Mining and construction in the spotlight

With the mining and construction industries showing encouraging signs of recovery – and even a little growth – the Johannesburg Expo Centre was abuzz in March, as all suppliers to these industries were brought together for the 2018 Bauma Conexpo Africa.

The 2018 edition of Bauma Conexpo Africa attracted 454 exhibitors from 34 countries. Each exhibitor brought the best they have to offer – whether sky-high cranes or earth-moving “yellow metal” equipment; compliance and auditing solutions; or health, safety and environmental solutions.

The 14 167 visitors reflected the importance of these industries and interest in what the exhibitors had to offer. As Stefan Rummel, MD of show organiser Messe München, suggests, there’s a good reason for that.

“The trade fair reflected a sense of renewed optimism and highlighted the opportunities in the industry, despite recent economic challenges,” he said.

Petra Kaiser, senior director of International Exhibitions & Events at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), added: “It is significant to have a consistent and engaged presence in the region in order to take advantage of long-term business potential. Bauma Conexpo Africa creates a platform to help facilitate these opportunities.”

With that in mind, here is a glimpse of just some of the opportunities that were up for discussion:

CDE

Among some of its more mainstream solutions targeted at the mining industry, the South African arm of leading materials wet-processing equipment and engineering company, CDE introduced the company’s high-tech water-management systems, which significantly reduce the necessity for fresh-water usage.

“With the global mining and construction industries showing reassuring signs of recovery, there is no better time to look to new ways of processing minerals, sand and aggregates for end products of higher quality, while saving water, energy and money,” explains Nicolan Govender, CDE’s regional manager Africa.

The company’s EvoWash sand-washing plant can produce up to 250 t of material per hour and up to two products at the same time, while the AquaCycle can recycle a massive 90 percent of process water for immediate reuse in the system, allowing for maximum dewatering and a product ready to be sold directly from the belt.

Fogmaker

Fogmaker South Africa conducted live demonstrations of its innovative triple-action fire-suppression system.

“Our launch of Fogmaker to the South African market at Bauma 2015 was a huge success, which motivated us to participate in Bauma 2018,” explained MD of Fogmaker South Africa, John Russell.

“Fogmaker makes use of water, the purest extinguishant, to attack all three components in the fire triangle; namely heat, oxygen and fuel. Suitable for any engine compartment, the system uses high-pressure water mist (50-micron droplets) to effectively suppress a fire and cool down the compartment to prevent re-ignition.

“Equipped with automatic fire detection, which is independent of any power source, this low-weight, low-maintenance system is simplicity itself,” says Russell. “Moreover, there is no powder or mess to clean up after actuation, which keeps costs and downtime to an absolute minimum. After a discharge, it’s a simple matter of replacing the detector hose and refilling the piston accumulator.”

Loadtech

The Loadtech stand consisted of three sections: the loadcells; onboard weighing and tyre-inflation systems; and the Loadrite weighing systems. The products are designed to allow mine operators to accurately and safely manage the loads that are moved around their operations.

Christiaan Luttig, Loadrite brand executive, explained that the Loadrite system combines front-end loader load cells, conveyer-belt cells and web-based software reporting, to give a live view of the operation’s productivity, processing and loading sections.

“This is a management tool that ensures trucks are loaded accurately. It gives a complete report and allows mine operators to see exactly what’s being moved around and going into the processing plant. It therefore increases production and productivity,” he said.

Sweet-Orr 

Sweet-Orr, a proudly South African manufacturer of protective workwear, was also present at Bauma Conexpo – and we were thrilled to meet the family that has owned this massively impressive company since 2015. On the stand were MD John Jacobs, along with his son (Denver) and daughter (Vanessa), who are both directors of the company.

They revealed that the company has a 5 500-m² factory in Elsies River, which produces high-quality workwear – including flame-retardant, acid-repellent and flame-acid clothing. This clothing is used in various sectors, including mining, petrochemical, aeronautics, hospitality, medical, construction, combat and disaster management.

Sweet-Orr has a fascinating history. It was founded in Wappingers Falls, New York, in 1871. Its name is derived from the founders – James Orr and his nephews, Clayton and Clinton Sweet.

Today, it is 100-percent South African owned, and the company is really going places. Recently, Sweet-Orr exhibited at the A+A exhibition (you’ve read all about this incredible event in SHEQ MANAGEMENT before; it’s the world’s largest safety show), so it is aiming to conquer the global protective clothing market.

Sweet-Orr is opening a showroom in Johannesburg next month. Read all about it in the next issue of SHEQ MANAGEMENT!

Trysome

The big news at the Trysome stand was the introduction of new products. The first is the Sy-klone family of air-quality systems. Gordon Postma, key account manager, explains that Sy-Klone consists of two main components: cab filtration and an engine pre-cleaner.

“The cab filtration system cleans the air before it enters the cab, filtering up to 0,3 of a micron and protecting against asbestos, silica dust and other toxic substances. It creates a positive pressure to keep dirt out, while a secondary system extracts air, then filters and recirculates it. The system can be fitted to anything that requires filtration – for example, vehicle cabs and containers,” he said.

The Sy-klone engine pre-cleaner cleans air prior to it reaching the air filter by creating a centrifugal force that pushes out dust and dirt before it reaches the filter.

Another significant product on the stand was the FireTrace fire-suppression system. “This is fully automated. When it detects heat of a pre-set temperature the tube bursts, expelling the content of the suppressant cylinder. It comes with alarm systems and pressure gauges, and can be fitted to any vehicle or area that needs such a system. Furthermore, the suppressant used is friendly to humans and electronics,” Postma said.