Boss Mining awards FLSmidth equipment orders in DRC

Boss Mining, which is based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is owned by the diversified natural resources group Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC), has awarded FLSmidth four different orders for equipment at its copper operation in Kakanda in the Katanga province of the DRC. The value of the bundled equipment package makes it one of the largest orders placed with FLSmidth in South Africa for minerals processing equipment since its acquisition of Dorr-Oliver Eimco in 1997.

The bundled package comprises a mill contract and a gyratory crusher contract, both awarded in June 2011, and two contracts - for thickeners and flotation equipment respectively - signed in September 2011. Most of the equipment is scheduled to be on site at Kakanda by the September quarter of 2012, with installation starting before the end of that year leading into commissioning in 2013.

Terence Osborn of FLSmidth said: “The mill required at Kakanda is specified for 11,000kW of installed power, which requires a dual pinion drive. FLSmidth is the leader in this technology in the southern African market. We understand copper belt operations and have two full time agents based in northern Zambia to support our customers in the region.”

Mr Osborn says that apart from the obvious financial benefits, there are many other advantages to bundled packages. These include leveraging economies of scale and optimising project execution and on site resources.

He added: “This means that we need deploy only two project managers to oversee the entire project package and only one multi-disciplinary crew will be on site for installation and commissioning."