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42 www.coalage.com February 2016 J e n n m a r h a s e n t e r e d i n t o f i v e s e p a r a t e a g r e e m e n t s w i t h D y w i d a g S y s t e m s I n t e r n a t i o n a l ( D S I ) . T h e c o m p a n y w i l l acquire all of DSI Mining's manufacturing assets in the United States; DSI's entire mining division will be integrated into Jennmar USA. "DSI's strong presence in western U.S. hard rock mining will further strengthen Jennmar's position in this segment," said Tony Calandra, executive vice president, Jennmar. "On the oth- er side, its activities in coal mining will complement our existing strong footprint and close some gaps in our offering." DSI will acquire Jennmar's Latin America business, which includes Mexico, Chile and Peru, as well as Jennmar's compa- nies in Europe (namely Spain, Czech Republic and Poland). All of the transactions are expected to close by the beginning of March. In addition, DSI will acquire Jennmar Australia; this transaction is contingent upon a review by the Australian Competition Commission. "Soft commodity prices and supply/demand imbalances represent important challenges to our customers in mining," said Patrik Nolåker, group CEO of DSI. "Through this acquisi- tion, DSI will combine the strengths of two well-established market players, which will allow it to provide its customers a superior offering, both from an efficiency and a product and service portfolio perspective." In addition to these transactions, FCI is selling a 50% stake in its Chinese subsidiary Jennmar Asia, creating another Rocbolt Technologies joint venture between Jennmar and DSI. These companies will do business as Rocbolt Technologies (China) and will join two other successful joint ventures between Jennmar and DSI, Rocbolt Technologies (South Africa) and Rocbolt Resins (Australia). Maptek Showcases Blasting Technology at ISEE Maptek demonstrated its innovative through-seam blast tech- nology at the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) annual conference, which was held in Las Vegas during January. Maptek's BlastLogic easily handles critical design fac- tors to ensure that coal seams remain intact even during com- plicated blasts where there is minimal room for error. Delegates were able to see firsthand the ways that BlastLogic can monitor drill access, explosives loading around coal and timing for each bench in through-seam blasts. Tracking key per- formance indicators (KPIs) across all drill and blast activities streamlines quality assurance and quality control. Snapshots of historical blasts guide selection of optimum powder factor and dictate drill burden and spacing that take into account waste and coal margins. Explosives loading rules dictate how much stemming should be loaded through coal and at the surface, and the type of explosives for wet and dry condi- tions. "BlastLogic links blast designs directly with the geology model," said Steve Putt, blasé management specialist for Maptek. "This helps ensure placement of detonators and explo- sives columns with centimeter-level accuracy to prevent unwanted dilution. Every hole can be tracked in detail across a bench and a project. "If drills do not have access to where holes are needed, the blast is off to a bad start," Putt said. "Through-seam explosives loading is unique for every hole and specific loading instruc- tions are based on where the coal is in each hole." "Obviously good design is just one part of the coal recovery equation," Putt said. "Any variation from the designed load plan can cause dilution and ultimately reduce revenue. BlastLogic tracks execution progress to ensure that learnings can be passed along for future blasts." Direct interface to site drill navigation systems automatically retrieves as-drilled data. With live information, engineers can review any changes to the explosives loading plan immediately the holes are drilled. Drilling mistakes can be corrected by adjusting explosives loading. Loading mistakes can be mitigated by adjusting the blast timing. "It may take several attempts to optimize the blast," Putt said. "Keeping good records guides long-term improvement. A robust, easy-to-use tracking system such as BlastLogic is critical to productivity. Substantial time is saved on data formatting and entry in various systems, allowing engineers to focus on drill-and-blast planning and compliance." Wabco Acquires Mico Wabco announced it is expanding its global business by acquir- ing Mico, a market leader in hydraulic components, controls and brake systems for heavy-duty, off-highway vehicles. A long- time industry leader in pneumatic braking systems, Wabco is expanding its product offerings through the acquisition to become the first and only supplier with a portfolio of complete pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off- highway vehicles worldwide. Wabco's strong global presence provides increased access to customers worldwide for Mico products. In return, Wabco gains improved access to the off-highway market in North America Jennmar Purchases DSI Mining's U.S. Business s u p p l i e r s n e w s BlastLogic models through-seam blasts (above) to ensure the coal remains intact.