Tag Archives: Swick Mining Services

Swick’s Orexplore mineral scanning tech ready for first mine site trial

Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining people, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

In announcing the appointment of John Pizimolas as General Manager of the APAC region for Orexplore, Swick Mining Services has revealed that the first mine site trial of its mineral scanning technology is scheduled for the December quarter.

Since launching in May 2018, 18 different customers have used Orexplore in laboratory trials, according to the company.

Pizimolas, meanwhile, has more than 20 years’ experience as a metallurgical engineer in the resources industry, with senior executive expertise in leading mineral analysis across the full mine project life cycle and in new technology start‐ups, Swick said.

Prior to joining Swick, Pizimolas was Vice President, Minerals South East Asia and Pacific for SGS SA and, before then, General Manager Mine Site Services (Global) for ASX‐listed ALS Limited.

Swick Managing Director, Kent Swick, said Pizimolas’ expert industry knowledge will help drive Orexplore’s growth as it targets revenue generation in its second full year since launch.

Pizimolas said: “I strongly believe in the power of digital core tomographic imaging and the need to progress to more real-time information from drilling than has previously been available. The innovative Orexplore technology certainly delivers real commercial value and I am excited to be leading the business in driving its next phase of growth.”

Swick said the Orexplore business is transitioning towards capturing long term, in‐field digital core tomographic imaging opportunities, with the first mine site trial aimed for the December quarter. To support this field trial, Orexplore has recently taken delivery in Australia of three new specification GeoCore X10 machines (pictured) from its Stockholm facility, capable of imaging 6,000 m/mth of core.

The company said: “Successful completion of this trial is expected to enhance market confidence in the technology and drive revenue growth in Orexplore’s second full year since launch.”

Orexplore was developed over a seven-year period in Sweden and provides real-time, non-destructive assay and tomography results using whole of core data that is an improvement on the multiple weeks delay currently used in destructive chemical testing, according to Swick.

GeoCore X10 core scanning machines use patented attenuation and X-ray fluorescence combined measurement techniques to enhance the identification and understanding of key features within the entire core including:

  • Geochemical composition and mineralogy;
  • 3D structures;
  • Texture, fabric and grain size;
  • Density; and
  • Controls on mineralisation.

The scan results are made available to the client for viewing and analysis through Orexplore’s Insight software. This enables interactive 3D manipulation of the tomography data which can lead to accurate definition of geological structures, the ability to define lithological contacts and the true boundaries of mineralisation. It also provides element concentration data for further analysis.

Swick lays groundwork for growth with A$15 million financing

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Australia-based drilling and mineral analysis service contractor Swick Mining Services is planning to raise A$15 million ($10.2 million) to provide it with the flexibility to pursue future organic and inorganic growth opportunities for the business, Managing Director Kent Swick says.

The ASX-listed company plans to issue shares to new and existing shareholders to raise this cash and has also provided existing shareholders with an opportunity to raise an additional A$2 million as part of its share purchase plan.

Kent Swick said: “By delivering on our strategy Swick is well placed for growth in financial year 2020, underpinned by our strong order book. We are also seeing additional opportunities to increase our rig fleet utilisation both in Australia and abroad, with a target of 70 FTE (full-time equivalent) underground rigs in work by financial year end, up from an average of 53.6 in FY19.

“This additional funding ensures Swick has the financial flexibility to pursue future organic and inorganic growth opportunities for the business. We are grateful for the strong support received from our existing institutional shareholders and are pleased to welcome several new institutional holders on to our share register.”

In June, Swick said it had recently won drilling contracts with the Barrick Gold and Newmont Goldcorp-owned Nevada Gold Mines JV, Silver Lake Resources and Northern Star Resources.

Swick Mining to drill deeper with new exploration division

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , ,

Buoyed by a strong set of financial results for the September quarter, mineral drilling contractor Swick Mining Services is making plans to launch a deep exploration division.

The company’s Managing Director Kent Swick said the creation of this unit would “further strengthen the company’s market-leading position” in underground diamond coring.

The announcement came at the same time as the company revealed its September quarter financial results, which included revenue of A$36.7 million ($26 million, up 1% year-on-year), EBITDA of A$6.8 million (up 93% year-on-year), total metres drilled of 297,904 m and an average fleet utilisation of 75% across the quarter.

Kent Swick said: “During the quarter, we ordered some specialised deep-hole drilling kits that will be the most powerful rigs available in the Australian market.

“We expect our specialist team, with its purpose‐built equipment, to deliver great outcomes for our clients who in general are requesting more deep exploration holes to be drilled from underground.”

The company added in its results that demand for underground mobile rigs continues to remain high, while its surface RC drilling division had experienced a rebound.

Orexplore

A first for Swick’s Orexplore scanning tech

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mineral commodities, Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Swick Mining Services has signed the first commercial agreement for its Orexplore mineral scanning technology.

The agreement, between Swick’s fully-owned subsidiary Orexplore Australia and exploration company Saturn Metals, has already led to the first batch of 30m of core from Saturn’s Apollo Hill gold project in Western Australia being processed by the patented GeoCore X10 scanning machine and technology.

The Apollo Hill gold project is made up of nearly 1,000km² of ground near Leonora in the Goldfields region.

Swick Managing Director Kent Swick said, although small in value, the agreement was a major milestone for the Orexplore technology.

“This deal comes barely two months after Swick officially launched the Orexplore mineral analysis technology in Australia and is a major step towards commercialisation of this world-first technology.”

Orexplore was developed over a seven-year period in Sweden and provides real-time, non-destructive assay and tomography results using whole of core data that is an improvement on the multiple weeks delay currently used in destructive chemical testing, according to Swick.

GeoCore X10 core scanning machines use patented attenuation and x-ray fluorescence combined measurement techniques to enhance the identification and understanding of key features within the entire core including:

• Geochemical composition and mineralogy
• 3D structures
• Texture, fabric and grain size
• Density
• Controls on mineralisation.

The scan results are made available to the client for viewing and analysis through Orexplore’s Insight software. This enables interactive 3D manipulation of the tomography data which can lead to accurate definition of geological structures, the ability to define lithological contacts and the true boundaries of mineralisation. It also provides element concentration data for further analysis.

Kent Swick said: “We have seen good levels of interest across a wide spectrum of potential clients who have been trialling the product since it was introduced. Many of those are now deciding how to use the technology in their current work flows and we are confident a number of proposals will be converted into laboratory scanning agreements soon.”