Surface mining association, Aspasa, has called on suppliers of the industry and those who make use of its products to become more involved and assist in the shaping of the industry to meet future challenges.
“We want to be proactive and ensure everybody in the surface mining
value chain is directly involved in shaping the industry of tomorrow. As an
industry we obviously rely heavily on suppliers and want to encourage healthy two-way cooperation that can improve and support our members’ efforts,” says Aspasa director, Nico Pienaar.
Recent legislation
The importance of this type of cooperation has recently been illustrated with legislation surrounding proximity detection systems (PDS) that
has been legislated and will be required on new equipment supplied to mines on trackless mobile machines.
In this instance, Aspasa worked closely with authorities and industry experts in conjunction with equipment suppliers and technology developers to formulate a strategy for small and medium sized surface miners.
Expertise and assistance needed
“This has given rise to a sector-specific strategy that is acceptable to all parties concerned and in time to meet authorities’ looming deadlines. However, there are many more instances where we can use the expertise and assistance of suppliers and end uses in the form of establishing best practices, training of members, advisory services and compliance.
“In order to integrate effectively with our association, we recommend joining in order to gain the benefit of directly interacting and addressing the members through our regional and national networks. Associate
members will also be given the opportunity to host events in their fields of expertise to further awareness among members,” concludes Nico.
Aspasa
Nico Pienaar, Tel: (011) 791-3327
Email: nico@aspasa.co.za, www.aspasa.co.za
