{"id":3631,"date":"2025-10-13T14:56:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=170107"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:56:41","slug":"same-shift-more-tonnes-short-interval-control-for-south-african-open-pits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/same-shift-more-tonnes-short-interval-control-for-south-african-open-pits\/","title":{"rendered":"Same Shift, More Tonnes: Short-Interval Control for South African Open Pits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Africa\u2019s biggest open pits already move world-scale volumes: iron ore at Sishen\/Kolomela, coal at Grootgeluk, and PGMs at Mogalakwena. Kumba Iron Ore, for example, produced 35.7 Mt in 2023. In coal, Grootegeluk remains one of the world\u2019s largest opencast complexes, producing roughly 26 Mt\/year and feeding Eskom\u2019s Medupi\/Matimba power stations directly \u2013 another context where dispatch flow and queue losses can quickly compound. And the Waterberg Coalfield, home to Grootegeluk, contains roughly 40% of SA\u2019s coal resources, with a significant open-pit component, emphasising how much of our near-term output depends on all the elements of a surface operation working together as one.<\/p>\n

Where value leaks in real time<\/strong><\/p>\n

In open-pit environments, most losses aren\u2019t geological \u2013 they\u2019re much more difficult to pinpoint. Most often the issue is small time leaks that silently chip away at shift targets, as follows:<\/p>\n