Mine-clearance mission for Eriez metal detector
Metalarm metal detector sold to MMD for use in The HALO Trust’s landmine-removal efforts in Africa
ERIEZ Magnetics Europe recently sold a Metalarm metal detector to MMD (Mining Machinery Developments). The detector was then donated to The HALO Trust (Hazardous Area Life-Support Organization) to speed up anti-personnel landmine clearance in Zimbabwe and help support the global Landmine Free 2025 campaign.
MMD designed a special mobile Demining Sizer rig to donate to The HALO Trust to help reach this commitment and Eriez Europe were tasked with designing a metal detector for the rig to detect larger mines prior to them entering the crushing chamber.
Working with MMD’s design team, Eriez delivered a special metal detector that allows smaller contaminates to be ignored while still detecting larger pieces – this prevents unnecessary belt stoppages but still stops any larger items damaging downstream machinery.
Following successful installation and commissioning of the metal detector at MMD’s site in Derbyshire, The HALO Trust ran a number of successful tests with dummy anti-personnel landmines.
Registered as a charity in both the UK and the US, The HALO Trust is a humanitarian mine-clearance organization whose mission is to protect lives and restore livelihoods for those affected by conflict by removing landmines and other debris of war.
The organization employs more than 9,000 mine-clearance workers worldwide, including 350 national staff in Zimbabwe, one of the most highly mine-impacted countries in the world. Highly dense belts of landmines (reportedly 5,500 mines per km) were laid along the borders with Zambia and Mozambique during the Liberation War of the 1970s.
HALO, which has been demining there since 2013 with a clearance rate of approximately 500 mines per month, says the metal detector on the MMD rig will make a significant difference to its clearance rate.
The MMD Demining Sizer rig was officially handed over to The HALO Trust at Hillhead 2018 and is currently in transit to Zimbabwe, where local management have said it will make a real difference to tens of thousands of people’s lives.
Paul Hale, metal detection sales manager at Eriez Europe, said: ‘Eriez are very proud to work with MMD on this project and to support the incredible work of The HALO Trust. It is fantastic to know that our Metalarm metal detector will help towards eliminating mines in Zimbabwe and make a difference to so many people’s lives.’
Eriez Europe, who are recognized around the world for their extensive knowledge and experience in separation technologies, celebrated 50 years of manufacturing in Europe in 2018, whilst MMD celebrated 40 years in the design, manufacture and supply of mineral-processing solutions to the mining, quarrying and recycling industries.
