AEL Expands in eMalahleni to Meet Coal Sector Demands

In a bid to address the increased coal and electricity demands in Southern Africa, AEL Mining Services has responded by expanding and streamlining its operations in eMalahleni (Witbank) to enhance its service delivery to customers within the region.

AEL moved premises to a new site adjacent to AngloAmerican Thermal Coal Kleinkopjie mine to ensure close proximity to customers and efficient delivery of explosives in a faster turnaround time, minimising travelling of excess distances and supporting AEL's core values of safety and meticulous care.

An investment of close on R21 million has resulted in centralising AEL's major distribution site in this region to enable the company to deliver higher levels of productivity and efficiency. Provisions were made for expansion should there be a need for additional storage for either new or other emulsion products, offices and parking. The site which is positioned on three hectares of land was completed in less than a year despite significant delays caused by excessive rain. Provisions were also made to accommodate no less than 120 employees, including contractors and management.

Chinamatira Ranganai, General Manager, AngloAmerican Thermal Coal, Kleinkopjie mine commented, "Safety is Anglo American's core value. At Kleinkopjie, we are delighted that one of our key contractors has joined hands with us on this front. AEL's new site clearly demonstrates the company's commitment to both safety and production."

Jaco Human, Managing Director for the AEL Mining Services Coal Southern Africa business said, “The new facility was not only designed to positively support a more intense and well rounded service offering to our customer base, but will also provide a solid foundation for business growth opportunities in the future.”

The new facility does not only enhance capability in terms of engineering effectiveness, but also provides the required space to house an operating fleet of over 50 vehicles. This fleet includes all ranges of the AEL Mobile Manufacturing Units (MMUs), which consist of re-pump, auguring and the newly designed twenty ton emulsion delivery unit’s as well as field support and initiating systems and other explosives delivery vehicles. The new facility also provides the capability and future capacity to deliver well over 12,000t of blend emulsion explosives product into the market if required. With a vast number of additional engineering bays coupled with additional critical spares inventory space, a quicker turnaround time on engineering capability and capacity is now a reality. This is a major strategic advantage to the business as this assists in commitment to customers for delivering products and services in an on-time-in-full basis.

The new Kleinkopjie facility is fully contained with extensive capacity and is designed to adhere to stringent environmental standards. Three 74t emulsion silos and two 50t ammonium nitrate porous prill silos have been erected with level indicators, currently with a storage capacity of 240 tons of product. In addition, there is a large diesel storage facility, as well as two oil phase blending tanks and a water storage area. AEL Mining Services is ISO 90001 and 14001 accredited. To main this high standard a prerequisite is that all hazardous substances are stored in fully bunded areas with rain or spills collecting in the bunds. The site also houses a sodium nitrate power blending storage facility as well as a state of the art calibration bay and way-bridge.

Detailed care was taken in the design of the new facility with regards to responsible environmental management. All waste materials are processed in an environmentally- friendly manner," said Human. "All four areas, from the emulsion storage area, diesel bays, gassing area to the engineering facility’s refuse are drained into a central place, where refinement and recycling takes place. Used oil generated on the site is also recycled and refined for use in the company’s Eco emulsion range.

In a bid to combat skills shortage in engineering and mining, as well as to facilitate further training and development of AEL’s employees, the new facility is capacitated with an onsite training facility and two dedicated training officers.

“Our new facility will not only improve on our current support of the coal mining market as from now and into the future but will also create an opportunity to accommodate the companies responsibility towards our employees. The demand within the market dictates a professional and thoroughness in the way suppliers provide offerings to their customers. AEL Mining Services understand this imperative and realises that this type of service can only be managed through a technically skilled and competent work force. For this reason a training and development centre was one of our key deliverables in the design of the facility,” said Human.

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF AEL MINING SERVICES LIMITED

For more information, please contact Vuyiswa Vivi Majova
Group Marketing & Communications Manager, Tel : +27 11 606 0550
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