Page 38 - EngineerIt April 2021

INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION

Smart mining with next-generation drill rigs

eployment of 28 next-generation drill rigs at Kumba Iron Ore in the Thanks to this philosophy, Kumba now has the most technically-
DNorthern Cape is part of Anglo American’s FutureSmart Mining™ advanced and innovative drill-rig fleet in the world, let alone in South
strategy to transform the future of mining. According to the company, Africa. “It is a combination of the number of drill rigs and the technology
step-change innovation is required in terms of technology, digitalisation behind them. I honestly do not believe that any mining operation in the
and sustainability. world currently has the level of technology that has been deployed at
Revolutionising the way that drilling is traditionally carried out in the Kumba,” asserts Ribeiro.
mining industry, the new exploration drill rigs from Rosond of Midrand Telemetry will be used to obtain data from the 28-strong drill-rig
combine automation, software and data analytics and machine learning. fleet at the iron ore operation, which will be crucial to underpin the
This is part of the company’s own transition into a fully-fledged drilling improvement in efficiency and productivity that Anglo American will
technology provider. achieve in the long term with the new technology. This also represents the
“When we developed the new drill rigs initially, we had to understand next step in the evolution of Rosond itself, which will strive to offer various
the broader context of FutureSmart Mining™, which is essentially Anglo geological solutions based on interpreting the data itself.
American’s overarching project to modernise all of its mining operations. The final batch of 28 state-of-the-art drill rigs were dispatched to Anglo
Ensuring that our drill rigs conform to this vision also allowed us as a American’s Kumba Iron Ore operation in the Northern Cape in December
company to tap into the concept of ‘smart’ mining”, Rosond managing last year, to be rolled out at the Kolomela and Sishen mines. It forms part of
director Ricardo Ribeiro told EngineerIT. a R2 billion, five-year tender won by Rosond to supply Anglo American with
The development process commenced in 2012 with a decision the latest drilling technology as it modernises its geoscience operations.
to partner with Comacchio, which had the capability to manufacture
according to Rosond’s own specifications. A family business too, About Rosond
Comacchio’s values and vision aligned closely with that of Rosond, Rosond provides fast, efficient, safe and cost-effective drilling and grouting
resulting in the extremely successful partnership that it is today. services to mining and exploration industries throughout Africa. For over
“It also resonated with our understanding of how business needs to 60 years, Rosond has applied advanced design and engineering disciplines
be conducted. The partnership commenced with a single drill rig in 2012. to create client-specific solutions. State-of-the-art, in-house manufacturing
This was in the field for a good five years before we decided to embark facilities provide products designed and engineered to meet clients’
on the development process for what we have currently. It is not an off- specific demands, while an experienced team of engineers and artisans
the-shelf solution, which is very different to the rest of the market. What ensure a solution in keeping with global best practice. n
differentiates us as well is our keen insight into the operational difficulties
imposed by the mining environment. Our choice of partner at the end of Ricardo Ribeiro (011) 310 1040 Email: rick@rosond.com
the day had to take all of this into account”, Ribeiro said. Web: www.rosond.com

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