SEW-EURODRIVE began its digital journey with relatively basic condition monitoring tools but has steadily expanded both the scope and intelligence of its systems. “We started introducing various forms of instrumentation and condition monitoring systems in South Africa in 2008. Since then, we have evolved our technology to encompass more drive information in a singular diagnostic system. This has resulted in the introduction of DriveRadar®,” he explains.

DriveRadar® continuously monitors a broad set of parameters around each drive. Crucially, DriveRadar® doesn’t stop at raw data.

“The diagnostic unit can monitor various external conditions, harmonics, vibrations, temperatures and based on that it can take the logic and give feedback back to the client, giving them a state of their drive. It also gives it a projected outcome if preventative measures are not put in place. In other words, DriveRadar is not just measuring; it is interpreting and predicting,” McKey explains.

The practical value of this AI-style approach is in predictive maintenance. Instead of rigid service schedules or last-minute fixes, DriveRadar® helps mines act at precisely the right time. “It monitors these changes and these variations, and the impact that would have on the oil and the viscosity and reliability, and it actually intervenes and tells a customer how much longer they can operate a drive safely before it results in premature wear or damage. For mining operations where every hour of lost production translates into significant revenue, that foresight is invaluable,” McKey adds.

By identifying problems early and accurately estimating safe remaining life, DriveRadar® helps mines avoid emergency breakdowns, reduce costly rush orders and plan maintenance around production, not the other way around.

A frontrunner in AI

It has already been proven that AI can have a positive impact on mining. While the technology is still novel in the sector, McKey states that DriveRadar® already represents a practical, embedded form of AI.

“If you consider the fact that the diagnostic unit can monitor all these various external conditions, and based on that, it can take the logic and actually create a safe running philosophy. That version of artificial intelligence already basically exists to a degree within the technology.”

Looking ahead, he expects this intelligence to deepen, reducing the analytical burden on the human workforce. “We are constantly evolving our technology, and as we progress into the years, we will further enhance this technology and allow less human intervention and more drive technology intervention to assist people in managing plants and production activities.”

For African mines, that trajectory points to a future where smart drives and AI-style diagnostics work hand in hand with skilled technicians, delivering higher reliability, lower maintenance costs and a much clearer picture of what is happening inside every critical gearbox and motor long before anything fails.

The post DriveRadar and AI provide smarter maintenance in tough mining conditions appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

Overcoming Africa’s logistical barriers

Remote mining sites across Africa face persistent logistical barriers, including weak transport links, difficult terrain and seasonal weather that can disrupt the movement of workers, equipment and supplies. Du Toit says many mining sites cannot depend on conventional transport. “Geography remains one of the biggest challenges for mining in Africa. Many sites have limited scheduled air capacity, poor road access or become unreachable during rainy seasons. In those cases, charter flights are often the only practical way to sustain operations.”

Supporting fly-in, fly-out mining workforces

The fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) model remains standard across many mining operations, particularly at remote sites. Air charters help companies move personnel efficiently while aligning aircraft capacity with operational demand. Du Toit says ACS provides flexible solutions for each project. “ACS supports FIFO operations on both an ad-hoc and long-term basis, using aircraft matched to passenger and cargo requirements. The ability to scale capacity up or down helps clients manage costs while maintaining reliable service.”

The company has supported FIFO programmes globally, including a long-term rotation service between South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “In one long-term contract, we operated twice-weekly rotations between South Africa and the DRC for passengers and cargo. The service ran for more than four years, providing consistency and reliability.

Rapid response during emergencies

Mining emergencies, from medical evacuations to urgent equipment movements, require immediate action, placing a premium on rapid aircraft deployment. Du Toit says ACS operates 24/7 to handle urgent requests.

“ACS has access to all commercially available aircraft and operates 24/7, enabling an immediate response to urgent needs. Depending on routing and permits, aircraft can be dispatched in as little as two hours, while medical evacuation approvals can often be pre-arranged or fast-tracked.”

Transporting specialised equipment and technical teams

Mining operations often require the safe movement of high-value equipment and specialist personnel, making aircraft selection and compliance especially important. Du Toit says ACS’s global network helps source suitable aircraft for specialised needs. “With access to passenger and cargo aircraft worldwide, ACS can source the most suitable solution for each customer. Its compliance team vets operators to help safeguard equipment and personnel.”

Ensuring safety in remote airstrips

Operating into remote or underdeveloped airfields requires detailed planning and strict regulatory oversight. Du Toit says detailed operational assessments are completed before flights begin. “ACS works with operators to assess routes, airfield conditions, handling equipment, fuel availability, operating hours, and customs and immigration requirements. ACS also confirms that proposed operators have the certifications needed for remote locations and that all documentation is in order.”

Demand trends in mining aviation

Mining activity continues to influence demand for charter aviation services as exploration and production levels shift. “There has been a small recent increase in demand for both passenger and cargo charters.” Du Toit adds that commodity markets also affect aviation demand. “Commodity prices do affect demand. Higher prices or output can change requirements at mine sites.”

Experience across global mining regions

With decades of mining logistics experience, ACS has developed expertise in some of the world’s most demanding operating environments. “Air Charter Service has vast experience in operations in many mining regions and can assist in most fields of the logistic operation.”

The post Air Charter Service keeps Africa’s remote mines running efficiently appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

At the centre of this challenge is data. Geological, operational, and production information is generated and collected in the field, often in remote or underground environments where connectivity cannot be guaranteed. When systems are unable to function under these conditions, data capture becomes fragmented. Information is delayed, badly reconstructed, or lost, introducing inefficiencies that extend into planning, reporting, and decision-making. 

A more effective approach begins by designing systems around how mining actually works. Mineware’s Syncromine platform reflects this shift, operating as a unified mine management system that connects field activity with centralised oversight, while remaining fully functional in low-connectivity environments. 

This starts at the point of data capture. Syncromine enables geological and operational information, including borehole data from both exploratory and day-to-day drilling, to be recorded directly in the field. Whether capturing details related to mineral composition, underground structures, faulting, water, or methane, the system ensures that data is entered once, accurately, and in context. Crucially, this process is not dependent on connectivity. Field teams can continue capturing and accessing information in real time, even when completely offline. 

When connectivity becomes available, data synchronises seamlessly with a centralised database. This removes the need for manual consolidation and ensures that all stakeholders are working from a consistent and up-to-date dataset. The result is continuity between field and office environments, allowing information to move efficiently across the operation. 

Within Syncromine, this data feeds into a broader operational framework that integrates production, planning, safety, maintenance, and financial systems into a single platform. Production can be tracked against plan in real time, enabling more responsive decision-making. Geological and survey inputs support more accurate mine design and scheduling, while safety and inspection data contribute to improved risk management. 

From Data Capture to Predictive Maintenance 

One of the most significant benefits of this integration is what it enables beyond the point of capture. Consistent, field-accurate equipment and operational data forms the foundation of effective predictive maintenance. When asset condition, usage patterns, and inspection outcomes are recorded reliably and in context, maintenance teams gain the visibility needed to move from reactive schedules to condition-based intervention. 

Syncromine’s maintenance and asset management functions support this directly. Equipment history, inspection records, and performance data are tracked within the same platform that manages production and planning, rather than in isolated systems that require manual reconciliation. This means that when patterns indicating potential failure begin to emerge, they are visible across the operation, not buried in a disconnected spreadsheet or delayed by a connectivity gap in the field. 

In environments where unplanned downtime carries significant operational and financial cost, this capability is not an enhancement. It is a core operational requirement. 

Practical by Design 

Importantly, this approach also addresses practical barriers to adoption. Systems that require high-end hardware or continuous connectivity can be difficult to scale across sites, particularly in cost-sensitive environments. Syncromine is designed to operate on smaller, more accessible devices, reducing infrastructure requirements and enabling broader deployment across teams. 

At the same time, the platform connects operational outputs with costing and performance data, providing a clearer view of how day-to-day activities translate into financial outcomes. This level of integration enables mining operations to move from fragmented systems toward a more unified and transparent model of management, one that supports stronger alignment between technical decisions and business performance. 

Building Digital Systems for the Real World 

As mining continues to evolve across regions where infrastructure cannot be taken for granted, the definition of digital transformation is shifting. It is no longer enough for systems to be advanced in theory. They must be reliable in practice, functioning without dependency on ideal conditions and delivering value in the environments where mining actually takes place. 

Data captured accurately in the field, synchronised reliably when connectivity allows, and integrated across maintenance, production, planning, and financial functions — this is what operational continuity looks like in practice. And in an industry where the margin between planned and unplanned is often measured in hours and cost, systems that deliver this capability regardless of location are not just preferable. They are essential. 

Designing for low-connectivity environments is not a constraint on digital ambition. It is the foundation on which genuinely resilient mining operations are built. 

The post Digital Mining in Low-Connectivity Environments: Designing Systems That Work Where It Matters Most appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

Amid this evolving context, Nigeria’s energy sector is accelerating efforts across the value chain: from upstream licensing rounds and major gas developments such as NLNG Train 7, to expanded midstream and downstream infrastructure aimed at boosting supply, processing, and regional distribution. These advancements not only reinforce Nigeria’s contribution to global energy supply but also underpin Africa’s broader ambition to serve as an anchor of energy security at a time when diversification of supply is essential.

Themed Advancing Energy Ambitions for Competitive & Resilient Economies, the NOG Energy Week Strategic Conference will convene policymakers, global industry leaders, investors, and technology innovators to examine how Nigeria and Africa can enhance their global competitiveness. Discussions will span critical pillars including global energy positioning, upstream growth, strategic partnerships and regional alliances, finance and investment, gas and LNG, AI, and midstream and downstream infrastructure development.

Taking place on July 7-9 2026, the Strategic Conference offers delegates direct access to high-level decision‑makers, actionable market intelligence, and a platform for deal‑making and cross‑border collaboration across Africa’s energy value chain. With strategic partnerships and regional alliances now more essential than ever, the event serves as a pivotal hub for aligning capital, accelerating project development, and shaping Africa’s contribution to global energy security.

The 2026 Strategic Conference Programme Brochure is now live and available for download. Explore the full agenda, confirmed speakers, and curated networking platforms designed to support your business objectives in an increasingly competitive and interconnected global market.

See all the event details below, and to attend, register here. 

 From July 5-9,  2026, join global energy leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, for the 25th annual NOG Energy Week Conference & Exhibition. As Nigeria’s foremost convening platform dedicated to serving the global energy industry, NOG Energy Week drives bold dialogue, strategic partnerships, and dealmaking to advance markets and accelerate progress. Engage with the entire energy value chain — oil, gas, power, renewables, technology, finance, and more — over five dynamic days dedicated to shaping a secure, just, and sustainable energy future for Nigeria and beyond.

The post Nigeria Opens Registration For NOG Energy Week 2026 appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

With the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) now mandatory since June 2025, many users of electric motors might be confused about their next step. Worse still, they may be vulnerable to poor decision-making due to uncertainty and opportunistic buying, according to Willem Strydom, SEW-EURODRIVE’S Manager for Business Development Electronics.

“Having supplied IE3 motors as standard in our relevant geared units for some years already, and at no added cost, there is nothing in the regulations surprising to us or our customer base,” explains Strydom. “However, there are still many players in the market who might not be up to date with the regulatory developments – and we are well placed to be of service.”

He notes that some companies may feel pressurised by fear-mongering messages in the market to unnecessarily replace less efficient motors. On the other hand, the looming moratorium on the sale of IE1 and IE2 motors may lead to these units being ‘dumped’ on the market at cut-rate prices. This may tempt companies to buy old technology that will cost them dearly in terms of energy consumption.

“The regulations remind the market of the financial and sustainability value of using more efficient motors – but the real benefit lies in system efficiencies,” says Strydom. “This is where companies can benefit the most when planning their shift to IE3 motors.”

Natasha Meintjies, Business Development Electronics Proposal Engineer at SEW-EURODRIVE, explains that the customer journey often begins with an energy efficiency test – which SEW-EURODRIVE conducts at no cost at the customer’s site.

“By measuring the energy consumption on the customer’s existing motors and comparing this to our IE3 motors, we can provide them with an energy cost saving analysis,” says Meintjies. “There is typically an immediate cost saving of 4 to 8% of the motor’s power consumption, but more significant benefits can be achieved when moving to system level.”

This includes SEW-EURODRIVE’s more energy-efficient drives, which can take energy savings to another level – up to 20 to 30%, she says. These results are achieved from integrating the latest monitoring and optimisation technologies into the system.

“This also gives the customer more overall process stability and reduced maintenance costs,” she says. “Our modular designs ensure that all the components work together seamlessly for the best efficiencies and performance, making the whole system more reliable.”

Strydom highlights that SEW-EURODRIVE’s global research and development has ensured that the company already has ‘super premium efficiency’ IE4 and ‘ultra-premium efficiency’ IE5 motors in its market offerings already.

“Our in-house laboratory in Germany is also third-party approved to test our motors for energy efficiency – as the IE3 benchmark has been mandatory for some years in Europe,” he says. “The test certificates that we issue are therefore accepted by South Africa’s national regulator; we worked on this well in advance to be ready for these regulations.”

He points out that MEPS will be a valuable enabler for companies to mitigate the effect of rising power costs, especially as they reassess their drive systems with an integrated approach in mind and with experts like SEW-EURODRIVE to advise.

The MEPS specification applies to a broad range of three-phase, low voltage electric motors with rated power output between 0,75 kW to 375 kW and includes motors with non-standard mechanical dimensions and geared motors. Motor users are permitted to run their existing IE1 and IE2 motors until they need to replace them due to failure. From a retailer’s point of view, these IE1 and IE2 motors are allowed to be sold until May 2026.

The post MEPS Regulations: Smart Choices Unlock Efficiency Gains appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

Since its establishment in 2011 as a provider of technical services, Upward Spiral has followed a steady path of diversification and growth. Between 2014 and 2017, the business expanded its involvement in larger-scale infrastructure-related projects, laying the groundwork for broader industrial capability.

As South Africa’s mining sector increasingly turned its focus toward sustainability, rehabilitation and the re-processing of historic mine dumps, Upward Spiral 1471 identified an opportunity to apply its engineering capability to responsible resource recovery.

This strategic shift, which started in 2018, marked a defining moment in the company’s growth trajectory.

In 2021 the business expanded its scope to include mining operations, tailings processing, environmental management and integrated logistics culminating in the formal establishment in 2022 of Upward Spiral 1471; a consolidated operating entity capable of supporting complex industrial and mining operations.

It has achieved this without institutional backing, without multinational ownership and without the safety net of public funding. Instead, its expansion has been driven by disciplined reinvestment, technical expertise and an ability to identify opportunity where others saw constraint.

Mining operations and resource recovery

Upward Spiral 1471’s mining division focuses on the responsible processing of historic mine dumps and tailings, enabling the recovery of residual minerals while contributing to environmental rehabilitation.

The business operates under the required regulatory framework and holds the necessary mining and processing approvals to conduct compliant recovery operations.

By combining technical expertise with modern processing methods, the company supports the mining sector’s transition toward sustainable resource utilisation.

This year the business has expanded to include an open cast mining operation at Snake Road in Benoni.

Environmental management and rehabilitation

Environmental responsibility forms a cornerstone of Upward Spiral 1471’s operating philosophy.

The company delivers environmental services that include waste management and water treatment solutions, through its state-of-the-art waste management plant, rehabilitation and site remediation.

These innovate solutions, many developed in-house, support both mining and industrial clients seeking to reduce environmental risk, improve compliance and restore affected land.

Upward Spiral 1471 contributes to cleaner operations, reduced environmental impact and long-term land recovery.

Logistics, haulage and yellow plant services

Upward Spiral 1471 operates a fleet of yellow plant, tipper trucks and specialised transport vehicles, enabling the safe and efficient movement of material across mining and industrial sites. This in-house capacity reduces dependency on third-party providers, improves cost control and enhances operational reliability. The logistics division plays a vital role in supporting mining operations, waste movement and large-scale site developments.

Engineering and Technical services

The company’s original service offering remains an important part of its operational portfolio.

Upward Spiral 1471 continues to deliver specialised engineering and technical support services for industrial, commercial and municipal clients. This division provides the technical backbone that supports the company’s broader operations and enables seamless integration across business units.

Leadership and governance

Upward Spiral 1471 is led by an experienced executive team with deep expertise across engineering, mining operations, logistics and project management. The leadership philosophy is grounded in accountability, operational discipline and long-term sustainability. Through hands-on leadership and a culture of continuous improvement, the company maintains high standards of governance while remaining agile and responsive to industry demands.

Commitment to sustainability and community development

Upward Spiral 1471 is committed to operating responsibly and creating shared value for the communities in which it operates.

The company actively supports:

· Local employment and skills development

· Health and safety training initiatives

· Environmental rehabilitation projects

· Community upliftment programmes linked to operational sites

Over the past decade, the company has created more than 1 500 jobs, rehabilitated over 120 hectares of degraded land, and treated more than 15 million litres of contaminated water, reducing the risks associated with abandoned mining sites and safeguarding local water sources.

Looking ahead

As the mining and industrial sectors continue to evolve, Upward Spiral 1471 remains focused on innovation, efficiency and sustainable growth.

The company’s integrated operating model positions it to meet the growing demand for responsible resource recovery and compliant industrial operations.

As the company celebrates 15 years of progress, its story remains one of persistence and purpose: proof that with vision, discipline and commitment, locally built businesses can not only endure but thrive in one of the country’s most demanding sectors.

The post Upward Spiral 1471 celebrates 15 years of driving sustainable growth through innovation, engineering excellence and responsible resource recovery appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

With a deliberate, customer-centric strategy and decades of on-the-ground experience, the company has become synonymous with reliability, innovation, and long-term support in mining environments.

According to National Sales and Marketing Manager Jonathan McKey, the company’s mining journey began more than two decades ago and has since evolved into a continent-wide footprint spanning multiple mineral commodities.

“Twenty years ago, we secured our first major power pack contract for a platinum mine in Limpopo,” McKey recalls. “That project marked the beginning of our deep involvement in mining and today our gearboxes, motors and coupling combinations are operating in almost every mining environment across the continent.”

From platinum and gold to coal, copper, and chrome, SEW-EURODRIVE’s engineered drive train systems have become integral to mission-critical applications. This success is rooted not only in technical excellence, but in a systematic approach that prioritises understanding customer needs and building sustainable support ecosystems around every solution.

“As in every industry we serve, the success of our power packs lies in a systematic responsible approach that begins with a clear understanding of what the customer really needs,” McKey explains. “We don’t just develop application-specific solutions – we take it a step further by building a sustainable cost-effective supply chain and long-term support ecosystem to back those solutions well into the future.”

A step-by-step strategy built for long-term mining success

SEW-EURODRIVE’s expansion into mining has been anything but accidental. Each new commodity segment has been approached with careful planning, technical evaluation, and a commitment to long-term sustainability.

“We prioritise focus,” says McKey. “It is about understanding the landscape before we enter – not just from a technical standpoint, but also from a long-term support and capacity perspective.”

The company’s early work in platinum mining laid the foundation for this strategy, requiring detailed insight into gear ratios, power demands, and operating velocities.

“It was vital to understand the gear ratios, power requirements and velocities commonly used in platinum operations,” explains McKey. “That insight allowed us to rapidly grow our footprint in that segment expanding into neighbouring operations and quickly growing our customer base. From there, we moved into chrome mining.”

As SEW-EURODRIVE expanded into chrome and later coal mining, it adapted its designs to suit each environment, from standardised gear ratios in chrome to lighter materials and faster conveyor speeds in coal. This adaptability has positioned the company as a dominant supplier of industrial gearbox solutions across Africa.

“Today, we are arguably the dominant force in mining across Africa when it comes to industrial gearbox solutions,” McKey says. “That position wasn’t built overnight.”

A key enabler of this growth has been sustained local investment. Beginning with local assembly in Nelspruit in 2006, SEW-EURODRIVE expanded production and warehousing at its Aeroton headquarters in Johannesburg, where a Phase 2 expansion is now nearing completion.

Equally important has been the company’s emphasis on aftersales service and technical support.

“We knew early on that delivering quality products wasn’t enough – we had to match that with world class aftersales service,” McKey says.

Today, SEW-EURODRIVE is also helping mining customers transition toward smarter, more flexible operations through automation and digital control technologies.

“The traditional combination of motor, gearbox and fluid coupling for controlled start-up is evolving,” McKey notes. “Now, customers want flexible drive systems with precise speed control and the ability to adjust production rates on demand – and our technology is delivering that.”

Beyond gearmotors, the company also supplies full open gearing solutions for mills and other critical mining applications, offering fast, reliable drop-in replacements that minimise downtime and enhance operational continuity.

The post SEW-EURODRIVE powers ahead as a driving force in African mining appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

As the mining industry gathers in Cape Town for Mining Indaba 2026, it does so with evidence of real progress on safety. In South Africa, the formal mining sector recorded 42 fatalities in 2024, the lowest number ever reported. Early indications suggest that 2025 may again deliver historically low fatality levels.

Progress matters. It reflects years of sustained effort, investment and leadership attention across the industry. It also provides an important moment to pause and reflect on what safety now represents in a mining context that is becoming more complex, more constrained and more volatile.

While headline indicators have improved, serious safety events continue to occur in well-run operations. This is not due to a lack of effort and investment. It is a reflection of how safety is currently positioned within the broader operational agenda.

When safety is strong, but risk remains

Safety in mining is rightly considered as a non-negotiable. Few industries have invested as heavily in standards, governance and training. In most companies, safety sits prominently on executive and board agendas and is embedded within the enterprise risk frameworks.

At the same time, the persistence of high-consequence events highlights a structural tension. Recordable injury rates and fatality trends provide some important insights into overall safety performance, but they do not fully describe how exposure to serious harm is created and managed in complex operating systems.

Serious incidents rarely arise from isolated acts or single failures. They emerge from combinations of conditions and behaviours: how work is planned, how assets are maintained, how people and contractors are deployed, and how decisions are made when conditions change. In that sense, safety outcomes are inseparable from how operational risk is shaped.

Safety as a boundary, and as a design input

In many organisations, safety functions effectively as a boundary condition. It defines what must not be compromised. That is a strength, not a weakness.

The challenge is that boundary conditions still need to be designed into the system. They need to inform how plans are constructed, how trade-offs are managed and how operational margins are protected before work begins.

This is where safety and operational risk often drift apart in practice. Safety is heavily governed, escalated and reviewed. Operational risk is worked through schedules, production plans,

maintenance strategies and capital decisions. The connection between the two is not always explicit at the point where exposure is actually shaped.

As operating environments become more variable, this matters more. Ageing and customised assets, tighter production constraints, increased contractor reliance and climate-related disruption all amplify the consequences of weak interfaces and poorly governed trade-offs. When control erodes, it tends to do so across systems, not within a single function.

Shifting the safety conversation

What distinguishes organisations that continue to improve is not stronger intent or broader programmes. It is a shift in how safety is used in operational thinking.

The most effective approaches take a systemic view, recognising that safety is an expression of how stable and controllable the operation really is. They focus attention on the points where exposure is created: handovers between planning and execution, interactions between maintenance and operations, and the decisions that address risk weeks or months before outcomes are visible.

They also concentrate effort. In practice, a small number of controls and decisions have a disproportionate influence on whether operations remain resilient under pressure. Making those points visible to leaders, and ensuring they are governed with the same discipline and commitment as cost or schedule, delivers far more impact than spreading attention thinly across many initiatives.

From safety outcomes to risk exposure

This reframing connects safety directly to operational risk.

Climate volatility, infrastructure constraints and supply-chain fragility mean that the same conditions that elevate serious safety risk, also threaten production continuity and asset integrity. As a result, many mining companies are beginning to think more explicitly about exposure: where it sits, how it changes, and how it can be reduced through design rather than reaction.

Seen through this lens, safety is not a parallel objective to be managed alongside performance. It is one of the clearest expressions of whether operational risk is genuinely under control.

The agenda shift ahead

Reaching record-low fatality levels is a significant achievement. It does not mark the end of the safety journey. It marks a transition.

In the next phase, progress will come less from doing more of the same, and more from how effectively safety informs the design and management of operational risk in a more volatile world.

For an industry built on trust, reliability and long-term value creation, that shift is not about lowering standards. It is about using safety, deliberately and intelligently, to strengthen how mining operations absorb pressure, manage uncertainty and perform when it matters most.

The post Opinion: Beyond the Plateau: Rethinking the Role of Safety in Mining Risk appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

These sectors operate in some of the harshest environments imaginable, where airborne pollutants, extreme heat, and toxic gases present ongoing occupational health risks for machine operators.

As a cornerstone of the South African economy, the mining industry faces increasing pressure to prioritise worker safety and wellbeing. This responsibility is reinforced by the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA), Act 29 of 1996, which mandates that all mining operations be designed, constructed, and equipped to support safe and healthy working conditions.

In recent years, the industry has moved decisively from reactive safety responses to proactive hazard management. Greater emphasis is now placed on continuous monitoring, control, and reporting of operator exposure to environmental risks, particularly within enclosed mobile machinery cabs.

“Mobile machinery operators are often confined to enclosed cabs for extended periods in high-risk areas where dust, heat and toxic gases such as CO₂ can quickly compromise their health,” Brenton Spies, Managing Director of Booyco Engineering, explains.

“Addressing this challenge has been the cornerstone of our business for decades and today we can offer a fully integrated HVAC solution that aligns with international standards, including ISO 23875, to ensure that operators remain protected at all times.”

The ISO 23875 standard governs air quality within enclosed operator cabs and sets critical performance requirements. These include the continuous supply of fresh air, positive pressurisation to prevent contaminated air ingress, and effective management of CO₂ levels, all essential to maintaining a safe working environment.

While these standards are relatively easy to achieve in on road vehicles, mining and quarrying operations introduce far greater complexity. High concentrations of airborne dust, diesel fumes, and rapidly changing ambient temperatures significantly increase the technical challenges associated with effective climate.

Booyco Engineering’s HVAC solutions are purpose built to overcome these challenges. Each bespoke system incorporates Sy Klone filtration technology, delivering clean, filtered air into the cab while ensuring correct internal pressurisation and controlled CO₂ levels. The air is cooled and evenly distributed to maintain operator comfort throughout long shifts.

“We don’t just build air conditioners we engineer environmental control systems that protect the health of machine operators and provide mines with actionable data,” Spies says. “Our integrated system continuously monitors cab air pressure, dust concentrations, CO₂ levels and particulate contaminants, ensuring a controlled internal atmosphere at all times.”

A key advantage of this integrated approach is the ability to collect and download real time environmental data. This allows mining operations to accurately track operator exposure, demonstrate compliance with health and safety regulations, and strengthen overall risk management strategies.

In addition, this data driven capability supports broader Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives, which are increasingly critical for regulatory approval and investor confidence.

Beyond compliance, Booyco Engineering’s HVAC systems deliver tangible operational benefits. By maintaining optimal internal conditions, the systems reduce filter clogging, prevent overheating, minimise maintenance downtime, and enhance machine uptime, all contributing to improved productivity across mining and quarry sites.

“By aligning our engineering capability with global health and safety benchmarks, we are empowering mines and quarries to be both compliant and competitive. It is about going beyond compliance it is about safeguarding people and performance,” Spies concludes.

The post Integrated HVAC solutions strengthen operator safety and compliance in mining cabs appeared first on Mining Business Africa.

Several key trends are currently shaping the vibrating screen market in Africa. According to Corné Kleyn, Global Product Manager: Vibrating Screens at Weir, these include the need for high capacity machines for brownfield expansions, demand for screens with a wide operating window to meet changing feed conditions and the growing focus on screen designs that minimise energy consumption and reduce wear and tear to ensure sustainable operations.

These trends, says Kleyn, were central to Weir’s design approach to its new ENDURON® Orbital and ENDURON® Elite vibrating screen ranges, with customer feedback playing a crucial role in informing some of the most important design elements of these innovative machines.

A case in point is the high capacity nature of the ENDURON® Elite range, which successfully addresses the growing need for high capacity vibrating screens for brownfield expansions, especially as opencast mines seek to ramp up production.

“With the launch of the ENDURON® Elite vibrating screen range, Weir now offers some of the largest double-deck banana screens in the world, weighing up to 50 tonnes. Some of the first units operating in an iron ore application in West Africa measure 4,3 m wide x 9,7 m long, highlighting the large nature of these screens to meet high throughput needs,” says Kleyn.

One of the major design features of these screens are the ETX exciters. Capable of driving a vibrating screen with a deck that spans 4,27 m, these exciters have the largest capacity of any exciter currently available on the market. Their large size allows the large Elite vibratory screens to be driven with two exciters, reducing exciter drive complexity and maintenance costs. This provides high performance and long service life. In addition, fewer exciters to maintain on site translates into reduced downtime, routine inspections and inventory management.

As mines expand and get deeper changing feed conditions, such as variations in ore grade, particle size and mineral composition, are becoming the order of the day. This, says Kleyn, can significantly impact the efficiency and cost effectiveness of mineral processing operations.

When feed conditions change, he adds, screens are subject to harmonic resonance which can lead to structural failure. To mitigate against this, Weir has designed both its ENDURON® Elite vibrating screen ranges with a wider operating window, giving operators greater flexibility to adapt operating parameters as feed conditions change.

The post Weir screens set new pace for expanding African mines appeared first on Mining Business Africa.