Enabling safer blasting in reactive ground
Sulphide-bearing ground presents numerous risks to users of ammonium nitrate (AN) based explosives, so blasting leader BME – part of the JSE-listed Omnia Group – has developed both the products and systems to manage safer blasting under these conditions.
BME blasts its way to SA record
The blast was conducted by BME, an Omnia Group company, at the end of 2020 at a manganese mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. Using its well-proven AXXIS electronic initiation system, BME was able to plan and execute a blast of 4,647 detonators. Just a few months earlier, the company had broken a previous record at the same mine by initiating 3,780 detonators in a single blast.
Mines push on as SA plays catch-up
The South African mining sector is managing the Covid-19 pandemic remarkably well, but the country needs to do more if it wants mining to benefit from the looming demand peak in ‘green minerals’, according to Ralf Hennecke, General Manager: Technology and Marketing at Omnia Group company BME.
Digital journey in blasting supports mines’ sustainability
The quest to raise productivity on mines is relying increasingly on technological innovation and pushing the boundaries of blasting science has therefore been a priority for explosives and blasting leader BME, a member of the JSE-listed Omnia group.
BME’s greener blasts from processed used oil
For over three decades, Omnia group company BME has been incorporating used oil in its world-class emulsion explosives, making blasting greener and reducing environmental risk.
Operational excellence, safety are two sides of same coin
The key to an improved health and safety record in the mining workplace lies with integrating safety firmly as part of operational excellence.
Another SA blasting record for BME
24 August, 2020, Johannesburg – BME, a member of the Omnia Group has broken the South African record for the largest electronic detonator blast, initiating 3,780 detonators in a single blast at a manganese mine near Hotazel in the Northern Cape.
BME’s new Blasting Guide app makes the job easier for blasters
BME has launched a new, free Blasting Guide application for Android mobile devices, enabling users to rapidly calculate and check blast designs.
Blasting trials are proving latest version of AXXIS
The AXXIS TITANIUM system, the latest generation of BME’s tried and tested AXXIS blasting systems, is expected to be launched later this year as a successor to the company’s second-generation version.
Blasting experts support mines during lockdown
Through South Africa’s strict Covid-19 lockdown, essential service provider BME has supported coal mines’ blasting operations so that Eskom power stations can keep the country’s lights on.
