On the Cover: For any quarry owner, uptime is a key parameter that hugely influences the bottom line. Based on this understanding, driving ‘optimal uptime’ is the operating mantra at Trysome Auto Electrical Engineering, and is sought in every aspect of the company’s business, from offering a wide range of risk mitigating and productivity-enhancing products to the provision of an unparalleled service regime.
As the current challenging operating and economic conditions continue to put a squeeze on an already constrained construction materials market, quarry owners are well aware that maximising uptime is largely the basis on which they can survive turbulent times.
With its wide range of risk mitigating and productivity-enhancing technologies, complemented by a broad support footprint and a large team of technicians, Trysome is well-positioned to drive optimal uptime for the quarrying industry.
Established in 1991 by CEO Edwin William Smith, initially focusing on auto electrical maintenance and repairs, the company has, over the past 30 years, evolved to become the largest single-source supplier of heavy-duty auto electrical components, collision avoidance and safety systems for operators of heavy-duty automotive, earthmoving, construction, agricultural, transport, mining and quarrying machinery, all backed by an extensive fleet of associated technical services in sub-Saharan Africa.
While quality products are the starting point, Smith believes that it is the complementary services that really matter. At Trysome, there is much emphasis on speed of service to maximise uptime for customers. To execute that strategy, Smith says the fundamental prerequisite is to have the infrastructure that allows the company to respond to customers’ service needs timeously.
To this end, Trysome has a strategic national and regional footprint. The company is well represented in South Africa, with its head office in Jet Park, Gauteng, as well as branches in Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal (2), Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape. The South-African network is complemented by cross-border branches in Botswana (Gaborone, Jwaneng and Letlhakane), Mozambique and Zambia. The company also has authorised distributors in Namibia.
“Over the past 30 years, we have managed to grow the company from an auto electrical product supplier to become the total solutions provider it is today. Having started with just myself, one support guy and one service vehicle, I am glad to mention that today the company has a staff complement of more than 400 people, of which 60 – 70% are auto electricians and service technicians. This is testament to our service-centric nature, a key pillar of our strategy to drive optimal uptime for our customers,” explains Smith.
Maximising compliance and operational efficiency
A relentless focus on blast-improvement practices is not only allowing AfriSam Rooikraal Quarry to mitigate the risks of having to blast within 500 m of nearby structures, but is also improving blasting performance and decreasing operating costs. Munesu Shoko was recently on site and filed this report.
Compliance by its very nature costs money, and a lot of it, which is why most quarry operators typically tend to focus squarely on planning and environmental approvals when considering their compliance obligations. Such an approach, however, is not sufficient for modern quarry operators and may subject operations to unaccounted areas of risk.
Instead, quarry operators need to take a broader view of their compliance obligations and ensure that they turn their attention towards the other types of approval that can cause them compliance issues. It is imperative that quarry operators realise that these regulations are dynamic and are located in a constantly changing space that is trending towards ever increasing compliance obligations.
One operation that has always taken a broader view to compliance is AfriSam’s Rooikraal Quarry, located in Brakpan, Gauteng. In fact, the operation was the first within the AfriSam Group to acquire a licence to blast within 500 m of structures, in line with the requirements of Regulation 4.16(2) of the Mining Health and Safety Act’s Explosives Regulations of 2018.
“We have always strived to be ‘110% compliant’ – be it environmental, health and safety or quality related compliance. The compliance requirements do cost us a lot of money but also place us as a premium supplier of quality material that never compromises the safety of its people and the environment in which we operate,” explains Louis Sterley, works manager at Rooikraal Quarry.
Keeping an eye on cost per tonne of material moved
To meet mining and quarrying companies’ growing drive to become lowest-quartile cost producers, Bell Equipment has over the years continued to push the boundaries with a range of standard solutions on its articulated haulers that speak to increased productivity and efficiency, thus establishing the Bell ADT as one of the lowest cost-per-tonne machines on the market.
Given the productivity challenges in the mining and quarrying industries, companies are under pressure to produce more efficiently. While miners can’t control the whims of the world economy that shift currencies and project cycles, they can, however, control how they operate. As companies refocus on becoming lowest-quartile producers, Nick Kyriacos, product marketing manager at Bell Equipment, believes that they need to pay close attention to their cost per tonne of material moved.
Truck haulage is the most common form of materials transport in open pit mines, and if not managed properly, it can be one of the biggest cost drivers. “Cost per tonne is one of the key parameters of significance in the mining industry. It’s about moving material from one point to the other at the lowest cost possible, which ultimately keeps the cost of the final product down,” says Kyriacos.
Bell articulated dump trucks (ADTs) have been a pillar of the mining and quarrying industries for decades and continue to grow in importance. The company’s value proposition is to offer a cost-effective and efficient haulage solution. This has been achieved through quality componentry and advancements in standard technologies that increase the efficiency and productivity of machines. According to Kyriacos, lower cost per tonne for Bell ADTs depends on four factors: the quality of the machines, efficient operation, reduced service and maintenance costs, as well as the high residual value of the machines.
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