Peninsula Quarry’s carefully engineered bench layout supports efficient extraction of both blue rock and brown rock materials from the same production areas.
2,8 m. These blasting parameters have been refined over time to achieve optimal fragmentation for both primary crushing cir- cuits. Oversized material can create bottlenecks throughout the processing chain, increasing wear on crushers and reducing overall efficiency. Maintaining consistent fragmentation therefore plays a major role in controlling operating costs and sustaining production levels. Kruger emphasised that Peninsula Quarry evaluates the entire production process as an integrated system rather than a series of separate activities. “What happens at the blast face ulti- mately affects every part of the plant downstream,” he says. “If fragmentation is consistent, the entire process becomes more effi- cient and more predictable.” Technology driving productivity Technology and data-driven oper-
growing market demand. “The demand for quality aggregate in the Western Cape remains strong,” he says. “We are evaluating addi- tional modular plant solutions that will allow us to expand production capacity in a flexible and efficient manner as demand increases.” Optimisation begins at the blast face According to Kruger, efficient pro- duction at Peninsula Quarry starts long before material reaches the crushing plant. “Drill-and-blast design is regarded as one of the most important aspects of the operation because fragmentation quality directly influences down- stream crusher performance, wear rates, fuel consumption and plant throughput,” he says. The quarry uses 115 mm blast holes with burden and spacing parameters of approximately 3,9 m x 4,3 m and stemming lengths of
ational management play a major role in maintaining Peninsula Quarry’s efficiencies. The opera- tion continuously measures plant availability, throughput, payload performance and equipment turnaround times. Load-and-haul activities, drilling and blasting and product delivery are outsourced, but contractor performance is closely managed through ser- vice-level agreements and ongoing monitoring. One of the more interesting operational controls is the quar- ry’s strict fleet-age policy. Mining and dispatch equipment are generally not permitted to exceed 15 000 operating hours, ensuring high reliability levels while reduc- ing downtime and maintenance risks. Within the plant itself, optimi- sation efforts focus heavily on crusher closed-side settings (CSS), choke feeding conditions and screen media selection. Even relatively small changes in CSS can affect product grading, recirculating loads and throughput efficiency, making precise control essential for stable production. The quarry has also introduced split-bearing arrangements in key plant areas to reduce main- tenance downtime. Unlike con- ventional bearings, split bearings simplify replacement procedures and minimise the amount of
Drill-and-blast design is regarded as one of the most important aspects of the operation because fragmentation quality directly influences downstream crusher performance, wear rates, fuel consumption and plant throughput.
MODERN QUARRYING Quarter 2 | 2026 16
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