Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/136091
W E S I Z W E B A KU B U N G for locals are also part of the mine's future employment profile. Chinese Funding The secondary shaft will provide ventilation and also serve as an escape route if needed. Bakubung has begun collaborating with neighboring mines to train required staff, but noted that some specialist skills will come from outside. However, the com- pany is taking the lessons from recent events and has set up a community liaison as well as a long-term housing program for incoming workers. Training schemes Bakubung is unique not only for being one of the few sizeable platinum projects under way at the moment but it is also the largest Chinese mining investment in South Africa. Up until now, the Chinese have vigorously pursued mining opportunities on the rest of the continent, but has avoided South Africa, put off by tight local ownership requirements and a mature industry already dominated by international majors. In 2010, China's Jinchuan Group, a metals producer, took over Wesizwe, which owned the rights to Bakubung. Jinchuan, together with China-Africa Development Fund, paid $227-million for its controlling stake of 45% in the company. The rest of the shares are held by small investors and private equity funds. Jinchuan named Jianke Gao, an experienced mining engineer, as its CEO, and brought with it a commitment to provide a project finance facility of $650 million. This landed in the bank late last year when the China Development Bank (CBD) finalized the loan. COMPANY PROFILE- PAID ADVERTISEMENT Materion Corporation: Materials Solutions for the Most Demanding Applications Materion Corporation is a leading global producer of highly-engineered materials that enable and enhance our customers' technologies. We serve a wide variety of markets that range from energy to aerospace, consumer electronics, defense and science and manufacturing. Our high-performance alloys solve the toughest materials challenges for the most demanding market sectors, including underground and surface mining. New Materion Name—Same Commitment to Excellence Materion Corporation serves customers in more than 50 countries with locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In 2011, the company changed its name to Materion Corporation from Brush Engineered Materials Inc. to unify all its businesses and portfolio of products under the new Materion brand. In business since 1931, the company has a well-established record of providing unique products along with expertise and customer service that enhance and support those products. In addition, we offer a wide range of machining and custom engineering services. New ToughMet® Material Gets Outstanding Results in Mining Equipment In the early 2000s, we introduced a new material called ToughMet® that was developed primarily for use in petroleum exploration and drilling. But with its unique combination of strength, lubricity and corrosion and wear resistance under severe loading conditions, this copper-nickel-tin alloy has become one of our most successful materials across many markets, including mining. ToughMet Material Outperforms Steel and Bronze We have engineered ToughMet material to provide attributes beyond those typically found in high-strength copper alloys, and bearings and bushings made of ToughMet consistently outperform steel and bronze even in the harshest mining environments. 78 E&MJ; • JUNE 2013 In surface and underground mining equipment, ToughMet material lasts longer, carries more load, requires less maintenance and virtually eliminates unplanned repairs. ToughMet Material is the Answer for Problem Bearings and Bushings Bearings and bushings made from ToughMet show improved resistance to wear and galling, longer maintenance cycles, and overall improved lifetime over steel or bronze alloys. In fact, in surface mining applications, bearings and bushings made of ToughMet lasted at least three times longer than the standard manganese bronze. And, ToughMet material is a drop in replacement for steel and bronze, so it does not require design modifications. Toughmet Lowers Equipment Maintenance Costs, Improves Safety Risks and Increases Productivity In the mining industry, extending maintenance intervals lowers maintenance costs and reduces the safety risks associated with bearing replacement and equipment rebuilds. With less downtime for maintenance, productivity increases as well. When used in a shovel lower roller application, bushings made of ToughMet last as long as the roller, which in some cases has been as many as 30,000 hours. We've seen the same outstanding results in other mining applications. ToughMet Material—Trusted by Leading Mining Equipment Manufacturers ToughMet material has become the number one choice for problem bearings for leading mining equipment manufacturers around the globe. ToughMet is available in plate, rod, tube and wire, as well as a variety of cast shapes and fabricated components. Learn more at www.materion.com/toughmetbushings. www.e-mj.com