When in doubt, consult

WHEN IN DOUBT,

CONSULT By Rodney Weidemann

In the complex mining industry, being able to understand a client’s challenge in-depth and come up with the right engineering concept to solve this requires a partner like Bara Consulting. In a complex and varied industry like mining, the importance of working with consultants who are experienced industry professionals is paramount to success. By working alongside a consulting business that can tap into a deep well of collective knowledge and long-term sector experience, mining organisations are able to ensure they get the most e ective evaluation, due diligence and feasibility reporting possible. In fact, says Jim Pooley, MD at Bara

Consulting, many mining clients prefer to seek out specific individuals with the relevant experience for such projects, while others prefer to stick to a known brand. “At Bara, we not only have developed a recognised brand during the eight years since we started the business, but we also have many highly skilled and sought-a er individuals within the business. More than this, we have cra ed a reputation for delivering high-quality work at a reasonable price,” he says. “I put our success down to a combination of two things: being able to understand the client’s challenge in-depth and then being able to come up with the right engineering concept to solve this. Beyond this it boils down to details, and with our professionalism and experience, the details never escape notice.”

Pooley indicates that Bara Consulting specialises in the study and economic evaluation of mining projects and operations from due diligence through mineral reserve statements to NI 43-101 and JORC-compliant pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.

“We make an e ort to always work with our clients, rather than simply working for them. A lot of our success is due to building and maintaining good relations – something that can only be done when working alongside the customer.

“In fact, we attribute a lot of the repeat business received from clients over the years to them being pleased with the manner in which we have interacted with them.”

We have cra ed a reputation for delivering high-quality work at a reasonable price. “ “ – Pooley

NEW SERVICES

“This approach has led to a broadening of our company’s o erings, as we have found in working alongside several junior miners. We find that a er having engineered a mine for one of these players, they o en prefer to build on the relationship that already exists with us, so they prefer us to stay involved through the implementation phase.

“This trust in our capability to undertake this role is built on our good relationship, and has meant we have added engineering design as an additional string to our bow,” he says.

Furthermore, adds Pooley, the company also provides services in the fields of

The company has expanded its service o ering to “ “ include modelling, simulation, scheduling, mine planning and mine risk and safety. – Pooley

© ISTOCK – EvgenyMiroshnichenko Bara Consulting has a highly skilled team.

modelling, simulation, scheduling, mine planning and mine risk and safety.

“These downstream services weren’t initially part of our plan when we launched, but the art of business lies in providing help if the client asks for it. With an organisation like ours, which has both the engineers and experience to deliver such services if requested, meeting customer requirements in this regard is a simple matter of adding extra value where we can.”

Asked about the impact of COVID-19 on the business, he says that when lockdown initially kicked in, Bara witnessed a negative impact on planned work and – more crucially – turnover for the initial period. This, he says, was due to having a lot of site work planned, which couldn’t be undertaken during the lockdown period.

“We quickly reorganised, however, and in the past financial year, we have seen growth of around 50%. This has been a busy and successful time for us, having recruited new engineers and with the company now beginning to undertake site work again. Essentially, we have had positive growth, despite the pandemic.

“Looking more broadly at the sector, my view is that a very positive period is on the way for the mining sector, and we are quietly confident about the immediate and mediumterm future of the industry.

“Bara Consulting plans to continue doing what it does in the general consulting and engineering fields, and aims to become more established on the implementation side – providing detailed designs and ultimately bringing clients projects to book. We are definitely eager for what the future will bring and look forward to continuing to grow and develop our skills in the implementation field,” he says. ■

CURRENT KEY PROJECTS

■ Feasibility study and detailed design for Bauba’s Moeijelijk underground chrome mine in Limpopo. ■ Lead engineer for a feasibility study on an open-pit lithium project in

Zimbabwe, for Premier African

Minerals. ■ Optimisation of a feasibility study for a coal project in Madagascar for

Lemur Holdings. ■ Feasibility studies for West Wits

Mining, looking into the possibility of reopening several sha s in the

Roodepoort area of Johannesburg. ■ In addition to these projects Bara is also currently undertaking various due diligence, CPR and valuation work for various clients across a number of commodities.

Jim Pooley.

A variety of grids from Major Wire.

UNBOTTLING MINERALS PROCESSING PLANTS

Minerals processing equipment supplier ELB Equipment, in partnership with screen media manufacturer Major Wire, has spent several years fixing screening problems at an almost endless array of processing plants.

Waynne Martin, technical sales representative at ELB Equipment, says the company’s partnership with the supplier of screen media enables the company’s technical teams to identify the source of a screening problem and provide solutions to bring the equipment back up to the required spec and further improve on its performance through using a wide range of Major Wire screen solutions.

Examples of the type of improvements obtained with Major Wire screens in the mine and quarrying industry include a recent instance where imported anthracite was di icult to process due to its “sticky, wet” consistency and was grinding production to a snail’s pace. The introduction of a carefully selected Major Wire tensioned screen immediately boosted production by 50% with a host of other benefits to boot.

More recently a simple upgrade of its traditional panel-type mesh screens to Major Wire’s Flex-Mat screens allowed a major diamond producer to reduce carry over by more than 15%.

“This is a game of percentages, and even the smallest improvements can have a significant e ect on a company’s bottom line. Savings as a result of reducing downtime, production volume increases and the move towards improved overall productivity can usually be measured in millions of rand and tonnes. Holistically it is not just about saving capacity on-site, but rather problem-solving overall screening e iciency, cost of ownership etc.” ASX-listed Prospect Resources has completed its pilot plant project at its Arcadia Lithium Project in Zimbabwe on schedule and within budget. The project is on track to deliver technicalgrade petalite product to customers in June, the company says.

The miner is now focused on using the high-purity petalite samples from the pilot plant, and spodumene samples produced in a partner laboratory, to achieve final production qualification with customers. Prospect Resources is progressing engagement with a range of strategic groups from across Japan, China and Europe in recent months who have an interest in spodumene o take and helping with the development of the project.

The company was also looking forward to welcoming o take partner Sinomine Resources, as well as presidential representatives from various government ministries to site in June to preside over the first delivery of the product to Sinomine Resources.

Managing director Sam Hosack says: “We have successfully demonstrated our capability to deliver this project in Zimbabwe. We now look forward to delivering high-purity lithium products to the downstream supply chain to complete respective product qualification processes.

“The development and operation of the pilot plant allows us to substantially reduce metallurgical risk for Arcadia, while demonstrating our ability to successfully operate in our jurisdiction, delivering increased confidence in the outcomes of existing technical study work and projected economics.”

Major Wire screens provide more durability and wear protection than traditional screens.

ARCADIA PILOT PLANT STARTS PRODUCING

Crusher and stockpiles.