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New Team Member, Andre Stengl
10th March 2010
Deswik is pleased to announce that André Stengl has joined the team as Mine Planning Engineer. André adds strength to our increasing presence within Open Cut Coal mining industry.
After completing his Mining Engineering degree at the University of Wollongong, André accepted a position at Anglo Coal’s German Creek mine and gained planning and scheduling experience at the Open Cut operation, before joining Anglo Coal’s graduate program the following year.
Seconded to Anglo Coal, he then began working at Moura Mine, and spent the next few years diversifying his skill base managing the planning and scheduling for Drill & Blast, Dozer and Highwall Mining operations. His results-focused approach significantly improved the efficiency of each process. His aptitude recognized, he was selected as part of an on-site, long-term planning team, performing re-reserving, financial evaluation, equipment selection and detailed pit design work for an ambitious expansion plan of the mine, which was subsequently approved. It was during this time he developed a strong familiarity with planning for Dragline and high capacity Truck & Shovel Prestrip operations.
After a brief break overseas, he chose to return under a short-term contract basis to perform short-term planning and mentor junior engineers.
André left Australia for the UK for three years, starting in 2006. He transferred his skills across to the Tunneling industry, working as a Shift team leader responsible for managing production, engineering supervision and safety on shift. He also involved himself in Project management, undertaking scheduling, procurement and cost reduction exercises.
André brings a strong understanding of open cut coal mining practices and industry skills to the Deswik consulting team.
Deswik at Communition 2010
10th March 2010
Dave Capstick Sales Director of Deswik Technologies will be presenting a paper entitled ""Is fine grinding an appropriate technology for the optimal extraction of refractory gold ores?" at the Communition '10 at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town S Africa. The conference runs from the 13th to the 16th April. We hope to see our clients and prospective clients their to engage in discussions around the use of the Deswik technology.
New Team Member, Cathy Cruikshank
9th February 2010
Deswik is pleased to announce that Cathy Cruikshank has joined Deswik as a Principal Mining Engineer.
Cathy brings a broad range of experience to the Deswik team.
She has worked extensively in both underground and open pit operations (coal and hard rock mining).
Cathy began her career working in the coal fields of Central Queensland.
Her time with BHP Coal and Shell Coal developed her ability to collect and critically analyse process data.
She was involved with both dragline and blasting operations in Moura and with the sampling and evaluation of coal seam emissions in the underground operations at Middlemount.
Cathy's employment with WMC/BHPBilliton included work at their Phosphate Hill and Leinster operations.
In that time she became familiar with a wide range of surface and underground software packages.
Her time with WMC/BHPBilliton culminated in her gaining her Western Australian first class underground mine managers' ticket.
In 2006, Cathy accepted a position with Kagara Zinc at their Surveyor Pit in North Queensland.
In her role as an underground manager she was responsible for two underground operations in addition to co-ordinating underground production with the open pit.
During this time she gained her Queensland mine managers certificate of competency.
Cathy has spent the last two years working as a mining consultant in Africa.
In that time she was involved with project management and mine design projects in South Africa, Namibia, DRC, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
This blend of consulting and operational experience makes Cathy a valuable addition to the Deswik consulting team.
New Team Member, Blake Marriott
7th December 2009
Deswik welcomes Blake Marriott to its Australian consulting team.
Blake has a wealth of experience in both site operations and mining consulting.
He began his career with BMA in the coal fields of the Bowen Basin.
While working for BMA, he gained experience in the scheduling of large scale operations as a dragline and pre-strip truck shovel engineer.
He then moved to BHP Billiton's Nickel West division where he worked for a number of years at the Mt Keith Nickel Operation in both short term planning and drill and blast.
While there, he obtained the production experience requirements to be awarded his open cut quarry managers certificate.
Blake left Mt Keith to take up a consulting position in Perth.
In that role, he gained experience in mining projects at a study level through work on numerous feasibility and planning projects.
He has become an expert user of mine design and scheduling packages such as Mine2-4D and EPS through his work on projects for BHP Billiton, Western Areas, and Norilsk.
Blake brings to Deswik a sound practical knowledge of surface mining practices and design based on his experience in both large scale coal and nickel open cut operations.
New Team Member, Marc Johnson
3rd December 2009
Deswik is pleased to announce that Marc Johnson has joined Deswik as a mine planning and operations engineer.
Marc graduated with honours from the University of Queensland before accepting a position with Anglo Coal Australia.
While working at the Dawson Mine in Central Queensland Marc obtained experience in a variety of technical and operational roles.
This experience was recognised at Dawson when Marc was promoted to Dragline Superintendent.
He excelled in that role before being appointed as the Dawson Planning Superintendent.
In 2008 Marc left Anglo Coal to join BHP Billiton.
During his time with BHP Billiton he worked on both the Olympic Dam Expansion and the Mine Autonomy Projects.
His contribution to those projects were in the areas of ore feed blending and the financial and operational aspects of mine automation.
Marc's experience in both coal and hard rock operations will allow him to consult in a wide range of mining applications.
Deswik supplies a Deswik500 mill to Tharisa
15 September 2009
Deswik Technologies is pleased to announce the receipt of a purchase order from Tharisa for a Deswik500 mill for their Brits PGE project in the South Africa.
The Deswik mill will form part of a re-grind float circuit that will grind chrome tailings down to -55um to improve the recovery of the PGE metals in the ore.
The mill will be manufactured in South Africa within 16 weeks for shipment to site later in 2009.
Deswik supplies two Deswik500 mills to RandGold
24 August 2009
Deswik Technologies is pleased to announce the receipt of a purchase order from RandGold Resources for two Deswik 500 mills for their Tongon gold project in the Ivory Coast, W Africa. The two Deswik mills will form part of a ultra fine grind leach circuit that will mill the gold conc material down to -10um ensuring an effective recovery of the refractory gold ore.
The two Deswik500 mills will be manufactured in South Africa within 19 weeks and be ready to be shipped to site in early December.
New Team Member, Russell Vance
24th July 2009
Deswik is pleased to announce that Russell Vance, P.Eng, has joined the Brisbane Consulting office as a Principal Consultant.
He provides a broad range of experience in both underground and open pit mining operations.
Russell's underground experience included project engineering work and contract management through work for companies such as BLM and Dynatec.
He became an advanced user of computer aided mine design packages such as Mine2-4D and mineCAD while working as a consultant for GijimaAst.
These skills were developed through his contributions to dozens of open pit and underground feasibility studies around the world.
His management skills saw him promoted within GijimaAst to Mining Consulting Manager - Calgary Operations.
In that role he managed a consulting office that serviced both Western Canada and the United States.
His breadth of experience in mine planning and strong project management skills make him a valuable part of the Deswik team.
New Team Member, Leon van Zyl
10th June 2009
Deswik is pleased to announce that Leon van Zyl has joined the company as a Project Manager.
Leon provides a broad range of experience in the mining trades, administration and plant management.
He began his career with Free Gold (Anglo and Welkom) where he was involved with underground maintenance before moving into industrial relations.
He left Free Gold to gain experience in company management as a self employed business operator.
His business focus changed to sales and marketing from 2000 to 2005.
During that time he held various advisory roles with Sanlam, Minolta Welkom, and Welkom Industrial Controls.
Leon returned to technical management with GLC Sele Engineering where he was responsible for infrastructure improvement as part of a electrical network upgrade.
He continued to work with the minerals industry when he joined DTE Engineering in 2007 as a Site Manager.
His role at the Platinum Mile Project (PMR) included safety and manpower management during a plant upgrade which included the addition of hydrocyclones and a feed thickner.
He oversaw the initial installation of the two Deswik2000 mills as a PMR representative before taking over management of the installation for Deswik Mining.
In addition to his work at PMR, Leon will project manage the commissioning of three Deswik2000 mills for the Vasilkovsky Gold Project in Kazakhstan.
Deswik supplies Deswik2 mills to Lonmin and TOMC
07 April 2009
Deswik are pleased to announce the supply of two Deswik2 mills to R&D facilities in South Africa and Russia.
The first mill was purchased by Lonmin Platinum for their R&D and projects facility at LPD near Rustenberg South Africa.
The fully automated, 2 litre capacity mill will be used to assess the applicability of fine grinding within the Lonmin process flow throughout the group.
This initiative follows on from Lonmin using a Deswik25 at their process pilot site at Karee Concentrator.
During the same month, business initiatives in Russia led to the purchase of a Deswik2 by TOMC for their testing facility in Irkutsk, Siberia.
TOMC is is a leading processing and engineering institute and they will be using the Deswik2 to offer a fine grinding analysis service to their clients in the Russia/CIS region.
The advantage of the Deswik2 for these R&D facilities is that it is a compact unit that can be used as either a mobile testing facility or a fixed laboratory mill.
The standard Deswik2 system is supplied with a mixing sump, control systems, and all the associated pumps and valves used on the Deswik production mills.
Both these Deswik mills will be used to establish the benefits of fine grinding on various ores and to confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of the Deswik mill.
Minerals Processing 2009 and the Deswik Pilot Mill
(Perth March 2009)
30 March 2009
Minerals Processing 2009 saw Steve Massey, Sales Manager Deswik (Australasia) present a paper on the Deswik Mill Technology.
The conference was attended by many of Australia’s top minerals processing experts including the Professor Rob Morrison, Chief Technologist of the JKMRC and Rod Elvish, President of International Mineral Processing Council.
The industry was well represented by many Mill Managers and Senior Process Engineers from some of Australia’s biggest mining companies (KCGM, Grange Resources and Rio Tinto).
The theme of the event was the need to bring major efficiency improvements to the comminution process.
The Deswik presentation was applauded by the audience and the general feeling was that it was viewed significant breakthrough in the quest to improve regrind efficiency.
Clearly the presentation had some impact as Steve was invited to sit on the discussion panel along with Rob Morrison and Rod Elvish.
The interactive session discussed topics such as mill scale up and performance guarantees.
It was agreed that the portable Deswik25 mill could be employed in on site pilot studies to help alleviate concerns that the large scale mills might not perform according to laboratory estimates.
Many in the audience agreed that the deployment of the Deswik25 in pilot studies would increase the level of confidence in a decision to purchase a full scale Deswik.
Currently, Deswik Australia are in negotiation with Norton Gold Fields, KCGM Super Pit, Straits Resources and Rio Tinto about conducting on site regrind studies using the Deswik25.
As a direct result of the conference other companies such as A1 Minerals and Grange Resources are keen to proceed with testing in the Deswik Mill.
Deswik Attends the VII Congress of Mineral Processing Engineers
(International Trade Center, Moscow)
24 February 2009
Deswik Mining Consultants will be attending the VII Congress of Mineral Processing Engineers at the International Trade Center in Moscow from the 2nd to the 4th March. Deswik will accompany their regional partners at the show Knelson Gravity Systems. This will be an opportunity for the mining and mineral processing community in Russia/CIS to obtain information on, and discuss the innovative Deswik fine milling technology. Dave Capstick the Sales Director of Deswik Mining Consultants will be presenting a paper to the Congress on the Deswik mill technology on the 2nd March.
New Team Member, Dr. Malcolm Mudge
12th December 2008
Deswik Mining Consultants welcomes Dr. Malcolm Mudge to its South African offices. Dr Mudge offers extensive experience in the minerals industry which ranges from having been a Professor of Mining Geology and Metallurgy at the University of Quito (Ecuador) to being an operation manager and Director for Green Machine Corp. His extensive managerial experience focuses on a hands-on approach to developing and training coworkers while encouraging friendships in the work place.
Dr. Mudge has considerable experience in alluvial mining and base metal metallurgy. His metallurgical expertise includes the efficient operation of SAG and Ball milling circuits, DMS plant design and operation (DRC and ZA), and a solid foundation in minerals separation (e.g. flotation and leaching). Dr. Mudge's extensive travel experience is reflected in his ability to speak several languages. He holds a heavy equipment license and is certified to assess mining operators. Dr. Mudge is also a certified GIA Diamond assessor.
New Team Member, Mark Feather
25th November 2008
Mark Feather has joined the finance team in the Ruimsig office from a life insurance company specialising in investment/savings and retirement products. Having been taught at the greatest school on earth (Pretoria Boys' High) and then teaching there for 5 years, Mark headed off in the very different direction of actuarial consulting. It took only seven years in this industry to work out that the match was poor. He hopes to bring none of this baggage with him.
New Team Member, Belinda Van Lente
24th November 2008
Belinda van Lente has joined the Deswik South Africa team in the position of Geological Consultant. She has a doctorate degree in Geology and experience as a Mining Geologist and Mining Systems Consultant. To gain knowledge and further her studies, as well as on business, Belinda has travelled to the USA, England, India, Australia and numerous countries in Africa.
New Team Member, Alain Kabemba
24th November 2008
Alain Kabemba has worked in the Mineral Industry for eight years. He joins Deswik from his role as the Technical Superintendent at Anglo Platinum (Modikwa Platinum Mines). He has expertise in process engineering, research and development, and mineral processing. His professional experience has provided a solid grounding in plant monitoring, people management, budget and cost control, and health and safety in the Industrial environment. His academic achievements include a Bachelor and a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, Honors Degree in Metallurgical Engineering and a Certificate in Project Management (PMI). These studies have developed skills in modeling and simulation, performance evaluation, and process optimization. In addition to his professional skills, Alain is fluent in both English and French.
Deswik First Thursday Club Sponsors
17th
November 2008
Deswik Mining Consultants once again sponsored the “First Thursday Club” on the 6th December held at the famous Wanderers Club in Johannesburg.
The First Thursday Club is held once a month and is a strongly supported, informal meeting place for all mining professionals across Southern Africa. All elements of the mining and mineral processing industry attend among others, thirsty characters with a corporate, operational, financial, consulting, or entrepreneurial background.
The Wanderers Club was established in downtown Johannesburg in 1888. It was located were the current railway station is and was moved to its current site in 1946, it recently celebrated its 120th anniversary. The club is adjacent to the famous Wanderers cricket stadium and the pristine Wanderers golf club. Over 200 guests enjoyed an evening of drinks, snacks and much banter with their mining colleagues. Deswik will continue to support this important informal monthly event as we believe it is a valuable network environment for all involved in the Southern African mining and mineral processing industry.
New Team Member, Jonty Kleynhans
31st October 2008
Jonathan Kleynhans has joined the South African geological consulting
team. Jonathan has a degree in geology and over 10 years experience in
the mining industry. His career highlights include being appointed Chief
Geologist at South Deep and being a Technical Consultant for Datamine
South Africa. Jonathan has travelled extensively on business, including
excursions into West Africa, Australia and Canada.
New Hydraulic Deswik 25 Development
29th October 2008
Deswik have added a Deswik 25 with a hydraulic drive to their product
list. The Deswik 25 will now be fully scalable for test results, both
from a grind performance and a power consumption perspective. All
production units of the Deswik mills are uniquely driven by hydraulic
drives, giving the Deswik technology a significant competitive advantage
when it comes to power consumption and the flexibility in mill and grind
performance.
This new development is primarily used by our clients for test and
pilot site work, though it can equally be applied to small start up
plants. It has been keenly accepted by the process community and a
number of installations are planned to be employed at international
testing facilities and institutes and as part of our pilot site
deployments.
The Deswik 25 is fully fitted with instrumentation and PLC control.
The mill is able to produce over a ton an hour of fine grind material
and is fitted with a 11kW hydraulic pump and motor and the required
variable speed drives. The units are produced in South Africa at
Deswik’s manufacturing facility in Germiston. For further information on
the availability and cost of the technology please contact Deswik sales.
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