Booysen Bore celebrates milestone with purchase of 80th Epiroc Drill Rig

Sustainable business success relies on a strong and enduring relationship between a customer and a supplier. There is more to such a relationship than simple transactions; it is based on trust, mutual understanding and a shared commitment to long-term value creation. This is the ethos that has been the foundation of the long-standing relationship between Epiroc and Booysen Bore over the past 30 years and it is this symbiotic relationship that has now delivered the 80th FlexiROC D65 machine to Booysen Bore. The drill rig, which was scheduled for delivery in July 2023, will be used at an iron ore mine in the Northern Cape.

Chief Executive Officer, Hennie Booysen, founded Booysen Bore in 1977 to focus mainly on exploration drilling. The family business went on to expand its services to include blast-hole drilling, growing into one of the world’s largest privately owned drilling companies and a leading player in the Northern Cape’s mining industry. A member of Mogs (Mineral, Oil & Gas Services), Booysen Bore offers services including Down-The-Hole (DTH), percussion, exploration, core drilling, and in-pit de-watering drilling. In addition to operating mainly in the province’s iron ore and manganese mines, Booysen Bore also supplies drilling services to solar facilities in the region.

The relationship with Atlas Copco Mining & Rock Excavation (which became Epiroc in 2018) started in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s when Booysen Bore migrated from jumper rigs to percussion rigs and began using Atlas Copco compressors. “We initially chose Atlas Copco because it was one of the leading compressor manufacturers globally with a reputation that preceded them,” states Hennie. “Throughout the nineties we purchased many compressors from Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area and towards the end of that decade we bought our very first ROC L8 surface drill rig.”

At present, Booysen Bore operates a fleet of FlexiROC D60, D65, D65 Smart, as well as several different core drilling machines. “Our oldest FlexiROC is a 2012 D60 model that has run for 50 000 hours,” affirms Hennie. “Under extreme surface and weather conditions, we drill into some of the hardest rocks in the world, with compressive strengths exceeding 500 MPa; so these rugged drilling machines take a tremendous beating and their reliability is unquestionable.”

Owing to Epiroc’s ongoing innovations in engineering, designs and technologies, FlexiROC drill rigs have evolved over the years, meeting industry standards and offering increased performance and robustness to withstand the most stringent conditions that can be thrown at them. Engines and compressors have become more powerful and efficient, cooling systems have been improved, hole alignment is faster and more accurate and fault finding and troubleshooting are offered. Additionally, chain feed replaced cable feed and SmartROC features fuel saving technology with HNS and One Touch Drilling options.

“These innovations have made drilling so much more efficient, saving us both time and money in the long run. It is impossible to find a better machine than an Epiroc! As a result of their class-beating rugged reliability and alignment with advanced technology, we continue to purchase FlexiROC machines from Epiroc. The value add to our business is priceless. When reliability is combined with availability and a good team, you cannot ask for anything more,” stresses Hennie.

As a global leader in drilling and underground mining machines and equipment, Epiroc is renowned for building longstanding partnerships with customers and being part of the customer’s journey, from enquiry to aftermarket support. Hennie concludes, “The aftermarket support we receive from Epiroc, and in particular, Jacobus Pretorius and Wynand van Straten, is exceptional. We receive prompt response times, technical knowledge, guidance, and advice. It is also important to note that FlexiROC machines are exceptionally well maintained and there is excellent availability of parts and spares.”

As Booysen Bore looks to the future, the company affirms its commitment to the ongoing delivery of quality service to current and future customers. Armed with the core values of integrity, respect, continuous learning, service excellence and giving back, Booysen Bore is aiming at new opportunities considering the growth potential of Southern Africa.