News
Orica Explosives & Detonators
Acquisition of Dynamit Nobel Explosives Division
NSG Exports Ltd has for many years been the agent for the majority of the Caribbean islands for Orica explosives and detonators manufactured in Brazil and with Orica’s acquisition of the explosives division of Dynamit Nobel Orica products now satisfy 90% of the demands of the Caribbean region.
In-line with the major acquisition Orica has reorganised operations with Orica SA, Costa Rica replacing the Sao Paulo Brazil facility as the office responsible for sales and technical support for South America and the Caribbean area. The company’s factory in Monterey, Mexico is now the manufacturing centre for the company’s range of explosives with detonators produced in Chile from where air freight is utilised for delivery to the Caribbean region via Miami. Orica’s own ships deliver explosives to the islands up to 5 times/year, more than any other supplier.
Orica’s technical support encompasses training programs either based at the company’s manufacturing centre in Mexico where there is an adjacent quarry for blasting demonstrations or an Orica technician is available to visit a client’s site accompanied by an NSG representative. Typical of the support provided by Orica is exemplified by the recent re-design of a customer’s drilling pattern to increase blast efficiency that combined with the effectiveness of the Orica product reduced the percentage of explosive required to achieve the same blast result.
The first NSG orders for the reorganised Orica Group were obtained in June for explosives, detonators and ammonium nitrate for St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Grenada.
Tobago
Studley Park Quarry Heavy Plant & Equipment
NSG Exports Ltd has been awarded the contract for the redevelopment of Studley Park Quarry by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) with responsibility for sourcing the heavy plant and equipment and the requisite expertise using external consultants and suppliers technicians in order to achieve the outstanding potential profitability of the quarry.
The main elements of the substantial investment (in excess of US$ 14 million) are a crushing plant with the associated equipment of drilling rig, excavators, dump trucks, front end loader, weighbridge, telescopic-handler and transformer and generator; asphalt plant supported by a second front end loader, bitumen tankers and generator; and a concrete batching plant (the first on Tobago) with the associated mixer trucks, a third front end loader, concrete placing pump and bulk cement tankers. The plant has been sourced by NSG from the UK, USA and Germany.
NSG also provided the expertise for the design of the admixtures specified to produce concrete with different load bearing properties and the additives necessary to maintain the concrete in a satisfactory condition during transportation with particular reference to high temperature Caribbean conditions. The additives were also sourced by NSG. The complete plant is expected to be in full production by year end.
Antigua
Antigua Masonry Products (AMP) Crushing Plant
As part of AMP’s development plans and based upon the AMP’s long association with NSG during the latters 35 years of activity in the Caribbean region NSG was instructed to recommend and source a new crushing plant and associated dump trucks for AMP’s quarry activities. Two Terex 35 ton dump trucks were supplied from the Terex UK factory and a crushing plant comprising portable primary jaw crushing plant, secondary rollercone, horizontal wash screen and associated motor control package with operator cabin was sourced from Cedarapids USA. A complete range of spares was supplied and a comprehensive training program was included in the NSG package.
Barbados
Barbados Transport Board CCTV Systems for Buses
After a 2 year period of evaluation comprising extended visits to UK bus companies utilising the equipment of the UK’s leading supplier of security systems for buses and to the manufacturers facility in the North of England as arranged by NSG, the Barbados Transport Board has awarded NSG the contract for the supply of CCTV systems for 250 buses of the Boards fleet.
The system for each bus comprises 4 CCTV cameras specifically designed for monitoring passengers and external activities linked to a 100 Gb DVD recorder capable of recording 30 days of activity. The driver also has a 5 inch TFT monitor mounted in the bus cab to monitor the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Each system is also designed to link to the base depot.
NSG is working with local company Simpson Motors for the installation of the systems on the 250 buses and has arranged for the CCTV manufacturers engineers to assist local personnel with the first installations and provide training on operation and maintenance.
