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 Mining
Growth Accelerates in China and Miners
Cheer - Working in the mining
industry, or any industry for that
matter, during high times can be exciting.
Everyone has to work as hard—if not
harder—than they do during lean times,
but the positive nature of the business
makes the additional workload seem
a little more rewarding, especially
for engineers who enjoy building new
long-term projects. Naturally, when
any group of mining professionals
gather, the conversation inevitably
turns to the question: How long will
this bull market last? No one knows
the answer, but right now China holds
most of the cards.
Last month, the Shanghai Composite
Index slipped for the second time
this year and rattled markets worldwide.
On April 19th, the index dipped 4.5%,
which was not nearly as great as the
8.8% on Feb. 27th. The market reacted
to an announcement from China’s statistic’s
bureau saying ........ read
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Steve Fiscor, Editor in Chief
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Alcoa
Extends R&D to Russia, India, and China
- Alcoa
announced in late February 2007 that it is establishing an Innovation
Center of Excellence with leading universities in Russia to work on
research and development projects focused on innovative mining,
refining, and smelting technologies. The Center of Excellence will have
facilities at Moscow State University in Moscow, St. Petersburg State
Mining Institute in St. Petersburg, and Ural Polytechnic University in
Ekaterinburg. The initiative.......
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BHP Billiton Inaugurates Spence Copper Operations -
BHP Billiton CEO Chip Goodyear officially opened the
company’s new Spence copper mine in the Antofagasta region of northern
Chile on March 25, 2007. The $1-billion, open-pit, solvent extraction/
electrowinning (SX/EW) project is scheduled to reach its design
capacity of 200,000 mt/y of copper cathodes during the third quarter of
2007. Spence is the first large-scale, Greenfield mining project to be
developed in Chile in six years and the first large SXEW project
constructed globally since 2000. The project delivered its first ore to
the crushers.......
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| Lundin on Acquisition Trail - Over
the course of a week in early April 2007, Lundin Mining announced
agreements for separate, friendly acquisitions of Rio Narcea Gold Mines
and Tenke Mining. On April 4, Lundin and Rio Narcea announced an
agreement whereby Lundin will purchase, for cash, all outstanding Rio
Narcea shares and warrants for C$5 per share and $1.04 per warrant. The
offer values Rio Narcea at about.... read
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| Hecla Completes Hollister Project Sale to Great Basin Gold -
Hecla Mining Co. subsidiary, Hecla Limited, announced in April the
completion of sale of Hecla’s interest in the Hollister Development
Block gold exploration project in Nevada, USA, to its former partner in
the project, Great Basin Gold, for $60 million including $45 million in
cash and $15 million of Great Basin Gold common stock. The number of
shares of Great Basin Gold stock transferred to Hecla was 7,930,214,
which carried a value of $18.6 million as of the close of market on
April 18, 2007. Hecla had spent approximately $30 million over the past
two years developing the underground ramp....read
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Uranium One Buying Shootaring Canyon Mill
- sxr Uranium One, during late February 2007, entered
into a definitive agreement with U.S. Energy Corp. and its affiliate,
Crested Corp., to purchase the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in Utah,
as well as nearly 39,000 acres of uranium exploration properties in the
western United States. Consideration for the purchase is approximately
6.6 million Uranium One common shares plus $750,000 in cash. In
addition, Uranium One will pay U.S. Energy $20 million upon the
Shootaring Canyon mill reaching commercial production ......
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| Crescent Pours Gold at Laverton
- Crescent Gold joined the ranks of Australia’s gold
producers in mid-March 2007 when it poured the first gold at its
Laverton gold project in Western Australia. Initial production at the
open-pit, heap leach project was from processing of low-grade material.
The 1.5-million-mt/y-mill was scheduled to be fully on line in April.
Expected annual production is targeted at 90,000 oz/y. The Laverton
project is located 250 km northeast of Kalgoorlie and 8 km east of
Laverton. The site was previously mined by Sons of Gwalia until 1998
and is located close to several....
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| Proposed Ontario Diamond Royalty Draws
Fire - Ontario’s provincial budget released
on March 23, 2007, included imposition of
a royalty of up to 13% on diamond production
in the province. De Beers Canada’s developing
Victor mine will be the province’s first diamond
mine. The mine, which is expected to generate
annual revenues of between C$280 million and
C$290 million, was built on economic assumptions
that included taxes of 5%. First production
is scheduled for the first half of 2008. The
royalty prompted strongly worded objections
from De Beers and from the Attawapiskat First
Nation. De Beers issued a statement, saying,
“The diamond royalty as proposed.... read
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Nevada’Reno Teams Prevail at Collegiate
Mining Contests - Teams from the University
of Nevada–Reno’s Mackay School of Earth Sciences
and Engineering won world and national titles
at two prestigious student competitions recently.
On March 24, Mackay’s mining team won the
world championship at the 29th International
Collegiate Mining Competition. The event was
held in Tucson....read
more
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| Quadra Mining Bids for Greenland Moly
Deposit - Quadra Mining, which owns and
operates the Robinson copper-gold mine in
Nevada, USA, has made an all-share offer valued
at about $34.5 million for International Molybdenum
Plc (Inter- Moly), a Canadian junior company
that owns the Malmbjerg molybdenum project
in eastern Greenland. The Malmjberg deposit
has an NI 43-101-compliant resource of 212
million mt, grading 0.12% molybdenum. InterMoly
studies to date contemplate development of
a 25,000-mt/d, yearround, open-pit mining
operation....read
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Coeur Targets Year-End Start for San
Bartolomé - Coeur d’Alene Mines reported
in mid-April 2007 that its San Bartolomé silver
project in the Potosí district of Bolivia
remains on schedule for completion before
year end 2007. Regarding rumblings related
to the Bolivian government’s desire to obtain
greater benefits from mining operations in
the country, Coeur said it has discussed issues
related to the project with government officials
and received repeated expressions of support
from them. “The government has expressed a
desire to increase taxes in the mining sector……read
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Guanacevi Eyes Doubling of Silver
Production in 2007 - Endeavour Silver
Corp., based in Vancouver, British Columbia,
is forecasting a near doubling of silver production
at its Guanacevi operations in Durango, Mexico,
from 1.48 million oz silver equivalent in
2006 to 2.80 million oz in 2007. Production
during 2006 included 1.35 million oz of silver
and 2,493 oz of gold; for 2007, production
is expected to total 2.57 million oz of silver
and 4,720 oz of…. read
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Chinese Consortium Gains Control of
Monterrico Metals - Three Chinese
companies led by Zijin Mining reported on
April 11, 2007, that they acquired 50.17%
of London-listed Monterrico Metals as the
result of a share offer initially launched
on Feb. 5, 2007. Monterrico’s key asset is
its Rio Blanco open-pit copper-molybdenum
project in northern Peru near the Peru/Ecuador
border (E&MJ, July-Aug. 2006, p. 16).
The offer valued Monterrico at £94.6 million.
The consortium initially set a minimum acceptance
condition of…. read
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BHP Billiton Again Expanding
Its Australian Iron Ore Production
- Following board approval in late March 2007,
BHP Billiton is proceeding with development
of Rapid Growth Project 4 (RGP4) at its Western
Australian iron ore operations. The project
includes development of a new crushing and
screening plant and construction and upgrades
of stockyards, car dumping, train loading,
and port facilities. BHP Billiton’s share
of capital expenditures budgeted for the project
is $1.85 billion. When complete…. read
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Barrick Increases Porgera
Stake -Barrick Gold announced in
mid-April that it entered into a definitive
purchase and sale agreement with Emperor Mines
regarding Emperor’s 20% interest in the Porgera
gold mine in Papua New Guinea. Upon completion
of the transaction, Barrick’s interest in
Porgera would increase from 75% to 95%. Total
consideration for the transaction was $250
million in cash plus an adjustment amount.
Barrick was to be entitled to…. read
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Ivanhoe and Mongolian Government
Reach Initial Agreement on Oyu Tolgoi
- Ivanhoe Mines reported on April 10, 2007,
that it and its partner, Rio Tinto, had
reached an agreement in principle with a
Mongolian government working group on a
draft investment agreement for the development
of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project in
Mongolia’s South Gobi region. The agreement
remained subject to settlement of definitive
documentation and to review and approval
by the cabinet of the Mongolian government
and by …. read
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Kyrgyz Government and Centerra Tussle
Over Kumtor Operating Pact - Centerra
Gold reported on March 26, 2007, that the
parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic had voted
to accept a draft bill for further deliberation
with respect to Centerra’s 100%-owned Kumtor
gold mine and other mineral deposits. The
bill challenged the legal validity of existing
Kumtor agreements, proposed recovery of
additional …. read
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DRC Reviewing Mining Licenses
- The government of Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) in late March announced that
it would review all existing mining licenses
and that no new licenses would be issued until
the review is complete. The government offered
assurances that its objective is to ensure
that companies are complying with the conditions
of their licenses and that the licenses are
fair to the state. If that proved not to be
the case, licenses would be renegotiated;
however, the government said, it did not intend
to…. read
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| Golden
Star Pours BIOX Gold at New Bogoso Sulphide
Plant - In late March 2007, Golden
Star Resources poured the first gold from
the BIOX section of its new Bogoso sulphide
processing plant in Ghana. The first pour
totaled 228 oz. Golden Star President and
CEO Peter Bradford commented, “While we
have previously had gold production from
the new processing plant, that production
derived from the processing of oxide ore
during the testing of the crushing, grinding,
and carbon-in-leach (CIL) sections. The
gold production announced today reflects
the first gold poured……
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Elk
Valley Realizes Lower Prices- Teck
Cominco Ltd. announced that Elk Valley Coal
has completed negotiations for approximately
90% of its anticipated coal sales for the
2007 coal year commencing April 1, 2007.
If the remainder of the contracts are settled
on similar terms, the average contracted
coal price for the 2007 coal year is forecast
to be approximately US$91 per ton, down
from US$107 in 2006. The weighted average
price of 2007 calendar year coal sales is
expected to be approximately US$96/ton,
down from US$113 in 2006…. read
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China to Produce Liquid Fuel from
Coal- China’s first coal liquefaction
project, which will go into operation in 2008,
will be able to produce more than 1 million
metric tons (mt) of oil a year, significantly
reducing the country’s dependence on oil imports.
Shenhua Group Corp. Ltd. launched the coal
liquefaction project in 2004 in Erdos, a city
in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Shenhua
will invest 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion)
to build three production lines in the first
phase of the project. The first line, currently
under construction, will enter trial production…...
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| Indonesian
Coal Production Set to Reach 212 million
mt - Coal production in Indonesia
is projected to reach 212 million metric
tons (mt) this year, increasing by 19 million
mt from 2006. Most of the output will go
to the export market, estimated at 158.5
million mt against last year’s 148 million
mt. Domestic coal uses were dominated by
power plants, which consumed an estimate
of 32.8 million mt of coal. PT Kaltim Prima
Coal is the country’s largest producer,
with production topping…... read
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| India’s
Tata Power Invests in Indonesian Coal Mines
- India’s Tata Power said it is buying 30%
stakes in two Indonesian coal producers
for $1.1 billion, giving it access to one
of the world’s largest exporting thermal
coal mines, the Associated Press reported.
Tata Power, part of India’s sprawling Tata
Group conglomerate, has signed agreements
to purchase 30% equity stakes in PT Kaltim
Prima Coal (KPC) and PT Arutmin Indonesia
(Arutmin) as well as in a related trading
company owned by PT Bumi Resources Tbk (Bumi).
Tata Power will pay…... read
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Utility Gear Keeps Mine Wheels Turning
Without the myriad types of mobile, transportable,
wheeled, tracked or skid-mounted utility gear
found throughout mines worldwide....
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor
Primary loading and haulage equipment— the
shovels, wheel loaders, LHDs and trucks that
comprise the heavyweight segment of the mine
fleet—generally get the most trade press attention
due to their sheer size, power and fundamental
importance in the production chain. However,
utility equipment performs an equally important
but less exciting role throughout the industry.
Without the myriad types of mobile…….
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 Water Recovery with Ultraseps Technology
To whom do you turn for technology if
you want to recover water from feed containing
a high proportion of ultrafine material, specifically
the tailings from spirals plants?
For two Brazilian iron ore producers the choice
was Netherlands-headquartered Bateman Engineering.
Both AVG Mineração, which is based in Belo
Horizonte and produces lump ore and sinter
feed, and V&M Mineração, whose Pau Branco
mine is located in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais,
use spirals plants that output tailings feed
at rates between 90–95 mt/h. First, representatives
of the two companies were shown Bateman-Ultrasep
thickening technology in South Africa and
visited operating installations. Following
studies of process data and test work with
client samples at Bateman Engineering’s Johannesburg
laboratories, the solution offered to each
of the Brazilian operators was the use of
a 10-m-diameter Bateman-Ultrasep thickener,
one of the larger sizes in a range covering
0.5- to 12-m diameter. Bateman says this......
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LKAB Stays with Water Power for Production Drilling
…….long-term mine planning, extensive mechanization, cost-effective automation and, uniquely, automated production drilling rigs equipped with water-powered DTH drills......
In the quest for cost-effective production
at its Kiruna and Malmberget underground mines
in Polar Sweden, LKAB has focused on high-quality
iron ore products, long-term mine planning,
extensive mechanization, cost-effective automation
and, uniquely, automated production drilling
rigs equipped with water-powered DTH drills.
In terms of drilling technology, the latest
stage in this process is a development agreement
with Sandvik covering a new rig design….
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ToughMet Load Roller Bushings Extend Maintenance Cycles on a Large Electric Shovel
Extending maintenance cycles and maximizing
productivity are consistent goals of mining
equipment engineers and planners
By David Krus, Steve Geertson and Steve Metzger
Extending maintenance cycles and maximizing
productivity are consistent goals of mining
equipment engineers and planners. Every mine
would like to have equipment components that
never wear out. Component suppliers and equipment
users alike understand that infinite life
is impossible to achieve, but that does not
stop users from challenging suppliers to find
solutions that will last “forever.” Striving
to find the holy grail, the part that virtually
does not wear out, is one way for suppliers
to win the business of maintenance-conscious
mines. One such mine, near Seattle, Washington,
USA, was attempting to maximize the efficiency
of two P&H 4100XPB shovels. The mine valued
productivity and took an “overall value” approach
to maintenance..... read
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Software Modeling Cuts SAG Energy Consumption at Cortez Gold
Ore size reduction in mining operations is a significant contributor to energy consumption
By AbdulMajeed Aziz and Mike Mosser
Ore size reduction in mining operations is
a significant contributor to energy consumption
and mineral production costs. In fact, more
than 50% of the total energy consumed in production
of copper, gold and other mined commodities
is spent on size reduction, and this energy
intensity is exacerbated as plants process
higher tonnage of ores of lower head grade.
Semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills account
for a large portion of the overall grinding
energy input in mineral processing. Operation
of existing SAG mills can be improved by conducting
a plant sampling campaign using a flowsheet.....
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Tefsa Unveils New Filter Press System
Tefsa, an international designer and manufacturer
of industrial dewatering and filtration equipment,
recently introduced its new High-Yield FPO
filter press line
Tefsa, an international designer and manufacturer
of industrial dewatering and filtration equipment,
recently introduced its new High-Yield FPO
filter press line to the North American mining
market. A combination overhead and sidebar
unit, the PFO uses the advantages of both
configurations with plates hung overhead and
hydraulic side pulling cylinders on all four
corners to deliver the highest possible yields
and..... read
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 Mid-Range
Dozers from Komatsu- Komatsu America’s
two new mid-sized dozers— the D61EX-15 (standard
ground pressure) and D61PX-15 (low ground
pressure)— are powered by U.S. EPA Tier 3
certified, 168-fhp Komatsu SAA6D107E-1 diesels
with air-to-air after cooling. A power angle
tilt blade offers a capacity of 4.5 yd3 for
the D61EX-15 and 5 yd3 for the D61PX-15. The
Komatsu torqflow transmission automatically….
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 Atlas
Copco’s Hydraulic Breaker Care Service Offers
Scheduled Maintenance, Extended Warranty-
Atlas Copco Construction Tools has launched
ProCare, a new customer service concept that
the company says provides a consistent maintenance
schedule for its hydraulic breaker attachments.
ProCare includes a 3-year service contract
and extended warranty program that is now
being offered to customers who purchase new
MB and HB series Atlas Copco breakers. Specifically
tailored for the hydraulic breaker industry….
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 Heavy-Duty
Heater- Ground Heaters’ Arctic Bear
XHD indirect fired heater provides heat output
of 430,000 to 770,000 Btu/h, varying with
outdoor ambient air temperature (colder outdoor
air temperatures are countered by higher Btu
outputs to keep the outlet temperature a thermostatically
controlled constant 210°F). The unit’s maximum
temperature rise of…… read
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 Replacement
Brake System for Mining Vehicles
- A new wheel-end brake from MICO, designed
for installation on vehicles used for underground
and surface mining applications, is claimed
to provide a significant alternative to standard
OEM brake systems that may wear and corrode
in severe operating conditions…. read
more
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 Medium-Duty
Belt Pre-cleaner- A new addition
to the Mineline conveyor product family from
Flexco, the MMP medium-duty precleaner for
underground and surface conveyor applications
is claimed to provide consistent cleaning
performance, long operating life and low maintenance
in tough abrasive applications. The Mineline
MMP pre-cleaner feature…. read
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| GeoSoft Forms Global Solutions
Group - Geosoft has established a
Global Solutions Group that it says will specialize
in helping mining and exploration companies
ensure the reliability, availability and security
of enterprise resources including exploration
data assets and information technology. Tim
Dobush, Geosoft’s CEO, said, “In recent years,
we have extended our technology and service
offerings to address growing customer demand….
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 Industrial
Touch-Screen Display- MGR Industries’
ET41150 sealed industrial terminal with 10.4-in.
touch screen is designed for use in harsh
environments. The ET41150 is claimed to be
impervious to dust, airborne particulates
and liquids; its face is sealed to IP65. The
touch screen can be used with or without a
glove and offers the latest in projective
through-glass touch screen technology. The
ET41150 was designed…. read
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 Flame-Retardant
Air Ducting- Flexible hose and
ducting from Hi-Tech Duravent are flame-retardant
to UL94V-0 and are UL recognized products
for safety critical air handling applications
such as ventilation, filtering, and fume
evacuation. The supplier’s 2PN and TD-S/TD-HS
flexible hoses are claimed to be ideal for
confined spaces, bag houses, solvent recovery
systems and similar applications….read
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 Welding
Fume Extractor for Confined Spaces-
Lincoln Electric’s Miniflex is a portable,
high-vacuum, low-volume system specifically
designed for the removal and filtration of
welding fumes in confined spaces and other
locations that are not accessible with bulkier
fume extractors. With a standard wheel set
and…. read
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| JUNE 5-7, 2007: Longwall USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Contact: Mining Media; Tel: 303-283-0640; Fax: 303-283-0641; Web:
http://www.mining-media.com
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| JUNE 5-8, 2007: 14th International Trade Fair for Mining Technology, Exploration, Discontinuous Mining, Continuous Open-Cast Mining & Preparation, Novokuznetsk, Russia.
Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America; Tel: 312-781- 5180; Fax: 312-781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com ; Web: http://www.mdna.com
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JUNE 6-8, 2007: Computer Simulation and Animation for the Mining Industry, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Contact: Chantal
Murphy; Tel: 514-939-2710; Fax: 514-939-2714;
E-mail: cmurphy@cim.org;
Web: http://www.cim.org
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| For a full calendar of
mining industry conferences and events -
click here
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 Norilsk
Nickel announced that Denis Morozov
has been named chief executive. |
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 El Capitan
Precious Metals, Inc. announced that Kenneth
P. Pavlich will succeed Chuck
Mottley as president and CEO. Mottley
will remain chairman of the board of directors.
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 Cleveland
- Cliffs Inc. announced the appointment of
William Brake as chief technical
officer and executive VP, Cliffs Metallics.
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 Fronteer
Development Group announced that Chris
Lee has joined the company as chief
geoscientist. The company also announced that
Ian Cunningham Dunlop has
been appointed VP, Exploration. He will replace
Dr. Rick Valenta. |
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 Fluor
Corp. promoted Steve Dobbs
to senior group president and Dwayne
Wilson to group president. Rick
Koumouris has been named senior VP
and general manager of the Mining and Metals
business line. |
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 Leica
Geosystems appointed Kevin Greenwood
VP Mining Systems Americas. |
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 Muzi
Ngcobo joined Mintek as manager,
Human Resources. |
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 E3 Consulting
recently announced the appointments of Frank
Kirby as executive director; Vanessa
Cameron as senior director of Regulatory
Affairs; Ginger Grubbs as
a consultant; and Andy Hixson
as a consultant. |
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