Surface mining in Africa is critical to the development of the mining industry on the continent. As such, advanced machinery is needed for the surface mining industry to continue forging ahead.

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace globally, and mining equipment manufacturers are capitalising on these developments. At the heart of Vermeer’s fleet of continuous surface miners is the latest technology, which has benefitted the surface mining industry across various aspects including health and safety, productivity and efficiency.

“Vermeer continuous surface miners are fully hydrostatic driven and do not contain any mechanical transmissions. This ensures minimum energy loss between the engine and cutter drum, increasing machine performance by up to 20% compared with mechanically driven equipment,” explains Frank Beerthuis, MD of Vermeer Equipment Suppliers.

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace globally, and mining equipment manufacturers are capitalising on these developments. At the heart of Vermeer’s fleet of continuous surface miners is the latest technology, which has benefitted the surface mining industry across various aspects including health and safety, productivity and efficiency.

“Vermeer continuous surface miners are fully hydrostatic driven and do not contain any mechanical transmissions. This ensures minimum energy loss between the engine and cutter drum, increasing machine performance by up to 20% compared with mechanically driven equipment,” explains Frank Beerthuis, MD of Vermeer Equipment Suppliers.

Tough machines with safety features

The Terrain Leveler is one of Vermeer’s surface excavation machines (SEMs). Referring to the machine’s health and safety features, Ruben de Meijer, MD at Vermeer West Africa, explains that the Terrain Leveler is equipped with a vacuum dust suppression system. “An optional dust suppression system on the Vermeer Terrain Leveler SEM features an enclosed cutting head with two large vacuums continuously pulling dust from the enclosed cutting head into baghouses. The collected dust is purged, helping to reduce the amount of dust entering the air,” he says. Another safety feature is a fire suppression system that has become a standard requirement in the mining industry.

This article was first published in Inside Mining’s Diversity issue.