Banks Mining hit million tonne landmark at Bantycock
One million tonnes delivered after just over two years on site at UK’s largest gypsum mine
BANKS Mining have hit a major production landmark at the UK’s largest gypsum mine after just over two years on site. Operators Saint-Gobain Formula appointed Banks Mining as principal contractor at Bantycock Quarry, near Newark, in late 2021.
Since then, the family firm has worked in partnership with Saint-Gobain Formula to introduce a number of operational and site management enhancements, with Bantycock recording its most productive year ever in 2022. Now, the Banks Mining team has delivered its one millionth tonne of gypsum after just over two years on site.
Kevin Glasper, Bantycock quarry manager at Saint-Gobain Formula, said: ‘It’s been a huge team effort to make sure everything runs smoothly and, most importantly, safely, and we’re extremely proud of everyone involved in hitting this milestone.
‘Bantycock Quarry is proud to employ 75% of people from the local region and delivers extremely high-purity natural gypsum that is essential in many diverse industries, including construction, food, agriculture, dentistry, and ceramics.’
Neil Cook, Banks Mining’s site manager at Bantycock Quarry, added: ‘Our team has built a strong relationship with the Saint-Gobain Formula site management team since we began work at Bantycock and we’re very pleased to have reached this important production milestone after just two years.
‘We established mining operations at Bantycock quickly in order to ensure continuity of production for Saint-Gobain Formula, and the substantial investment that we’ve made and will continue to make at the site has been central to the safe, smart, and sustainable way in which it is operating.
‘We see the results of this investment every day in the team’s excellent performance, the efficiency of our operations, and the production outcomes that are being delivered, and they’re really setting the standards for the minerals industry.
‘We have a detailed site management plan in place that will deliver both the required production outputs from the site and the environmental innovations that will help Saint-Gobain Formula achieve their carbon emissions reduction goals, and we’re excited about the challenges that lie ahead.’
