Four years in the past, Leigh Ann Booysen labored grueling shifts at Kumba’s Kolomela iron ore mine as a drill operator. That meant sitting on a truck-sized drilling machine in an iron ore pit for eight hours, drilling holes for explosives before blasting. Today, she proudly boasts to her family that she works an workplace job – and yet, she’s by no means drilled more, or higher, holes in her life.
Leigh Ann is on the forefront of a know-how revolution that’s changing the face of Kumba’s operations – and certainly, the entire iron ore mining business. If you have any inquiries concerning where and the best ways to utilize structural steel tubing – musescore.com,, you could call us at the website. She is now one of a workforce accountable for working Kumba’s fleet of automated drilling machines from a protected, air-conditioned management centre subsequent to the mine’s offices.
It’s not just the drill operators’ lives that have improved. The rise in productivity has been dramatic. Operating hours are up 20%, from 14 to 17 hours a day, the quality of the drill holes has improved, and fewer drilling machines can be wanted over the lifetime of the mine.
The robotic drilling machines are a part of an R500 million funding in expertise by Kumba at its mines within the Northern Cape as a part of its efforts to make mining safer, extra productive and extra environment-friendly. It’s actually cutting-edge expertise, with Kumba being one in every of solely two iron ore miners on this planet to make use of autonomous drills, mechanical steel (www.instapaper.com) along with BHP Billiton’s Yandi mine in Western Australia.
The machines aren’t solely taking over the drilling operations, though. The skies are additionally too much busier over Kumba’s Kolomela and Sishen mines today, with a fleet of 10 drones offering info on every thing from where mining has taken place to present stockpiles.
Make no mistake, these aren’t the drones you discover buzzing over your house or in the native park over weekends. Kumba has spent more than R6 million on its fleet, which includes each mounted-wing and quadcopter drones, fitted with state-of-the-artwork cameras and laser scanners, that are used to create three-dimensional images and surveys. They’re operated by five staff members who have acquired specialised training as drone pilots, and are fully licenced by the SA Civil Aviation Authority to take action.
The benefits have been instant, with the drones offering data and information on Kumba’s operations that used to take days, or even weeks, to accumulate. In many instances, they’re delivering new information that wasn’t accessible before, and is permitting Kumba to function way more efficiently than before.
Not all of the applied sciences are as glamorous as robotic drills or drones – however they aren’t any less effective in contributing to a fashionable mining operation. Kumba is particularly pleased with its Advanced Process Control (ACP) system, which in simple terms controls the circulate of material via the processing plant, with fewer interruptions and better quality.
After which there’s the autonomous braking for Kumba’s haul trucks, which routinely brings the massive trucks to a stop to avoid collisions and accidents. Greater than 10 trucks have already been fitted with the new braking system.
The best part of the technology technique, says Bongi Ntsoelengoe, Technology Manager at Kumba Iron Ore; not a single job has been lost in the method.
«Rather than changing staff, we’ve got proven that using know-how in our operations improves abilities and gives a chance for employees to develop and grow. Better working conditions imply workers are excited and motivated about their work environment, which makes for a extra productive, safer office,» says Ntsoelengoe.
