Gaining ground in boosting thermal spray industry

To redress the negative perceptions of thermal spraying in some market sectors in Africa and to increase the awareness of its uses, the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) will bolster the... 

Lab undertakes work to improve quality of welding

The Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) has undertaken about 40 testing and evaluation jobs at its R12-million metallurgical testing laboratory, based at its head office in City West,... 

R200k in consumables donated to SAIW

The South African supplier of welding consumables and equipment ESAB Africa Welding & Cutting, which is the sub-Saharan Africa subsidiary of UK-based industrial company ESAB Holdings, donated more... 

Institute undertakes several certifications

The Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) has certified 82 companies and sites to date and has more than 30 additional companies that are interested in obtaining ISO 3834 certification... 

Institute investigates use of e-learning

The Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) says that one of the highest priorities in its training programmes is the implementation of e-learning as a teaching method. 

Craig Northwood

Position: Group MD of UWP Consulting and associated companies Main Activity of the Company: Consulting engineering and project management 

Marikana incident provided key lessons for unions, Lonmin

South Africa’s labour unions, as well as platinum miner Lonmin, learnt several lessons as a result of the events that took place at Marikana last year, Advocate Dali Mpofu stressed at labour law... 

Engagement with govt key in indigenisation legislation

Free, open and honest engagement between investors and the Zimbabwe government – sooner rather than later – is key to moving forward with the country’s indigenisation legislation, as keeping the... 

Steel pipeline installed at Zim mining company

Robor Pipe Systems, a division of steel, tube and pipe manufacturer Robor, supplied its patented Steel Polypipe to Zimbabwe Platinum Mines’ (Zimplats’) $460-million Phase 2 project, at the Ngezi... 

Sanctions still hamper Zim diamond exports

One of the biggest challenges still facing Zimbabwe’s diamond mining industry is the sanctions imposed by the US and European Union (EU) on the export of rough diamonds from the country’s mines,... 

Indaba focuses on redefining Africa

Zimbabwe’s mining sector has shown a slow, yet significant, recovery over the past five years, with an overall upward trend in mineral production, says corporate and project finance advisory and... 

Tax regime, mining policy must change to ensure growth in Zim mining

The Zimbabwean mining industry is at a significant juncture, as it desperately needs to put long-term plans and strategy for the next 10 to 20 years in place, to develop the mining sector, yield... 

Several labour lessons learnt from Marikana tragedy – Mpofu

A number of lessons were learnt by South Africa’s labour unions, as well as by platinum miner Lonmin, as a result of the events that took place at Marikana last year, Advocate Dali Mpofu stressed... 

NCCA appoints additional compliance auditor

Outsourced services provider Servest Group was appointed by the National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA) last month as one of the parties who will conduct yearly compliance audits for NCCA... 

Biological cleaning solutions gain ground in South Africa

The use of biological cleaning products has been increasing in South Africa in the last ten years as more users are becoming aware of the environmental impact of traditional chemical cleaners and,... 

Chemical-free, multisurface cleaning solution

For many years, cleaning contractors and various markets have had to deal with the risk of damaging various surfaces, owing to incorrect chemical use and dilutions, which subsequently created a... 

Dry chlorine metallurgy PGM refining plant nears commercialisation

Patented platinum-group metals (PGMs) refining technology, Chloroplat, which recovers PGMs from ore concentrates and yields recoveries comparable with those achieved using conventional smelting,... 

Soaring PGM production costs hamper mining activity

Many analysts suggest that the South African platinum-group metals (PGMs) sector is not likely to have a promising future in the near term and some are not even convinced that conditions will... 

Drilling contractor maintains sound platinum order book

JSE-listed drilling services provider Master Drilling CEO Danie Pretorius tells Mining Weekly that the company has maintained a sound platinum order book this year, despite labour unrest in the... 

Safety system protects the lives of platinum workers

The platinum mining sector has recently come under significant scrutiny, specifically with regard to the way in which platinum mine employers are ensuring the safety of their workers at all of the... 

Social, environmental consulting under way

Environmental consulting company Digby Wells is finalising a scoping report for Africa-focused project developer Ivanplats’ Platreef platinum-group metals, nickel, copper and gold project, on the... 

SA platinum ETF rated second-largest worldwide after four months

Since its launch at the end of April, banker Absa has experienced strong and consistent demand from institutional investors with regard to its NewPlat exchange-traded fund (ETF). 

Hydropower increasingly used as opposed to compressed air in platinum, gold mines

The biggest combined force driving the adoption of hydropower equipment in the underground mining industry – specifically in gold and platinum mines – is the need to move away from using compressed... 

Company moves away from gravity recovery of gold, focuses on PGM recovery

Modular mineral processing plant manufacturer Appropriate Process Technologies (APT) CEO Kevin Peacocke says the company has increased its focus on designing and incorporating modular... 

Increased demand from Australia

Specialist simulator manufacturer ThoroughTec Simulation will use the Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (Aimex) 2013, which will run from August 20 to 23 at Sydney’s Olympic Park, in... 

Software released to improve excavation accuracy

Mining technology developer Maptek reports that it launched its PerfectDig software program to the global mining market at the end of June, following successful field trials at coal mines, in... 

Australia-based contractor sets sights on Africa

Australia-based underground mining contractor Barminco will begin work next month on a three-year development and production contract at the Mount Lyell copper, gold and silver mine, in Queenstown,... 

Efficient drill mobilisation puts drilling ahead of schedule

Since being awarded a $140-million, four-year-long drilling services contract at iron-ore major Fortescue Metals’ Cloudbreak mine, in February, Australia-based drill and blast services provider... 

Explorer seeks JV partner to develop WA deposit

Diversified exploration company Australia Minerals and Mining Group (AMMG) is actively pursuing potential joint venture interests for its wholly-owned 807-million-ton Joint Ore Reserves Committee-... 

Suspended dump truck body reduces environmental noise levels

The Moolarben Coal Operations joint venture, the operator of the Moolarben coal complex in the Hunter Valley region, in New South Wales, Australia, has invested about $3-million to buy six new... 

Australian-developed technology reduces coal-stockpiling hazards

To tackle specific challenges mining companies face, surface and underground equipment simulator supplier to the global mining industry Immersive Technologies, released SimControl 4.6 in May, which... 

Skills spread too thinly, being lost in SA

The good project management skills that exist in South Africa are unfortunately being spread too thinly, resulting in many projects going ahead with weak teams at the owner-team and contractor level. 

Consulting engineer increases connectivity to improve information flow

Cape Town-based managed services provider and Internet service provider SybaWeb added the Richards Bay branch of consulting engineering practice UWP Consulting to its connectivity backbone after it... 

Project managers developed despite economic slowdown

While there are enough projects under way to employ the number of project managers in South Africa, there is a shortage of competent project and construction managers. 

Investment improves services offering

Sheet-metal component manufacturer Fabrinox will take receipt of the last of three newly acquired pieces of machinery no later than mid-August, as part of an equipment investment programme to... 

Versatile laser system introduced to SA

US-based laser-cutting and engraving systems manufacturer Kern Laser Systems’ new HSE 150 W and HSE 400 W laser systems can be equipped with technology that enables the laser systems to accurately... 

R70m construction project uses 158 t of structural steel

Consulting engineering firm Aurecon’s R70-million project involving the construction of a study centre at the University of Pretoria’s Engineering 1 building, which comprises 158 t of structural... 

Heat-transfer technology increasingly used in global steel-processing industry

Heat transfer technology company TKEnergizer’s patented thermal kinetic energizer (TKEnergizer) technology – which delivers heat in a uniform stream of high kinetic energy – took some time to gain... 

Focus on adding value, despite depressed steel market

US-based laser-cutting and engraving systems manufacturer Kern Laser Systems’ new HSE 150 W and HSE 400 W laser systems can be equipped with technology that enables the laser systems to accurately... 

Can SA steel fabricators remain competitive in Africa?

To remain competitive in the African market, South African structural steel fabricators must ensure they add more value to steel products and move away from the current commodity model, which is...