Industry intelligence
NORTHAM INTEGRATES FINANCIAL SYSTEMS Northam Platinum has introduced new disparate systems — and do it quickly ,” technology to manage its financial says Khumalo . resources . According to Ayanda Khumalo , Northam Platinum is an independent , CFO at Northam , the ability to make quick , fully empowered integrated platinum accurate financial decisions based on a group metal ( PGM ) producer that mines , single version of truth was paramount . processes , and markets PGMs and
“ Our legacy systems were hampering associated products worldwide . The our growth efforts and frustrating our company has two primary PGM mines , decision-making capabilities . We had as Booysendal and Zondereinde , the latter many as 120 legacy systems that were of which is also the location of Northam not integrated , which made it difficult Platinum ' s metallurgical operations , to make real-time decisions based on a including a smelter and base metals single version of truth . And as a growing recovery plant . It has just acquired a third business , our existing systems were simply mine called Eland Platinum , which was inadequate to handle the growing demands not operational and will thus improve and the impending growth of our business . employment in the area as it becomes Our objective was to integrate all our operational . Northam Platinum employs
12 000 people across its various operations and plans to grow this number
Northam Platinum chose SAP S / 4 HANA as the technology that would meet their stringent requirements , with implementation partner Deloitte using their Deloitte Mining-in-a-Box preconfigured solution that incorporates lessons learnt and best practices adapted from SAP implementations at more than 20 organisations over the past 23 years . Deloitte also developed a business requirements model by defining and listing the business process prints and developing a business blueprint , which included the key requirements of Northam Platinum .
For the sake of sustainability
Government-funded research company Mintek has partnered with a black-owned mining company as part of its sustainable beneficiation strategy . Junior mining company Difeme Holdings plans to mine and beneficiate quartz ( SiO₂ ) to a purity standard of higher than 99.99 %, which is very rare in the world .
According to Dr Makhapa Makhafola , general manager of research and development at Mintek , these types of projects need to be undertaken to make an impact and to create muchneeded employment in rural communities .
After the partnership between Mintek and Difeme came into being in 2016 , Mintek was tasked to investigate the quality of the Riemvasmaak quartz deposits in the Northern Cape through field evaluation , chemical and mineralogical test work , and finally comminution test analysis . The test work revealed that the silica content is as high as 99.978 % on some occurrences . The Lancaster Foundation , through its Enterprise Development initiative , agreed to fund the feasibility study that , if successful , will help stimulate economic development in the country .
Quartz is one of the earth ’ s most abundant minerals , but very few deposits can be classified as high-purity quartz ( HPQ ), which can be defined as having 99.995 % silicon dioxide content ( SiO₂ ). The HPQ end markets includes fused quartz crucibles , solar , semiconductors , high-temperature lamp tubing , and telecommunications .
Fused quartz is a material of primary importance because it improves the efficiency of solar-powered devices . It is also helping researchers drive down the cost of solar devices . Quartz glass is used in many facets of photovoltaic ( PV ) cell manufacturing , light sources , reaction chambers , and tools used in the production of solar cells , thin films , and silicon wafers . Riemvasmaak village has unexploited deposits of rose quartz from several pegmatite occurrences .
Mintek , however , needs to conduct further test work to determine the feasibility of removing or reducing the impurities to meet the required SiO₂ specification for advanced hightechnology applications of 99.995 %. Depending on the outcome , a world of opportunity can open up for small communities across the country . Work on the feasibility study is expected to commence during the second half of the year .
[ 8 ] MINING MIRROR SEPTEMBER 2018