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 From
the Editor - Welcome to the first edition of the World of Mining Professionals
(WOMP), a new electronic newsletter from Engineering & Mining Journal
(E&MJ). This new editorial tool was developed for E&MJ to better
serve its readership. With more than 10,000 readers outside North America, no
one understands the frustrations of distributing an international trade journal
better than E&MJ, except maybe the readers in the most remote mining regions.
Postal systems have improved dramatically over the years, but snail mail is
what it is. Mergers and acquisitions are taking place at a frenetic pace as
mining......
read more
Steve Fiscor, Editor in Chief
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Governments
Looking for Bigger Piece of Mining Pie
- Higher prices for metals are prompting governments in some minerals-rich
countries to tap the mining industry for increased government
revenue. Following are brief reports on such actions in Bolivia, Zambia, Tanzania,
and South Africa. In Bolivia,on Feb. 9, President Evo Morales nationalized
the Vinto tin smelter owned by Glencore International........
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Rio Tinto
Continues Iron Ore Port Expansions - Rio Tinto announced a further expansion
of its iron ore export capacity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Nameplate annual
capacity at the Cape Lambert port will be increased from 55 to 80 million mt for an
investment of $860 million (Rio Tinto share $456 million). Upon completion of the expansion.......
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AngloGold Ashanti Deepening Mponeng - AngloGold Ashanti will develop its Mponeng
mine below the mine’s 120 level at a capital cost of $252 million. The project, from which production will
start in 2013, is expected to produce 2.5 million oz of gold over a period of 10 years
and will extend the life of the mine by about eight years to 2024. Mponeng is located .......
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Suncor
to Expand Its Oil Shale Mining by Using New Technology - Suncor Energy Inc. initiated the regulatory
approval and stakeholder consultation process on plans to develop an expanded oil sands
mining operation when it filed a public disclosure document with government officials in February.
The proposed project, to be called Voyageur South, would be located .......
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 Heraeus
Opens PGM Refinery in South Africa - W. C. Heraeus started up a new platinum group
metals refinery in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in early February 2007. Built in cooperation
with Northam Platinum and the South African Department of Minerals and Energy, the refinery
will process Northam metals production. It is the first PGM refinery in South Africa
capable of integrated fabrication of added-value products required for the manufacture of catalytic
converters for the automobile industry. South Africa’s automobile industry is centered on
Port Elizabeth and will be a key customer .......
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Metallica Begins Loading
Cerro San Pedro Leach Pad - Metallica Resources announced in January
that the first truck load of ore was delivered to the leach pad over the recently constructed
haul road at its Cerro San Pedro heap-leach gold and silver project. Additionally, Metallica's
wholly-owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera San Xavier, S.A. de C.V., received its explosives
permit from SEDENA (Secretaria de Defensa National) for the calendar year 2007. According
to a company press .......
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Teck Cominco Investing $300 Million to Extend Highland Valley Mine Life
- On Feb. 12, 2007, Teck Cominco announced plans for a further six-year mine life extension
from 2013 to 2019 at the Highland Valley copper mine near Kamloops, British Columbia. The
Highland Valley mine plan now contemplates mining an additional 247 million mt of ore from ......
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Favorable Feasibility for Yukon’s
Wolverine Project - Yukon Zinc Corp. has received an optimized
feasibility study of its Wolverine base and precious metals project from Wardrop
Engineering that pronounces the project technically and economically viable. The
Wolverine project is located in south-central Yukon, 195 km northwest of Watson Lake and
135 km southeast of Ross River. The feasibility study forecasts average annual production
of 53,400 mt of zinc, 4,860 mt of copper, 6,010 mt of lead, 4.9 million oz of silver, and 20,200 oz of gold
in the zinc, copper, and lead concentrates during the first three years of operation.
Capital cost to develop the project is estimated at $183.2 million before a contingency of $24.3 million ......
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Cameco Reports Remediation Progress at Flooded Cigar Lake - Cameco reported in late January 2007 that it is making progress
with a phased plan to restore the underground workings at its Cigar Lake uranium project in northern Saskatchewan after a water inflow
on Oct. 23, 2006, flooded the development (E&MJ, Nov. 2006, p. 5, and Dec. 2006, p. 16). The first phase of the remediation
plan involves drilling holes down to the source of the inflow and to a nearby tunnel where reinforcement may be needed, pumping concrete
through the drill holes, sealing off the inflow with grout, and drilling dewatering holes. Subsequent phases will include dewatering
the mine, ground freezing in the area of the inflow, restoring underground areas, and resumption of mine development ......
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CVRD Budgets $6.334 Billion for 2007 Capital Expenditures - CVRD has budgeted $6.334 billion for capital spending
on organic growth and maintenance The budget consolidates planned capital expenditures for CVRD Inco, which the company acquired
in late 2006, and is the largest capex budget in the company’s history ......
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Peñasquito Fully Permitted
- Goldcorp reported on Jan. 22, 2007, that it has received all permits required for full mine and mill
construction, and operation of its Peñasquito project in Zacatecas, Mexico. The Peñasquito
mine is projected to be the largest mine in Mexico when in full production, with average annual production of 387,500 oz
of gold, 22.8 million oz of silver, and 137,000 mt of zinc over a 17-year mine life. Goldcorp had planned completion ......
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Petaquilla Costs Updated - Teck Cominco, Inmet Mining, and Petaquilla Minerals and Petaquilla Copper have released the results
of a cost update to the 1998 feasibility study of the Petaquilla copper project in Panama. Prepared by AMEC Americas, the updated estimates
are based on the designs, specifications, databases, models, assumptions, and quantity estimates used in the 1998 study. The updated
study estimates total capital cost to develop the project, including working capital, at $1.7 billion, up from $1.1 billion in the
1998 study. Cash operating costs during years 1 to 10 of operation are estimated at $0.76/lb of copper produced ......
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Oxiana Bids for Agincourt - Oxiana Ltd. announced an agreed A$415- million, all-share offer for Agincourt Resources
on Jan. 29, 2007. The Agincourt board recommended that in the absence of a superior proposal the company’s shareholders accept the offer.
Newmont Mining, which holds a 19.9% interest in Agincourt, signed an option and prebid acceptance deed supporting the offer. The
transaction is expected to close by mid-April 2007. Agincourt’s prime asset is its Martabe gold and silver project on the west coast
of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The project has a JORC-compliant resource of 5.3 million oz of gold ......
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Uzbek Court Rules in Favor of Amantaytau - Oxus Gold reported
in early January 2007 that the Amantaytau Goldfields (AGF) joint venture in Uzbekistan(50% Oxus/50% government of Uzbekistan)
had successfully appealed against fines and penalties imposed by a regional court at the end of October 2006. As a result
of the appeal, fines and penalties totaling about $208 million were dismissed. Of that total, $203.6 million related to alleged
transgressions in the operation of AGF’s overseas foreign currency bank account. AGF maintained that it was authorized by
decree of the Cabinet of Ministers to operate the account and that its operations were conducted legitimately ......
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Equinox Constructing Lumwana - Following signing of a $583.8 million debt facility in early
December 2006, Equinox Minerals has swung into full construction mode at its Lumwana open-pit copper project in northwest Zambia.
Project design calls for mining and processing of 20 million mt/y of ore to produce 188,000
mt/y of copper in concentrate during the first five years of operation. Life-of-mine production
will average 150,000 mt/y. Proven and probable reserves at Lumwana total 321 million mt,
grading 0.73% copper. Mine life, including mining of current inferred resources, is projected
at more than 37 years. Commissioning is scheduled to begin during ......
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Eland Platinum Starts Open-PitMining - Eland
Platinum Holdings initiated open pit mining at its Elandsfontein project near Brits, South Africa, in January 2007. The first
production blast broke about 300,000 mt of rock in the mine’s western UG2 boxcut. Commissioning of the Elandsfontein concentrator
is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2007, by which time some 600,000 mt of ore from the open-pit will have been stockpiled.
At initial steady-state operation, the Elandsfontein project is expected to produce ......
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FinMetal
Buys into Large Finnish Nickel-Prospect Land Package - FinMetal Mining Ltd. reported in February
that it had reached an agreement to purchase up to 100% of the shares of Magnus Minerals Oy, a Finnish private company. According
to FinMetal Mining, the deal positions FinMetal to become a leading developer of advanced nickel projects in Finland. A FinMetal press
statement said that the Magnus property package enables FinMetal to acquire claim reservations and claims covering approximately
2,500 km2 in Finland. More than 40 individual prospects are contained in the package, almost all of which have encountered
nickel mineralization......
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 Crushing System
Breaking Records in the Powder River Basin
- The McLanahan DDF120-40 Dual Drag
Feeder and 36 x 120 Model-HC Super Triple
Roll Crusher recently commissioned at Arch
Coal’s Black Thunder mine, combine to create
the highest capacity single truck dump station
in the U.S. Rated for 6,000 t/h, Black Thunder
reported through-put capacity exceeding the
system rating within the first month ......
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Colombia Coal Mine Explosion Kills
32 - An explosion tore through
a makeshift coal mine in remote northeast
Colombia on February 3, killing 32 miners,
the Associated Press reported. Rescue crews
located the bodies buried more than 1,300
ft underground but were unable to safely
remove them. Officials had previously reported
that three miners were dead and 28 were
missing at the mine in the remote hamlet
of San Roque, 255 miles northeast of Bogota.
The morning explosion was caused by “some
sparkand the gas that was inside” the mine,
said Fernando Rosales, director of civil
defense in Norte de Santander state. Earlier
in the day, authorities pleaded ......
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Anglo Coal in BEE Transaction
- Anglo American’s wholly owned coal subsidiary
Anglo Coal SA has taken another step toward
meeting the South African government’s economic
empowerment requirements with the creation
of a R7 billion black-empowered coal firm.
According to Business Day, the group said
it has formed a new company, Anglo Inyosi
Coal, which would be 27% owned by a consortium
of black women ......
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Report Says Germany Will Close
Coal Mines by 2018 - Germany will shut down its coal mines,
which helped fuel the country’s postwar
economic miracle, by 2018, the Associated
Press reported. Kurt Beck, head of the Social
Democrat Party, and Economy Minister Michael
Glos announced that a coalition of
left and right political parties agreed
to phase out heavily subsidized coal mining
in Germany by 2018. But as a compromise,
the parties also agreed on a clause that
would see the decision reviewed in 2012
to ensure it was still valid in the context
of the energy situation at that time. There
are currently eight coal mines operating
in Germany, employing around 33,000 people.
The mines currently receive subsidies of
up to €2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) a year.
An end to the subsidies ......
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 Achieving World Class Maintenance Status
Measuring and assessing maintenance
performance. "Successful maintenance is not a stand-alone
activity."
By Paul D. Tomlingson
“World class” performance is the ultimate
objective of many maintenance organizations.
It marks the organization as a leader in its
industry and sets it apart as the ultimate
achiever. But, what is world class, and how
can it be achieved? World class maintenance
could result when an organization consistently
produces reliable equipment by conducting
an effective program using accurate, timely,
complete information. The challenge is to
determine what constitutes a world class maintenance
organization ......
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 Mobility, Air and Light
are Important Tools for Remote Mine Maintenance Programs
From Jakarta.
SSB TransPORTER reports growing demand for
the self-contained maintenance work vehicles
it builds for mining and other companies.
The operation, which is the Transport Equipment
Division of steel fabricator PT Sanggar Sarana
Baja (SSB), is currently ordering portable
air compressors and generators at the rate
of 20 units per year for use onboard these
vehicles and expects to need more in the near
future. Manufacturing Manager John Schwarzenberg
says this is because the popularity of the
mobile maintenance concept ......
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 Set
to Soar
Record performance in 2006, coupled
with the likely prospect of tripling gold
production by
2009, has Agnico-Eagle flying high.
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor
During E&MJ’s visit to Agnico-Eagle
Mines’ Quebec operations, one of the company’s
managers half-jokingly compared AEM’s public
image to a wellknown description of waterfowl
propulsion. “On top,” he said, “a duck looks
calm, serene and moves smoothly across the
surface. Underwater, he’s paddling like crazy.”
Substitute “underground” for “underwater,”
and the description becomes surprisingly apt
for this Canadian gold producer. For many
years a one-mine company known for its conservative
strategy and decades-long string of dividend
payments, Toronto, Ontario-based AEM has recently
applied its extensive underground mining knowledge,
bolstered by a healthy balance sheet and strong
metal prices, to quickly and significantly
expand its sphere of activity in Quebec’s
famous Cadillac-Bousquet mining district as
well as internationally. AEM currently is
developing three new mines ......
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 SAG
Mill Success—Start with the Basics
New products and techniques
proliferate for maintaining and improving
mill performance, but careful planning
at installation may be the most effective
tool of all.
With units available in ratings up to
35,000 hp, capable of supporting a grinding
line that can output more than 100,000 mt/d,
SAG mills have played a steadily growing role
in mineral processing. To get an idea of the
extent to which this technology has been accepted
by the mining industry, it’s only necessary
to look at a brief sampling of recent contract
awards from major mill suppliers. • FFE Minerals Brazil was awarded a contract
to supply a 26 x 16-ft, 6,500-hp SAG mill—as
well as a 21 x 32.5-ft, 9,600–hp ball mill—for
CVRD’s Paragominas bauxite mine in northern
Brazil. ......
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 Mill Installation
Getting to the Heart of the
Matter
By Peter Nilsson, Outokumpu Technology
Australia.
Who recently compiled some useful recommendations
for planning basic mill installation. His
suggestions are based on the concept that
the milling/grinding area is traditionally
known as “the heart of the plant.” So, when
it comes to preparing the installation of
a plant’s “heart,” a great deal of planning
is required. The following information outlines
some commonsense steps and pointers which
are crucial to this planning process.
Step 1–Preparing the method statement.
Safety aspects, especially how to handle
large components, must be the primary consideration
when planning any large ......
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 Two New Diesels
for Underground - John Deere Power
Systems (JDPS) has introduced two diesel engines
certified by the U.S. Mine and Health Safety
Administration (MSHA) for the underground
mining market. The PowerTech 2.4L and 3.0L
diesel engines received MSHA certification
in late 2006 and are designed for the tough
environments of underground mining. The MSHA
certification allows JDPS to introduce these
engine ......
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 Small Submersible
Dewatering Pump - Tsurumi has launched
a new pump in its popular LB series—small
and robust submersible contractors’ pumps
suitable for a wide range of dewatering applications.
The LB-1500 has a 1.5-kW power rating, a 17.5-m
maximum head and a 440-liter per minute maximum
capacity. It is an extension of the existing
range which already comprises four smaller
models, two at 480 W and two at 750 W ......
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 Peristaltic
Pumps with Improved Performance -
Larox Flowsys has expanded its product line
to include the Larox LPP80 peristaltic pump.
The LPP series pumps incorporate a unique
patented rolling design that is claimed to
eliminate friction, maximize hose life and
lower energy consumption. The roller is mounted
on a crankshaft creating eccentric rotation
during the 360° operating cycle. Compared
to conventional peristaltic pumps, Larox says
the ......read more |
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 New Impact Crusher -
Telsmith’s
new PA6060 Andreas-style impact crusher features
a 46 X 60 in. feed opening and can handle
up to 40-in. feed.
Its advanced features include: asolid-type
sculptured rotor for higher inertia and greater
blow bar backing support; a hydraulic tilting
feed plate that safely eliminates bridging;
interchangeable, reversible mono-block aprons
for wear parts cost control; oversized 220-
mm-wide bearings ......
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 Fans for Tough
Mine Applications - JetAir, which
specializes in building and refurbishing axial
vane fans from 18- to 84-in. diameter and
up to 500 hp, says all of its fan blades are
now forged instead of cast, thus making them
much stronger to the point of virtual indestructibility,
according to the company. The Farmington,
New Mexico-based company also announced that
it has developed a line of Super-Silenced
fans that run quieter and take up less space
......
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Dyno Nobel Takes Stake in Chinese
Explosives Manufacturer - Dyno
Nobel has acquired 29.9% of the ordinary
shares in Fabchem China Ltd., an explosives
company listed on the Singapore stock exchange.
The total consideration of up to S$0.70
per Fabchem share equates to US$31.8 million
which includes an up-front payment of S$0.52
per share, an additional S$0.13 per share
payable upon achieving profit hurdles in
2008, and S$0.05 per share payable upon
......
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 Outokumpu Technology
Oy — Joy so Far - Starting 2007 as
an independent company, maybe looking for
a new name, Outokumpu Technology’s business
has seemingly got off to a vigorous start,
announcing orders for long-established and
new technologies. On January 11, the company
announced that, in addition to the flash flotation
circuit already ordered, it is to supply the
thickening circuit for the expansion project
at the Boddington gold mine in Australia.
The contract covers the design and supply
of four thickeners, of which the largest will
be a 74-m Supaflo high rate model. Almost
all the components will be sourced locally.
On January 15, the firm announced ......
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Sandvik to Unite Products Under
One Name - Sandvik Mining &
Construction announcedrecently that it will
consolidate its various brands of equipment—which
include Tamrock, Toro, EJC, Voest-Alpine
Bergtechnik, Driltech, Mission, BPI, Rammer
and Roxon—under the sole name Sandvik. “I
believe that doing business under one brand
will clarify Sandvik’s total offering and
make it even easier for our customers to
do business with us. This also is a natural
consequence following the reorganization
of our company last year. Our customers
will have to call only one number for sales,
support and servicing on all Sandvik equipment,
irrespective of what kind of equipment it
is, just to mention some benefits,” said
Lars Josefsson, president of Sandvik Mining
& Construction. “We will continue to
offer world-class products ......read more
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 Big Mold Retreads
Giant Tires - Ohio Machine &
Manufacturing Co. says it has built the world’s
largest giant off-road earthmover radial tire
retread mold. The mold produces two radial
tire sizes: 4000R57 and 46/90R57, in Goodyear
RL4B design. It measures 175 in. in diameter,
53 in. wide, and weighs 55,000 lb. ......
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| APRIL
23-29, 2007: bauma 2007,
Munich, Germany. Contact: Messe Munchen; Tel: 49 89 9 49-2
07 20; Fax: 49 89 9 49-2 14 19; Web: http://www.messe-muenchen.de/
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APRIL
24-26, 2007: MiningWorld
Russia 2007, Moscow, Russia. Contact: World Mining Events; Tel: 44
(0) 20 7870 2588; Fax: 44 (0) 20 7596 5096;
Web: http://www.miningworld-events.com/
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APRIL
24-27, 2007: APCOM—33rd International Symposium on
Application of Computers and Operations Research
in the Mineral Industry, Santiago, Chile. Contact: Olga Cherepanova;
Tel: 56 2 652-1519; Fax: 56-2 652-1570; E-mail:
info@apcom2007.com;
Web: www.apcom2007.com
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APRIL
29, 2007: First International Symposium on Fuel
Cell Applications to Mining, Montreal, Canada. Contact:
Jean Vavrek, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy
and Petroleum; Tel: 514-939-2710; E-mail: jvavrek@cim.org
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APRIL
29-MAY 2, 2007: 2007
CIM Conference and Exhibition, Montreal, Canada.
Contact:
Jean-Marc Demers; E-mail: jmdemers@cim.org
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APRIL
29-MAY 2, 2007: Minefill 2007—9th International Symposium
on Mining with Backfill, Montreal, Canada.
Sponsored by CIM, McGill University, and Queen’s
University. Contact: Ferri Hassani; Tel:
514-398-8060; E-mail: ferri.hassani@mcgill.ca
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APRIL
29-MAY 2, 2007: 2nd
Montreal Iron Ore Symposium, Montreal, Canada. Contact:
Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum;
Tel: 514-939-2710; Fax: 514-939-2714; E-mail: cim@cim.org;
Web: www.cim.org/montreal2007
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CVRD Inco,
a subsidiary of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce
(CVRD), announced that Murilo
Ferreira has been appointed president and CEO.
He will also retain his current position
as executive director, CVRD. Leonardo
Moretzsohn, former director Internal Controls Department
CVRD, has been appointed executive VP and
CFO of CVRD Inco. Scott
Hand, former president and CEO of CVRD Inco,
has elected to retire. He will assume a
parttime role as senior advisor to CVRD.
Bob Davies, former CFO, has elected to leave CVRD
Inco.
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BHP Billiton
recently announced that CEO Chip Goodyear
will retire from the company by the end of 2007.
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J. Steven
Whisler, chairman and CEO of Phelps Dodge Corp.,
received The Copper Club’s Ankh Award naming
him the Copper Man of the Year 2007. The
board of directors of the Copper Club voted
to honor Whisler with the recognition for
his leadership both within his company and
in the copper industry. The award was presented
at the club’s annual dinner during February.
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Hecla
Mining Co. recently announced the appointments
of Dr. Dean Mc- Donald as VP–Exploration
and Jay
S. Layman as VP-Corporate Development.
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First Quantum Minerals Ltd. Announced
the appointments of David
E. J. Moroney as
CFO and Martin
Rowley as
executive director Business Development.
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Northland
Resources Inc. announced the appointment
of Allen Gordon as VP,
Business Development.
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Bosch
Rexroth Corp. announced that Berend
Bracht, former CEO of Bosch Rexroth China and
former head of the company’s U.S. industrial
hydraulics operation has been named president
and CEO. He replaces Wolfgang Dangel, who
has led the U.S. subsidiary of the German-based
company since April 2003.
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Derrick
Butterfield has joined
Volvo CE as manager of global market communications
and training for the company’s excavator
business line.
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About - providing an abreviated version
of the current print edition of E&MJ, WOMP is
distributed throughout the world to decision makers
in the global mining industry, the last week of every
month.
Subscribe to E&MJ - To receive
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