For the last several decades Africa’s vast mineral wealth has been intrinsically linked with its economic growth. The continents’ mineral industry is unquestionably one of the largest in the world and for many African countries mineral exploration and production constitute significant parts of their economies.
Indeed mining and mines in Africa continue to play a fundamental role in its future socio-economic and sustainable development, with over 1,800 mining projects currently in various stages of development.
Based in Cape Town, ADP Group of Companies (ADP) commenced operations in 1997 and today boasts an impressive list of successful mining industry projects predominantly in Africa, but also in Canada, Brazil, India and Australia. The group is a leading supplier of modular processing plants and projects in the diamond mining sector and over the years has supplied many diamond plants and mining technology. ADP Group are proud to be associated with companies like, De Beers, Debswana, Namdeb, Letšeng Diamonds, GEM Diamond, Mothae and Rio Tinto to name a few.
ADP Group consists of ADP Holdings, ADP Projects, ADP Marine & Modular, ADP Namibia with ADP UniProjects (JV) in Botswana and ADP Africa as its Johannesburg based office. ADP Projects specialises in providing Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management (EPCM) services and EPC projects to the mineral industry. At the heart of the subsidiary is a core group of qualified staff who are in turn supported by financial and administrative personnel, and technical associates. Among the technical skills available from ADP Projects one will find senior process engineers and project managers with relevant minerals experience, multi-disciplinary engineering, AutoCAD draughting and 3D design, construction management and commissioning.
Among many projects successfully executed by ADP Projects are Navachab Gold Mine operated by Anglo Gold Ashanti in Namibia and Morupule Colliery Limited (MCL) coal mining operation, operated by Debswana Diamond Company. For the former, ADP was commissioned by Anglo Gold Ashanti for the design, procurement, fabrication and supply of a 200 ton Gold Concentrator Plant. When it comes to coal mining operations, ADP was awarded the engineering component of expansions at Morupule Colliery Limited (MCL) in 2008.
The expansions included designs for underground and surface conveyor systems, a new crushing and screening facility with additional stock piles, new underground and surface HT and LT infrastructure as well as expansions to the existing infrastructure. The existing mine capacity was expanded from 1 mtpa to 2.5 mtpa. The project was successfully completed in 2011.
ADP Marine & Modular, meanwhile, targets fit for purpose project execution requirements and smaller scale pre-engineered plant and technology supply to national and international marine and land based diamond, mineral sands, coal and gold mining industries. ADP Marine & Modular is a world leader in the development and implementation of customised and innovative solutions for modular mineral processing plants, shallow water mining, walking jack-up platforms and dredging.
ADP Marine & Modular not only offers their technology to diamond, gold and heavy mineral sands mining, but is able to offer process and design development and implementation services to any mining operation anywhere in the world.
ADP Marine & Modular has a long standing formal partnership with Namdeb. One of many projects of interest being the Sendelingsdrif Project. Namdeb commissioned ADP to design a viable solution to start treating the required run-of-mine material at Sendelingsdrif, a proto Orange River deposit situated on the north bank of the Orange River, approximately 85km north east of Oranjemund and 20km north east of Daberas Mine. The proto deposit is approximately 2km long and 700m wide. ADP Marine& Modular is responsible for all EPCM aspects of this project. The mining plant is anticipated to be commissioned in phases from the end of October 2013 to December 2013.
The Walking Jack-Up Platform, refurbished in 2011, is a 12m x 12m Rig used for shallow water drilling and sampling as part of a resource development program. The platform, primarily offshore based, incorporates an overhead Aerial Ropeway System for the purpose of crew transfer and equipment supply to and from the rig over the inter-tidal and wave zones.
The Jack up-up platform and Aerial Ropeway were successfully commissioned by ADP Marine & Modular. Whilst it is located on the beach in Namdeb Mining Area 1, and as of January 2011, Namdeb are conducting sea trials up to 350m offshore.
ADP Africa is the groups’ subsidiary that specialises in providing support services to mining companies in Africa. These services include spares supply, logistics, meet and assist, visa applications and other general services to their client base.
ADP Africa is a client-driven company with proven expertise and access to substantial resources. In a sense, ADP Africa performs a public relations function for management and staff of companies situated in isolated areas. ADP Africa also guarantees its clients comprehensive professional medical assistance by sourcing the most reputable physicians and institutions, arranging treatment and providing necessary medicines.
ADP has been specifically structured as a group of companies so as to be able to optimally and cost effectively offer a full range of projects, consulting services and process plants to its clients, from conceptual studies and pre-engineered plants through to larger scale project execution using EPCM or lump sum contracting models. To this end it has played a small role in the development of Africa’s mining industry and strive to add further value to the industry by engineering continuously better and more efficient ways of mining and processing diamonds.
Written by Will Daynes, research by Vince Kielty
ADPGroup-Africa-Mining-Sep13-Bro-s_0.pdf
