player in the IPCC space. Do you see this as a major growth area for BEUMER Group going forward?

SH: In general, with this new setup, we expand our product portfolio and we are significantly strengthening our market position worldwide, especially in the field of large-scale mining equipment. But the most important thing is that we can provide our customers with even more comprehensive support over the whole value chain from pit to port, including digitalisation and service for our projects. Due to our many years of experience, we also support our clients in complex upgrade, lifetime extension and refurbishment jobs for existing machines. This means we avoid interfaces and customers now have only one contact.

IM: Do you see your ability to offer not only the solutions but also the engineering and design expertise underpinning these solutions as differentiating your offering from your competitors in the IPCC market? What other differentiators will serve you well in winning business in this market?

SH: I don’t want to say much about our market competitors, but I am sure that together with FAM we stand out positively from the market, specifically for continuous soft rock and overburden IPCC applications. Furthermore, we have long-term partners with whom we are serving the needs of our clients in terms of mine planning and pre-engineering. This ensures that we are defining  a solution for the client with a focus on CAPEX and OPEX optimisation. Specifically for IPCC applications, we are convinced of adding value during the first months of operation by providing integrated training and service packages to ensure successful implementation of continuous mining systems after commissioning. In doing so, the specialism is characterised in particular by distinctive engineering at a high level.

IM: What other areas of your business do you see growing with the need for mining companies to move away from their reliance on diesel-powered mobile mining equipment for material transport? Are you seeing more interest in your overland conveyor portfolio, for instance?

SH: Our belt conveyor systems are used successfully all over the world. They solve complex transport problems for any bulk material and are suitable in many cases as an economic alternative to truck transport. While the basic task – to transport bulk materials from the mine to the final discharge point – appears very comparable, no two systems are alike. The range of potential materials to be conveyed, alone, requires individual consideration of the components to be used in terms of wear resistance or the maximum permissible gradients of a conveyor. In addition, above all, the mass flow to be transported and the height to be overcome determine the dimensioning of the drive unit of an overland conveyor. Plants at high altitudes pose a further challenge. At altitudes above 4,000 m, as is often the case in the Andes for example, it must be taken into account that the air pressure and, thus, the density of the air decreases with increasing altitude. This reduces both the cooling effect and the insulating capacity of the air. We are the right project partner for all these challenges.

Metso Outotec to deliver Planet Positive milling, concentration and filtration tech to Kamoa

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , , , , , , , , ,

Kamoa Copper SA has selected Metso Outotec to supply key concentrator plant equipment to the company’s copper mining complex expansion in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the OEM reports.

Metso Outotec’s scope of delivery consists of Planet Positive processing equipment, including energy efficient HIGmill™ regrind mills (pictured) with polyurethane wear linings. The delivery also includes Larox® PF 60 Series concentrate filters and TankCell® flotation cells for the efficient recovery of valuables.

“One of the key missions for Kamoa Copper SA is to implement low-carbon technology to advance sustainable production of copper,” Charles Ntsele, Vice President, Minerals Sales for Metso Outotec in Africa, says. “Metso Outotec’s Planet Positive offering supports our customer’s ambition, allowing us to be a true partner for positive change.”

Early in July, Ivanhoe Mines, which owns 39.6% of Kamoa-Kakula, reported record producion in the June quarter of 87,314 t of copper in concentrate produced.

Metso Outotec also announced this week that it had signed an agreement with Larsen & Toubro Limited to supply four Symons™ cone crushers for an iron ore crushing and screening plant to National Mineral Development Corporation’s (NMDC) Kirandul complex in Chhattisgarh, Central India.

The new Symons cone crushers have advanced features that will make the customer’s operations more efficient and reduce maintenance efforts compared with earlier versions and to other equivalent crushers on the market, Metso Outotec says.

Strayos, Squadrone combine AI and drone mapping nous to optimise Indian mining sector

Automation, IoT, Mine surveying, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

US-based Strayos and India-based Squadrone have announced a new partnership that will combine mine-to-mill artificial intelligence-based solutions with drone surveying to “bring futuristic mines to more sites in India”, Strayos CEO, Ravi Sahu, says.

Squadrone bills itself as being one of the most progressive companies in the application of aerial intelligence in the mining industry in India, providing tailor-made UAV solutions for various applications from mining to drilling & blasting to disaster management. It provides drone mapping, surveying and site digitalisation services to its clients to efficiently manage their site’s day-to-day operations in mining, it says.

Strayos is an AI-based company that uses data from a diverse range of smart tools, edge devices and sensors, including drones, to create 3D digital models of sites. Site digitalisation is further enhanced by Strayos’ end-to-end site AI tools that analyse data from various sources to shape safe and immediately usable key insights, automation and accurate predictions, it says.

This collaboration will pave the way for novel holistic site-level insights, according to the companies. Along with the digital 3D site model created from drone data, users can now leverage Strayos’ Geology Detection AI, Drill & Blast AI and Site Analytics AI, with inventory management. With the addition of these tools, mining stakeholders across numerous site operations will be able to pool and access data from the entire operation, according to the companies.

For instance, blasting engineers will have access to geological data when designing blasts, drillers will be able to accurately predict how their drilling affects the mill’s performance and mine engineers will be able to plan site design with precision based on up-to-date geology and optimised drilling & blasting to reduce load and haul costs.

Brad Gyngell, COO, Strayos, said: “Mining in India is going through a major transformation presently, with drones and AI being the perfect tools to accelerate these advancements. We couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with Squadrone and deliver superior solutions to our customers in India.”

Cyriac Joseph, CEO, Squadrone, Bangalore, India, said: “We pride ourselves on being able to provide the mining industry with the best services and the best products in open-pit mining, drilling and blasting, rock mechanics, mine safety and underground mining. Our boots on the ground and Strayos’ cloud-based Al tools will greatly benefit the Indian mining industry with these specialised applications to facilitate amazing analytics with visual intelligence through drone technology.”

Metso Outotec to provide compact pelletising option to iron ore market

Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it has optimised its existing induration technology offering and is launching its Compact-sized Pellet Plant.

The plant design is based on a 3-m-wide indurating machine, building on the design of Metso Outotec’s larger product range. It is billed as offering the same high plant performance and premium product quality as the larger size plants.

Metso Outotec Compact-sized Pellet Plant will be offered in sizes of 189 sq.m (1.2-1.5 Mt/y capacity), 288 sq.m (1.7-2.3 Mt/y) and 315 sq.m (2-2.6 Mt/y).

The new plant design is cost efficient with optimised delivery time, thanks to high standardisation in design and project execution, according to Metso Outotec. At the same time, the design provides the required flexibility to cater to typical customer demands, and customers can also customise the basic offering with add-on packages.

Matthias Gabriel, Director, Ferrous Product Group at Metso Outotec, said: “We are very excited to launch the Compact-sized Pellet Plant. We aim to cater to the flourishing mid-size concentrate producer segment needs with this new offering.

“Conventionally, 4 m is the commonly available and most-used technology. However, today there is an increasing demand for plants with smaller capacities. We have already won an order for this technology and will be installing our first 3-m-wide travelling grate pellet plant in Nagarnagar, Chhattisgarh, in central India. The plant, which will produce 2 Mt/y of high-quality iron ore pellets, is expected to go into production in 2024.”

Metso Outotec is a leading supplier of travelling grate pelletising technology with an installed worldwide base of over 100 plants. Its technology provides dependable process performance with an emphasis on optimising fuel efficiency and minimal emissions.

Thiess to deliver mine planning and engineering services to Tata Steel

Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Thiess says it has entered into a business cooperation agreement to deliver mine planning and engineering services to Tata Steel.

Under the agreement, the contract miner will also collaborate with Tata Steel to deliver competitive integrated business solutions to the global mining industry.

Tata Steel is one of the world’s most geographically diversified steel producers, providing fully integrated steel operations – from mining to the manufacturing and marketing of finished products.

Thiess Executive Chairman & CEO, Michael Wright, said: “With a shared focus on value creation and sustainability, this agreement is the foundation for a strong partnership and complements our efforts to diversify our services and accelerate our growth across commodities and geographies.”

Tata Steel Vice President (Raw Materials), D.B Sundara Raman, said: “We have been in the mining business for more than a century providing various exploration and mine planning services to our captive mines for sustainable mining. We are pleased to start offering our mine technical services commercially through Tata Steel Industrial Consulting to the mining industry outside Tata Steel.

“This agreement with Thiess will complement our capabilities and capacities to raise the standards of such services in India in particular and internationally in general for more scientific and sustainable mine development.”

Tata Steel will work closely with the Thiess India Engineering Hub, which provides technical support to Thiess’ global operations, including geotechnical and mine engineering, technology service delivery, business process automation and learning & development services.