AT THE QUARRY FACE
WITH
PORTLAND
18
MODERN QUARRYING
October - November 2013
A
dmittedly not a good day to
take photographs as the wind
was blowing fiercely, I met up
with new quarry manager Zain
Moosa, who joined the opera-
tion in June this year. He may be
young, but he is very enthusiastic about the direc-
tion Portland is taking.“It is lovely to be part of the
Portland group, a company that believes that its
staff are more than employees, but part of an ex-
tended family.
“I love the quarrying industry; we are a dif-
ferent breed of people. We have to think on our
feet, and if something goes wrong, we have to be
able to make a plan without delay. The bottom
line is that you must get the stone on the floor.
The quarry is the brain of this operation and if
something goes wrong, it affects each and every
person in the company.”
Moosa, who is a veritable, enthusiastic chat-
terbox, says this industry is part and parcel of
what he is. “I love the smell of the explosives,
once we have pulled a blast. I love the sound
of the plant when it is running smoothly, there
is nothing better; and the grit – I can’t breathe
without it!”
MQ
, who has visited this quarry several times
over the last 10 years, was told that the quarry is
in the process of a major upgrade in the region
of about R2,5-million at this stage. The plant is
fully computerised, with its own control centre
looking out over the plant. “The old system had
a lot of electrical glitches and breakdowns, cost-
ing us time and money. Previously, downtime
on the plant could be as much as four days at a
time, and we have often spent a lot of time look-
ing for cable faults. With a quarry this old, there
isn’t an accurate plan of precisely where some of
the cables are located, and it has been very frus-
trating at times. Now that everything is visible, if
something blows, we can see it and fix it.”
Safety is another factor firstly for employees,
and the plant itself. “Honestly, for the primary
plant operators standing out there in winter and
summer, wind and rain, it is not pleasant, and
now we are able to utilise our people more effi-
ciently and safely in our operation. The inspectors
are also pleased,” he says with a smile.
Installation is not fully complete as yet, but
the operations room is efficient with trainee plant
operator Lindsey Cloete thoroughly enjoying her
job. She has worked in the readymix department
Driving past the Vissers
hok Road in Durbanville
en route to Cape Town,
one can’t help but notice
the action taking place
at the Portland quarry.
This quarry is extremely
busy and the trucks
entering and leaving
the operation, both in
terms of aggregate and
readymix are constant.
MQ
popped in recently
for a cup of coffee, and
was pleased to see how
this operation is making
inroads in efficiency and
ultimately safety.
in process of R2,5-million upgrade
PORTLAND G
