Four years ago, 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 earlier than blasting. Today, she proudly boasts to her household that she works an workplace job – and but, she’s never drilled more, or higher, holes in her life.
Leigh Ann is at the forefront of a expertise revolution that’s changing the face of Kumba’s operations – and certainly, the complete iron ore mining industry. She is now one among a staff accountable for working Kumba’s fleet of automated drilling machines from a secure, air-conditioned management centre subsequent to the mine’s workplaces.
It’s not simply the drill operators’ lives that have improved. In case you have virtually any issues regarding wherever in addition to the way to make use of steel tubing (filmy-hd.com), you possibly can call us on our site. 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 might be wanted over the lifetime of the mine.
The robotic drilling machines are a part of an R500 million investment in technology by Kumba at its mines within the Northern Cape as a part of its efforts to make mining safer, extra productive and more environment-pleasant. It’s actually cutting-edge technology, tool steel with Kumba being one in every of only two iron ore miners in the world to use autonomous drills, together with BHP Billiton’s Yandi mine in Western Australia.
The machines aren’t solely taking over the drilling operations, though. The skies are additionally lots busier over Kumba’s Kolomela and Sishen mines nowadays, with a fleet of 10 drones offering data on every thing from where mining has taken place to present stockpiles.
Make no mistake, steel tubing these usually are not the drones you find buzzing over your home or in the native park over weekends. Kumba has spent greater than R6 million on its fleet, which incorporates each mounted-wing and quadcopter drones, fitted with state-of-the-artwork cameras and laser scanners, which are used to create three-dimensional pictures and surveys. They are operated by 5 employees members who have acquired specialised coaching as drone pilots, and are fully licenced by the SA Civil Aviation Authority to take action.
The benefits have been immediate, with the drones offering info and data on Kumba’s operations that used to take days, or even weeks, to accumulate. In many instances, they are delivering new information that wasn’t accessible earlier than, and is permitting Kumba to function much more efficiently than earlier than.
Not all of the technologies are as glamorous as robotic drills or drones – however they are no less efficient in contributing to a fashionable mining operation. Kumba is particularly proud of its Advanced Process Control (ACP) system, which in simple phrases controls the circulation of fabric through the processing plant, with fewer interruptions and better high quality.
And then there’s the autonomous braking for Kumba’s haul trucks, which routinely brings the huge trucks to a stop to avoid collisions and accidents. Greater than 10 trucks have already been fitted with the new braking system.
One of the best part of the know-how technique, says Bongi Ntsoelengoe, Technology Manager at Kumba Iron Ore; not a single job has been lost in the process.
“Rather than changing employees, we’ve shown that utilizing know-how in our operations improves abilities and supplies a chance for staff to develop and grow. Better working circumstances mean employees are excited and motivated about their work setting, which makes for a more productive, safer office,” says Ntsoelengoe.