Grindex submersible pumps gain traction across Zambia’s Copperbelt mines

Integrated Pump Technology is recording increased demand for its Grindex submersible dewatering pumps across Zambia’s Copperbelt, where the equipment is delivering reliable performance in some of the region’s most challenging mining environments

Designed for harsh underground environments, the pumps combine rugged construction, operational flexibility and strong local technical support to deliver consistent performance.

According to Alfred Kelsey, sales manager at Integrated Pump Technology, Grindex pumps have demonstrated notable success in specialist applications such as the cleaning of underground dams. One recent project, carried out through the company’s Kitwe based distributor IES, involved the deployment of a 14 kW Grindex Bravo 400 to address severe sludge build up that had compromised dam capacity.

“Our customer faced a serious challenge, with sediment accumulation drastically reducing the capacity of their underground dams,” Kelsey explained.

“Conventional dewatering pumps aren’t designed for handling this slurry density, but the submersible Grindex Bravo 400 proved ideal.”

Built with hard iron components for high abrasion resistance and fitted with an integrated agitator, the Bravo 400 is able to re suspend settled material, enabling efficient removal of dense sludge. The pump is also rated to IP68, allowing safe operation at depths of up to 20 metres.

Kelsey notes that interest in Grindex dewatering pumps is increasing rapidly across the Copperbelt as mines look for reliable long term solutions.

“The reliability and quality of Grindex pumps are major drawcards, complemented by the integrated smart systems on the 2.2 kW to 18 kW models, offering genuine plug-and-play functionality,” Kelsey noted.

“This feature allows for fully automatic operation with comprehensive built-in protections.”

For larger duty requirements, Integrated Pump Technology supplies Grindex pumps in the 25 kW to 90 kW range, supported by external control and monitoring panels. The product range can also be tailored to suit different abrasive conditions through material options.

“Customers can specify nitrile rubber or polyurethane linings to handle highly abrasive environments,” he added. “A popular choice is internal polyurethane inserts paired with a lightweight, corrosion-resistant stainless steel casing.”

The stainless steel design significantly reduces pump weight, an important advantage in underground settings where equipment is frequently moved by hand. A split handle configuration further improves ease of transport, allowing two people to carry the unit safely.

“Our rapid response capability sets us apart in the Copperbelt region,” Kelsey emphasised. “Through our close partnership with IES, we ensure technicians remain highly skilled, aligned with OEM standards and equipped with a first-class workshop.”

This local support model enables quick turnaround on repairs, whether for full overhauls, smaller cable fixes or on site technical assistance. Kelsey adds that carefully managed local stock levels ensure critical spare parts are readily available, helping mines minimise downtime and maintain operational continuity.

Tapping Africa's immense resources potential

Canada’s Northern Graphite is looking to restart production at Namibia’s Okanjande graphite mine after signing a deal to supply a new battery anode material (BAM) plant in Saudi Arabia

The graphite mine has been on care and maintenance since 2018.

It follows the signing of a US$200mn agreement with Obeikan Investment Group to jointly develop and operate a large-scale BAM facility in Saudi’s Yanbu Industrial City through a joint venture company.

The joint venture company will be 51% owned by Obeikan and 49% by Northern with first phase BAM production capacity forecast at 25,000 tonnes per year (tpy), to be followed by potential expansion to meet growing global demand.

Construction of the industrial facility is expected to start in 2026, with first-phase production forecast to begin in 2028.

The two sides will also look to conclude a long-term offtake agreement for the purchase of up to 50,000 tpy of graphite concentrate from Northern’s Okanjande mine.

Hugues Jacquemin, Northern Graphite’s CEO, said the joint venture marks a defining step in Northern’s evolution from a mining company into a fully integrated, global battery anode material producer.

“By partnering with Obeikan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are partnering with a well-financed and experienced industrial player, gaining scale, financing strength, and access to one of the world’s most strategically important industrial hubs,” he said, “while accelerating the restart of our Okanjande mine in Namibia and advancing our broader mine-to-market strategy.”

The project is also aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and accelerating demand for secure, non-Chinese graphite anode supply chains.

Project debt financing is expected to to be sourced from Saudi government finance agencies, as well as local and global commercial banks.

According to SNE Research, lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing capacity is expected to reach 4,527 GWh by 2035 (9% CAGR), with graphite retaining over 91% anode share through 2040.

At the same time, evolving policies are splitting the global graphite market as tariffs and de-risking measures drive demand for non-Chinese anode materials.

“Saudi Arabia is an attractive location for our BAM plant due to its low energy and labour costs, close proximity to Namibia, strong government support, favourable financing conditions, and trade advantages that include low tariffs into the US and efficient access to European markets,” said Jacquemin.

Northern will receive a royalty on net sales of BAM in addition to its direct ownership interest in the joint venture company.

It also materially accelerates the restart and potential expansion of the Okanjande mine in Namibia, Northern commented in a statement, “and represents an opportunity to substantially increase the company’s graphite production at a lower cost and with a shorter time to market than most competing projects.”

A preliminary economic assessment for the Okanjande project contemplates 31,000 tpy of production over a 10-year mine life.

However, Northern believes the mine contains a “substantial measured and indicated resource” and intends to prepare a new technical report to evaluate the economics of producing at a higher rate.

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Caterpillar AI Assistant for equipment management. (Image source: Caterpillar)

Caterpillar Inc. has launched Cat AI Assistant, an AI-powered solution that transforms how customers interact with Caterpillar equipment and digital applications

The tool makes it easier to buy, maintain, manage, and operate machinery anywhere.

This launch marks a major advance in Industrial AI, combining data, AI, and heavy equipment to improve productivity, efficiency, and safety.

Built on over a century of Caterpillar innovation, Cat AI Assistant brings together the company’s digital applications and vast high-quality data into one simple conversational experience. Acting as a proactive partner, it leverages the full Caterpillar knowledge base to provide personalised insights and enable faster, smarter decisions.

“Caterpillar’s strong digital foundation, including our Helios data platform that manages over 16 petabytes of data, is helping us move fast and deploy new AI capabilities to help our customers succeed,” said Ogi Redzic, Caterpillar chief digital officer.

“Cat AI Assistant is a major leap forward in how Caterpillar supports customer success through best-in-class digital solutions, whether they’re working from corporate headquarters or at a remote jobsite.”

For fleet managers and business owners

Cat AI Assistant acts as an extra set of eyes on equipment, evolving alongside operations. It continually refines insights and recommendations to help turn unplanned incidents into planned maintenance and keep pace with growing businesses.

For technicians

Technicians can rely on Cat AI Assistant to quickly access the right section from thousands of instruction manuals using simple voice commands without interrupting their work. It offers step-by-step guidance, highlights common issues, and suggests any additional parts needed, saving both time and resources.

For machine operators

Operators benefit from a seamless connection throughout their workday from machine startup to shift handoff. Acting as an in-cab coach, Cat AI Assistant provides actionable insights to help operators work smarter and safer without switching screens or returning to the yard. Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform, it performs speech recognition and advanced AI tasks at the edge and can even assist with directing the machine.

With industries facing talent shortages and increasingly complex jobsites, Cat AI Assistant supports less experienced operators in improving productivity while enabling Cat dealers to provide more tailored insights. The goal is to keep Caterpillar customers one step ahead.

Caterpillar plans to launch the off-board Cat AI Assistant in the first quarter of this year while in-cab applications are in final validation. These in-cab tools will help operators work more safely and efficiently. The full capabilities of Cat AI Assistant will be showcased on the main stage at CES 2026.

Africa’s largest copper smelter reaches milestone output. (Image source: Ivanhoe Mines)

Ivanhoe Mines announced the production of the first copper anodes from its state-of-the-art 500,000-tonne-per-annum direct-to-blister smelter at Kamoa-Kakula

This milestone comes roughly five weeks after the smelter’s heat-up and one week after the first feed of concentrate, marking a defining moment for the project.

“The first production of copper anodes from our world-class smelter is a defining moment for Kamoa-Kakula… This achievement is the culmination of a US$1.1bn investment, 18 million man-hours of disciplined execution, and an outstanding health and safety record that reflects the professionalism and commitment of everyone involved.

“This facility will proudly deliver the highest-quality Congolese copper anodes to the international markets, setting a new global benchmark for scale, efficiency, and sustainability. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the extraordinary Kamoa Copper team, as well as our contractors and partners from across the world whose expertise, innovation, and teamwork made the design and delivery of this state-of-the-art facility possible. Together, we have built something exceptional that will serve global consumers for generations to come,” said Robert Friedland, founder and executive co-chairman of Ivanhoe Mines.

The smelter is now in ramp-up mode and is expected to achieve a steady-state annualised production of 500,000 tonnes of 99.7%-pure copper anodes, establishing it as the largest copper smelter in Africa. Copper production for 2026 is projected at 380,000–420,000 tonnes, with the midpoint of 400,000 tonnes representing roughly 80% of capacity.

Kamoa-Kakula’s management will prioritise processing concentrates from Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators through the on-site smelter, while any surplus will be toll-treated at the Lualaba Copper Smelter (LCS) near Kolwezi. The smelter heat-up, furnace commissioning, boiler, steam systems, acid circuit, and concentrate dryer were completed as scheduled, with the furnace reaching 1,250°C (2,282°F) for five days prior to the first concentrate feed.

The on-site inventory of copper concentrate currently totals approximately 37,000 tonnes and is expected to decline to around 17,000 tonnes during 2026 as the smelter ramps up, resulting in copper sales exceeding production by roughly 20,000 tonnes in H1 2026. This provides an opportunity to benefit from near-record-high copper prices.

Supporting uninterrupted operations, a 60 MW uninterruptible power supply (UPS) facility was installed, providing up to two hours of backup power against DRC grid fluctuations. Construction of a 60 MW on-site solar PV facility with battery storage is progressing, expected to become Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest solar-powered smelter supply, complementing the 180 MW diesel generator backup.

Kamoa-Kakula’s smelter also produced its first batch of by-product sulphuric acid, with annual production expected up to 700,000 tonnes, meeting strong local demand following Zambia’s acid export ban. Spot prices in Kolwezi have recently reached US$700 per tonne, with the first deliveries scheduled soon.

The smelter project maintained industry-leading health and safety standards, recording only one lost time injury over 18 million man-hours, resulting in a lost-time injury frequency rate of 0.054 per million hours. The previous Phase 3 concentrator project, completed in mid-2024, recorded zero LTIs.

Meanwhile, Stage Two dewatering of the Kakula Mine has been completed, with selective mining underway in the eastern section. Stage Three dewatering, involving the rehabilitation and recommissioning of water-damaged underground pump stations, will commence once access becomes available.