Martin Engineering is promoting engineered solutions for silo, hopper and chute blockages to replace manual methods such as vessel entry and hammering walls, which expose workers to falls, engulfment and impact. The company typically applies external flow aids like air cannons, high-frequency vibrators and retrofit liners on chutes and spouts to break compacted material bridges and rat-holes without confined-space entry. For mine operators, the approach targets reduced unplanned downtime on conveyors and storage vessels while tightening compliance with lockout/tagout and confined-space regulations.

Sunward is reporting strong growth for its top hammer rock drilling rigs in South Africa, driven by customised R&D for local mining conditions and part of a wider push into Africa and the Americas from its Changsha base. The company is tailoring rig configurations, drilling parameters and component selection to specific orebody, bench and fragmentation requirements rather than exporting standard Chinese domestic models. For mine operators, this signals more competition in the mid-range top hammer segment and potentially lower lifecycle costs for hard rock production drilling fleets.

SiTration and BHP have launched two pilot deployments at the historic Copper Cities site in Arizona’s Globe-Miami district to trial SiTration’s copper valorisation technology on legacy material. The programme starts this month with a small-scale pilot focused on validating continuous, autonomous copper production, targeting low-grade or previously uneconomic resources. If successful, the approach could offer a route to recover additional copper from historic waste streams at similar brownfield sites without major new excavation.