Africa, a place better known for its abundance of minerals that directly serves towards its economical growth every year. The mining industry in Africa is the largest mineral industry in the world.
With mineral reserves of bauxite, industrial diamond, platinum, and cobalt, Africa is one of the topmost mining continents for the number of reserves it contains. The mining industry in Africa is the major source of income as many countries of the continent highly rely on the mining business.
Along with this, global investors have shown a keen interest in the mines of Africa and have taken ownership of some of them. The minerals of Africa are exported to different parts of the world for manufacturing different types of products.
Minerals of Africa
Though Africa is rich in minerals, some of them contribute to the continent’s economy on a massive level. Let’s take a look at them:
1. Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and the biggest source of aluminium provider in the world. African countries like Ghana, Guinea, and Mozambique are home to the world’s largest bauxite reserves.
Anglo American and Alumina Company of Guinea are the major market players in the bauxite mining industry around the globe.
2. Uranium
One of the most versatile metallic chemicals, Uranium is used in military and nuclear power stations. Witwatersrand basin, Krugersdorp, and Brakpand regions are the major areas where Uranium is found.
The AngloGold Ltd. Company has the biggest mining project in Africa and owns a mine that generates an output of 674 tonnes annually.
3. Diamond
One of the most precious industrial minerals of Africa, Diamond can be found in most of the countries of Africa. South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the major producers of diamonds in Africa.
Amongst which, Botswana has the largest diamond mines in the world. De Beers, the largest diamond mining company in the world controls most of the diamond mining in Africa.
4. Coal
Coal being a major source of generating electricity is also used in the cement and steel industries. Africa produces 250 million tonnes of coal every year.
Top 5 mining companies namely Anglo American PLC, Sasol Mining, Glen core Xstrata, Exxaro, and South32’s South Africa Energy Coal are responsible for around 85% of the coal production in Africa.
5. Iron ore
One of the key ingredients of steel, Iron is the most frequently used metal in the world. It is used in structural engineering, vehicle structures, types of machinery, etc.
Africa is a land rich in iron ore with countries like Algeria and Mauritania being the top producers. Kumba iron ore limited one of the top suppliers of iron ore controls 70% of iron ore mining in Africa.
6. Cobalt
Mainly produced as a by-product of nickel and platinum mining operations, cobalt is used in military and industrial applications. The mining industry in Africa is the top producer of cobalt in the world.
Also, a copper belt in the Democratic Republic of Congo is said to yield around 50% of the global mining supply of cobalt. Cobalt is also used in wear-resistant magnetic alloys and giving inks, ceramics, and glass a deep blue color.
Minerals of Africa have myriad practical applications like industrial, manufacturing, medical, energy, and infrastructure development. As the continent is blanketed by vast mineral wealth, the different industries started investing in the mining business.
But they were facing a major issue. Despite hiring a lot of miners, the companies involved in the mining industry in Africa realized that the process of mining required specialized machinery and heavy-duty vehicles to make the entire process much easier and less time-consuming.
For this purpose, the heavy-duty vehicles industry came out with innovative ideas in the form of heavy equipment specially designed for mining. This opened a doorway for the international heavy vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. Let’s take a look at what kind of heavy-duty vehicles are used in mining:
Types of heavy-duty vehicles used in mining:
1. Haul Trucks
These are specially designed rigid dump trucks for high production mining. It takes or moves dumps of materials like sand or gravel to clear the path. It is also used for taking construction equipment from job site to job site. Haul truck capacity ranges from 40 short tons to 496 short tons.
2. Excavator
These are also known as diggers and are used for digging trenches, construction, mining, forestry work, and demolition. It consists of a boom, dipper, bucket, and a cab that rotates on a platform. An excavator makes the use of hydraulic motors, cylinders, and fluid for performing multiple operations.
3. Mining drilling rigs
An integrated system that is capable of drilling through thousands of meters under the earth’s crust and is used in mining for production, bolting, cabling, and tunneling. These are majorly used for two purposes:
- Exploration drilling-Identify the location and quality of the mineral.
- Production drilling- Used in the production cycle of mining.
4. Mining locomotive
It is majorly used to carry the conveyors and mining cars into the underground mines. The flameproof induction motor and electrical control system meet all the safety regulations for underground mining applications.
AVS International ventures into the mining industry in Africa
The future of the mining industry seems bright, as infrastructure development and automotive production are increasing at a rapid rate. Multiple investors are directly or indirectly investing their money in the mining business.
Amongst which, the businesses making huge profits are the companies providing resources needed for mining processes like heavy equipment. Some of these global market players in the mining industry are Caterpillar Inc, Anglo American, Cliffs Natural Resources, ArcelorMittal, Adrok, Flexco, Dragflow, International Mining & Infrastructure Corporation (IMIC), and Posco.
Talking about the global mining equipment market, it is highly dependable on the increase in mining activities and the rising demand for commodities of mineral and metal.
Segments like mining drills and breakers, crushing, pulverizing and screening equipment, mineral processing machinery, surface mining equipment, and underground mining machinery have a high scope of generating revenue from the mining industry.
AVS International Pvt. Ltd., a decade-old MNC based in India, has stepped into the mining industry in Africa. It serves the mining industry with all types of heavy-duty vehicles and equipment required for mining. Being a trusted supplier, the company has ties with the African government for delivering heavy-duty equipment to countries like Ghana, Zambia, and Kenya.
