Mining Magazine > Panorama > AEL and KPC establish Indonesian ‘Centre of Excellence’

PT AEL Indonesia, part of the international AEL Mining Services group, has established a new ‘Centre of Excellence’ at its Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) site in Indonesia.

Sandri van Heerden, bulk technology manager at AEL Indonesia explained: “This facility is the first of its kind in the region. The ‘Centre of Excellence’ is a containerised laboratory in which various product qualification, development and quality control testing programmes can be conducted. The need for such a facility was necessitated by AEL’s head office and research laboratories being based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The initiative is fully supported by KPC, who will enjoy direct benefits from such a facility.”

The ‘Centre of Excellence’ is strategically located within the sites bulk emulsion plant, allowing for development work to be conducted efficiently. “In line with our quality standards and the need for quick turn-around times to our customers, this facility will enable product qualification to be conducted on-site, lessening many of the constraints often encountered with off-site R&D facilities,” added van Heerden.

AEL and KPC have also identified the opportunity to also utilise the facility as a training and knowledge sharing centre for both AEL personnel and its customers.

“This is an initiative that will enhance our offerings to our South East Asian market, with assistance from the R&D team based in South Africa. We anticipate that there will be a better response time in terms of product development, as everything will be done on-site and supported by our head-office,” commented Colin Wilson, AEL’s International Business director.