NEWS / edition 16
EDITORIAL
JUAN ANDRÉS ERRÁZURIZ
CEO ENAEX
ESTEBAN FISHER
VP E3A
I am glad to take advantage of this opportunity to tell you that our Butterfly project is already a reality. Its marketing name is Daveytronic Swift®. We launched it at the last MinExpo in Las Vegas and particularly at the underground event AFTES in France.
As Juan Andrés pointed out earlier, this product aims at meeting the needs of our underground clients while it helps us to humanize mining, thus providing a bigger operational safety and productivity, replacing the traditional noneles by the electronic technology and adding an innovative experience for the client.
During the last few months, many field trials have been carried out, starting in March with a key client in Australia and more recently carrying out some trials in Brazil, Russia and Chile. Mexico and Peru are also joining such trials.
What is Daveytronic Swift? It is a new electronic ignition system for underground tunnels. Nowadays, most underground operations still use shock tube pyrotechnic initiation systems. Historically, these initiations solutions are faster to implement; however they have less flexibility, less precision and reliability than the one offered by the electronic initiation. The challenge was then to develop a concept using the advantage of electronic initiation but with the simplicity of noneles.
The first results and measurements of additional value for the clients are very positive: fast implementation, bigger safety, faster progress while allowing costs reductions, better edge control and fewer perforations.
Being more efficient depends not only on a product to be able to deliver value to the client but also one product with a lower production cost. Therefore, in our strategic plan there was another important initiative that was approved, which was about increasing productivity and efficiency at our Héry plant based on the ‘industry 4.0’ tools. Our 2021 target is to generate 2 million euros of efficiency and the teams from this plant are successfully meeting such challenge. Thus, our gross margin increased 3 percentage points between August 2020 and August 2021.
Being efficient and with a solution that will continue to improve in the coming months, our ambition is to add more innovations and technologies to our clients and quickly gain more market share for Swift® and for all our portfolio of solutions for the underground mining.
NEWS
We invite you to review some Enaex’s news!
AUSTRALIA
An impressive contract for Australia – and the first as Enaex Australia
Enaex Australia recently won a new contract with Whitehaven Coal, making it the biggest agreement volume-wise for the group worldwide. This success happened in the middle of an acquisition and rebranding for the entity in Australia, and despite the challenges induced by Covid-19.
Whitehaven Coal is the biggest independent coal company in Australia. It operates 3 mines in New South Wales (NSW), has another site currently under approval in NSW and one in feasibility stage in Queensland.
This agreement will cover three main areas with associated KPIs:
Enaex Australia will provide Whiteheaven with 2 components: Ammonium Nitrate, a raw material that we will import from Chile or source locally, and Ammonium Nitrate Emulsion (ANE), manufactured in our own facilities in Australia.
Those products will be placed in the Mobile ProductionUnits (MPU) to be manufactured and delivered down the blasthole. Also, Enaex Australia will deliver all the initiation systems (Initiating explosives I.E./ High explosives H.E.), plus engineering design and support to the sites
The operations will start in October 2021. This contract is secured for a period of three years, renewable for another two.
CHILE
ENAEX AND COLLAHUASI LAUNCHES ITS BLASTING TRAINING PROGRAM IN ALTO HOSPICIO
In order to reinforce bonds with youngsters from Alto Hospicio, we launched the training program ‘Specialist in Blasting’ at Liceo Bicentenario Minero Juan Pablo II. This initiative was jointly worked between Collahuasi, Collahuasi Educational Foundation and Enaex. At the beginning, the program seeks to train senior students in the blasting world and for 2022; we plan to cover junior students as well. For such purpose, students from the High school will take part in different initiatives such as classes with experts from Enaex, visits to our facilities, use of Enaex Academy and Virtual Reality, among others.
The launching event was attended by the Organizational Development & Sustainability Manager, Ms. Soledad Bauer, and the Business Manager, Enrique Vargas, on behalf of Enaex. At the ceremony, Enrique valued the effort made by the High School, Collahuasi and Enaex to manage this training program. Later during the launching, they gave the students a copy of the book ‘Introduction to blasting in the mining process” co-authored together with the client last year.
BRAZIL
ENAEX BRAZIL PARTICIPATES IN THE 12TH EDITION OF OPEX WORKSHOP 2021 – COST REDUCTION IN MINE AND PLANT
On September 8 and 9, Enaex Brazil, together with its clients Vale and Lundin Mining, participated in the 12th OPEX 2021 Workshop – Cost Reduction in Mine and Plant. The online event, organized by the magazine Minérios & Minerales, brought together representatives from the 200 largest Brazilian mines in an opportunity to share experiences with industry professionals and present the technologies that make it possible to achieve cost reduction in operations.
The Enaex Brazil EMTS team, along with our clients, held two presentations. The lecture “Operational Cost Reductions and Increased Safety with the Use of Blasting Techniques” happened alongside Vale; and the lecture “Opening a New Pit safely, based on a Seismic Study, and Allowing for a Reduction in Implementation Costs”, had the participation of Lundin Mining. During the event, Leandro Silveira, Mining Engineer at Vale, reinforced that the project presented, in addition to reducing costs, “is focused, above all, on safety – the main shared value of Vale and Enaex”.
ARGENTINA
ENAEX ARGENTINA TRAINS IN CPR AND FIRST AID
During September, at Cerro Moro Mine, there was a CPR and First Aid training program, in a jointly effort from the medical service and our HSECQ area for the personnel in shift work.
As a direct result from the pandemic, such training programs were on hold, however, now and thanks to the diversity of protocols, we could resume them again.
These training programs are very relevant as they allow us to get new knowledge and be ready to know what to do and save lives.
MEXICO
RECORD OF BLASTINGS AT TIZAPA MINE
After two intense years of work for the wireless blasting ignition project through fiber optic Ethernet connection at Mina Tizapa, and the erection of the necessary infrastructure at the mine and the network configurations required to perform such tasks, Enaex Mexico is enjoying its outcome.
On August 18, Tizapa Mine reached a total of 5,193 wireless-blasting from the surface mining operation center (MOC). This is a huge milestone since very few mining sites have been able to overcome the figure of 5 thousand fiber-optic Ethernet blasting with the mine network. Besides, there was a tremendous improvement in both; safety for the staff who works inside the mine and all those involved in the handling of explosives as well as in the evacuation-return time to and from work, all of which entail important savings for the company.
Delivering a service of excellence while being concerned for LIFE of collaborators is one of the main objectives at Enaex worldwide, of course Mexico is not an exception.
FRANCE
HÉRY MAKES COVID-19 VACCINATION CAMPAIGN
Our Priority value is LIFE and they are very well aware at Héry Plant, France, where they implemented a COVID-19 vaccination point so that employees may have access to the vaccine more efficiently. During these two days, a total of 91 collaborators received the two doses.
AUSTRALIA
ENAEX AUSTRALIA MEETS TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
September is Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Month. On the second Thursday of September each year, Australia celebrates R U OK? Day, dedicated to reminding people to regularly check in with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.
The team at Enaex Australia held a morning tea to talk about the importance of mental health and mutual caring, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic context.
BRAZIL
ENAEX BRAZIL SUPPORTS VOLUNTEER INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERCEMENT
In August, Enaex Brazil supported the volunteer initiative carried out in Cezarina City, Goiás State, by the InterCement Institute – an entity whose focus is promoting sustainability and community development, linked to InterCement, an Enaex client. As a result of the initiative, entitled a Day to Make a Difference, the common areas of Augusto Afonso Correia Municipal School were revitalized.
The Design Engineer of this action, from InterCement Institute, Osni Silva Júnior, thanked “the unconditional support Enaex offers to a Day to Make a Difference every year. Its contribution, always significant, is fundamental for the project’s actions to be carried out in the best possible way and reinforces Enaex’s commitment to develop the communities in which it operates”.
FRANCE
100% OF COLLABORATORS FROM HÉRY LEARNT ABOUT STRONGER BONDS
After a well-coordinated effort from the team of France today 100% of collaborators from Héry Plant are informed about the new corporate identity ‘Stronger Bonds’. These meetings were led by the managers from the French subsidiary, where they also took the opportunity the Exchange ideas with the personnel.
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