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
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mechanization remains elusive. "I don't believe there's the kind of technology out there that's suitable for the orebody that we mine on the Western Limb of the Bushveld Complex," said Mike da Costa, executive vice president–business support at Lonmin. "Either we will have to use smaller machines than currently available or open the width of cut and take the dilution." Others are likely to continue the drive to replace men with machines. Rivals Anglo American and Impala Platinum have test programs running. Robert Friedland, the Canadian mogul developing the Platreef platinum project, has repeatedly said the operation will be fully mechanized. For now, though, Lonmin will focus on traditional muscle-powered operations. More than 800 m underground, the signs of the transition are evident. Battery-pow- ered locomotives hum on tracks hauling ore, and the machine-gun thump of rock drills can be heard. Of the fleet haulers, dumpers and dozers that once worked this mine, there's no sign. "These are tough crews, and we've worked hard at putting the right guys together with the right supervisors," Coetzer noted. The mood of resentment and anger that emerged from the period of strike unrest has disappeared. Everyone just wants to get on with the job. Coetzer himself, along with many of Saffy's senior staff, is a recent appoint- ment, brought in earlier this year. More than anything, clearing the air and opening up communication between labor, supervi- sors and management have been driven home over the past year. "I know it sounds trite, but getting everyone to talk to each other and under- stand where the other guy is coming from has turned things around for us," said Mike Kevane, one of Saffy's two rock engineers. The relative youth of platinum mines means that they are shallower than the more venerable gold producers, which operate at depths of up to 4 km under- ground. They are also free from the Swiss cheese of abandoned shafts and tunnels that bedevil gold mining operations, where illegal miners can hide undetected for weeks on end. Instead, the approaches are free of muck and crumbling rock, at some stages so clean that it appears closer to a modern underground railway station rather than a working mine. At the face however, it's still raw min- ing. Saffy is working the UG2 reef—the deeper of the two major platinum veins. The other, the Merensky reef, is closer to the surface and generally richer. On this particular property, however, UG2 is the better prospect. Crews operate in a space as narrow as a kitchen table. Rock drills hammer in holes for charges, in a set pattern determined by the rock engineer. Blasting takes place early evening and, two hours later, the night shift arrives to begin cleaning and removing the ore. Coetzer pointed to the stacks of con- crete bags that form the pillars supporting the rock. Each stack is capable of holding up 200 tons. "In every part of the opera- tion, we are looking to improve safety and save costs. Eventually these stacks will be replaced by these," he said, pointing to steel props being used closer to the face. Called "sticks" by the miners, the props are easier to use, quicker to put in place and, in the long run, cheaper than con- crete. It will be one of many incremental changes brought in as part of a relentless pursuit to bring down costs while focusing on zero harm at every stage. Little talking is done as the rock drills beat out the sound of hell itself. When instructions must be passed, it's usually in JANUARY 2016 • E&MJ; 17 www.e-mj.com LO N M I N Crews at Saffy review detailed mining plans before beginning shift operations. Safety nets above the working areas help reduce the risk of injury from minor rock falls.