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Intelligent blasting at the forefront of smart mining

January 2019 News

In line with its vision of embracing the technological revolution in the explosives and mining industry, AEL Mining Services, a member of the AECI Group in South Africa, has announced its official rebrand to AEL Intelligent Blasting.

The rebranding is aligned with the company’s mission to keep its global operations on the frontier of technology through the delivery of ground-breaking innovations; to offer state-of-the-art technological solutions to clients and to operate sustainably, without harm to people, the environment and the communities in which AEL operates. AEL through its offering aims to demonstrate the intelligence and thought leadership that goes into the execution of the ‘perfect blast outcome’.

“Our new branding seeks to capitalise on our successful growth and expansion, and supports our strategy to position the Group as the most intelligent choice in the market when it comes to blasting services and products,” says AEL MD, Edwin Ludick.

Through its IntelliBlast total value proposition, AEL deploys solutions that extract optimum value from any blasting operation through the combination of products and services. Each component of the value proposition is backed by an inherent intelligence that helps achieve efficiencies, safety and reduced total cost of ownership through blasting outcomes. AEL’s newly-launched Blast Consult team offers expert technical services across a wide range of related disciplines such as blast monitoring, design, timing, fragmentation analysis, technology conversion, consulting services and training in basic blasting principles.

Customer centric

In addition to providing expert technical services to meet the changing needs and challenges of the mining industry, AEL follows the ideal of partnering with customers to bring into realisation the products and services they require to take the mining industry into the era of digitalisation and smart mining.

“By partnering with our customers, we are able to ensure efficient and sustainable blasting practices by focusing on optimal blast outcomes, optimising blasting processes and solving blasting problems,” notes Ludick.

Blast optimisation: this focuses on customers’ unique requirements and the impact blasting would have on the environment. Safety, as always, is the primary objective. In order to optimise blasting outcomes, AEL has a number of tools and methodologies specifically designed to make scientific and informed decisions around blast performance assessment. The active loading system enables real time information pertaining to blasting parameters, for example: condition of blast hole, types of explosives loaded, quantity of explosives loaded, etc. This information is stored in a database for future analysis, comparison and fine tuning of blast inputs and results.

Mining productivity: this looks at the mining operation holistically to ensure that benefits are derived from improved efficiency in equipment, plant and beneficiation. AEL will conduct various checks to ensure that blasted rock suits and complements the design of equipment and plant. It is supported by AEL’s sophisticated blasting software IntelliHub, a suite of software that enables the design, predictive modelling and post blast assessment.

The value proposition that IntelliBlast offers is a fundamental component in the business’ global expansion strategy. AEL’s market-leading technology is already being used in Indonesia, Australia, South America and various locations in Africa. It has enabled various benefits to customers, such as reductions in blasting delays and improved uniformity of fragmentation while ensuring uncompromised safety at all times.

For more information contact AEL Mining Services, +27 11 606 0000, www.aelminingservices.com





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