June 2014
MODERN MINING
15
MINING News
Thorncliffe mine hosts
visit by UK students
Glencore’s Thorncliffe Mine recently hosted
a group of United Kingdom-based univer-
sity students as part of their programme to
understand hard rock mining in South Africa.
The group of 23 students from Imperial
College London, led by Professor Dennis
Buchanan, undertook an underground mine
visit at the operation, a first for some of the
students who were part of the delegation.
“Each year I arrange an excursion in May
to South Africa for the group MSc Metals
and Energy Finance students,”says Professor
Buchanan.
“In the past this has included a visit to
Glencore’s Lion ferrochromium operations in
the itinerary. Given that they are busy with
the construction of Phase 2 of their opera-
tion, we decided to visit the Thorncliffe mine.
This neatly complemented the narrative
of an integrated chromite operation with
Thorncliffe providing chromitite directly to
Lion for ferrochromium production,”he says.
Professor Buchanan says the visit pro-
vided an opportunity for the students to
enhance their employability in the miner-
als, coal and petroleum industries and the
related finance divisions of investment
banks.
According to Johan Combrink, Glencore
Alloys’ General Manager, Eastern Chrome
Mines, the visit strengthened the ties that
the company has with the University which
has conducted similar visits in the past to the
Lion project.
“The visit provided an opportunity to
expose the students to hard rock mining. It
was the first time that some of the students
visited an underground operation. We hope
that the visit will go a long way in assisting
themgain a better understanding of howwe
conduct mining and also prepare them for
their future careers,” he says.
Against a backdrop of waning inves-
tor appetite in the South African mining
industry, Murray & Roberts Cementation
has set its sights on realising the potential
for growth it has identified in the greater
African market. This focus has led to a
formal African growth strategy that has
already seen a pleasing growth in the com-
pany’s order book fromAfrican operations,
which currently constitute about 25 % of
its turnover.
“With the action in the mining indus-
try moving north and the next orebodies
to be exploited located in other African
countries, we initiated a study to evalu-
ate the potential in these countries,”
Chris Sheppard, MD of Murray & Roberts
Cementation, says. “This involved gain-
ing an understanding of the risk, logistical
constraints and potential clients in each
country and has resulted in a ‘hub-and-
spoke’strategy that we believe will steadily
grow our business on the continent.
“In recent times we’ve established rep-
resentative offices in Ghana to serve clients
in West Africa and in Zambia as a central
African base, as well as an office in Maputo,
Mozambique in anticipation of significant
infrastructure work expected to flow from
the coal mining industry in the Tete prov-
ince. It’s satisfying to see that we already
have three major projects in Zambia, while
we are actively seeking work in the DRC,
having secured an in-country partner to
identify potential underground mining
projects. At the same time, we’re targeting
prospects in Ghana and Mauritania.”
Sheppard adds that Murray & Roberts
Cementation differentiates itself through
its ability to enter into internal joint ven-
tures with international sister companies
in the Murray & Roberts Group, nota-
bly in Australia and Canada, to add real
value to projects. For example, the com-
pany is poised to engage with a project
in Mauritania in JV with Cementation
Canada which, among other resources,
has provided the necessary key personnel
proficient in French.
“With thedownturn inmining inWestern
Australia, the competition for African proj-
ects from Australia has increased, while
China is also making its presence felt on
the continent,” he continues. “With access
to trackless mining expertise from our sis-
ter company in Australia, Murray & Roberts
Cementation is, however, well able to
compete by adding an Australian flavour
to our African bids, while our competitive
edge against the Chinese lies on the quality
side of the equation. Access to our group’s
Global Underground Mining Platform pro-
vides us with world leading shaft-sinking
skills out of Canada.
“We’re also differentiated by the Murray
& Roberts Cementation Training Academy
at Bentley Park, near Carletonville. This
Mining Qualifications Authority-accredited
facility is unique in the contracting space,
giving our personnel the matchless oppor-
tunity to learn best practice mining and
shaft-sinking skills by working on full-scale
mock-ups and simulators. They acquire
these skills in a controlled environment
free of noise, environmental hostility or the
pressure of production targets.
“Ultimately, we're offering clients in
the greater African mining industry a full
service offering, from cradle to grave,”
Sheppard concludes.
Cementation sets its sights on
growth in the greater African market
