Basic HTML Version
Processes and training
In West Africa Barminco trades as African Underground
Mining Services (AUMS), a joint venture with Ausdrill. An
established service provider in West Africa, Ausdrill did not
offer an underground mining capability, making them an
ideal partner for Barminco.
Recent contract wins by AUMS valuing well over
$200 million have vindicated the decision to expand.
AUMS presently employs 550 staff in West Africa and the
commencement of recent projects in South Africa and Egypt
now also see Barminco employ over 100 workers in these
regions in their own right.
Barminco’s Group Client and Commercial Manager
David Noort said the company’s commitment to establishing
the African operation represented a significant investment
of time and resources for the company; however, it was a
strategic, well-planned move into an area highly receptive to
the company’s specialisation.
“In evaluating the market as a potential target for
overseas diversification, Barminco considered the obvious
geological similarities between the Australian landscape
and that of West and East Africa, and this made a significant
contribution towards the decision.
“The specialisation of Barminco operating in this mining
environment has enabled our African clients to leverage the
skills and techniques developed in our domestic market,”
Mr Noort said.
While establishing the business in Africa has come
with the usual risks of internationalising a business, it was
training and the transfer of knowledge around the application
of mining processes across cultural and language barriers
which provided the biggest challenge.
Mr Noort said adapting the company’s training programs
and making them amenable to the level of local resources
had meant they were required to reinvent the programs.
“The staff in our African operations comprise of over
80% local workers. We have found that the basic skills and
knowledge that our Australian staff are employed with do
not typically exist among the workforce in Africa. As such,
our training needs to integrate basic aspects such as driving
instruction and common hand tool operating techniques,”
he said.
Learning from the experiences of the past three years,
Barminco proactively explored new technologies to assist
in improving the efficiencies of training staff both locally
and overseas. In 2010 the company provided input into the
design of, and then commissioned an underground mining
equipment simulator from Immersive Technologies, which
enables workers to train in a simulated mine environment
and gain qualifications to operate equipment underground
prior to relocating to site.
The recent delivery of the simulator in Western Australia
and associated training now underway locally represents
a significant investment in Barminco’s training capacity,
and is expected to provide a tangible improvement in
operator efficiencies.
Overseas, the benefits of the use of simulation technology
would be substantial and after perfecting
the application of this new technology
with their local workforce the company
hopes to locate a simulator in their African
operations within the next one to two years,
where further benefit is anticipated given
the basic level skill training required.
In looking to future international
expansion opportunities Barminco is in an
enviable position after proving the benefits
of safe, modern, mechanised mining
methods to significant gold producers
in Africa.
The company is planning further
overseas operations in other parts of Africa,
namely central and East Africa, where it
is expected a number of open pit mining
operations will convert to underground in
the next five years, and on a longer term
basis the Latin American market is showing
signs of a similar trend, along with improved
climate for international investment.
The staff in our African
operations comprise of over
80% local workers. We have
found that the basic skills
and knowledge that our
Australian staff are employed
with do not typically exist
among the workforce in Africa.
As such, our training needs to
integrate basic aspects such as
driving instruction and common
hand tool operating techniques.
BARMINCO OPERATIONS IN WEST AFRICA
help Barminco crack Africa
MINESITE 2011
•
129