The mining market: sophisticated and dynamic
The mining market is the main consumer of explosives in the world and includes a variety of specialized products such as bulk explosives charges, electronic detonators, firing software. The mining industry is at the cutting edge of technology in terms of application of explosives and drilling for rock-blasting purposes. Titanobel’s expertise enables it to successfully support this market.
Operating mining resources led to global industrial development in the 20th Century, and is currently contributing to the emergence of new global players in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Explosives are essential for extracting minerals and at increasingly large mining sites in areas that are sometimes very remote. Mining is the first operation for processing the minerals and, whether underground or surface, mining companies are faced with an ever-increasing demand to optimize the results of blasting operations.
Titanobel supports this demand all over the world by offering customized solutions suitable for all situations: on-site explosive manufacturing, electronic initiation, technical support, providing turnkey solutions, design and supply of specific equipment, adapting the explosive formulation to site geology, extreme weather conditions, etc.
Nickel mining in New CaledoniaFrance is still a mining country
France’s history was marked by large-scale mining of coal and iron up until the 1980s. Today there are very few mining operations in mainland France, but in the French Overseas Departments and Territories there is great potential for exploration and mining operations.
In New Caledonia, nickel mining is one of the cornerstones of the local economy, and makes France the 7th-largest producer of nickel in the world. Titanobel has a presence in this market, working in the mining drilling sector along with its subsidiary NSD Sofiter, which operates on multiple sites.
In French Guyana, gold is still not mined industrially to any great extent, although major deposits have been identified. In the near future, these deposits will make French Guyana one of the leaders in this sector. Along with Guyanexplo in Kourou, Titanobel produces industrial explosives which are distributed in French Guyana and across the French West Indies.
Riaan GILFILLAN - EBSAfrica, a growing market
Riaan GILFILLAN, our sales director in South Africa, gives us his testimony on the mining activity on the African continent.
What is your activity in Africa?
Africa is a geographical area that we know well because we have been there for about 20 years. We have two commercial subsidiaries dedicated to civil explosives, in Benin and Cameroon, led by François MOUNET and two industrial mining drilling subsidiaries in South Africa Enviro Blasting (EBS), for which I am responsable, and in Senegal (AOD Sofiter), a subsidiary managed by my colleague Daniel MONTELEONE.
What minerals are mined in Africa?
Africa’s subsoil is very rich and governments want to take benefit of the available resources in a sustainable and socially responsible way.
You find nearly all the Mendeleev’s Table in Africa: gold, uranium, bauxite, iron, diamonds, coal, copper...
What is TITANOBEL’s offer on the African market?
TITANOBEL offers its customers the supply of civil explosives as well as the drilling and blasting services. We are determined to establish a sustainable presence with the implemantation of explosive storages and, ultimately, the construction of an explosive manufacturing plant that would supply all of West Africa. Titanobel has also highly innovative on-site manufacturing solutions for large mines and solutions to support our customers in the optimization of blasting (selection of explosives, layout of blasting, quality of drilling...).
Gold mineMongolia, an opportunity in Central Asia
TITANOBEL, associated with the Mongolian group Max Group, offers its technical and industrial expertise for the manufacturing of explosives. Thus, the subsidiary TITANOBEL Mongolia has started the manufacturing of ANFO and plans from the second half of 2022 the production of bulk emulsion for Mongolian mines. The maximum production capacity of this bulk emulsion unit is 27,000 T/year.
