In light of the global energy transition, global mining specialist and equipment supplier for openpit and underground mining, bulk materials handling and minerals processing TAKRAF is guided by various green principles when providing solutions for its clients, says TAKRAF belt conveyor systems head Dr Mario Dilefeld, TAKRAF special projects engineering manager Matthias Pohl, TAKRAF South Africa brand and external communications specialist Juliana Ndisengei, marketing and business development head Mitch Cosani and TAKRAF India representative Srikant Bondada.

These solutions include reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, as well as wear and tear.

Other solutions include continuous mining systems that are effective alternatives to trucks, dewatering solutions to reduce water consumption, dry-stacked tailings solutions for sustainable safety and environmental practices, resource conservation through predictive maintenance and providing wear part management.

While TAKRAF does not have a say in how its clients power their equipment and operations, the TAKRAF team says they feel more confident that more client companies will shift towards renewable energy in the future.

However, a challenge includes the costly nature of implementing renewable-energy projects, as mining clients are sometimes unable to afford environment-friendly options.

For example, the global adoption of dry-stacked tailings solutions has been slow, despite the significant safety and environmental benefits the technology provides.

The team remains confident, however, that “as environmental, social and corporate governance continues to play an increasingly important role in the way business is conducted, this will become less of an obstacle, as companies will have no choice but to adopt the most environmentally sound solution”.

Other Projects

In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, TAKRAF is adapting existing technologies to new areas, and the company is entering the wet crushing market with its range of TAKRAF sizers.

The company has been contracted to supply two sizers for a wet crushing application in North America.

Owing to the size limitations of the existing plant, the two sizers will be stacked on top of each other. Each sizer can be pulled out independently for maintenance.

The sizers will process up to 650 t/h of the material that is rejected from the vibrating screens and will crush 400 mm material rejects down to 50 mm.

“Real investments are needed to meet current and future demand, which is especially driven by the decarbonisation drive and focus on battery-related minerals. We are engaged in several large and interesting projects globally.

“We will also focus more on our energy and water-saving product technologies to further develop them in line with the global transition to a green economy and various related opportunities that emerge as a result,” the company explains.

Aims for Africa

As a global entity with headquarters in Germany, understanding localisation and the African market is a focus area for TAKRAF.

With TAKRAF South Africa’s roots dating back to the 1920s, the company is a recognised specialist in bulk materials handling pertaining to the mining, metallurgical and port sectors, boasting a significant and diverse portfolio of key projects, many of them featuring several milestone achievements.

“With our commitment to providing innovative and sustainable technological solutions that proactively meet clients’ needs, TAKRAF also acknowledges its role in socioeconomic transformation.Our business strategy recognises that, to achieve sustainable growth, we need to address the needs of relevant communities and the planet, and contribute meaningfully to social, economic and environmental development and protection,” the team says.

The team explains that this can be achieved by encouraging global collaboration, particularly among the business units of TAKRAF South Africa, TAKRAF India and TAKRAF Germany to ensure clients benefit from its global expertise.

“We are ideally positioned to support our clients in taking the next step in the move towards greater environmental sustainability – the transition from wet to dry tailings deposits. This is an area in which the combined strengths of our TAKRAF and DELKOR portfolios will provide fully integrated solutions and we believe that the focus on dry tailings will intensify in the African market too.”

Zero Harm Policy

The team stresses TAKRAF’s focus on safety in its projects, noting its adoption of a zero harm approach.

“We ensure that our employees across all offices and job sites understand that safety is paramount, not only for ourselves but also as an obligation to our colleagues and all stakeholders.”

TAKRAF’s health and safety executive proection management system is certified for ISO 45001:2018; SCC:2011 and ISO 14001:2015, and is regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with prevailing requirements.

Adopting a zero harm approach also increases confidence among clients and stakeholders because good safety records reflect well for companies.

Despite its emphasis on safety, the company has yet to achieve its goal of zero harm across its operations. However, the company has achieved various lost-time-injury milestones across several of its projects globally.

“These are often super complex projects with numerous touchpoints, and can include various cultures and languages, and are in tough environments in arduous climates. We are committed to ensuring that all our offices and sites around the world are always safe, clean and healthy environments for all stakeholders,” the team concludes.