Automation/remote control, bulk handling and storage, South African technology and services are three of the main articles currently being written by John and Paul for the January issue of International Mining. The automation/remote control article, for instance, will examine the big new orders for autonomous trucks, look at the latest in blasthole drill automation and peer underground to see the latest technologies being employed there, AND MORE. Do contact the editors, before early December, if you have contributions you wish to suggest for any of these articles.

DRC-based Boss Mining SPRL, owned by Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation PLC (ENRC), has awarded FLSmidth four different orders for equipment at its copper operation in Kakanda in the Katanga Province of the DRC. The value of this bundled equipment package makes it one of the largest orders placed with FLSmidth in South Africa for minerals processing equipment since its acquisition of Dorr-Oliver Eimco in 2007.

Flexible modular design meets high functional standards, in addition to being durable, cost effective, and easy to apply. Complete solutions are available from a single source for efficient exhaust gas treatment. Stand-alone retrofitting solutions that can easily be adapted to individual needs. Bosch Emission Systems is constantly further expanding its portfolio of highly efficient exhaust gas treatment systems.

Ausenco has been awarded a A$45 million Create phase engineering services contract for the $1.8 billion Bozshakol copper project owned by Kazakhmys. Ausenco Minerals and Metals business will be providing engineering services for the concentrator plant that is expected to have a throughput of around 28 28 Mt/y.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Caterpillar has reached an agreement to buy Chinese coal equipment company, ERA Mining Machinery, for $887 million, giving it greater exposure to the potential opportunities in the modernisation of China's coal mines.

Outotec has signed a contract with Quadra FNX Mining for the design and delivery of a process solution to the new copper-molybdenum concentrator located in Sierra Gorda, close to Antofagasta in northern Chile. Deliveries of Outotec TankCell® e300 flotation cells, concentrate and tailings thickeners as well as filters are scheduled to be completed during 2012. In addition, Outotec is also providing installation, commissioning and start-up services for the delivered equipment.

ITT Corporation has announced the launch of the new Goulds XHD extra heavy duty lined Slurry Pump, a next-generation product that according to the company can handle the heaviest slurry under the toughest conditions. The new XHD pump will enable mines and related operations to move slurry with improved reliability and at lower operating cost, says ITT.

African Metals Corporation (AFR) has reported the successful delivery of the Dense Media Separation (DMS) plant, spirals bank and ancillary equipment to the Luisha South copper project in the DRC's Katanga province. Clarification of pre-existing import documentation issues with DRC customs had caused a delay in the transfer of ownership registration to Kundelungu Mineral Resources (KMR), a subsidiary of AFR.

Mintec has released the latest version of MineSight (MS) Haulage, Version 3.5, which it says will further assist mines with building and managing their haulage networks.

There have been two major award notifications to staff at the Salt Lake City headquarters of FLSmidth. Phil Thompson has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 Antoine M. Gaudin Award,

Mining company Grängesberg Iron AB and the Swedish Transport Administration have signed a co-operation agreement on investigations regarding future ore train traffic between the iron ore mine in Grängesberg and the Port of Oxelösund. The mining operations in Grängesberg are planned for a re-start by 2015, with the aim of producing 2.5 Mt/y of iron ore products.

Homegrown Indian mining equipment manufacturer, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) exhibited in China for the first time at the recent 13th China Mining Congress & Expo in Tianjin. BEML was reported in Indian English-language paper The Hindu as stating that it hoped to help China's mining industry meet its demand for mining equipment, and towards this end launched a number of high capacity machines at the show, including mining dozers and haul trucks, tailored to the Chinese market. However, the company is likely to face fierce competition from Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi and others.