MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
A Northern Cape province mining contractor has seen productivity accelerate dramatically since it invested in a fleet of TowerLights mobile lighting systems supplied by Pilot Crushtec International.
Rock Lefatshe Mining Services (Rock Lefatshe) is involved in the building and maintenance of operational infrastructure for a manganese mining project located outside Hotazel.
Using a mobile jaw crusher sourced from the Jet Park-based crushing and screening specialist, Rock Lefatshe is crushing waste rock to provide sub-base material for the ongoing construction of the mine’s haul roads and rail network.
According to Pilot Crushtec International national sales manager Nicolan Govender, the lighting systems – which were launched at Bauma Africa 2013 – have added considerable value to a variety of operations and were a logical recommendation for Rock Lefatshe’s specific application.
“We invited members of the team to our premises so they could look at the range and specification options in some detail. They subsequently placed an order for six VT1-9 TowerLights.”
The purchase of these nine-metre high mobile lighting systems has proved to be a far-sighted move as the addition of lights has transformed the undertaking into a safe and efficient around the clock operation that has not only impressed mine management but has spurred Rock Lefatshe’s own growth ambitions.
Chief Executive Officer Tamoledi Selane explains:
“Thanks to the assistance we received from Pilot Crushtec International, we have developed a successful crushing business that we want to take to another level. We are now seriously considering the purchase of a new semi-mobile modular plant to process manganese ore. This view is encouraged by the excellent level of after sales support and field service we have received for our equipment, not to mention its reliability in service.”
Govender says that Rock Lefatshe’s experience with TowerLights is just one example of how a peripheral product like a lighting system can exert a massive positive influence on the productivity of expensive capital equipment.
He believes that there are many mines in areas like the Northern Cape with open pits that can substantially increase output using mobile lighting systems.
“They are exceptionally powerful as each tower is mounted by four 1,000W metal halide floodlights which can be operated at a height of up to nine metres. Each one can light up an area of up to 6,400m². To put it another way, it only requires four of our units to fully illuminate the space of a soccer pitch.
“This lighting performance gives operators the opportunity to run around the clock shifts on their sites, both safely and efficiently. This enables them to ‘sweat their assets’ and maximise the productivity of expensive mining and processing equipment.”
TowerLights also provide insurance against power outages, either as a result of accident or load shedding and are also used extensively by miners operating in areas far removed from a mains power supply. A mining house in Namibia recently purchased a set of lights to illuminate an exploration site in a desolate, uninhabited area.
In addition, the system’s inboard diesel generator is often put to work during daylight hours to provide site offices with the power to run air conditioning, computers and refrigerators.
Ends
Words: 518
Note to the editor:
Pilot Crushtec International, South Africa’s leading supplier of mobile and semi-mobile crushing, screening, washing and materials handling equipment, has for more than two decades set industry benchmarks for product, technical and service excellence. Pilot Crushtec International continues to build and consolidate its business through the development of relationships with its customers in Asia, Australasia, Europe, India, the Middle East and southern Africa.