Category: Drifting, Tunneling & Bolting

DWARSRIVIER CHROMIUM MINE IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY WITH ROBIT’S TOOLS

Posted on by Jari Silver

BIC is an acronym most geologists are familiar with. It stands for Bushveld Igneous Complex, situated in South Africa. It’s one of the world’s most significant geological features due to its size, age – and mineral wealth.

BIC is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the Earth’s crust. Put simply, a layered intrusion is an underground formation of rock formed from magma that cooled down and solidified in layers, much like a layered cake. Each layer can have different types and concentrations of minerals, making these formations especially interesting for geologists and mining companies.

The Bushveld Complex contains the world’s largest known resources of platinum group metals, chromium, and vanadium. Most of the chromium resources are concentrated on the eastern limb of the Complex, which runs across Limpopo, the northernmost province of South Africa. One of the major producers of chromium ore in Limpopo is the Dwarsrivier mine, located some 130 km southeast of Polokwane, the provincial capital.

The Dwarsrivier mine has been in operation since 1999. Since 2015, it has been run by Assore South Africa. The mine produces more than a million tonnes of chromium ore yearly.

Mining is a competitive industry, and cost control plays an important part – and this applies to drilling tools as well. Recently, the Dwarsrivier mine began to use Robit’s Top Hammer drilling consumables.

“Drilling requirements are essential to ensure that face holes for blasting are drilled fast, efficiently, and within budget. Quality and cost are the top priorities”, says Dewet Pretorius, Mining Manager at Dwarsrivier.

In addition to cost and quality, Dwarsrivier were on the lookout for a supplier with effective after-sales service – something that had been lacking up until then.

“With Robit, our overall costs have decreased, production has improved, and the Robit team is providing us with good after-sales service as well”, Mr Pretorius says.

South Africa holds about 70% of the world’s chrome reserves and is the largest producer of ferrochrome in the world. Dwarsrivier will continue to contribute to this effort for a long time: the current plan extends the mine life well into the 2040s.

In the picture from left: Babra Shai, Site supervisor, Robit – Dewet Pretorius, Mine Manager, Dwarsrivier – Trevor Van Biljon, Area Sales Manager, Robit

WESTAUZ CHOSE ROBIT FOR THE NORSEMAN GOLD PROJECT

Posted on by Jari Silver

In the late 19th century, gold fever was running high in certain southern parts of Western Australia. Among the prospectors were two brothers from the Shetland Isles, Lawrence and George Sinclair. They finally struck gold some 20 km north of Dundas, an already established find, and quickly realized the gold deposit was very prosperous. The Sinclair brothers founded a town on the site and named it Norseman – after their horse.

Today, that corner of Western Australia is known as the Goldfields region. The Central Norseman Gold Mine was founded there in 1935 and ran until 2014, making it Australia’s longest continuously-running gold mining operation. During that time, it produced over 5.5 million ounces, or more than 150 tonnes, of gold.

The gold reserves in the area were far from depleted, though. A few years later, Australian gold producer Pantoro Limited acquired 50% ownership of the Norseman Gold Project and, in 2022, brought back online three mines: the OK underground mine, the Scotia open pit and the Green Lantern open pit.

Underground operation at the Norseman OK mine is contracted by Westauz Mining, headquartered in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. At the proposal of Robit’s Sales Manager Steve Tedge, Westauz agreed to run a development bit trial at Norseman OK in December 2022. Since Robit’s bits outperformed the competition by far in terms of cost-per-meter, Westauz awarded the drilling consumables business to Robit in early 2023.

“Throughout 2023, volumes have only grown at the OK mine site as the decline has been rehabilitated and access gained to the gold ore. Westauz is now using our Top Hammer underground bits, rods, shanks, and couplings”, says Steve Landreth, Robit’s Vice President Australasia.

Westauz have expressed their satisfaction with Robit’s can-do attitude and willingness to work with their customer. “In the early stages of the agreement, Westauz requested Robit make a design change to the development bits. Our engineering team was happy to oblige, and the bit now provides productivity gains in the drilling process. We are receiving very positive feedback, ranging from the Managing Director, General Manager, Project Manager, Mine foreman and operators”, Steve Landreth says.

For Westauz, the Norseman project has marked a significant growth in business. Plenty of excavating remains to be done at the site for years to come: according to current estimates, the remaining mineral resource in the area is around 4.8 million ounces, or some 136 tonnes, of gold.

Picture: Westauz jumbo at work & Norseman the horse has a statue in the town that was named after him.

NISS OPENED NEW DOORS FOR ROBIT IN THE US

Posted on by Jari Silver

Platinum and palladium are precious metals with unique properties that make them indispensable in many technological applications, particularly autocatalysts. As minerals, both are quite rare and are mostly found in just a few regions around the world. One of them stretches across the northern flank of the Beartooth Mountains in Montana, USA.

The area, geologically known as the Stillwater complex, hosts two underground mines, Stillwater and East Boulder – although “underground” may sound slightly misleading as the mining assets lie more than 2,700 meters above sea level in the mountains.

The mines are owned and run by the Sibanye-Stillwater Group, one of the world’s largest producers of platinum and palladium. The Stillwater mine has been in operation for almost 40 years and produces some 250–300 koz, or about 7,000–8,500 kg, of platinum and palladium concentrate yearly.

Since July of 2022, Sibanye has been using Robit’s consumables for jumbo and bolting drilling at the Stillwater Mine. That was the result of a fruitful cooperation between Robit and their distributor, NISS (Nasco Industrial Services & Supply), headquartered in Kellogg, Idaho. That cooperation turned out to be mutually beneficial.

“We had been looking for a reliable distributor who could help improve our market penetration for the mining sector in Southwest US. We hired a consultant for the job, and one of the largest US mining companies recommended NISS to Robit”, says Robit Sales Engineer Leif Olmstead.

“NISS had great access to mines through selling ground support products. Previously, they hadn’t dealt in drilling consumables, but this became a win-win situation: we gained a better foothold in a new market, and NISS could expand their product portfolio”, Leif explains.

The first customer Robit won with NISS was the Stillwater Mine in Montana. Stillwater is a large-scale operation that uses the “ramp and fill” method, where the excavated spaces are filled again with waste rock and tailings once the ore has been extracted. For jumbo work, the mine uses 3,200 and 4,305 mm Robit drifter rods and 45 mm semi-ballistic S model bits; for bolting, R28-R28 M/M Hex Steel rods. Sibanye-Stillwater are happy with the supplied tools.

“We hear the rod lifetime has improved over the previous supplier, and the jumbo bits are faster and have fewer plugging issues,” says Leif.

Work at the Stillwater Mine won’t be ending anytime soon: the estimated life of the mine extends well into the 2050s. As for Robit and NISS, it has proved a promising start for their future endeavors together.

Picture: The Beartooth Mountains, just northeast of Yellowstone National Park, are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

ROBITSAVE: PILOTING A NEW WAY OF MAKING BUSINESS

Posted on by Jari Silver

Imagine an offer where you, a mining company, are promised 5% cost savings on drilling consumables. If your supplier does not meet the promise, you only pay 20% of the going rate on said consumables. Would you be interested?

That is the core idea of the new RobitSave site audit program. Sales Director Kimmo Kangas explains the concept in more detail.

“Once we have identified and contacted a potential customer, our drillmaster visits their job site, surveys the relevant drilling tools they use, and documents their performance.

“The drillmaster does not make or recommend any changes in the setup; they merely observe and numerically records the performance: penetration rate in meters/minute, the lifetime of the tools, et cetera. Once they have collected enough data – in our pilot project, this took a week – they write a report. That concludes stage 1.

“In stage 2, we supply the customer with Robit tools for the same tasks. Up front, we charge 20% of the going rate of our products while promising 5% cost savings compared to their current supplier. And here’s the beautiful part for the customer: if we don’t reach those 5% savings – we will not charge a cent more”, Kimmo explains.

The RobitSave program was first piloted at the Kemi chromium mine – the only one of its kind in the European Union – run by Outokumpu Chrome. Kemi quarries some 3 million tons of rock yearly (two-thirds ore, one-third waste rock), and the expected remaining lifetime of the mine is 30–50 years.

The RobitSave test at Kemi covered cable bolting and production drilling consumables. As per the RobitSave contract, Robit charged 20% of the price of the goods upfront. In total, the tests at the Kemi mine took some two months.

“It went extremely well. We had all the results in black and white; our calculation chart showed undeniably that the cost-per-meter savings were way above the 5% we had promised. Our customer was positively surprised, and we could charge the remaining 80%”, Kimmo says.

The coming months and years will see the RobitSave site audit program gradually deployed across all of Robit’s markets.

Stay tuned for more news.

GIANT PROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA TAKING FIRST STEPS

Posted on by Jari Silver

One of the world’s largest construction projects is currently underway in Saudi Arabia near the northern end of the Red Sea. It is the future site of Neom, an ambitiously futuristic city planned to cover a total area of 26,500 km2 – more than twice the New York metropolitan area.

Still mostly on the drawing board, Neom is planned to comprise various high-profile regions, each catering to different needs. By late 2022, the plans for four regions have been publicized. Sindalah, a luxury island resort on the Red Sea, is expected to be the first physical showcase of Neom, scheduled to open in early 2024. Trojena will be a mountain destination for year-round skiing, while Oxagon is going to be a coastal clean industry hub.

The region that has attracted the most press coverage and provoked discussion worldwide, is called The Line. It is planned to consist of a single structure that is 500 m tall, 200 m wide – and no less than 170 km long, stretching from the Red Sea coast deep into the desert.

The Line is planned to house nine million residents, all with access to their basic services within a five-minute walking distance. Eliminating the need for cars, it is planned to use high-speed trains for transport within the city.

The transport system of The Line will consist of two separate railroads: one for the high-speed passenger trains and the other for freight services. The rail system will require the excavation of some 28 km of tunnels.

The tunnel construction bid was won by the Korean consortium of Hyundai E&C and Samsung C&T. The value of the order is estimated at no less than US$1 billion.

In the summer of 2022, the bidding for jumbo drilling and rock tools in the tunnel project was won by Jinyang R&S, one of the largest jumbo drill rental companies in Korea. Jinyang manages some 35 jumbo drill units, renting them with operators to tunneling and mining sites, mostly within South Korea.

Rock tools for the tunnel jumbos will be supplied by Robit. Since their distribution deal struck in 2017, Robit has supplied Jinyang with rock tools for several domestic job sites in Korea; the Neom deal, however, is unprecedented in scope.

“This is a huge project and a major deal for Robit for the coming years”, says Sales Manager Sunyong Choi of Robit.

At the future tunneling job site, the first test drillings using Robit’s tools started in November 2022. Still in its infancy, the entire Neom project is guaranteed to keep drawing widespread attention.

Read more about the project here: NEOM

PROBLEM-SOLVING IN THE DEPTHS OF A GOLD MINE

Posted on by Jari Silver

In the winter of 1986, a road construction job was underway in Kittilä, Finnish Lapland. Some rock was blasted, and out of curiosity, a geologist working nearby decided to examine the boulders – and found something. Today it is the site of the largest gold mine in Europe.

Gold was found in several boulders, and the Geological Survey of Finland began prospecting the site. The deposits turned out to be quite rich. More than twenty years passed until gold mining finally began in the Kittilä mine; first in an open pit in 2008, and underground a couple of years later.

Since 2012, mining in Kittilä has been exclusively underground. Today, Agnico Eagle Finland extracts some two million tonnes of ore each year, with annual gold production of around 7,000 kilograms.

Since May 2021, Robit has been supplying drilling tools to the Kittilä mine under a long-term contract. This includes, among other things, a turnkey drillmaster service, including a sharpening service. Robit supplies the products from their consignment stock, located 350 metres underground in the mine.

In Kittilä, Robit is dedicated to finding ways to cut costs per drill meter in cooperation with the customer. When the need arises, tailor-made products can be developed to meet the customer’s needs. A case in point is cable bolting, a common method used in underground mining to reinforce the rock before extraction.

“Cable bolting posed some problems. The drilling gear did not work properly in broken rock; the flushings escaped into the rock fractures and the drill bit would get stuck,” says Kimmo Kangas, Sales Manager at Robit.

“We suspected that the problem was caused by the side flushing of the bit. Our customer tried what would happen if you welded the side flushing shut – and it helped. We then made a series of bits at the Lempäälä factory that were modified in the same way,” says Kimmo.

Robit’s R&D Engineer Mika Koskinen was closely involved in the development work. “The results improved, but not quite enough. We discussed this with the bolting rig operators, trying to figure out what to do next. Based on the mining company’s views and our own design ideas, we developed the second iteration of the bit, which was substantially different. It finally solved the flushing problems, and drill meters began to reach excellent levels,” says Mika.

The new high-performance drill bit has been in use at the Kittilä mine since early 2022. Plenty remains to be drilled, as the mine is expected to operate until 2034 with the current ore reserves and production volumes. By then, new deposits may well be discovered in the course of prospecting.

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

DISTRIBUTION DEAL CREATING SYNERGIES IN CENTRAL ASIA

Posted on by Jari Silver

As far as mineral reserves go, Kazakhstan is in the top twenty in the world, and mining comprises almost one-third of the country’s export earnings. No wonder then that the competition in the sales of all mining-related goods, including drilling tools, is very tough. Robit secured a distribution deal with a key player in the region.

As a major global exporter of minerals, Kazakhstan benefits from its central geographical location between Europe and Asia. This is also reflected in the name of the largest company supplying machinery and equipment for mining and construction in the area: Eurasian Machinery LLP.

With more than 600 employees, Eurasian Machinery provides customers with high-quality technical services through ten centers in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Besides being the official distributor of Hitachi Construction Machinery – their spearhead product line – they also supply the industry with machinery and equipment from a host of other high prestige global brands. As of August 2021, these include Robit.

George Apostolopoulos, Robit’s VP, Global Sales, is thoroughly familiar with the Central Asian market and sees great synergies for Robit in the exclusive distributor agreement with Eurasian Machinery.

“Eurasian Machinery have a strong reputation in the Kazakh market. They have done an excellent job with the Hitachi Construction Machinery brand and have placed themselves among the preferred suppliers for the country’s mining industry. They are present with equipment and service contracts in most of the mines in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”, George says.

“Customer satisfaction is driving their efforts and they are providing high-quality services to the industry. A high-tech Component Repair Center in Karaganda serves the purpose very well.”

“This is a very significant deal for Robit as the Kazakh mining market is among the biggest in the world. It’s the 2nd largest within our East sales area after Russia. It could provide significant leverage for our sales; big opportunities exist for our Top Hammer products both underground and surface, as well as our Down the Hole offering.”

“There is some tough competition in this market not only from the traditional players but also from low-cost suppliers. This makes it particularly important for us to have a renowned and well-represented distributor in this market”, George concludes.

Picture: A view over the steppes from a chalk mountain in northern Kazakhstan.

NEW AFTON SWITCHED BACK TO ROBIT TOP HAMMER TOOLS

Posted on by Jari Silver

Two branches of the Thompson River run through the ruggedly picturesque landscapes of south-central British Columbia, to meet at the eastern end of Kamloops Lake. The town of Kamloops was founded there as a fur trading post 200 years ago. Today, Kamloops is a thriving city with rich copper and gold deposits nearby.

Afton mine, situated 10 km west of Kamloops, was originally an open-pit gold and copper mine, in operation throughout the 1980s and 90s. New Gold,a Canadian mining company, acquired the mine and restarted production in 2012, now as an underground mine called New Afton. Last year, New Afton produced 64,000 ounces (some 1,800 kg) of gold and about
33,000 tons of copper.

New Gold had been using Robit’s Top Hammer (TH) tools in New Afton for years. However, in early 2019, through ownership changes at the supplier, New Afton switched to another brand of TH consumables. Over the course of the year, it became evident that the performance of the TH Tools did not meet the Mines expectations. In 2020, Ryley Renneberg and Cody
MacLeod from the Sales Division of Pinnacle Drilling Products (Pinnacle), Robit’s Canadian distributor, decided it was an opportune time to reach out to New Gold.

“We arranged an in-person meeting with New Gold’s production mine manager. We listened to their problems with their new brand of TH tooling and discussed how we might be able to help out. New Gold had been happy with Robit before and they knew the production performance well, so this really helped progress things forward. It turned out to be the start of a great relationship between Pinnacle and New Gold”, Ryley reminisces.

“We reassured we could have a seamless transition and were able to support New Gold through the ramp-up period, not to mention this pandemic situation and the global supply chain crisis.”

For Robit, the first purchase order in the spring of 2021 meant a need for a serious production ramp-up of TH tools.

Says Mikko Vuojolainen, Robit’s Vice President, North America: “It’s always a critical period when a customer switches supplier. The new supplier must be able to deliver 100% availability. In this case, our TH production lines were already fully booked so we needed to get creative. We divided the products into two groups: those we can start delivering two months post order, and those we can start delivering four months post order. It worked out perfectly.”

Since August 2021, New Afton is back to using Robit’s TH tools in their underground operations. The New Afton deal can also help propel the Pinnacle-Robit business partnership forward.

“It brings us leverage into the mining industry within North America. I believe it’s going to open many other opportunities for us to challenge the ‘big three’ in the market”, says Ryley Renneberg.

Picture: Kamloops Lake on a frosty winter day.

World’s #1 copper producer chooses Robit

Posted on by Jari Silver

Copper mining has been a key driver of Chile’s economy for centuries. Among the country’s mining companies, the state-owned Codelco is the crown jewel. It’s the world’s leading copper producer with immense mineral reserves, and a driving force for the entire country’s development.

Codelco’s major mining sites include El Teniente, “the Lieutenant”, the world’s largest underground copper mine which has been in operation for 200 years and currently has a capacity of 400,000 tonnes.

The second largest mine is the century-old Chuquicamata, or “Chuqui”, as the locals call it. Since its open pit operations had grown increasingly uneconomic over the last years, Codelco made a huge investment switching to underground cave mining in 2019. Chuqui’s current capacity is 377,000 tonnes. Andina, the third largest mine nested at the dizzying height of 3,700–4,200 metres on the Andes, consists of the Rio Blanco underground mine and the Sur Sur open pit.

As of late 2020, Robit will be the main supplier of Top Hammer and Down-the-Hole drilling tools for Codelco’s three largest mines. This is a result of decisive cooperation between Robit and their Chilean distributor Full Safety.

Founded in 2010, Full Safety had focused on dealing in clothes and footwear for special target groups such as armed forces, law enforcement, health professionals – and the mining industry. The last-mentioned seemed like a promising sector for new business opportunities, and in 2015 they contacted Robit.

“We were looking for new strategies, and we met Robit at the right time. After consulting with them we restructured our business model over the next few years by opening a new office and recruiting sales personnel as well as drillmasters for field support. In turn, Robit offered us training and technical-commercial support on client visits, and participated in mining fairs with us”, recounts Cesar Cornejo, General Manager of Full Safety.

Getting a foot in the door of a global giant like Codelco is not a simple thing. Despite persistent efforts, discussions on arranging a comparison test to prove the quality of Robit’s consumables led nowhere. As a change of plan, Full Safety approached Astaldi, the main contractor at El Teniente – and they agreed to a head-to-head test between Robit and their then-current brands.

The February 2020 tests, involving bits, drifter rods and couplings, did not disappoint: Robit outperformed the competition by some 30% in terms of lifetime and penetration rate. A letter of certification by Astaldi opened the door to participate in a tender for Codelco. Full Safety and José Antonio Rodríguez, Sales Manager for Robit SAC, then carefully fine-tuned an offer that proved the most competitive.

This major achievement, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. The Chilean mining sector has vast growth potential for the Robit-Full Safety partnership, and several other tenders and product tests are already underway across the country.

Picture from left: Alberto Castillo (Sales Manager, Full Safety),Rafael Rojas (Drillmaster, Full Safety), José Antonio Rodríguez (Sales Manager, Robit), and Cesar Cornejo (General Manager, Full Safety).

Robit’s Successful Test Results in Vietnam

Posted on by Jari Silver

In June 2020, the distributor of Robit in Viet Nam – Dong Loi Equipment & Services Corporation organized a drilling test at Dak Mi 2 hydroelectric tunnel in Quang Nam Province.

Robit and other well-known brands from China and Japan were tested in this site. The test was conducted on a Sandvik DT821 drilling machine with both sides of drill hammer, left and right. The drilling parameters were identical for each brand. The test was conducted to determine the highest working life each tool could reach in the same testing conditions. The structure of tunnel is concrete on the hard rock formation. After a few days, the results of all brands were published. Robit Drifter Rod R32/T38, L=4.9 m completed the service life at 2,300 meters in the left and 3,200 meters in the right of drill hammer. With these results Robit reached from 500 meters to 700 meters better performance than rods by other well-known brands. The customer was very satisfied with the performance of Robit Drifter Rod. They appreciated its quality and will give the priority for using Robit Rod in the future.

Test Location: Dak Mi 2, Hydroelectric Tunnel, Quang Nam Province, Jun 2020
Test Objective: Measuring performance of Robit Drifter Rod R32/T38, L=4.9m vs. other well known drilling consumable brands.
Reported by: Pham Quoc Binh, Sale Manager at Dong Loi Corp.

Drilling Anseong~Guri #7 Tunnel within ab. 24 Months

Posted on by Jari Silver

“Dajoo Industry” (called Dajoo) is suppling Robit Top Hammer drilling tools in highway tunnel called Anseong~Guri #7.

Currently, Anseong~Guri highway is one of the biggest SOC projects in South Korea. Anseong~Guri highway is part of the Pocheon~Sejong project, which connects administrative city, Sejong with capital city, Seoul and northern industrial city, Pocheon. #7 is a 2-way highway of 1.7 km. Client organization is EX (Korea Expressway Corporation) and constructor is Samwhan. Drilling period is approx. 24 months. Robit distributor Dajoo has wide experience in rock tools business. Dajoo supplies to around 70 sites, which contain tunneling, quarrying and surface drilling. Robit and Dajoo have been working together since 2015. Dajoo has constantly increased sales volume year by year. In 2020, Dajoo has become one of the main distributors in South Korea and will increase Robit share consistently. Rock condition is granite and medium hard rock. Drilling machine is Epiroc XE3C (COP1838). Dajoo expects the site to consume 1,200 pcs of 45 mm bits, and 150 sets of drill string.

Distributor: Dajoo Industry
Robit consumables: Button bit – HTG 34RR045 S2,Ball,
Rod – T38*RR34*5525 (HEX35), Shank – COP1838 C38*435,
Coupling – C38 SB

NH21 Project is Running Smoothly with Robit’s Products

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit is supplying forepoling systems and MIPL casings for tunnel roof supporting, and rock drilling consumables for face drilling to NHAI (NH21) project.

The 4 laning road of NH21 stretches from Pandoh Bypass to Takoli section in Himachal Pradesh. The project worth of ₹ 2600 crore will reduce time and traffic as well as streamline movement of vehicle from Delhi to Leh. The project started in March 2018. The tunnel network of 21-kilometres consists of 10 tunnels, out of which 5 tunnels totaling 15 km have been completed.

The project is being constructed by Afcons Infrastructure Limited. The geology consists mainly of Class D (more than 50%). Robit is supplying forepoling systems together with MIPL casings  of 76.1 mm for roof supporting. The Robit consumables have been found successful in making tunnels. The project is currently running smoothly and expected to be completed by next year.

Through its distributor MIPL, Robit has also tested rock drilling consumables, which have also proved to be successful by achieving more lifetime in terms of meterage compared to other brand products. Now most of the rock drilling consumables of this project are provided by Robit. Additionally, the economical products increase customer satisfaction.

Contractor: Afcons Infrastructure Limited

Strong Co-Operation with Amak, the Pioneer Mining Company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Jari Silver

Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co (AMAK) is the pioneer private mining company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing copper, zinc in concentrate as well as gold and silver in doré since 2012.

Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co (AMAK) is the pioneer private mining company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing copper, zinc in concentrate as well as gold and silver in doré since 2012.

The main mining camp (Al Masane) is in the southwest region (Najran) of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1620 mRL and approximately 640 km southeast to Jeddah. AMAK is committed to establish and sustain the highest safety standards with a zero-harm target and international best practice environmental standards with zero discharge to ambient environment. AMAK’s motto is “Every Incident Is Preventable”.

AMAK is continuously seeking investing in mining opportunities in the KSA and the region, including East African countries. Exploration continues at its nearby concessions as well as deeper levels of Al Masane and Guyan orebodies, which are still wide open at depth and extensions, with additional satellite pit development opportunities at Al Masane, Guyan and Al Aqiq mineralization zones.

AMAK is using Robit’s drilling consumables for face development, ground support and DTH drilling for underground operations. Robit consumables are performing well and thus, getting positive feedback from AMAK: “We are satisfied and happy for working with Robit. We appreciate the full support during the contract meaning quick responses for deliveries and shipping as well as providing technical services support in case of any problem”.

Case report by: Kadir Uslu, Drill & Blast Engineer, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co and James Keenan, Distributor Business Manager, Middle East and Turkey, Robit Group

Photo: Jumbo Operators, Mr. Mustafa Tufekci and Mr. Roger Junas

ROBIT SUPPLYING DRILLING CONSUMABLES FOR THE BIGGEST COPPER MINING COMPANY IN TURKEY, ETI BAKIR A.S.

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit is supplying rock drilling consumables for face drilling, long hole drilling, ground supporting operations for underground mines as well as surface drilling for open pit mines for ETI Bakir A.S. in Turkey. The consumables are being supplied by Robit’s distributor, Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S.

Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S. and ETI Bakir A.S. made a contract for supplying Top Hammer drilling tools and as a result, the first shipment was MADE during the first quarter of 2020. Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S. supplements Robit quality and good performance by giving the best after-sales, shipping, and technical services support for the valued customer.

ETI Bakir A.S., which was operated by state from 1930’s to 2004, is the biggest copper mining company in Turkey. ETI Bakir A.S. was incorporated into Cengiz Holding in 2004 and the company carries on production activities by growing up day by day within the structure of Cengiz Holding.

ETI Bakir A.S. is operating both on several Turkish mine sites as well as abroad. In addition to this, the biggest smelter and electrolysis plant in Turkey is being operated by ETI Bakir A.S. in Samsun City. The company is known for nature conservation while operating on the mine sites. – These mines are operating fully mechanized with the newest technologies.

 

Case report by:

Ahmet Oğuz Dikmen, Mining Equipments Service Engineer, Guris Construction Machineries Industry Co Inc

James Keenan, Distributor Business Manager, Middle East and Turkey, Robit Group

 

Photo:

Caner Topal, Drilling & Blasting Engineer, ETI Bakir A.S.

Ahmet Oğuz Dikmen, Mining Equipments Service Engineer, Guris Construction Machineries Industry Co Inc

Tayfun Kabaloglu, Mine Captain, ETI Bakir A.S.

 

SUCCESSFUL TESTS CONDUCTED WITH ROBIT CONSUMABLES IN CHILE

Posted on by Jari Silver

Full Safety, the distributor of Robit Group, carried out a successful test with Robit consumables at El Teniente copper mine in Machalí, Chile. 

​The test was conducted for Jumbo drilling on a Tamrock Axera Jumbo with HLX5 drifter by using the following Robit consumables: R32x45S1 bits, HEX35 C38-R32 14′ drifter rod and coupling C38-C38.

The bits averaged out 315 meters without grinding. As for the drifter rod and couplings averaged out 1 724 meters. The meterage is always relative to the rock, the conditions of machinery and operator skills including pressure management.

Robit Part Numb​​er Description Meters
04-132-045-3805 HTG 32R45S 315
06D-07-0891 M/M Drifter Rod C38-HEX35-R32 4305 1 724
06E-07-0497 Coupling C38 D55 SB 1 724

 

As a result of the successful tests, Robit received a confirmation from the site contractor, Astaldi, that Robit consumables were superior compared to the other well-known brands’ consumables.

El Teniente is an underground copper mine in the Chilean commune of Machalí in Cachapoal Province, Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins Region, near the town of Sewell, 2 300 meters above mean sea level in the Andes.

Mining at El Teniente is reported to have started as early as 1819. Today, El Teniente is operated by the state-owned copper mining company CODELCO. With over 3 000 kilometers of underground drifts, El Teniente is reported as the world’s largest underground copper mine. ​

Excellent job from our Robit SAC colleagues, and our distributor in Chile!

Moving Thailand’s FREIGHT TO RAIL

Posted on by Jari Silver

Moving freight across a large, busy country like Thailand is an expensive business. Thailand’s logistical overhead is around 1.75 trillion baht (€50 billion) per year. To cut this overhead, the Thai government has started an ambitious program aiming to move a large amount of road and air freight to rail.

Thailand has about 4,000 km of rail network, most of which is single track. In order to boost the role of rail – currently carrying only 2 % of Thailand’s freight – the government plan includes doubling large parts of the single-track railroads.

One of the double tracks to be laid in the first phase (2018–2022) is the 120 km stretch on the Northeastern main line from Map Kabao to Thanon Chira Junction in the central part of the country. This involves the excavation of three new tunnels.

Two of the tunnel sites are located in Saraburi province, some 150 km northeast from Bangkok, and one in Nakhon Ratchasima province, 200 km from Bangkok. The main contractor for the work is Right Tunnelling (RT), who Robit have been supplying with rock tools for several years.

Drilling work began in January 2019. “We signed a consignment agreement for the job sites with RT in March. It covers a full set of our tools, including bits, rods, couplings and shanks. Things have run smoothly”, says Yong Woo Jeon, Distributor Business Manager for Robit in the region.

Once completed, Tunnel 1 near Map Kabao – a twin tunnel, 1.4 km each – will be the longest railway tunnel in Thailand. Tunnel 3 at Khlong Phai, Nakhon Ratchasima, will also be a relatively long twin tunnel (1 km each).

Moving a tonne of freight by road costs almost twice as much per kilometre as by rail. The railway project is still in its early stages, but once finished, Thailand can expect huge savings in logistical costs every year.

ROSH PINAH – boosting quality with Robit tools

Posted on by Jari Silver

Geographically, most of Namibia consists of a desert or near-desert plateau. Underneath this arid ground, however, lies a massive mineral wealth.

Namibia’s economy relies heavily on its mining industry: almost half of the country’s foreign exchange earnings are contributed by this sector. Key exports include diamonds, uranium, gold and silver, as well as a wide variety of base metals such as lead, copper, and zinc.

On the edge on the Namib desert in southern Namibia, the Rosh Pinah underground mine, owned by Canadian-based Trevali, has been producing zinc and lead for 50 years, milling some 2,000 tonnes of ore per day. That kind of production volumes pose a challenge to the supply and service of consumable parts – and that’s where Robit SA was able to help Rosh Pinah improve their performance.

“We signed a consignment stock contract for the “GET” (Ground Engagement Tools) with Rosh Pinah in August. It’s a full-service contract, including a management system”, explains Franco Van Deventer, Sales Director for Robit SA.

The two-year contract covers both development and long hole production drilling, as well as “cut and fill” mining.

Better quality through reporting

“Our management reporting system has marked a significant improvement in quality control. Our monthly feedback reports allow our customer to track the performance of our equipment and compare the efficiency and cost. Before our contract this had not been possible”, Franco says.

Picture: Bird’s eye view of Rosh Pinah. (Image: Hp.Baumeler)

TEST REPORT – Greenbushes, WA, Australia

Posted on by Jari Silver

Tested tools: Robit C51 bits, rods and shanks
Test location: Greenbushes, WA, Australia
Test date(s): Since May 2018
Client’s challenge: Top Hammer drill bit performance in the hard ground conditions of a lithium mine
Reported by: Mark Thwaits, Technical Sales Representative, Robit Australia

Report:

We began trialling at Greenbushes, the world’s largest lithium mine, in the spring of 2018. They are currently using our C51 Retrac bits monthly, principally the 115 mm Drop Centre Retrac (DSR) and Flat Face (FF).

Through frequent site visits we have developed a very positive relationship with our customer where information has become a two-way street. For example, it was our suggestion to try the DSR bit as a substitute to the FF, as we had seen it perform extremely well in similar conditions elsewhere.

We have secured their TH bit business off the strength of Robit’s bits. The life and performance of our bits has been praised by the client. They easily outlast the competition – and with the extremely hard and abrasive ground associated with lithium mines, the increased life of Robit bits has been greatly appreciated.

In today’s intensely competitive market, Australian drilling contractors have become far less inclined to sign contracts, preferring to give monthly business to the supplier who performs and provides value regularly.

Our top-performance bits have allowed us to continually do monthly business with the client, and we continue to trial new products in an effort to supply all their drill string needs, e.g. rods and shanks, at Greenbushes as well as other sites the client operates on.

FIJI – A new dot on the Robit world map

Posted on by Jari Silver

“Tranquillity” is a word that easily comes to mind on Fiji, the island country sitting almost 3,000 kilometres away from its nearest continent Australia. An ever-growing number of visitors are feeling the allure of its white sandy beaches and coral reefs, making tourism a key driver in Fiji’s economy today, along with agriculture and fishing.

Fiji has also been blessed with wealthy mineral resources, with gold and silver representing some of the country’s largest exports. So-called Development Minerals – minerals mined, processed, and used locally in construction, infrastructure, and agriculture – also play an important part in Fiji’s growing economy. This year, the very first Fiji Development Minerals Trade Fair and Conference was held in Suva, the capital city of the republic. The event, hosted by UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and MRD (Mineral Resources Department of Fiji), also helped Robit add a new dot on its global business map.

“It was a great opportunity to network, meet key players in the Development Minerals industry and get a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing Fiji’s Development Minerals market”, says Technical Sales Representative Richard Epstein, Robit Australia.

“Fiji is diversifying its economy and improving its civil infrastructure, which should have a positive impact on the quarrying and civil construction industries. This means there is an opportunity to gain a strong foothold in the market. To that end, we are partnering with Vinod Patel, Fiji’s largest hardware and construction materials company to help establish our presence in the market and provide much needed local support”, Richard explains.

Golden prospects

Richard also visited the Vatukoula Gold Mine, the largest and oldest mine in Fiji. It has been operating for over 75 years and has produced over 7 million ounces (approx. 200,000 kg) of gold during this time. “Vatukoula spends about half a million euros per year on Top Hammer drilling consumables, but this is likely to increase in coming years as they have plans to expand development of the mine and double production”, Richard says.

“Robit’s threaded jumbo bits were tested underground at Vatukoula, with promising results. A new gold mine, Lion One, is due to come on line in 2019. Add to that our partnership with Vinod Patel and the contacts we have established through them with key players in the quarrying and extractive industries, and we should be well positioned for future opportunities in Fiji.”

Ylimäki quarries with more than 30 years of experience

Posted on by Jari Silver

Markku Viitanen sits in the cab of the drill rig, wearing protectors on his ears and expertly operating the joystick. An echo sounds out from the surrounding forest as Robit’s drill bit is hammered into the rock. It’s a typical day at the office for Markku. And the quarry, located in Karstula, central Finland, is a typical work site for Markku’s employer, Louhintaliike Ylimäki.

This is Markku’s third day of drilling at the quarry. Red borehole plugs in the snow mark the holes that have already been drilled. The 83-millimetre bore holes are being drilled to a depth of 10–12 metres, down to the bottom level of the quarry. Half of the roughly 1,600 metres to be drilled has already been completed. As a quarrying site, this one is of a moderate size, at 25,000 tonnes. Large sites can be in the range of 100,000 tonnes.

When the boring work is completed, the shot-firing team takes over. An explosive, such as ‘Kemiitti’ – an emulsion explosive developed for open-cut excavations – is loaded into the hole, and a second explosive is placed on top as a guarantee. The area is blasted. A hydraulic hammer is used to break any oversize rocks into a crushable size. At this point, Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s work at this quarry is finished; another contractor will take over the crushing operations.

– Ylimäki’s main areas of operation are western Finland and northern Ostrobothnia, and its main customers are aggregate suppliers and crushing companies,” says civil engineer Matti Pitkäjärvi, who supervises the work at the company’s quarrying sites. Blast rock is also produced at the Karstula quarry, to be crushed for infrastructure construction or concrete or asphalt production, for example.

Industry leader after three decades

Louhintaliike Ylimäki Oy is a family business that was established in 1983. The company started out small, with rented equipment, but over the decades has grown to become the largest rock extractor in the region. With about 20 employees and a solid equipment base, Ylimäki blasted five million tonnes of rock in 2014. A second generation of Ylimäkis – brothers Matti and Mikko – now run the company.

How does a regional operator competing with major national companies survive?

– We’re doing well. We have a lot of long-term, established customer relationships. With adequate and modern equipment, expert staff and reasonable prices, the customers are happy. We don’t have to fight for every site, says Matti.

Annual contract speeds up processes

Louhintaliike Ylimäki has been drilling with Robit bits for a long time. And as Robit’s Sales Manager, Mika Mankinen, recounts, co-operation between the two companies was taken one step further in 2015: they entered into an annual agreement covering not just drill bits, but also shank adapters and drill rods.

– It came down to the price/quality ratio or, to put it in more concrete terms, cost per drilled metre. The Finnish aspect is also an important criterion,” says Matti, elaborating on how the deal came about.

The annual agreement will simplify the purchasing process, and drilling equipment will come at a fixed, competitive price. A volume-based price saves the customer not only money, but the headache of having to negotiate a price separately for every construction site. The process is as simple as can be: Matti makes an order and Robit delivers the agreed amount of products.

– The co-operation between Ylimäki and Robit has for years been practical and smooth. We can always call Mika if new requirements or requests arise during a drilling job, says Matti. – Robit is always able to flexibly respond to changes or development needs, Mika adds.

For this western Finland quarrying company, business is going well. When asked about the bigger challenges facing the company, Matti pauses to think about it.

– In this business in general, the challenge is the unequal distribution of the work load – the ups and downs of the quiet and busy times of the year. But we don’t experience that. Our fleet of equipment is always in use, says a pleased Matti.