Mining

Raising the bar on energy resilience (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Energy storage, and its potential to reduce its exposure to grid instability, a key development constraint facing Africa, will be the primary focus for ACTOM when it exhibits at Electra Mining Africa in September

Africa’s largest manufacturer, repairer and distributor of electro-mechanical equipment will use the platform to showcase its fast-growing energy storage capability with lithium-ion batteries.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will form the core focus of its stand at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec, from 7 to 11 September, alongside its latest medium-voltage switchgear.

“Energy storage is the fastest growing area and the biggest opportunity for South African industry to reduce its exposure to grid instability,” said managing director of ACTOM Static Energy, Louis Heyns.

For ACTOM, the opportunity goes beyond supplying another generation of energy technology, however.

Energy storage is becoming an key part of building a more resilient African power system — one that can manage an increasingly unpredictable grid while giving mines and industry greater control over how and when they use electricity.

By developing this capability locally, ACTOM is also positioning energy storage as an industrial opportunity: keeping engineering expertise, manufacturing capability and value creation within South Africa while helping customers become less dependent on an unstable grid and imported solutions.

Local expertise

The September event follows a period of significant growth for ACTOM Static Energy, the business unit formed after ACTOM acquired JUEL Batteries earlier this year and integrated it into a complete energy-storage manufacturing ecosystem at ACTOM’s Pretoria West campus.

ACTOM now produces batteries, inverters, transformers and medium voltage integration systems on a single industrial site, enabling it to test complete, integrated systems in-factory before they reach the market.

“What we provide is unique in that these solutions are not generic, imported offerings,”said Heyns.

“They are locally designed and assembled, tested as complete systems and supported by a company with over a century of engineering credibility in South Africa. That’s the kind of assurance our customers, our energy partners, need when they’re making long-term infrastructure decisions.”

ACTOM’s GELPAG MSS H solid-dielectric insulated switchgear (SIS) family, which ACTOM offers through its MV Switchgear subsidiary, is another new medium-voltage (MV) switchgear product that visitors will be able to view.

The GELPAG SIS provides compact, low-maintenance MV solutions appropriate for containerised substations, PV collector substations, and mining installations with limited space by using epoxy resin-insulated pole modules with embedded vacuum interrupters and earth-screening to remove exposed live conductors and do away with the need for gas-based primary insulation.

The series has undergone type testing in accordance with IEC standards, giving it a proven choice for applications requiring compact, high-integrity MV distribution.

Industry showcase

At its Electra Mining Africa stand, visitors will see how ACTOM’s locally manufactured, end‑to‑end capabilities, from design and assembly to testing and commissioning, deliver durable, bankable solutions and measurable value for mines and industry.

According to Heyns, the exhibition is a place to demonstrate how local engineering and integrated delivery shorten project timelines, reduce risk and keep economic benefit in South Africa.

“Electra Mining Africa brings together precisely the customer base that needs bankable, locally manufactured energy-storage solutions at this time,” he said.

“Mines and industrial operations are under real pressure to secure reliable power, manage rising grid costs and reduce diesel dependency and our lithium-ion batteries and BESS are engineered to meet that demand at scale.”

Mervyn Naidoo, CEO of The ACTOM Group, echoed the sentiment to support African-made products and solutions.

“ACTOM's guiding principle — in Africa, for Africa, by Africa — shapes everything we build. It's why we design, manufacture and test our batteries, inverters and switchgear locally, keeping skills, jobs and know-how here. This is how we deliver bankable solutions for mines and industry, while reducing South Africa's reliance on imports.”

Read more:

Sandvik expands underground fleet at Karowe mine

MMD Africa expands mining solutions at Electra Mining

Aramac: new underground mining equipment firm

Sandvik equips Karowe for long-term underground growth. (Image source: Sandvik)

Sandvik has secured orders from Lucara Botswana Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Lucara Diamond Corp., for a 15-unit underground mining equipment fleet for the Karowe diamond mine in Botswana

The package includes underground drills and loaders, as well as parts, rock tools, aftermarket services and digital solutions. Financing for the investment has been arranged through Sandvik Financial Services (SFS), with an export credit guarantee from the Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN).

The equipment package comprises five Sandvik DD321 development drills, four Toro LH517i loaders, two Toro LH621i loaders, two Sandvik DD422i development drills, one Sandvik DS422i cable bolter and one Sandvik DU311 longhole drill. The order was booked during the second quarter of 2026, with deliveries already under way and scheduled to continue through the fourth quarter.

The fleet will support Lucara’s continued development of the Karowe underground mine as the operation progresses through its transition from open-pit mining. The Karowe Underground Project is designed to extend the mine’s operating life beyond 2038.

Karowe is recognised as one of the world’s highest-value diamond mines and has gained a reputation for producing large and exceptional stones. Earlier this year, the mine announced the recovery of its tenth diamond weighing more than 1,000 carats, further highlighting the significance of the operation.

“As we continue developing the Karowe underground mine, we were looking for a partner that could support us throughout the project lifecycle,” said Benjamin Wang, director corporate finance at Lucara. “Sandvik's combination of leading underground equipment, aftermarket support and financing capability made it a compelling solution for our operation. This investment supports our strategy of building a safe and productive underground mine.”

Beyond the initial equipment supply, Sandvik will provide ongoing aftermarket support intended to enhance fleet availability and productivity throughout the equipment lifecycle. The support package also incorporates rock tools and digital technologies, including My Sandvik and Remote Monitoring Service.

“This order demonstrates the breadth of our offering and our ability to support customers in Botswana with an integrated solution that extends beyond the equipment,” stated Floors Foord, Territory manager for Botswana at Sandvik Mining. “By bringing together expertise from across Sandvik, we can support Lucara throughout the equipment lifecycle while contributing to the long-term success of its underground operation.”

The equipment investment is being supported through an SFS financing structure backed by an EKN export credit guarantee. The arrangement combines Sandvik’s equipment and aftermarket capabilities with its financial services offering, providing support for Lucara’s continued investment in the underground development of Karowe.

“By combining Sandvik’s mining expertise with our financial services capabilities and EKN’s export credit support, we were able to structure a competitive financing solution around Lucara’s investment requirements,” said Tony Clarke, SFS EMEA manager at Sandvik. “It demonstrates how financing can complement our equipment and aftermarket offering and help customers advance significant long-term mining investments.”

MMD Africa showcases integrated material handling solutions at Electra Mining. (Image source: MMD)

MMD Africa is set to present its expanded range of mining and material handling technologies at Electra Mining Africa 2026, with a focus on helping mining operations enhance productivity, control operating expenditure and adapt to changing industry requirements

The company has established its position in the mining sector through its Mineral Sizers, Apron Plate Feeders, Sizer Stations and In-Pit Sizing and Conveying (IPSC) systems, providing technologies designed to improve the movement and processing of material across mining operations.

MMD Africa has further broadened its offering through its appointment as the official Southern African distributor for MAGNA, Terex’s heavy-duty range of mobile crushing, screening and conveying equipment. The expanded portfolio combines equipment with local engineering capabilities and aftermarket support.

At the event, MMD Africa will focus on the benefits of combining different technologies to address material handling requirements, rather than relying on individual pieces of equipment. The company will demonstrate how its fixed and mobile solutions can be integrated across mining and quarrying operations.

Among the equipment on display will be the MAGNA MT120J Jaw Crusher, which will make its Southern African debut at Electra Mining Africa 2026. The exhibition stand will also feature MMD Africa’s Mineral Sizers, Apron Plate Feeders, Sizer Stations and IPSC systems, alongside the wider MAGNA range of high-capacity mobile crushing, screening and conveying equipment.

Mining companies are increasingly dealing with challenges including deeper open pits, higher haulage costs, more complex ore bodies, shortages of skilled personnel and rising sustainability requirements. These pressures are increasing the need for material handling technologies capable of delivering higher productivity while helping operators manage total ownership costs.

MMD Africa’s combination of fixed and mobile equipment, supported by decades of engineering expertise, enables the company to address requirements across several stages of the mining value chain. Its solutions cover applications ranging from primary sizing and crushing to conveying and material handling, with the aim of improving operational performance, equipment reliability and long-term mine planning.

The company’s support extends beyond its equipment range, with MMD Africa providing technical expertise, engineering services and aftermarket assistance throughout the operating life of its installations.

Electra Mining Africa 2026 will give mining professionals the opportunity to meet MMD Africa’s engineering team, discuss specific operational requirements and consider solutions tailored to their material movement challenges.

MMD Africa will exhibit at stand YE01, where visitors can explore its expanded portfolio of crushing, sizing and conveying technologies and learn how these solutions can help mining and quarrying operations improve efficiency and respond to evolving industry demands.

Aramac mining equipment (Image source: Aramac)

French mining equipment firm Aramine is targeting growth in Africa with the establishment of Aramac, a standalone company dedicated to the design, manufacture and distribution of underground mining equipment

The new company brings together an equipment business that has been developed over more than 20 years, while Aramine will continue to focus on its spare parts and components operations.

“Aramac combines the agility and ambition of a start-up with more than five decades of industrial expertise,” said Marc Melkonian, Aramac’s co-president.

“We are building the future of underground mining on solid foundations, driven by innovation, customer proximity and a clear vision for the years ahead.”

In a statement, Aramac stated that it aims to become a leading manufacturer for underground mining operations with cross-sections of up to 16 square metres.

Its story began in 2008 with the launch of the L130E loader, its first machine, designed for narrow-vein operations and built around pioneering cable-electric technology.

Since then, Aramac has delivered more than 500 machines in 34 countries, steadily expanding into a complete range of loaders and trucks recognised worldwide for reliability, robustness and innovation.

This pioneering spirit carried through to 2016, when Aramac became one of the industry’s first movers in battery-powered mining equipment with the launch of the L140B loader, its first battery-electric loader.

Today, the battery-electric range spans three loaders from 1.3 to 6.2 tonnes, with a battery-electric truck soon to be added, and Aramac also offers autonomous equipment already operating in production mines.

Complementing its own product range, it also distributes specialised underground mining equipment from leading manufacturers: these include Lorenzana, whose portfolio covers explosive charging systems and concrete spraying equipment, as well as, in West Africa, Atlas Copco air compressors and Astec crushing solutions.

The creation of the new entity is accompanied by a dedicated organisation bringing together engineering, manufacturing, sales, after-sales service, training and support functions under one unified identity.

“This new structure will accelerate the development of new products, strengthen customer proximity and support the company’s international growth,” the statement noted.

Aramac is also preparing to open a new headquarters in 2027, located close to its current production facility in Gardanne, south of France, on a former mining site.

The launch also brings with it a new visual identity that will be progressively rolled out, together with a soon-to-be-launched dedicated website.

“The creation of Aramac is a natural continuation of the vision that has guided Aramine for more than 50 years: supporting mining operations with increasingly efficient solutions tailored to the realities of the field,” the statement added.

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