On the Cover:
As quarry operators seek to navigate the current challenging business landscape as a result of the lack of meaningful construction projects, there is an increasing trend in the local quarrying industry to ‘sweat’ yellow metal assets. Leveraging the build quality of Volvo Construction Equipment machines, augmented by Babcock’s suite of complementary services, quarry owners can extract as much life out of their existing assets as possible.
In his recent interactions with some of the quarry operators and their contractor counterparts, David Vaughan, MD of Babcock’s Equipment division, has learnt that, despite the marked increase in volumes, the industry has not returned to the 2016/2017 levels, largely due to the lack of large government infrastructure projects. There is, however, some road maintenance projects currently underway across some of the provinces, but on a small scale.
Against this backdrop, Vaughan says quarry owners and mining contractors are forced to sweat their assets. Rather than splashing cash on new equipment, they are limiting their capital expenditure and focusing on keeping existing assets humming along – a valuable strategy during difficult economic periods.
To provide context, Vaughan says one of the largest quarrying groups in South Africa used to run its Volvo load and haul machines for up to 10 000 hours before replacement. However, due to capital constraints, the company is stretching its machines’ lifecycles well beyond 20 000 hours, with some of them already approaching 25 000 hours, and counting.
Elsewhere, a contractor running a fleet of Volvo A30 articulated dump trucks and some EC480 excavators has also stretched its machines to over 20 000 hours. Despite running beyond double their initial projected first life, the machines, says Vaughan, are still producing well with minimum interventions.
“We are currently seeing Volvo load and haul machines being pushed to their limits. Many quarry operators are sweating their assets, and the Volvo product is proving to be up to the task. We have had instances where our Volvo machines were being run for up to 30 000 hours, and have measured up to the taxing demands of extended lifecycles,” says Vaughan.
Cement designation – victory for local cement producers?
In what is believed to be a major victory for local cement manufacturers, South Africa’s National Treasury has banned the use of imported cement on all government-funded projects. Modern Quarrying speaks to Cement and Concrete SA and Industry Insight on the significance and implications of this development.
The influx of imported cement in South Africa has over the years been a thorn in the side of local cement producers. After lobbying for several years by Cement and Concrete SA (CCSA), the consolidated cement and concrete association, to protect the local cement industry and local jobs from the threat of ‘cheap’ imports, government has finally taken seemingly decisive action. This follows the announcement that, from 4 November this year, National Treasury has designated cement, meaning that the use of imported cement on all government-funded projects is prohibited.
The action comes as the industry reels from the current economic slump, which has been exacerbated by the lack of meaningful infrastructure projects. Bryan Perrie, CEO of CCSA, tells Modern Quarrying that National Treasury has issued a circular to all relevant state departments of the new ruling in terms of the Preferential Procurement Regulations. The designation of cement will apply to all projects entered into by state entities, including national, provincial and local authorities, as well as state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The designation prescribes that all organs of state must, from 4 November, stipulate in tender invitations that only SA-produced cement, produced with locally-sourced raw materials, will be allowed for use on all public sector construction projects. National Treasury has stipulated a 100% threshold for both common and masonry cements.
Elsie Snyman, CEO of Industry Insight, says that with over 1-million t (Mt) of cement and 330 000 t of clinker imported each year, the ban will definitely help cement producers increase their sales volumes, capacity utilisation, profitability and, more importantly, protect jobs.
Rock solid foundation for quality aggregates
With a heritage spanning more than eight decades, AfriSam’s footprint of quarries nationwide is supported by quality systems that ensure customers reliability and consistency of aggregate supply.
“The value of the right aggregate for the task cannot be overstated, as it affects all aspects of project success – from safety and longevity to cost-effectiveness and reputational risk,” says Amit Dawneerangen, GM sales and product technical at AfriSam.
The company’s strong product technical department ensures that all facilities and products comply with the necessary standards and quality specifications. Standard quality control testing is conducted regularly on each aggregate stockpile at every operation, and annual testing is also conducted by independent SANAS-accredited laboratories.
“This is all vital to assuring the customer that our aggregate helps them to meet the design engineer’s specifications for their contract,” he says. “Without these quality systems and processes, the construction value chain can be compromised and cause various negative impacts for stakeholders down the line.”
Click to download and read this issue in PDF format.
