Truck maker floats 4×4 dump truck as better for mines

With hybrid truck fleet models becoming more common at African mines, designing articulated dump trucks (ADTs) to enable them to operate all year round and in different climates offers mixed truck... 

Software, autonomy partnership to drive truck modernisation

Detailed in a statement in September 2025, a strategic technology collaboration between vehicle intelligence company Applied Intuition and heavy equipment manufacturer Komatsu South Africa is... 

Sector faces ‘historic’ crisis amid deindustrialisation

Following a decline in manufacturing capacity and competitiveness across virtually all sectors of the South African economy, the metals and engineering sector is facing a crisis of “historic... 

Scrap recovery aids competitiveness

Central to the sustainability and competitiveness of South Africa’s stainless steel value chain, scrap recovery helps to reduce production costs, lower carbon emissions and ensure that the industry... 

State of sector undermines master plan objectives - Safda

The Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan aims to reverse the decline of small-scale growers by preserving and extending their foundational role in the industry, says industry body South African... 

Onshore preparation determines offshore potential – OPASA

As unemployment in South Africa reaches crisis levels, onshore preparation will determine whether offshore oil and gas potential can sustain jobs while integrating affiliated small and medium-sized... 

Township partnership generates impressive value

A digitalisation initiative for over 2 000 township merchants – enacted through a three-year partnership with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED), and food ordering and delivery... 

Drilling digitalisation boosts consistent quality, productivity

Focusing on the controllable factors in the drilling process that deliver consistent quality and productivity enables drilling contractor Rosond to manage its operations at a more granular level... 

Private networks drive uptime, secure digital mines

For mines to remain profitable, uptime is everything, but interference, gaps in coverage or insufficient bandwidth can directly threaten continuous operations, with those risks being amplified when... 

Digital maturity lags stalling AI value

While South Africa’s mining sector demonstrates “pockets of excellence” in digitalisation and AI, its overall maturity remains uneven, as many programmes still stall at pilot stage because of data... 

Digital twins drive proactive tailings monitoring

Although advanced analytics and AI tools are valuable, stakeholders on the ground are required to act on the insights such tools generate, whereby if risks occur – such as a severe rainstorm being... 

New USV increases payload and capacity possibilities

A new class of large, long-distance, high payload uncrewed service vehicle (USV) –  the Oceanus 17 –  by marine automation company Zero USV, will enable the autonomous deployment of defence,... 

Collaborative reconstruction tests vehicle AI systems

Tertiary education institute the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN’s) Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab participated in a series of collaborative crash... 

Enclosures safeguard physical systems, counter digital threats

As industrial systems migrate from isolated ‘air-gapped’ setups to connected Internet-of-Things and cloud-based environments, cybersecurity has shifted from an information technology afterthought... 

New mining pump tackles abrasive dewatering duties

Developed to bridge the gap between clear-water dewatering pumps and heavy duty mining pumps, pump manufacturer Schurco Slurry’s DW Series offers a purpose-built solution capable of handling... 

AI implementation to reshape automotive industry

Increasingly recognised as a “game changer” in the automotive industry, AI is transforming manufacturing, research and development and customer interactions by enabling smarter and more efficient... 

Commercial vehicle market prioritising greener fleets

South Africa’s commercial vehicle market reflects a stable operating environment, with a clear emphasis on maintaining efficiency and reliability across applications, and fleet operators are... 

New coagulant mitigates challenges of colloidal silica

Following challenges in the mining sector caused by colloidal silica in copper and cobalt leaching, mining chemicals supplier BME Metallurgy has succeeded in the development and application of an... 

Global demand for Africa’s base metals on the up

In addition to their sizeable output, high-quality ore and increasing efforts towards bolstering local beneficiation, Africa’s key base metals projects are important sources in global supply... 

DRC balances production, sustainability

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) works to leverage its mining sector for broader economic upliftment, it is balancing rising copper and cobalt production with the need to align operations... 

Airport expansion project receives environmental authorisation

After an initial investment by real estate investment company Growthpoint Properties, the privately owned Cape Winelands Airport (CWA) – which is owned by private airport operator RSA Aero – has... 

Imports threaten competitiveness, sustainability

Despite being a surplus-sugar-producing country, South Africa is facing an escalating import crisis that poses “a serious threat” to the industry’ competitiveness and long-term sustainability, says... 

Bioeconomy unit drives sugarcane product diversification

Following a combination of economic, environmental and strategic imperatives, research organisation the Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC (SMRI) has created the Sugarcane Bioeconomy Unit (SBU)... 

Digitalisation enhances project efficiency, quality

Advancements in digital design tools, improved technologies and the shifting dynamics of the steel supply chain have helped to enhance project efficiency, safety and quality, South African... 

Exploration dependent on global factors

The pace of iron-ore exploration and project development across Africa will depend largely on future price levels, which, in turn, are influenced by global supply and demand dynamics, according to... 

Shared safety tech improves systems integration, use

To ease the management and improve the usability of its graders and articulated dump trucks (ADTs), heavy equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment’s use of shared technology – such as proximity... 

Digital 3D scanner improves volume calculations

To address challenges of traditional bulk density measurement methods, such as those used for friable materials, mine equipment supplier Veracio’s volumetric bulk density (VBD) system improves the... 

Mill filling levels influence performance – experts

Under pressure to expand throughput, many mines' semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills often become the bottleneck, with the increase in ball filling and mill filling either negatively or positively... 

Voice amplifiers reduce respirator removal

Safety equipment supplier Dromex has launched its voice amplification respiratory protection to address the challenge of standard respirators hindering communication. Respirators muffle speech,... 

Maternity PPE provides full protection

Engineered to provide full protection and comfort throughout pregnancy, iron-ore miner Kumba Iron Ore’s maternity personal protective equipment (PPE) initiative combines safety compliance with... 

Automation increases empowerment

As the narrative regarding robots in the manufacturing sector changes to one of collaboration, technology company GridRaster says this shift forms a part of the Industry 5.0 paradigm, which focuses... 

Association sets 2030 export growth vision

As a part of its 2030 vision for the stainless steel industry, industry body the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) envisions playing an increasing role in the export... 

Organisation boosts skills development, entrepreneurship

To address the skills gap and costly infrastructure challenges, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa), through its Seifsa Training Centre and Metal Incubation... 

Infrastructure gaps stall recycling

Biodegradable, compostable and recyclable are terms that denote a “straightforward” understanding, but waste management company Interwaste says they actually imply “vastly different” end-of-life... 

QR codes, digital printing advance traceability

While barcoding has been a staple in packaging, food processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak Southern Africa suggests that the sector’s future lies in advanced traceability systems... 

Wind industry bottlenecked by grid, transmission delays

The most urgent challenge for the wind industry is unlocking grid capacity, but the complete unbundling of State-owned transmission company the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA)... 

Centre installs new HVAC system

The installation of a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system has begun at the Bedford Centre shopping mall, in Johannesburg, Gauteng, to meet the operational needs of a new... 

Updated rating tool facilitates more comprehensive ‘green outcomes’

The Green Star New Buildings and Major Refurbishments version 2 (Green Star New Build V2) tool, developed by non-profit Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), incorporates updated... 

Association drives HVAC-R standards, sustainability

As urbanisation drives increased demand for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) in developing countries, the industry faces the challenge of balancing growth with... 

Tyre solution gains traction in Zim mines

The growing problem of sending big volumes of waste to landfill and general waste issues associated with used tyres is intended to be addressed through tyre filling solutions provider Carlisle...