International - Copperbelt Katanga Mining

Copper price surges as demand hopes build

November 28, 2020November 28, 2020 admin

Copper rallied for a fourth day on Friday, adding to this week’s powerful surge across base metals on hopes for a post-pandemic demand boom. On the Comex market, copper for delivery in December gained 2.85% to $3.4040 a pound ($7,488 a tonne) by mid-afternoon in New York. The metal rose as much as 1.5% to a seven-year high of $7,511 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange. THE METAL IS ALSO GAINING TRACTION AS A BET ON HAWKISH CLIMATE POLICIES THAT WILL EXPAND COPPER-RICH POWER NETWORKS “The market remains buoyed… Read More Here

Equipment & Technology International

Automatic lubrication system boosts productivity and lowers costs

November 26, 2020November 26, 2020 admin

SANY’s state-of-the-art automatic lubrication system is playing an integral part in increasing production and reducing costs on high-performance sites by ensuring that all the points of the boom and bucket are frequently and correctly lubricated. Brendon Pretorius, Bobcat Earthmoving Equipment’s Service Manager, says that, in addition to reducing wear and tear by maintaining a proper lubrication film, correct and frequent lubrication purges bushings and pins of dust, sand, water and dirt. “Once these contaminants work their way into bushings and pins, they act as a grinding component that reduces the… Read More Here

Equipment & Technology International

Wireless networks key enablers for mining’s transformation

November 26, 2020 admin

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a social media survey that was asking “Who is driving digital transformation in your company?” The three possible answers given were: “(A) The CEO”, “(B) The CTO” and “(C) COVID-19”. Of course, it was a meme but I’m that sure most of the respondents actually replied with C… In an already volatile and challenging market environment, the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by governments and social distancing rules have forced mining companies to slow down production or put their operations on hold. So, once the corona-crisis is over,… Read More Here

International Equipment & Technology Mining technology

Designed for safety: a new approach to belt conveyors

November 26, 2020November 30, 2020 admin

Conveyors are among the most dynamic and potentially dangerous areas of equipment at a mine or material processing site. Even though their safety and performance are critical to the operation’s success, the impact of their contribution to overall efficiency is often unrecognized by management and workers alike. Operational basics of belt conveyor systems are too often a mystery to those employees, who have little understanding about the hardware installed and the performance required from the components. The knowledge gap is understandable. The attention of personnel at a mine or coal handling operation… Read More Here

Gold International

Russia, Australia to drive global gold output growth – report

November 25, 2020November 25, 2020 admin

Global gold mine production growth will rebound in the coming years underpinned by higher gold prices and mergers between major mining firms, market analyst Fitch Solutions forecasts in its latest industry report. Major mergers among global miners and an improving gold price outlook will boost global mine supply in the coming quarters, and Fitch forecasts global gold production to increase from 106moz in 2020 to 134moz by 2029, averaging 2.5% annual growth. This would be an acceleration from the average growth of just 1.2% over 2016-2019, the analyst points out. Fitch forecasts China’s gold production… Read More Here

International Mining technology

Miners’ adoption of new tech heaps up security threats

November 25, 2020November 25, 2020 admin

Miners have long been early adopters of technology to improve efficiency and safety in an industry historically viewed as dangerous, lucrative and technically challenging. But while the uptake of new technologies — such as Internet of Things (IoT) systems linking automated vehicles, supply chains and quality monitoring — can improve productivity, poor implementation can leave them open to hackers and other malicious actors. “There are a number of challenges around connectivity, cyber security, skills, data management and investment that miners must overcome to realise potential,” says Nicholas Prevost, global… Read More Here

Mining technology International

Anglo awards $240M in contracts to Aquila suppliers

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 admin

ANGLO American has awarded nearly $200 million to six longwall equipment suppliers to deliver a walk-on, walk-off system using two complete longwalls, a $20 million overland conveyor system and more than $20 million in civil works at its 70% owned Aquila mine in Queensland. The company aims to make Aquila one the world’s most technologically advanced underground mines. Anglo American Metallurgical Coal business CEO Tyler Mitchelson said the project was on track for first longwall production of premium quality hard coking coal in early 2022. “Our Aquila project is progressing… Read More Here

Equipment & Technology International

Orica, Epiroc commission blast automation machine

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 admin

Orica and Epiroc have begun commissioning a machine that will allow an operator to execute the entire underground hard rock development cycle without ever leaving its cab. Orica had announced in November 2019 it entered a partnership with Epiroc to develop a semi-automated explosives delivery system. Called Avatel, the twin boom, semi-autonomous and fully mechanised development charging solution now being commissioned is built on the foundation of Epiroc’s Boomer M2 carrier. It is designed to allow development operations to be carried out without a charge crew having to be exposed at the… Read More Here

Gold International

Gold price rebounds with stimulus talks moving forward

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 admin

Gold prices rebounded on Friday after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his agency and the Federal Reserve have “enough firepower” to continue to support the economy, boosting the metal’s appeal as a hedge against inflation. The comments came a day after Mnuchin called for several emergency lending programs to expire by the end of the year. “Markets should be very comfortable that we have plenty of capacity left,” Mnuchin told CNBC on Friday. Mnuchin also said he and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows would be speaking on Friday with Republican congressional leaders on… Read More Here

Copper International

Copper price surges to two-year high on vaccine hopes

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 admin

Copper price surged to a fresh two-year high on Friday following positive reports on covid-19 vaccine breakthroughs from Pfizer and Moderna. On the Comex market, copper for delivery in December gained 3.1% to $3.3015 a pound ($7,276 a tonne) by mid-afternoon in New York Pfizer and BioNTech SE plan to file for emergency use, allowing for the vaccine, which they say is 95% effective, to be used in the US in the next month. Copper is heading for an eighth straight monthly gain, the longest run in almost a decade, as rebounding growth in… Read More Here