Marampa Mine, Sierra Leone
“Polypipe was the supplier who could meet our needs in terms of speed of manufacture. They were aware that we had a specific shipping date already booked and were able to work to our timescales, supplying pipes to lengths suitable for maximising container capacity. The communications between our two teams were excellent and the flexibility that Polypipe were able to demonstrate meant that the whole supply process went very smoothly.” Jonathan Lewis, Dawnus
THE CHALLENGE
Polypipe meets tight logistics schedule for supply to Marampa Mine. A twinwall drainage system from Polypipe has been installed in the first phase of the infrastructure work at the Marampa Mine project in Sierra Leone. The Ridgidrain pipes were shipped from the UK, meeting an extremely tight logistics schedule, a key part of the supply arrangement.
Appointed as the principal mining contractor for the first phase of the works, Dawnus commenced the £122m mining operations in December 2012. Included in the infrastructure being created by Dawnus to support the mining operations, there is an internationally accredited training centre which will focus on the ongoing training and development of the local workforce. Dawnus were subsequently awarded an additional package of work to drain and stabilise an existing tailings dam. The work involved installing a pipeline that will drain the water within the tailings dam to a local water treatment area. High Density
Polyethylene (HDPE) is the material of choice in many mining applications, being ideally suited to rugged terrain, extreme climates and changing site environments.
The business was placed via a competitive tender and a key requirement was the ability to manufacture to extremely tight supply deadlines. Space had already been booked on a container ship due to deliver construction supplies to the project, so the winning company had to be able to manufacture the various pipes and fi ttings required and ensure that they were available at the dockside to meet the shipping date.
THE SOLUTION
UK-based Polypipe won the order to supply its Ridgidrain HDPE product by demonstrating the ability to manufacture to extremely tight supply deadlines and to pull together products from its various manufacturing sites into one consignment. The Polypipe Ridgidrain twinwall system, which offers a complete solution for non-pressurised surface and sub-surface drainage applications, is lightweight and offers exceptional compression strength with easy push-fi t installation. It delivers time and cost savings over traditional systems and requires no heavy lifting equipment on site. Normally manufactured in 6m lengths the consignment for Dawnus was made to 5.8m lengths, to allow for the internal dimensions of the shipping containers and maximise their capacity.