Tag Archives: South32

South32 adds Cat AD63 to Cannington underground trucking fleet

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Last month, Cat dealer Hastings Deering sent out the world’s first AD63 truck to South32’s Cannington silver-lead mine in Queensland, Australia.

With a 63 t payload, the AD63 is the largest underground truck in the Cat product line, and comes with best in class speed on grade, according to Hastings Deering.

Joe Russell, South32 Cannington Vice President Operations, told IM that since taking delivery of the articulated truck from Caterpillar, via Hastings Deering, the company had started work on tailoring the vehicle to the mine’s specific requirements.

“Once the truck enters full operation, it will replace an older vehicle in our fleet,” Russell said. “The AD63 will be used in conjunction with the rest of the underground trucking fleet to move material to various locations within the South32 Cannington mine site.”

Russell highlighted the vehicle’s Euro Stage V Cat C27 diesel engine when reflecting on the recent fleet addition.

“The AD63’s engine specifications will help us to further reduce emissions, resulting in good outcomes for the environment and underground air quality,” he said.

Released in April, the AD63 features a 5% increased payload and more torque for enhanced production capabilities compared with its predecessor, the AD60, Cat says.

Additional new features enhance operator ergonomics, maintenance access and safety, and data collection for machine health monitoring, according to the OEM.

South32’s Cannington underground mine produces about 3 Mt/y of ore.

SRG Global bolsters South32 relationship with more Worsley Alumina work

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining services, , , , , , ,

SRG Global says it has secured a long-term circa-A$100 million ($72 million) contract with South32’s Worsley Alumina operations to provide specialist refractory services, including gunning and casting and installation of refractory products and anchors.

Works under the contract will commence in October 2020 with a duration of eight years.

South32 has also extended SRG Global’s existing engineered access services contract for a further two years, pocketing the ASX-listed engineering firm another circa-A$25 million. This will see SRG Global continue to provide access services at South32’s Worsley Alumina operations until mid-2027, it said.

David Macgeorge, Managing Director of SRG Global, said: “These contracts are a terrific achievement for SRG Global and we are excited to be expanding our partnership with South32 to continue to deliver long-term value for their Worsley operations.”

As part of the Worsley Alumina operations, bauxite is mined near the town of Boddington, 130 km southeast of Perth, Western Australia. It is then transported on the largest overland conveyor belt in the southern hemisphere, for more than 50 km, to a refinery near the town of Collie, where bauxite is turned into alumina.

GFG Alliance to take over TEMCO manganese alloy smelter following South32 pact

Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , ,

South32’s association with the Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) is set to come to an end after it agreed to sell its stake in the manganese alloy smelter to an entity within the GFG Alliance.

The announcement from South32’s Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) said completion of the transaction was subject to approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board. Upon satisfaction of this condition, GFG will make a nominal payment to GEMCO to acquire 100% of the shares in TEMCO, it said, without naming an acquisition price.

As a condition to the completion of the transaction, the parties have entered into an ore supply agreement from GEMCO to TEMCO.

The smelter, in Tasmania, Australia, is run by the Samancor Manganese joint venture, owned 60% by South32 and 40% by Anglo American.

South32 says TEMCO uses ore shipped from its GEMCO operations in the Northern Territory of Australia and produces ferromanganese for steelmaking. Most of the alloy produced is exported to customers in Asia and North America, with the remaining sold to steel producers in Australia and New Zealand.

South32 CEO Graham Kerr said the agreement represented another milestone for South32 as it continues to reshape its portfolio.

“Today’s agreement follows an extensive review of options regarding the future of our manganese alloy business,” he said.

“The transaction and our ongoing supply of ore to TEMCO will see the smelter, first established in 1962, continue to operate into the future.

“Looking forward, we are confident that GFG, a current TEMCO customer, is well placed to operate the smelter, with the acquisition representing an opportunity to further vertically integrate its steel business.”

The transaction does not include the Samancor Manganese JV’s South African manganese alloy smelter, Metalloys, which has separately been placed under care and maintenance, South32 added.

K2fly gets to work on RCubed mineral inventory reporting solution for South32

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , ,

K2fly has signed up diversified mining and metals company, South32, to use its resource governance solution, RCubed.

South32 is expected to use the platform for its mineral inventory reporting for five years, with the total contract value more than A$880,000 ($608,419), K2fly said.

The full implementation is to commence immediately and will cover 19 global operations, the company added.

Nic Pollock, K2fly’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “It is a great honour to be working with South32. This adds to our growing list of diversified customers like Rio Tinto, Teck Resources and Nexa Resources.”

The company says its total contract value has growth 45% this quarter and is now over A$6.9 million, compared with the end of the March quarter.

Alliance stays in the air with South32 Cannington, GEMCO contract

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Alliance Aviation Services says it has entered a new airline services contract with South32, as agent for each of its Cannington and GEMCO routes.

Alliance will be the sole supplier for these services, according to the company, continuing a relationship with the mine sites that began in 2006.

The extension, from 2020-2030, was won through a competitive tender process and is testament to Alliance’s safety record, on time performance and competitiveness in the marketplace, according to the ASX-listed service provider.

Lee Schofield, Alliance’s CEO, said: “Alliance is delighted to be continuing the provision of these services for both Cannington and GEMCO mine sites from Townsville, Cairns and Brisbane. This new contract will see Alliance flying a minimum of 35 sectors per week.

“For the next 10 years Alliance will also be servicing South32’s charter requirements from Darwin. This will result in a significant increase in our permanent presence in the Northern Territory, which in turn should provide significant new opportunities for Alliance, particularly in tourism.”

GEMCO, in the Northern Territory of Australia, is an open-cut mining operation, producing high-grade manganese ore that is shipped to South32’s Tasmania manganese alloy plant and around the world.

The Cannington underground silver-lead mine, in Queensland, is made up of a 3 Mt/y underground mine and processing plant (pictured).

Miners not taking cybersecurity risks seriously, report finds

IoT, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

While cybersecurity is today considered a major threat to all industrial companies, a recent report out of Australia has concluded it will take a catastrophic event for it to be taken seriously in the mining industry.

Through interviews, survey and analysis of Australia’s largest mining and service companies, including BHP, Rio Tinto, South32, and Anglo American, the ‘State of Play: Cyber Security Report’, from researchers at State of Play, has uncovered that 98% of top-level executives think a catastrophic event is required to drive an industry response to cybersecurity in mining.

This is despite State of Play Chairman and Co-founder, Graeme Stanway, saying the risk of cybersecurity failures in mining could be severe.

“In an increasingly automated and interconnected world, the risk of rogue systems and equipment is growing rapidly,” he says.

“If someone hacks into a mining system, they can potentially take remote control of operational equipment. That’s the level of risk that we are facing.”

Global Head of Cybersecurity at BHP, Thomas Leen, agreed and said the mining industry is up against archaic processes when it comes to evolving on the cybersecurity front.

“Mining as an industry has a low level of cybersecurity maturity, mainly due to legacy environments that lack basic capabilities,” he says.

The report went on to find that the second most likely driver to instigate change, after a catastrophic event, will be government led initiatives and responses.

Michelle Price, CEO of independent, not-for-profit organisation, AustCyber, believes public-private partnership is the key to driving change in the way the mining industry approaches cybersecurity.

“AustCyber has collaborated with METS Ignited and State of Play to conduct this survey as we see the potential to improve cybersecurity across the mining environment,” she says.

“There are several challenges specific to the mining sector as documented in the Australian Cyber Security Industry Roadmap, developed in conjunction with CSIRO – such as operational technology, connected equipment and sensors, availability of data, anomaly detection and the volatility of markets.

“There are plenty of growth opportunities – especially when the sector collaborates with organisations like AustCyber to have a coordinated voice on the kind of support it needs to push forward cyber resilience.”

South32 Head of Cybersecurity, Clayton Brazil, sees this collaboration as a strength of cybersecurity in the mining industry. “Cybersecurity is incredibly collaborative in mining, we know it’s a critical industry for our nation and we all want to be safer,” he says.

Brazil sees a strong cybersecurity capability as a strategic opportunity for South32. “Done properly, cybersecurity can be a competitive advantage for us,” he said.

Interestingly, when asked what is the most likely motivation for cyber attacks, 50% of responses identified extortion and theft as the most likely cause, followed by competition with 21% and politics with 19%.

METS Ignited CEO, Adrian Beer, says industry growth and sustainability will come from collaboration and the implementation of standards. “Mining operations are still made up of legacy closed systems that have customised integrations between them,” he says.

“However, the modern technology vendor community is trying to overcome these systems with new models; building collaboration and trust between mining and the technology sector will create a secure sustainable future.”

Beer also believes standards have a two-prong role to play. “There is clearly a need for both a strong set of standards to define what good looks like in terms of cybersecurity more broadly, and a set of industry standards to ensure that the specific needs are met to deliver those secure outcomes.”

Telstra lays the groundwork for major underground LTE network at Cannington mine

Automation, Base metals, Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , ,

Telstra Mining Services has announced a new partnership with South32 for a private 4G LTE network at its Cannington underground silver-lead-zinc mine in northwest Queensland, Australia.

Telstra is now in the pre-deployment stage at Cannington, with the network set to “drive improved safety, automation and mechanisation” at the site and connect staff to vehicles and sensors around the mine at all times, it said.

The underground mine produces about 3 Mt/y and the Cannington team is made up of about 550 full-time employees and up to 300 contractors.

Jeannette McGill, Head of Telstra Mining Services, said: “The high throughput and low latency offered by the system means that staff will be able to control critical equipment without interruption, and South32’s digitalisation strategy will be achievable throughout the mine.”

By adopting 4G LTE underground, the Cannington mine will be able to achieve better operating transparency, condition monitoring and production improvements for staff, machines and other mining systems, driving safety, productivity and efficiency, she added.

Telstra will be building an initial underground network 6.5 km in length using a “private, virtualised core” and LTE radio technologies distributed over leaky feeder cable using LTE-capable bi-directional amplifiers.

McGill said: “Our analysis indicates this to be the most effective solution for underground miners and is capable of adapting to the unique geology and composition of the Cannington mine. It enables access to the latest advances in 4G LTE and NB-IoT, and is also upgradeable to 5G in the future.”

The network being private means it will be a completely standalone mobile network, independent from others, like Telstra’s own public network, she explained. “South32 Cannington will have its own equipment, SIM cards and unique network codes for full autonomy and complete control.”

Providing a modern connectivity platform will allow for more flexible operations as well as scalability and choice in applying various digital solutions, according to Telstra.

“The combination of Ericsson mobile network equipment, Telstra radio spectrum, and leaky feeder solutions from specialist manufacturer METStech provides a unique capability that has made extending LTE underground a more commercially realistic and safer prospect,” McGill explained.

At its full deployment, the Cannington installation will become one of the largest underground mining LTE networks in the world using leaky feeder, according to Telstra.

“We’re excited to help drive South32’s Cannington mine further with this new private network, as it looks to pay dividends to safety, productivity and more,” McGill concluded.

South32 address Illawarra road safety with Linfox Logistics deal

Bulk handling, Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal says it has contracted Linfox Logistics in a new six-year partnership that will improve road safety in the Illawarra of New South Wales, Australia.

In what South32 says is an Australian first, Linfox has custom-built the innovative “Lin-Double” truck to address the unique challenges of coal haulage in the region. The partnership will see 25 of these new trucks join the company’s fleet.

When in full use, the “Lin-Double” will reduce truck movements on public roads by almost 40,000 trips per year, according to South32, significantly improving local traffic flow and reducing the burden on public roads.

“The trucks feature industry-leading technology including crawler transmission and a speed limiter with GPS monitoring to safely navigate the steep descent down Mount Ousley [Road] while greatly reducing the risk of brake fade to increase driver and public safety,” South32 said.

Illawarra Metallurgical Coal has underground mines at Appin and Dendrobium producing high-quality metallurgical coal used for steelmaking. As a by-product, it also supplies small amounts of coal for energy. All of this is processed at its plants at West Cliff and Dendrobium, before being transported by road and rail down to Port Kembla in Wollongong.

Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, General Manager Mining Services, Andy Hyslop, said the investment was a demonstration of South32’s commitment to safety and innovation and would deliver benefits for both the community and the company.

“We are proud to be bringing safer trucks to the Illawarra while reducing the number of trucks on the road by around 20% every year,” he said.

The company concluded: “South32 values the communities that support its operations, and with state-of-the-art trucks and improved driver training and management systems, this partnership will contribute to the region’s sustainability and liveability for years to come.”

 

Marthinusen & Coutts speeds up generator overhaul for South32 manganese plant

Equipment maintenance, Mining maintenance, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , ,

Marthinusen & Coutts, a division of ACTOM, says it has successfully completed a major overhaul on a 70 MVA generator set at South32’s Metalloys manganese plant, in South Africa, within six weeks.

The company, which worked in collaboration with business unit ACTOM Turbo Machines, was contracted by South32 to take full responsibility for the entire drive train refurbishment, it said.

According to Mike Chamberlain, Marthinusen & Coutts’ Marketing Executive, this achievement showcased the capacity of the divisions to take full control of large mechanical and electrical refurbishments. Chamberlain highlighted that the customer did not want to split the responsibility for the complete generator and turbine drive train between separate contractors.

“Marthinusen & Coutts and ACTOM Turbo Machines’ capabilities enable us to control the entire process, offering peace of mind to customers, coupled with optimised cost efficiencies,” Chamberlain said. “This also reduces customers’ risk and managerial effort in dealing with multiple suppliers.”

The scope included a complete inspection of the turbine rotor and internal components, as well as runout and dimensional inspection on the rotor. Inspections incorporated glass bead blasting and non-destructive testing of many components.

High-speed balancing of the 13 t rotor was conducted, and turbine rotor journals were repaired, according to the company. White metal bearings were relined, and the thrust bearing was modified to improve fitment in the bearing casing. Additionally, positive material identification tests were conducted on all the studs, nuts and shaft seals. A complete 3D scan was done of the centreline to allow reverse engineering drawings.

At is repair facility in Cleveland, Johannesburg, Marthinusen & Coutts also performed a number of inspections, tests and repairs on the rotor. Dimensional inspections and electrical tests were conducted, as well as non-destructive testing such as the phase array test. Slip rings were ground, the diode wheel was inspected, and the diodes were tested.

ACTOM Turbo Machines inspected and refurbished the auxiliary mechanical equipment. This included lubrication and control oil systems, pumps, coolers, and white metal bearings on ID and FD fans. ACTOM Turbo Machines Project Manager, Hannes de Jager, noted that an overhaul of this magnitude and scope would usually take over two months.

“The excellent working relationship we had with Metalloys’ technical staff, and the cooperation we got from them, certainly contributed to completing the work as quickly as we did,” de Jager said.

Starting the inspections, tests and repairs in July 2018, the team completed the overhaul by mid-August.

SRG Global wins service contract at South32’s Worsley alumina operation

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Construction, maintenance and mining service group, SRG Global says it has secured a long-term contract with South32’s Worsley Alumina subsidiary in Australia.

The ASX-listed service provider will deliver a “complete suite” of engineered access solutions for the Worsley alumina operation, including scaffold services and highly skilled rope access technicians, it said.

The contract is for an initial three-year term with extension options for a further three years, SRG said, explaining that, if Worsley Alumina exercises the extension options, the total contract duration will be six years.

Works under this contract commence in June and are expected to generate revenues of circa-A$60 million ($41 million) over the six-year term or around $32 million over the initial three-year term, according to SRG.

“The contract requires minimal capital outlay and will increase SRG Global’s workforce by circa-100 full-time positions,” SRG said.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said, “The opportunity to work with a world-renowned mining company like South32 at its long-established Worsley Alumina project in South West WA is a great achievement for SRG Global. The effort our team put in during the competitive tendering process is admirable and I commend them on a fantastic result.

“This contract also represents a significant advancement in the group’s long-term strategy to deliver recurring term revenue within the asset services sector.”

As part of the Worsley Alumina operations, bauxite is mined near the town of Boddington, 130 km southeast of Perth, Western Australia. It is then transported on the largest overland conveyor belt in the southern hemisphere, for more than 50 km, to a refinery near the town of Collie, where bauxite is turned into alumina.