Monthly Archives: August 2026

Client Focus

SANDVIK ROCK BREAKERS GAIN FOOTHOLD ACROSS AFRICA THROUGH QUALITY AND SUPPORT

Sandvik Rock Processing is steadily gaining a stronger foothold across the African market with its range of hydraulic rock breakers and breaker boom systems as customers increasingly recognise the value of equipment quality, reliability and strong aftermarket support.

As mining and quarrying operations across the continent place greater emphasis on maximising plant availability and reducing downtime, demand for dependable rock breaking solutions continues to grow. Sandvik Rock Processing has responded by combining proven technology with regional service capabilities that support customers throughout the equipment lifecycle.

The robust construction and advanced hydraulic technology of Sandvik rock breakers help reduce maintenance and unplanned downtime.
The robust construction and advanced hydraulic technology of Sandvik rock breakers help reduce maintenance and unplanned downtime.
Sandvik combines quality equipment with strong aftermarket support to improve reliability and productivity.
Sandvik combines quality equipment with strong aftermarket support to improve reliability and productivity.

According to Tarynn Yatras, Vice-President Sales Area Africa for Sandvik Rock Processing, the company’s growing success in Africa is being driven not only by the performance of its rock breakers but also by the technical support, service expertise and genuine spare parts backing available to customers.

“Customers are increasingly looking beyond the initial equipment purchase and focusing on long-term performance, reliability and support,” Yatras says. “This is where Sandvik Rock Processing has been able to differentiate itself in the market.”

Sandvik offers a comprehensive range of hydraulic rock breakers and stationary breaker boom systems designed for mining, quarrying and aggregate applications. The range extends from compact breakers for smaller carriers and construction applications through to heavy-duty units for large mining excavators and primary crushing installations. Breakers are available for carrier classes ranging from less than one tonne to more than 100 tonnes, allowing customers to select solutions that precisely match their operating requirements.

The Sandvik tele-remote option improves safety by allowing remote operation of applicable breaker boom systems.
The Sandvik tele-remote option improves safety by allowing remote operation of applicable breaker boom systems.
Sandvik hydraulic rock breakers are designed to deliver maximum impact energy in the toughest operating conditions.
Sandvik hydraulic rock breakers are designed to deliver maximum impact energy in the toughest operating conditions.

The company’s stationary breaker boom systems are specifically engineered for grizzly stations and primary crushers where they safely and efficiently clear oversize material and crusher blockages. Depending on the application, these systems can be configured with varying boom reaches, breaker sizes and hydraulic power units to suit both smaller quarry operations and large mining installations, helping to maintain crusher availability and uninterrupted material flow.

Building on these safety and productivity benefits, Sandvik also offers a tele-remote option for applicable breaker boom installations. This enables operators to control the system from a safe, ergonomic location away from the crusher or grizzly area, significantly reducing exposure to hazardous working zones while maintaining precise, efficient clearing of oversize material and blockages.

Across the range, Sandvik rock breakers incorporate features such as optimised hydraulic efficiency, high impact energy, robust construction and idle blow protection. These technologies enable reliable breaking performance under demanding conditions while reducing maintenance requirements and unplanned downtime.

Sandvik offers hydraulic rock breakers for applications ranging from construction to large-scale mining.
Sandvik offers hydraulic rock breakers for applications ranging from construction to large-scale mining.
Sandvik breaker boom systems safely clear oversize material and crusher blockages to maximise plant availability.
Sandvik breaker boom systems safely clear oversize material and crusher blockages to maximise plant availability.

A key differentiator for Sandvik Rock Processing is its commitment to local support. The company has invested in regional service capabilities, technical expertise and aftermarket infrastructure to ensure customers have access to maintenance services, repairs, technical assistance and genuine OEM parts.

“Equipment reliability is important, but equally important is the ability to support customers quickly and effectively when they need assistance,” Yatras says. “Our focus is on building long-term relationships by providing both quality products and dependable support.”

The availability of genuine Sandvik components and specialist technical expertise helps customers maximise equipment life, maintain original performance specifications and reduce the risk of unexpected failures.

As mining operations across Africa continue to pursue improvements in productivity, safety and operational efficiency, Sandvik Rock Processing believes that the combination of high-quality equipment, application expertise and strong regional support will continue to drive the adoption of its rock breaker solutions and strengthen its position as a trusted partner to mining and quarrying operations across the continent.

Client Focus

WEIR USES TECHNOLOGY TO TURN SUSTAINABLE MINING INTO REALITY

As pressure mounts on miners to cut emissions, conserve water and still grow production, Weir believes that smarter technology and reengineered flowsheets are the way forward. For the group, sustainability isn’t a side project – it’s the organising principle behind its entire innovation strategy.

Christian Stehle, Regional Engineering Director EMEA at Weir.
Christian Stehle, Regional Engineering Director EMEA at Weir.

Christian Stehle, Regional Engineering Director EMEA at Weir, explains that providing technology for a sustainable future is the essence of what the group does. “That promise plays out in four main areas: energy, water, waste and digital, all underpinned by a strong safety culture,” he states.

Nowhere is the sustainability challenge more acute than in comminution, the energyhungry heart of most mines. Rather than just tweaking individual machines, Weir is promoting the redesign of the entire circuit where possible. “At Weir, we are promoting ‘nontraditional’ flowsheets built around high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs), large ENDURON vibrating screens, coarse particle flotation and stirred mills to cut back on conventional tumbling mills. If you can do that in your flowsheet, then you use less water and significantly less energy compared to tumbling mills,” Stehle explains.

Leading with HPGR innovation , Weir enables large-scale efficiency gains and lower total cost of ownership across modern operations.
Leading with HPGR innovation , Weir enables large-scale efficiency gains and lower total cost of ownership across modern operations.

Weir conducted a study that highlights a significant opportunity to reduce energy use and emissions in comminution by leverage alternative technology combinations which was independently assured by SLR Consulting Ltd. Stehle adds: “The study demonstrated that replacing conventional technology with innovative new solutions can reduce energy use by 40% while also avoiding 50% of CO2e emissions.” 

Powered by Micromine, Motion Metrics and Fast2Mine, Weir is connecting planning, operations and processing end-to-end.
Powered by Micromine, Motion Metrics and Fast2Mine, Weir is connecting planning, operations and processing end-to-end.

A recent order for HPGRs for Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project in South Africa is an example of these technologies being deployed at scale. Weir also received an order for a crushing and screening plant for a goldcopper operation in Namibia, including its ENDURON® crushers and vibrating screens toprovide the customer with more efficient equipment that provides a lower total cost of ownership.

Using water more wisely and creating less waste

Smart engineering design extends wear life, reducing material use and supporting more sustainable operations.
Smart engineering design extends wear life, reducing material use and supporting more sustainable operations.

Weir’s technology roadmap also targets water stewardship and waste reduction. On the water side, Stehle highlights solutions that change how tailings are handled. “For example, we have developed the Terraflowing dewatering solution which enables discrete tailings fractions to be handled in a way to produce an engineered paste product. By separating the tailings stream into discrete fractions, operators can handle them in different ways, providing a higher level of flexibility in the way they dewater their tailings, while still having a consistent end product.”

More efficient separation and classification, such as Weir’s new CAVEX® CVD hydrocyclone range,helps reduce recirculating loads and unnecessary regrinding, lowering both energy and water use.

The Cavex CVD range delivers efficient separation, reducing regrinding and lowering overall energy and water demand.
The Cavex CVD range delivers efficient separation, reducing regrinding and lowering overall energy and water demand.

Extending the life of wear parts is another, often overlooked, sustainability lever. “If you can make your parts last longer, that in and of itself is also a sustainability improvement, because you are using fewer resources to make new parts. Also, there’s a commercial advantage for the customers because their equipment runs longer with less downtime.”

Digital, AI and safety

On the digital front, Weir has made a number of significant acquisitions including Motion Metricsand, more recently, Micromine and Fast2Mine. Through these acquisitions and partnerships, Weir aims to focus on software and data solutions from pit to plant.