Tranter Rock Drills will once again exhibit at the 2012 Elektra Mining Trade Show. Ranked as the second largest mining show in the world and with global recognition for its broad reach across mining, construction, industrial and power generation industry sectors, Electra Mining Africa once again proves its status as a world-class event attracting high numbers of quality exhibitors and visitors, both benefiting from the platform created to showcase the latest in products, services, technologies and trends.

Ranked as the second largest mining show in the world and with global recognition for its broad reach across mining, construction, industrial and power generation industry sectors, Electra Mining Africa once again proves its status as a world-class event attracting high numbers of quality exhibitors and visitors, both benefiting from the platform created to showcase the latest in products, services, technologies and trends.

Below is our press release for the show published in Mining Mirror.

In 2009 Tranter Holding's subsidiary Tranter Energy and Mining Services (Pty) Ltd (TEMS) acquired Boart Longyear's percussive rock drills, hard rock tool product lines and all associated manufacturing operations, including the site at Roodepoort. The company is now known as Tranter Rock Drills (Pty) Ltd (TRD). TRD focuses on mining, quarry and construction industry related products.

TRD is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of SECO rock drills, rock drill accessories, machine spares, ancillary equipment and consumables such as rods and bits.  Our precision machining and grinding using CNC equipment and comprehensive heat treatment facilities ensure quality. We offer 12 months factory warranty and are ISO 14001:2004, ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified.

In a recent NIHL document it was found that TRD is leading the way in noise reduction technology. TRD have had their patented noise level technology independently verified by the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research). TRD is also in advanced testing of an anti-finger pinching device for airleg operations as well as roof bolting technology designed to reduce overall costs and increase safety standards on the mines.

We supply direct to the market. Our after sales services include rock drill repairs and servicing. We also provide technical support on site at the mines where required. As part of our client service development program we have located several areas for our Rock Drill Repair Workshop. These locations will be close to mines and will be a major contributor to increased turn around times for servicing. The current operational location is Steelpoort.

Our manufacturing plant is situated at 144 Main Reef Road, (Corner Wilson and Main Reef Road), Manufacta, Roodepoort, South Africa. Our telephone numbers are + 27 11 761 2200 or sales +27 11 767 2941, +27 11 761 2324.

Elektra 2012

Come and visit us at one of South Africa's largest trade shows

10-14 September 2012
Expo Centre, Nasrec, JHB, South Africa
Show Times: 9am - 5pm

Hall: 6
Stand Number: Unit K27

http://www.electramining.co.za/

Tranter Rock Drills may be a relatively new commercial entity, but it has an industrial legacy that stretches back more than half a century. The Rock Drills division of Boart Longyear, known throughout the South African mining industry by the acronym SECO, was originally founded in 1934 and has honed its expertise in rock drills and airlegs since the 1950s.

The business, consisting of Boart Longyear’s percussive rock drills and hard rock tool product lines and all associated manufacturing operations, including the site at Roodepoort, was acquired by Tranter Energy and Mining Services (TEMS) in 2009. This black-owned and black-managed company, part of Tranter Holdings, is one of the most dynamic forces in the contemporary mining and energy industry in Southern Africa.

Tranter has already taken a lead role in a number of new broad-based groupings,including women, communities and employees, and can point to an outstanding track record in operational business skills and technical expertise. Founder Joshua Ngoma believes that Southern Africa’s mineral assets have the potential to transform the regional economy and improve the lives of millions of people who continue to live in poverty.

In line with this vision, the managing director of Tranter Rock Drills, Jack Liebenberg, is now tasked with overseeing the next phase of evolution of the business. The SECO range of percussive rock drills and hard rock tools will be marketed far more extensively in both South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries. Tranter Rock Drills also markets a range of its products via Boart Longyear to the rest of the world.

His immediate priority is to completely reinvigorate the aged plant legacy to create a solid foundation and springboard for future growth. “Some of our current plant dates back as far as the 1950s and for at least 15 years before Tranter acquired the business, there was no new capital investment. Now we need to increase capacity and productivity and we are making a quantum leap by investing in a total of 15 new machines simultaneously, rather than by dripping investment slowly into the company.”

Joshua Ngoma addressing Tranter Rock Drills employees and sales team delivering muffled machines to client

Over the last year, the management team has carefully examined all the bottlenecks and Liebenberg is now convinced that a programme of investment across all operational areas, which includes milling, turning and grinding, as well as some specialised processes, can generate an increase in productivity of at least 70 per cent, as well as leading to all-round quality improvements.

Another tranche of investment will see Tranter Rock Drills move much closer to its customers. “Our major markets in the South African mining belt are all at least 250 kilometres in distance from our headquarters; and some are 450 kilometres away from us,” he explains. “We intend to move much closer, with distribution warehouses located directly in the area of the mines. This will also give us the scope to become much more involved in the routine maintenance that all rock drills require for optimum performance. After 30 or 35 shifts a rock drill must be taken out for maintenance, but this is not the mine’s core business.

It has far more synergy with our own activities and is a service we are capable of undertaking to the highest OEM standards, rather than the sub-standard service which many smaller operators are currently offering.”

Liebenberg is keen to stress that the focus of the business is growing by listening carefully to what mine operators want from the equipment they purchase. “As an OEM supplier at the top of the chain, we know that this industry is extremely safetyconscious. Despite the huge improvements that we have seen in recent decades, too many people are still killed and maimed in mining accidents and it is an absolute priority for us to collaborate with mine operators to reduce these incidents to an absolute minimum.

“Our M2 series of rock drills far
exceed new legal requirements from
the Department of Mineral Resources
for noise muffling”

“Here at Tranter, we look at our products on a feature-by-feature basis to see how we can design out potential for accidents,” he continues. “Noise reduction is also a huge and important consideration for our design engineers. Most miners with a long working life have some level of hearing loss and the need to address this was identified by our predecessors. We have continued with research into this area and made many design improvements which are exemplified in our M2 series of rock drills which far exceed new legal requirements from the Department of Mineral Resources for noise muffling,” he says.

Employee testing S140 on shaft sinking jumbo on site

The new S25-M2, for example, offers significantly reduced noise levels, but is an exceptionally hard-hitting and powerful jackhammer designed for any development end drilling operation where the operator can adopt a standing posture. Another similar product, the S215-M2, offers a special lightweight solution to environments where the operator must adopt a sloping posture. Tranter Rock drills has also developed the S36M drill for long hole drilling operations. In another safety initiative, Tranter Rock Drills is also involved with advanced testing of an anti-finger crushing device for airleg operations. Liebenberg explains that with standard airleg operations, it is far too easy for operators to have their fingers crushed by the swivelling joint that connects the pneumatic rockdrill with its associated thrust leg. “Our engineers have come up with a device which makes pinched fingers a thing of the past by designing out those parts which have the capacity to cause crushing injuries. Within the next three months it will be on the market and we believe it will dramatically reduce the current accident level which can lead to serious injury to operators and also to substantial lost time because each time a mine has an event of finger pinching injury, work is stopped at the face,” he explains.

“Our engineers have come up with
a device which makes pinched fingers
a thing of the past”

“In general, the products we sell have been around for many years and we are working with an excellent range that has been trialled and is trusted across the mining industry,” Liebenberg continues. “Our challenge now is to move forward and gain a competitive advantage with incremental improvements to the drilling process, such as our unique noise attenuation technology and the anti-finger pinching device to create a safer and more productive workplace,” he concludes.

By: Creamer Media Reporter
2nd July 2009
Drilling products and services provider Boart Longyear has sold some of its sub-Saharan African operations to South African empowered investment company Tranter Energy & Mining.

This included its percussive rock drills and hard rock tools product lines for sub-Saharan Africa and all its manufacturing operations in Roodepoort, South Africa.

The business, which generated about $14-million in revenues in 2008, would be renamed Tranter Rock Drills, the US-based company reported.

“The sale of this part of our sub-Saharan Africa business is consistent with our ongoing strategy to divest select noncore assets. As a result of this transaction, we are able to remain in the rock drill business outside of Africa with improved production flexibility and reduced fixed costs,” commented Boart Longyear CEO Craig Kipp.

The company would continue to supply rock drills and hard rock tools outside the sub-Saharan Africa region, while Tranter Rock Drills would become its exclusive supplier of rock drills for a two-year period.

Johannesburg would remain the sub-Saharan Africa regional sales headquarters for Boart Longyear, along with its distribution point for the region for exploration drilling products, as well as drill rigs and consumables for the construction, overburden and percussive drilling industries.

The company expected the sale to result in a one-off noncash charge of $3-million in the first half of the 2009 financial year, primarily related to foreign exchange losses.

Edited by: Mariaan Webb

2ND GENERATION ROCK DRILL MUFFLING

Tranter Rock Drills were present in 2005 when the Department of Mineral and Energy announced new benchmarks for upper noise level limits for all mining machinery to 110dBa, by 2013. Immediately, we rose to the challenge to develop new quiet technology in pneumatic rock drills. Although muffle boxes on pneumatic rock drills have been available for over 30 years, we sought to address further muffle enhancements that could be employed to reducing rock drill exhaust noise without reducing drilling performance, but at the same time being light weight and good value for money.

The solution was showcased to the South African mining industry at the Electra Mining show in September 2008 in the form of a 2nd generation rock drill muffling system on our SECO S215 and S25 drills. Independent free-field noise level tests to SABS 1470 were conducted by CSIR Mining Tech both on the surface and undergound, proving that the S215 M2 rock drill, drilling at 5 bar air supply pressure emits a noise level of 103 dBa.

This technology available on hand-held rock drills was successfully carried over to large bore, powerful, heavy weight, Pneumatic drifters. The same criteria applied, and what resulted is the S36M Muffled Drifter designed to replace the well established and un-silenced S36IR drifter.

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