EPC-UK – unlocking value with precision
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With Hillhead 2024 now looming large on the horizon, drilling and blasting specialists EPC-UK and EPC Metrics are putting plans in place to showcase, amongst other new innovations, ROG+ (Rock on Ground Plus), their next level of advanced customer servicing.
Commercial manager Ryan Ward explained: ‘We’re excited to talk about ROG+ with Hillhead visitors this year. This advanced, customer-focused development is expanding EPC-UK and EPC Metrics’ capabilities beyond drilling and blasting alone. It’s enabling us to deliver a highly sophisticated and accurate blasting service where customers choose only the specific elements they need to either support equipment and tools they already have on site or add new telematic measurements, helping to improve their entire value chain from face-to-gate or mine-to-mill. Not only does this streamline operations from a cost-management perspective, but it also enables greener credentials, as by putting holes in the ground as accurately as we can, we deliver maximum performance of our explosive products.
‘ROG+ involves measuring, through a multitude of advanced tools, blast impact on a continual, feedback loop basis using the data we have access to on site together with engineer expertise to make more effective future blasting decisions.
‘By creating a ‘continuous feedback loop’ we’re able to see how our blasting activities are impacting the overall downstream of a customer’s quarrying operation, as well as the performance and value gained from the materials that are being extracted. We feed that information back into the next blast decision-making process and, by making slight adjustments each time, can progressively enable customers’ operations to become even more optimized.
‘Using ROG+’s data suite and our engineering team’s expert knowledge, we’re making better, tailored decisions about the way customers’ blast in the ‘ever changing’ quarrying environment,’ Mr Ward continued. ‘By choosing only the tech elements from the service that apply to each individual site, customers can significantly improve activity and expenditure within their specific quarry; whether that’s linked to loading, hauling, fuel usage, or crushing to get all the value possible. Equally, it’s helping us to improve choices regarding emulsion types and blends, detonators, timings, top and bottom priming, and blasting parameters. We can even use ROG+ to introduce ‘green multiblend’ into customers’ operations by using recycled mineral oil in their bulk emulsion, or ‘green and blue' ammonium nitrate which is better for the environment.’
Mr Ward went on to explain that in addition to showcasing the tailored ROG+ service at Hillhead, EPC-UK’s presentation team will detail two more exciting technologies from a growing portfolio – POLAREX and Vibraquipo.
The robust, tried and tested POLAREX probe will be demonstrated on the stand, an effective borehole deviation monitoring tool for measuring and maintaining the orientation and angular velocity of blastholes to resolve down-the-hole measurement issues, control energy, and manage fly-rock issues, and QA/QC hole constraints. The probe is managed, supplied, calibrated, and maintained by EPC-UK, which helps to reduce costs and better quantify design vs actual results to improve continuous accuracy. It is supported with the android compatible POLAREX App, making it as easy to use as it is effective, with the data gathered transferred to the Expertir or other blast-design software package using a phone or tablet.
EPC Groupe’s progressive collaboration with vibration measurement instrument providers Vibraquipo in earlier this year will be explained on the stand, together with the equipment’s capacity to further customers’ digitalization and data-management strategies in the field. A leading international manufacturer of instrument solutions for the quarrying, mining, and tunnelling industries, Vibraquipo’s equipment and EPC Metrics’ associated service options will mean instruments can be managed, supplied, and calibrated in the UK.
