July - August 2013
MODERN QUARRYING
5
In six months since implementing a main-
tenance contract at Debswana’s Jwaneng
diamond mine in Botswana, FLSmidth has
reduced unplanned outages by more than
5,0%. Jwaneng is a long-standing FLSmidth
customer and has purchased an array of
materials handling equipment from the
company.
“We’ve deployed a significant number of
technicians on site to support and maintain
the equipment at Jwaneng, only six of whom
are expats,” says Buks Roodt, director respon-
sible for customer services at FLSmidth. “The
scope of the maintenance contract includes
mechanical maintenance of 102 conveyors
including all chutes and belt magnets, as well
as maintenance management, spares and
maintenance planning using the customer’s
SAP system, standby and breakdown support
and cleaning services.
“Having designed and manufactured
this equipment puts us in an ideal position
to add real value to the mine’s operation
and maintenance,” he confirms. “Every addi-
tional percent of plant availability means
direct revenue to the customer and we’ve
demonstrated that the new maintenance
contract is already benefitting the Jwaneng
mine. We’re very proud of these early gains
and are committed to sustaining them.”
Jason Smith joined Atlas Copco Mining and Rock Excavation
Technique South Africa as Regional GM in September this
year. His career began in the heavy engineering industry
with Dorbyl, which he says also included some time spent
in the infrastructure sector of the telecommunication indus-
try. “The majority of my 18 years’ experience was spent
within the South African market, with added international
experience,” he explains. Smith has a National Certificate in
Mechanical Engineering.
With his vast global exposure which spans some eight
years, Smith brings extensive international experience to the
Regional GM position. He has previously been a part of the regional Atlas Copco team
when he headed up the Parts and Service function in 2005. He was relocated to Sweden
in 2009 and appointed VP of Parts and Service for the Surface Drilling division. When
Atlas Copco created the Service division for mining in 2011 to increase the focus and
service towards customers, Smith was appointed VP of Operations in this division. Both
these positions were within the divisional management teams and encompassed global
responsibility and exposure. While in Sweden, he was also a member of various boards
within Atlas Copco.
Discussing the current business climate, Smith expects the next few months to be
challenging and uncertain, especially when taking into account the labour situation
within South Africa. Despite this, he remains optimistic.
Early gains for Jwaneng maintenance contract
FLSmidth’s Service Visits programme covers service
audits, troubleshooting, on-site repairs, parts
installation, service supervision and on-site training.
Roodt says this achievement underpins the
company’s role as a one-source company,
whose support and service extends to the
complete lifecycle of a project. “This is what
differentiates FLSmidth from many other
companies in the mineral processing field.”
Atlas Copco welcomes Smith’s return
