Bringing Stability to Mine Construction

Q: What challenges do companies face when building a mine and how do you solve these problems for clients?

A: When building a mine, there is a huge material requirement for a short time period, especially during construction. Due to Doka’s international-standard logistics systems, we can provide a great deal of materials within a short time. Our engineering solutions adhere to the highest level of safety requirements and follow European and US standards. Our products are tested for the loads required and the customer can have full confidence that the safest product is available at the worksite.

Q: How do your mining solutions differ from those of your competition?

A: First, we have the most advanced equipment that is tested at a global level and supported by an engineering department that evaluates, develops and is present from the beginning of the project. In terms of wall frameworks, we can provide Framax products, which are galvanized metal frames that can be lifted by crane and are ideal for quality finishes and supporting a great deal of pressure from concrete. The Xlife dashboard is resistant and can be used more than 200 times. This makes the difference in comparison to the plywood solutions our competitors use that must be changed after 40 uses. Our Staxo 100 slab solutions are load-bearing towers that are incomparable globally in terms of safety certifications and these provide the perfect load-bearing solution for very heavy slabs with a width of 2m that are common in major mining projects.

Q: How has the mining sector reacted to automated solutions like MyDoka and Concremote?

A: We want to launch Concremote this year but bringing it into the market is not easy. A certain level of maturity is required. It provides real-time monitoring of the strength of the concrete at any given time so an informed estimate of the renewal time can be made and construction periods can be accurately planned. Inside the formworks, it is possible to perfectly monitor the progress, meaning there will be fewer cracks when using Doka’s technology. The lifetime of the concrete is also extended and this monitoring obviously provides a great deal of safety benefits in terms of accident prevention. Right now, this kind of measuring relies heavily on guesswork and there are certain variables that can influence the outcome such as varying climates.
Construction in the middle of the desert in Dubai differs greatly from building in the rainforest in Brazil. All these influences can be taken into account by Doka’s technology.

Concremote was designed by a company in the Netherlands and, after a few years working in collaboration, we acquired this company on Jan. 1, 2017. The equipment requires synergy across all sections of the construction process, which is where the difficulties sometimes lie. But for projects with significant amounts of concrete like shopping centers, we want to promote this solution. Doka is also founding a consulting company that will focus exclusively on providing advice across the entire project, from concrete quality and handling to planning and organizing the jobsite.

Q: What are your plans for Mexico in the next two to three years?

A: We want to further promote our technology. Right now, Doka is building two of the biggest water power plants in Canada and the Concremote solution is being used at one of these plants. But leaders in Mexico have been taken by surprise by these advancements because, although there are similar measuring tools in the industry, Doka’s solution is unique. There is a tangible impact on construction times as we can reduce this by 20-25 percent and for these players, time is money. It also optimizes the concrete quality, the strengthening period and the forming period, which are added advantages. We need to clearly show the operators how this works and ensure they follow our guidance so that the system can be used in the most effective way possible. The technology still has not been used in a mining operation in Latin America, but I can guarantee that when it is adopted it will provide huge benefits in terms of time, quality and costs