BME, along with Protea Mining Chemicals, forms the mining division within the Omnia Group. The Omnia Group is a JSE listed, diversified provider of specialised chemical products and services used in the mining, agriculture and chemicals sectors.

Omnia has been in business for 61 years and has its head office in Johannesburg. The group’s operations extend across Africa, Australasia and Brazil.

The group differentiates itself from commodity chemical providers by adding value at every stage of the supply and service chain through technological innovation and by deploying its intellectual capital.

Driving blasting tech for Africa and beyond
BME is all about innovation – using technology to ensure that every blast brings value to its customers. Formed in 1984 on the strength of cold emulsion technology that has since become an industry standard, BME offers cutting edge products and services at every stage in the explosives supply chain.

In Africa, it is now a leading manufacturer and supplier of explosives, related accessories and blasting services to the mining, quarrying and construction industries. BME works wherever its customers take it. The company has a footprint in the SADC region, as well as a global footprint in territories such as Australia, Indonesia and the Americas – ensuring a diversified portfolio.

Secure supply lines and safety first
As a division of the Omnia Group, BME has leveraged considerable investment in its manufacturing base, including two nitric acid plants; two ammonium nitrate facilities and a prilling plant; a cartridge explosive facility; a detonator plant; and more than a dozen emulsion plants throughout Africa.

BME’s expertise and experience of working in Africa enables it to rapidly supply and commission emulsion plants at any location. With the production infrastructure and supply network that BME has developed over the past three decades, its clients are assured of seamless service. It also enforces a best practice environment that prioritises health and safety for all stakeholders – from bulk emulsions, plants and trucks, to software and initiating systems. The company’s main product ranges include bulk emulsions; on site bulk emulsion plants; packaged explosives; and initiating systems.

BME is the market leader in emulsions and explosives in Africa. It was the first explosives company to introduce cold emulsions into SA’s opencast mines. Consequently, its INNOVEX brand of bulk emulsions has become synonymous with high quality and reliability. The company provides a wide range of technical services, from routine blast monitoring using modern equipment and software, to advanced consultancy and optimisation projects.

BME’s recently launched Blasting Guide application for Android mobile devices is a free mobile app, available for download from the Google Play Store, that replaces traditional paper booklets carried and referenced by in field users. Its leading design software – including Blastmap III and the state of the art AXXIS Digital Initiation System – provide the advantage of achieving cost saving initiatives in blasting. The aim is more wealth for the client through improved efficiencies from blasting optimally.

Examples include reduced ore dilution and finer fragmentation for increased mineral recovery and higher plant throughput rates; improved wall quality and potentially steeper walls for reduced waste mining and longer life of mine; up to 25% higher rates of ore exposure using effective timing designs and accurate AXXIS electronic detonators; and single pass multiple seam mining using advanced timing designs and AXXIS electronic detonators.

BME’s main services include down the hole full blasting services; blast consulting, auditing and monitoring; blast software; mine to mill optimisation; fly rock control; muck pile profiling; and fragmentation analysis.

With operations throughout all regions of the continent, as well as in Indonesia and Australia, BME has built a reputation for maintaining supply security and managing seamless global procurement processes for all its products. Its services in Africa range from tailor made packages, providing high level technical services for underground and surface mining operations in all commodity sectors, including quarrying. BME prides itself on its infrastructure building expertise, delivering quick and customised solutions to customers’ particular specifications, capacities and requirements. This includes containerised emulsion plants for bulk explosives in the majority of African countries it operates in.

Rigorous safety systems and protocols are integral to the company’s operational policy and are applied at every site. BME also ensures transfer of skills to local personnel through specialised technical training and has a variety of CSR initiatives in place.

Intaba House, 13 Sloane Street
Epsom Downs, Bryanston
+27 (0)11 709 8888
[email protected]
www.bme.co.za