Effective Scanning, Secured Assets

Some mining companies, especially in gold and platinum, are profiting from a spell of high prices in their respective commodities. Despite this, employees of these companies may not be immune from the effects of tough economic conditions. And so, the employees may seek additional means of making ends meet. Unfortunately, in depths of despair, some may find pilferage of valuable minerals within their grasp the easy way out.

So, gold and platinum producers must enhance security measures to safeguard their invaluable assets. One of the practical options mining companies could adopt is investing in technologies (innovations) with proven efficacy in deterring theft.

Opportunities in body scanning technologies

Rudzani Ramovha, the Managing Director of X-Scann Technologies, suggests that mining companies could consider exploring opportunities in safeguarding valuable minerals that body scanning technologies have opened. This is based on concrete evidence gathered from mining companies where X-Scann Technologies supplied its scanning solutions.

Xscann’s intervention save millions

Through its intervention, recently, X-Scann Technologies has helped South African platinum and gold refineries stem huge losses of gold and PGMs (respectively) hugely attributed to theft. “Usually, platinum and gold refineries measure the material value of what goes out of the plant after processing against what came in. In the context of the two projects, conspicuously, there was a huge discrepancy between the two, strongly suggesting possible theft,” says Ramovha.

To better comprehend the scale of the challenge, the recorded losses translated into large sums in revenue, probably in millions. And so, their impact on the bottom line could not be underestimated.

Traditional security measures fall short

All the more intriguing was that the losses at the two refineries occurred despite the implementation of traditional security measures. This raised questions about the effectiveness of the security measures, prompting a rethink.

Some traditional techniques previously employed mainly involved physical searches (hand part) and hand-held metal detectors. Unfortunately, though well-intentioned, shortcomings were encountered, mainly:

• It was difficult to find stolen metals hidden in difficult-to-reach areas to search, including swallowed metals.

• Physical searches and metal detections equipment could only reach limited areas of the body;

• Longer time taken to search people exiting the plants, causing long queues; during peak times;

• Unidentified people were going into the plants and coming out undetected; and

• Collusion between searching personnel and the workforce.

Identifying challenges, devising a solution

The team at Xscann viewed the challenges as a glorious opportunity to prove their expertise. At the outset, before embarking on any project, Ramovha clarifies, the team is cognisant that every client has a unique problem, which must be addressed according to its own merits. And this was the case with the gold and platinum refineries.

Accordingly, the team at X-Scann Technologies spared no effort in identifying the common problems encountered and customising a suitable solution specific to each client. “We highlighted different scenarios, specifically possible areas where minerals could be hidden and difficult-to-reach with conventional searching. Then based on this, we established that a suitable solution could be an x-ray full body scanner able to identify objects concealed internally and externally,” Ramovha narrates.

Meticulous planning and execution

Tailoring solutions for each of the two refineries entailed meticulous planning and execution. There had to be attention to detail and every element accommodated. Despite each refinery’s uniqueness, integrating the X-Scann Body