DRA Mineral Projects is an engineering company which specialises in project management and process plant design. Since March 2007 I am employed at DRA as Project Engineer and we manage the EPCM contract for the new surface and underground on-going capital expansions for Aquarius Platinum Mine (Pty) Ltd located in the Rustenburg area. Our scope of work includes:

· Electrical HT and LT reticulation

· Piping services

· Ventilation

· Underground dams & dirty water pumping

· Transportation (people, ore and material)

· Communication systems

 

As Project Engineer I manage a team of engineers, draftsmen, site managers, a planner and the projects within our scope of work. My skills and experience in my current position includes the following:

 

· Life of Mine planning with regards to capital equipment required, capital estimates, cash flow forecasts and macro-schedules for construction.

· Scope definition documents for contractual purposes.

· Financial year budget preparation.

· Preparation of Work Breakdown Structures.

· Preparation of schedules for engineering design, procurement, fabrication, construction and commissioning.

· Conceptual layouts and designs

· Communication with the client and other stake holders to finalise designs and concepts.

· Detail design drawings to be issued for fabrication.

· Engineering equipment specification and selection.

· Enquiry documents and procurement attachments to contracts with detailed scope of work descriptions, technical specifications, purchase terms and conditions as well as delivery instructions.

· Adjudication of tenders with regards to cost, quality, deliveries, competency, compliance and known track records.

· Assigning resources and responsible people to work packages. (Engineer/Site Manager/Planner/etc.)

· Detail planning and scheduling

· Regular feedback reports to the Project Manager, client and other stake holders.

· Assist with commissioning procedures to ensure quality and integrity of installations/erections.

· Chair frequent site meetings between the client, mining contractor, site managers, discipline engineers and supervisors.

Deal with site issues regarding the scope, quality control, contract variation instructions (CVI’s), engineering standards, legal aspects, safety requirements and people relations.

Also working for DRA Mineral Projects, I was appointed as Mechanical Engineer on underground mining projects in June 2006. I reported to the Project Engineer and assisted him in his duties. My responsibilities were as follows:

· Engineering Procurement

  o Preparation of enquiry documents

  o Adjudication of tenders

  o Placing orders and preparing technical order attachments

· Fabrication contracts management

  o Regular meetings on progress and delivery

  o Expediting of fabrication

  o Evaluation and approval of quality plans

· Erection contracts management

  o Regular meetings on access and progress

  o Management of erection schedules

  o Implementing quality plans and checklists

  o Commissioning assistance

· Preparation of critical spares lists

· Inventory Management

· Facilitate risk assessments for work packages

AngloGold Ashanti promoted me to the Engineering Project Leader on a feasibility project for the level two deepening of Moab Khotsong Mine. The feasibility project was presented to the Steering Committee of AngloGold Ashanti (See Appendix C). The scope of the project included the following:

· Men, Material and Ore transport

· Instrumentation and electrical reticulation

· Water handling (Service, chilled, clear and drinking water)

· Infrastructure upgrades

· Capital equipping for stoping and development

 

My responsibilities for this project were:

· Capital estimates for different proposals

· Conceptual engineering designs

· Trade-off studies to evaluate different concepts

· Developing work breakdown structures

· Compiling work packages for items in the work breakdown structure (i.e. Tasks, Risks, Budget, Duration)

· Planning and preparing macro schedules

 

As part of the project, I was the chaperone for a group of mining experts from Barminco, Australia. We visited two deep level mining projects and offered them the opportunity to propose a concept for accomplishing the challenges of our project.

I completed my training as Manager in Mining Engineering to the syllabus of the AngloGold Ashanti training program during 2004 and 2005. This program included periods of legal appointed relieving, responsibilities according level of competency, project management and a certain amount of practical experience in all engineering fields relevant to the gold mining industry. The details of my training are as follows:

· Relieving

  o Shaft Mechanical Foreman – 2 April 2004 to 28 April 2004

  o Vertical Transport Manager – 27 May 2004 to 26 June 2004

  o Shaft Electrical Foreman – 18 February 2005 to 29 March 2005

  o Refrigeration Superintendent – 19 March 2005 to 3 April 2005

  o Vertical Transport Manager – 5 August 2005 to 9 August 2005

  o Vertical Transport Manager – 22 September 2005 to 3 October 2005

· Audits

  o Audit on the compliance of installed stopping devices at vertical shaft stations. A compliance report were submitted and corrective actions taken on non-compliant items

  o Auditing record management systems of all AngloGold Ashanti business units. A full close-out report was submitted and I compiled a Company Guideline compliant with applicable legislation, applying to relevant ISO standards.

· Business Planning

  o Compiling the 2005 Technology business plan for TauTona mine. This involved a comprehensive report of all implemented and planned new technological systems at the mine with estimates and planned cash flow towards roll out and commissioning.

· Projects

  o Project leader on a new technology, laser measurement system for monitoring ground side wall and steelwork movement within the sub shaft barrel of TauTona Mine. The project included all designs, procurement, manufacturing, installation and commissioning.

  o Project leader on a new technology project to measure guide gauge continuously throughout a vertical shaft during normal hoisting operations. The project included all relevant research, all necessary designs, procurement and experimental tests until a suitable system was found.

  o Project leader on a total civil and electrical upgrade of the Block House at TauTona Mine. The project included the installation and layout designs of new protection gear as well as the safety circuit designs.

  o Design and manufacturing of a transport car, called the “Moon Buggy”, from stainless steel for a 3-D scanner. The buggy was used for scanning underground ore-passes. The project included an underground transport car for the buggy.

· Practical experience

  o Vertical transport, incline shafts and underground horizontal transport

  o Electrical reticulation and protection of HT and LT circuits

  o Underground pumping systems and water treatment

  o Compressors and compressed air reticulation

  o Boilers, including stoker boilers and electrode boilers

  o Refrigeration plants on surface as well as underground

  o Gold plant operation, maintenance and management

  o Gold mining production areas

  o Main ventilation fans used for the ventilation of underground mines

All experience involved the compilation and submission of a written report on the area, signed off by a competent Engineer/Engineering Manager. Knowledge gained on this field was then tested in a coaching session in the presence of the Engineering Manager, Mentor and Training Manager.