When business slows down, drilling contractors may have to lay-up some of their equipment. But when things pick up again, the equipment may no longer be “fit and ready” to take on new assignments. Here’s the best way to find out.
Mining contractor Small Mine Development of Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA, prefers to hold on to its drilling equipment rather than sell it when business is slow. This way, the company does not have to source new rigs when the work suddenly returns. In this respect, SMD is typical of many similar companies around the world. As Mike Schomer, SMD’s Maintenance Superintendent, puts it: “You can’t bid for jobs with equipment you don’t have.”
"The RigScan audit helps us get assets we already own to go back into service so much faster than waiting on a new rig delivery or sourcing a different one for remanufacture."
When business slows down, drilling contractors may have to lay-up some of their equipment. But when things pick up again, the equipment may no longer be “fit and ready” to take on new assignments. Here’s the best way to find out.
Tomorrow’s underground mines will be more remote with orebodies that are difficult to reach and consequently more dangerous to excavate. Against this background, Atlas Copco’s Mattias Pettersson says mining companies have only one option.
It’s been called The King of Small Drifts – and there are 500 good reasons why. That’s the number of Boomer S 1D drill rigs that have been delivered until mid-2015.
