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Demolition and Excavation

Demolition and Excavation A FAMILY BUSINESS CHANGING HOW SITES ARE DEVELOPED

DEMEX (Pty) Ltd brings together specialist demolition, bulk earthworks, civil construction, mining, load and haul, crushing and screening, and material recovery. Its work spans the removal of existing structures, mass excavation, road and service construction, and the processing of aggregates and minerals, alongside material recovery and reuse. The aim is to give clients a coordinated operation that takes a site through the demanding early stages of development while making better use of the resources already there. DEMEX forms part of a second-generation, family-owned group of companies with a 25-year operating history. The group includes DEMEX, Hamilton Plant Hire, Rock & Soil Recycling and Umkhombe Mining Services. Together, these businesses connect construction, plant hire, recycling and mining services, supported by a fleet of 180 pieces of plant and the teams required to operate, transport and maintain them. Based in the Western Cape, the group has grown around practical experience in moving ground, handling difficult materials and delivering work in demanding environments. Under Ryan

Plasket’s leadership, that experience is being combined with a clear ambition to change how the industry works. DEMEX is developing an approach in which specialist equipment, coordinated services and a substantial recycling footprint are part of the construction plan from the beginning.

SPECIALIST DEMOLITION FROM PRECISION WORK TO IMPLOSION

Demolition is a core DEMEX capability. The company undertakes mechanical demolition and implosions, with methods selected around the structure, its surroundings and the required outcome. Its offering extends from precision work in restricted spaces to the removal of substantial buildings and industrial structures, followed by breaking, sorting, loading and site clearance. The demolition equipment available includes high-reach excavators, remote-controlled excavators and a range of specialist attachments. Shears, hydraulic hammers, concrete munchers and selector grabs allow teams to cut, break, reduce and separate material using equipment suited to the task. Highreach machines provide access to elevated structures, while remote-controlled equipment gives the team options for work

capability extends to the work around the event: preparing the structure, organising the site, and dealing with the resulting material. The implosion is one stage of a broader demolition operation that must also deliver a cleared site for the client’s next phase. Material recovery is planned alongside demolition. Selector grabs help separate different streams, concrete can be reduced for processing, and recoverable metals can be handled separately. Where project conditions and specifications allow, suitable concrete and masonry can be crushed for reuse. This links the demolition operation directly to the material requirements of the development that follows.

CRUSHING AND SCREENING FOR AGGREGATES AND MINERALS

where positioning an operator directly at the workface would be difficult or undesirable. This range of equipment supports a considered demolition sequence. Concrete and steel require different tools; a confined work area changes machine selection; and retained structures or neighbouring activities influence how the job is approached. DEMEX can combine demolition plant with loading equipment and transport so that material moves away from the workface and the site remains organised as the structure comes down. Implosion adds another specialist dimension. These projects require detailed engineering, preparation, a planned collapse sequence and carefully managed exclusion areas. DEMEX’s

Crushing and screening form a dedicated part of the group’s operation, serving both aggregate producers and the mining and minerals sector. DEMEX has access to specialised equipment, including jaw and cone crushers, mobile screens, conveyors and the excavators and loaders needed to feed them. The offering covers aggregate production, the size reduction and screening of mineral feedstocks, and the recovery of suitable construction and demolition material. The equipment is arranged around the feed material and the product required. Crushing trains combine primary reduction, further crushing and screening to achieve the specified size distribution. Screening and scalping can separate usable fractions and remove oversize material before the next processing stage. For aggregates and minerals alike, the plant configuration depends on feed size, hardness, composition, required grading and production volume. The operation also has to work as a complete production system. Loading capacity must keep pace with the processing plant, conveyors need to move the output effectively, and stockpiles must be organised so finished products remain separate. DEMEX’s access to plant, haulage and maintenance support helps it manage those connections rather than treat the crusher as an isolated machine.

Mobile processing creates opportunities to use material close to where it is generated. Rock excavated during site preparation and suitable demolition arisings can be assessed for processing into products needed on the same project. Reuse remains subject to the relevant specification and testing, but where it is appropriate, it can reduce material sent away and replacement aggregate brought back. This is especially valuable on projects with substantial excavation or demolition volumes. A processing plan established early can influence the excavation sequence, stockpile areas, haul routes and programme. It gives the client a clearer understanding of which material can be retained, how it will be processed and where it can be used, with disposal reserved for streams that require a different destination.

MINING AND LOAD AND HAUL

Mining and load and haul are a key focus for the group. Through Umkhombe Mining Services and the group’s shared plant resources, the offering brings together excavation, loading, hauling, drilling and blasting, and material handling for mining and quarrying operations. This connects the movement of material at the mining face with the requirements of the processing plant and stockpile areas. Fleets of excavators, articulated dump trucks, dozers and loaders can be configured around the material, haul distance and required output. Load and haul planning balances excavator capacity with truck cycle times, haulroad conditions and the receiving point. The objective is a steady flow of material that keeps the excavation fleet and processing equipment productive while controlling unnecessary waiting and rehandling. The ability to combine load and haul with specialised crushing and screening gives clients a coordinated service from excavation through to a sized product. Whether handling rock for aggregate production or mineral feed for a mining operation, the work is organised around agreed tonnage, product specifications and site requirements. Workshop, transport and operational support across the group help sustain the equipment and logistics behind that service.

BULK EARTHWORKS ROADS AND CIVIL SERVICES

DEMEX undertakes heavy-duty earthmoving and mass bulk excavation, using fleets of articulated dump trucks, dozers, excavators, loaders and compaction equipment. Its capability covers cutting, loading, hauling, filling, shaping and compacting material to create development platforms and prepare sites for construction. The work can range from confined excavations to large operations requiring coordinated fleets and substantial daily production. The focus is on balancing the full earthmoving cycle. Excavators need enough haulage to remain productive, haul routes need to support the movement of loaded trucks, and the receiving area needs the capacity to spread and compact incoming material. DEMEX plans these elements together, selecting equipment around the ground conditions, haul distance and required programme. Civil construction extends the offering into roads, services and associated infrastructure. This allows the business to follow bulk excavation and platform preparation with the next stages of site development. Coordinating these packages helps manage handovers, access and material requirements as a site moves from demolition or open ground towards a functioning development. The broader service range includes rock breaking, dynamic compaction, asbestos removal, landfill management and mine rehabilitation. Rehabilitation connects these earthmoving and material handling skills with reshaping disturbed ground and preparing it for the agreed end use.

RECYCLING BUILT INTO THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Rock & Soil Recycling gives the group a substantial recycling footprint and a practical route for recovering suitable construction and demolition materials. The ambition is to make recycling part of how a job is planned and executed. That starts with understanding the material before it is mixed, damaged or transported to a destination that removes the opportunity for reuse.

On site, this means separating recoverable streams, identifying suitable concrete and rock, and planning where material can be stored and processed. Crushing and screening can then produce material for an approved use. Where suitable recovered products can replace imported material, the project may benefit from fewer transport movements, reduced demand for virgin aggregate and less pressure on disposal facilities. The same thinking applies across demolition, earthworks and rehabilitation. Material removed from one part of a site may have a useful role elsewhere, provided it meets the engineering and environmental requirements. DEMEX’s connected capabilities allow these options to be considered while the project is being planned, with the processing equipment and earthmoving fleet available to put an approved material strategy into practice.

A COMPLETE SERVICE FROM SITE CLEARANCE TO PRODUCTION

Clients can engage the group for an individual service or a combined package covering demolition, excavation, load and haul, crushing and screening, civil works and rehabilitation. The scope can follow the full material cycle: removing a structure or excavating rock, moving material to the processing area, producing a specified product and placing suitable recovered material where it is needed. For mining and quarrying clients, the emphasis is on reliable material movement and processing. For developers and contractors, it is on clearing sites, undertaking mass excavation, preparing platforms and constructing roads and services. Specialist machines and attachments, coordinated

fleets and workshop support provide the resources behind these services. Investment in electric equipment also supports the group’s focus on efficient site delivery. DEMEX’s drive to change established practices is rooted in how it delivers the work. Planning demolition alongside material recovery, combining load and haul with processing, and reusing suitable material on site can make the operation more efficient and reduce unnecessary transport and disposal. The focus remains on meeting the client’s programme, quantities and specifications. After 25 years as a family group, the next generation is building on established experience with a broader, more connected service offering. With 180 pieces of plant and specialist businesses across construction, mining, plant hire and recycling, the group brings the equipment and operational support needed to take on demanding site and production work.

021 790 1001 tenders@hamiltonplanthire.co.za www.hamiltonplanthire.co.za

PRODUCED BY AFRICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE