Epiroc has launched the ET55 drill string, replacing the long‑running ST58 system and extending its ET next‑generation family with a fully shoulder‑drive connection from top hammer to bit. The ET55 applies the same design principles as earlier ET systems, using a shoulder drive interface along the entire string to improve energy transfer and reduce thread wear compared with conventional threaded couplings. For mine operators running top‑hammer production drilling, the unified shoulder drive geometry should simplify string configuration and potentially extend service life in abrasive ground.

Redpath Africa Operations Executive Pieter Oosthuysen argues that Africa’s mining growth depends on building local technical capability and systems, not just sinking new shafts into high-grade orebodies. He points to integrating digital mine planning tools with mechanised development fleets and rigorous safety management to lift productivity in deep, labour-intensive operations common across the continent. For geotechnical and mining teams, the message is a shift towards long-term skills development, data-driven decision-making and closer OEM–contractor collaboration on complex underground projects.

Dyno Nobel has prototyped a fully autonomous, end-to-end blasthole inspection and loading system that removes personnel from the drill and blast bench, one of mining’s last highly manual and safety‑critical activities. Developed over five years of intensive R&D and unveiled to investors in New York, the technology autonomously orchestrates hole condition inspection, explosives loading and initiation sequencing. For mine operators, this points to tighter control of powder factors and timing, more consistent bench conditions, and reduced exposure of crews around loaded patterns.