WATER MANAGEMENT
A WATER MANAGEMENT PARTNER FROM START TO FINISH POSITIONED AS THE NUMBER ONE WATER MANAGEMENT PARTNER NOT ONLY WITHIN AUSTRALIA BUT ACROSS THE GLOBE, XYLEM PROVIDES AN END-TO-END SERVICE FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY.
XYLEM IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING DEPENDABLE WATER SOLUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE RANGE OF DIVERSE MINING CONDITIONS.
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ylem separates its offer from a supplier of products to becoming a reputable water management partner with a strong portfolio of products and services used within the mining and industrial market, sharing its passion of water to support and partner with customers across the industry.
Taking the full suite of water management challenges into account, Xylem national business development manager for mining, metals and industrial Ben Attwater says the company understands the intricate details that go into developing a mine water management plan. “As a result, we have been able to develop our business model to make sure that when a customer comes to us with a challenge or problem we engage all key stakeholders to develop and deliver a solution,” Attwater tells Australian Mining. “It allows us to provide business support to solve our customer’s water management challenges rather than limiting our services to isolated areas within the mine’s water management cycle.” Xylem’s commitment to research
and development (R&D) enables the future of mine dewatering technology to grow to provide improved and innovative products from the original equipment manufacturer direct to market. As a result, the company has provided flexible and adaptable water management improvements, regardless of the mining environment across Australia. Xylem’s Northern business development manager for Northern Territory and North Queensland, Gavin Starr, says the company has continued to evolve by implementing R&D programs through its factories and combining technologies within its portfolio of 30 brands that are recognised within the mining market. One example of combining technology is the application of Xylem’s hard iron solids handling self cleaning Flygt N Impeller to its Godwin self-priming drill rig pump. Starr says this has been a great innovation that the company’s clients have implemented to improve safety and reliability for processes and mine development for face dewatering. “In a competitive and evolving industry, Xylem continues to place significant importance on R&D AUSTRALIANMINING
to support our market globally,” Starr says. “Many of the products and services we release are from responses we have collected through voice of customer. This in turn challenges our business and product managers to develop improved products and solutions to meet market conditions and demands within the Australian mining industry. Starr says that product developments and innovation assist customers to deliver the continuous improvements required for improved safety and operational outcomes including cost benefits. “Executing water management audits for existing or new customers accelerates continuous improvement outcomes. That has been a big step forward for us, highlighting the significance and value of Xylem as the industries trusted partner for water management challenges,” he says. Xylem finds that maximising productivity, while ensuring site and environmental safety can be a challenge for underground mining operators. Starr says the company takes two key steps to address this challenge to help operators that are under pressure to manage resource use and their environmental impact. “We look at every step, from underground mine dewatering design to water reclamation and reuse, as part of a process,” Starr says. “Integrating those steps empowers you to increase productivity, reduce costs and turn water management from an expense into a strategic advantage. “Supporting underground mining isn’t about offering a few key pieces of equipment and leaving you to figure out how to integrate them into your operation. “Xylem is committed to providing dependable water solutions throughout the entire range of diverse mining conditions.” Starr says the first step for an underground water management plan is pulling water from the face of an exploration drive or mining front that exposes unknown water tables and challenges are presented with these conditions. Unknown water ingress is
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always a risk. Xylem assists with developing an underground water management plan for mine sites anywhere between 50 metres below ground to two kilometres or more. Starr says once Xylem understands the depth and design of a mine site, it can assist with the water management plan by advising where to position sumps and selecting suitable equipment to execute the dewatering plan. Equipment supply, including rental solutions, range from submersible dewatering pumps, submersible slurry pumps, explosion proof pumps, helical rotor pumping stations, air operated diaphragm pumps, flow control, flow measurement, level control, system automation and data acquisition. “It is a perfect scenario for greenfield sites where the mine is about to go underground and the client already knows where they have to mine and extract from the ore body,” Starr continues. “Xylem will partner and assist with the design to put in a series of solutions to safely and efficiently dewater the mine.” Starr says the risk of having unreliable water management systems resulting in an influx of water is not only a danger to personnel, but can also have financial consequences. “If there are employees underground, it is a priority to keep that water out so they are safe,” Starr says. “Rather than just reacting to an issue, if we are seen as a partner, we are able understand the challenges and implement solutions outside the normal offering. We provide customised bespoke solutions depending on the client’s needs.” Xylem is positioned in key mining centres such as Mount Isa, Townsville, Newcastle, Adelaide, Darwin, Orange, Sydney Perth and Kalgoorlie to service Australia’s mining regions. “It is about coverage and speed to market. Xylem takes a holistic approach to turning these systemic challenges into strategic advantages, while maintaining profitability and optimising underground mining,” Attwater concludes. AM