Cover story The mechanised Sandvik machines North decline shaft Sandvik machines: • 1 x Sandvik DD311 single boom drill rig (spare) • 1 x Sandvik DD320 double boom drill rig with split feeds • 1 x Sandvik DD321 double boom drill rig • 2 x Toro 400 LHDs (old version 9 t loader) • 1 x Sandvik LH410 (10 t loader) • 1 x Sandvik LH514 and (14 t loader) • 3 x EJC 533 underground trucks • Over the next six to eight months, another six DD321’s and a DS311 roof bolter will be delivered to site
development is planned to start in April 2013 and Phase 2 shaft infrastructure equipping is now under way.” DRA Projects is the EPCM contractor for the surface infrastructure, plant design and build, and value engineering for the mine plan is being done on an ongoing basis by various specialist consultants. Development of the South twin decline BELOW The Sandvik DD320 double boom drill rig
commenced in February this year and decline development is targeted to reach 1 000 m towards the middle of 2015. “In addition to the equipment, we have further provided PTM with invaluable human resources such as Garry Brooks from our trans4mine advisory services division, who advises the on-site team on the fasttracked implementation of best practices, enabling the company to confidently assure the market that it is meeting its delivery requirements,” says O Smit. “Brooks and Sandvik's senior accounts manager, Kobus Labuschagne, are part of the key people, among a few others, who have been integral in setting us on a path to our success in achieving exceptional development rates. We are one team on-site, Sandvik, JIC, DRA and PTM,” Busse highlights. O Smit continues: “The trans4mine operational coaches have only one goal, and that is to ensure that our customers meet the production and safety targets promised to them from the Sandvik fleet on-site through a collaborative approach. It requires buy-in from all stakeholders on-site,
While the industry average is generally between 75 and 80 m/month, underground mining developer JIC Mining Services is achieving in excess of 100 m/month using the Sandvik fleet from machine operators right through to management level. This is exactly what has happened at the Maseve project, making the project such a great example of what a common vision among people can achieve.” A lot of praise must be given to the main contractor, JIC Mining Services, Busse states. Headed up by the company’s COO, Neels Sutherland, “they have managed to integrate PTM’s vision so successfully that even the relationship with the unions, such as NUM’s branch secretary Elizabeth Saka and branch chairperson, Alfred Twane, onsite is the best observed by the trans4mine team to date.” Ultimately, both Sutherland and O Smit agree that a lot of the success lies behind the “unique” way mine owner PTM has and continues to operate on site. The company
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Inside Mining 04/2013