Breaking New Ground

First published in the April 2025 issue of Quarry Management

EPC-UK’s digitalized developments in 2025

This year is being cited as one of technological development for drilling and blasting specialists EPC-UK and EPC Metrics. EPC-UK’s head of engineering, Dr Geoff Adderley, and commercial manager, Ryan Ward, highlight the latest advances that are enabling both EPC Groupe companies to ‘unlock more value through precision’ for customers in the UK.

Global Technical Solutions (GTS)

‘Designed by engineers, for engineers, and officially launched at the Mining Indaba tradeshow in South Africa in February 2025, EPC Groupe’s Global Technical Solutions (GTS) division is our latest industry-enabling development,’ said Dr Adderley. ‘Formed collaboratively and using EPC Groupe’s international expertise, GTS has been created by blast engineers, for blast engineers, as an evolutionary step to enabling mineral extraction sustainability across the world.

‘Inspired by the challenge to realize change within surface mining, quarrying, and underground operations globally, EPC Groupe began developing the in-house blasting software and equipment involved more than 25 years ago. We recognized the importance digital tools would have in supporting more efficient mineral extraction, adding value, heightening safety, and delivering a greater return on investment for customers and stakeholders.’

Value through precision

Now up and running, services provided by the GTS team of engineers have a ‘local’ presence in the UK through EPC Metrics, based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. UK engineers, led by Dr Adderley, work with the wider GTS team to implement numerical modelling techniques, backed by the data contained within EPC Groupe’s established and ever-evolving ExplOre platform, to measure customers’ blast impact and results. By bringing Vertex software solutions, proven hardware capabilities, and extensive expertise together within an ‘EPC Ecosystem’, EPC-UK’s customer projects are empowered and value-added results are delivered in partnership.

Blasting optimization

‘GTS’s approach to precision blasting recognizes that every site is unique,’ said Dr Adderley. ‘We start by using a best-practice methodology: This involves making a complete assessment of a site to set operational benchmarks and enable consistent evaluations to take place. Blast simulation software and AI-enabled analytics are used alongside metrology tools to ensure customers’ sustainability, compliance, and environmental safeguards. These tools support the team in decreasing their processing costs through efficient and controlled energy usage in the blast, targeting desired fragmentation levels, and minimizing overbreak, dilution, and vibration.’

2025 technology

‘The launch of GTS is not the only pivotal technical event for EPC Groupe this year,’ Dr Adderley continued. ‘Successes are now becoming evident from our 2024 ROG+ (Rock on Ground Plus) launch, and in coming months we’ll be upgrading our Expertir blast-design software, as well as introducing the next generation of electronic detonator systems to the market.

‘This large-scale technological upgrade, which we introduced at Hillhead in 2024, will realize change within quarrying, surface mining, and underground operations in the UK. The engineers involved have upskilled with specialist Blast Diploma training – written by EPC Groupe, accredited by the University of Derby (UoD), and backed by the Institute of Quarrying (IQ). The team’s capabilities are also being supported by improved technologies, developed by EPC Groupe’s international software division, Diogen. This is in addition to their use of hardware metrology devices including Polarex probes and Vibraquipo seismographs to provide consistent, accurate measurements in the blasting process, as well as the centralizing digital capabilities of our Vertex software suite.’

Dedicated UK calibration facility

Adding more value for customers, EPC Metrics also now operate a dedicated UK seismographic equipment facility, which follows EPC Groupe’s strengthening purchase of seismographic equipment manufacturer Vibraquipo in 2024. The facility forms an integrated, fully encompassing centre for customers’ seismographic equipment to be expertly managed, including sales, hire, and the ongoing calibration and maintenance of equipment and tools from the Vibracord Tellus and Vibracord Gaia product lines.

Global solutions, locally delivered

‘The next generation of tools, equipment, software, and support that’s being designed and implemented by Diogen really helps to develop EPC Groupe’s engineering team on an international level,’ explained Dr Adderley. ‘By working in collaboration, our UK team can learn about effective techniques being used by operators in a range of blasting environments across the world. We can then apply what’s relevant from their in-field practice to benefit our customers’ own operations. We can also bring EPC-UK’s ROG+ (Rock on Ground Plus) tailored services into the mix, which combine technology, support, fragmentation software, and tools to deliver optimal blast performance and techniques that improve the entire value chain for customers. Delivering solutions this way also helps us to design more comprehensive training packages to better support operators in the field, as we know exactly what’s needed to improve site expertise and practice.

‘I am thrilled to be leading the UK implementation of the GTS network via EPC Metrics, and am very much looking forward to working closely with our in-house teams and customers to ensure they receive the full benefit of our GTS across their operations,’ said Dr Adderley.

Tailored optimization with ROG+

Already implemented in key project sites across the country, EPC-UK’s ROG+ service is proving its technical capabilities in 2025. Commercial manager Ryan Ward explains how, by using the latest technology, specialist support, fragmentation software, and tools to deliver optimal blast performance and site solutions, EPC-UK’s ROG+ is improving customers’ entire value chains from face to gate or mine to mill.

Stronger relationships, serious results

‘Nearly a year on from our official launch of ROG+ at Hillhead 2024, and the exceptional service we planned to deliver to customers through capital investments, innovation, assets, and the passionate people who work in our teams is now being realized in the field,’ said Mr Ward. ‘Supported by our technological progression and commitment to learning and development, this next iteration of EPC-UK’s original rock-on-ground service is, by taking a collaborative approach with customers, unlocking even more value within their operations using improved precision and an emphasis on the latest digitalized processes.’

How ROG+ works

ROG+ involves digitally measuring blast impact on a continual feedback loop using site data and engineer expertise. The loop is created to see how blasting activities impact the overall downstream aspects of a customer’s quarrying operation and the performance and value gained from materials being extracted. The information is fed back into the next blast decision-making process and, by performing slight adjustments each time, can progressively enable customers’ operations to become even more optimized. By choosing only the technical elements from the service that apply to each individual site, customers can significantly improve activity and expenditure, whether that is linked to loading, hauling, fuel usage, or crushing, to get all the value possible. Improved choices can also be made regarding emulsion types and blends, detonators, timings, top and bottom priming, and blasting parameters.

ROG+ value-adding features can be tailored to customers’ individual site requirements and include:

• Engineer-led site baseline and opportunity assessment, site reviews, and partnership meetings

• Expertab for drilling and loading and advanced digital GPS-aligned drilling and auto hole layout technology

• Smart assets – machine telematics reporting (drilling and mobile explosives manufacturing units – MEMUs)

• Advanced fragmentation tracking and blast performance analysis

• Advanced vibration monitoring, analysis, and scheduled site factors calibration

• ExplOre platform, full digital data capture and blast tracking and integrated KPI dashboard for site-wide operations

• Optimized, carbon-efficient blasting.

‘The ROG+ service is flexible and, by nature, bespoke to each site. Both it and its benefits can easily be initiated and customized depending on what an individual site needs,’ added Mr Ward. In a year when EPC Groupe, EPC-UK, and EPC Metrics upgrade and advance their software systems, the ROG+ service will be even better placed to reduce customers’ cost per blast and improve efficiency and performance using the next generation of tools.’

To find out more and see a demonstration of EPC-UK’s ROG+, readers can register for and attend one of EPC-UK’s Best Practice Seminars taking place nationwide throughout May and June 2025. Email: seminars@epc-groupe.co.uk to secure a place:

• 7 May – Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld, Scotland

• 22 May – Low Wood Bay Hotel, Ambleside, Cumbria

• 5 June – The Nottingham Belfry, Nottinghamshire

• 12 June – Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

• 26 June – Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall.

Performing in partnership

‘By working closely with our customers and fully understanding their needs, we can bring greater value and optimized results to their operations using ROG+’s targeted technologies and techniques,’ continued Mr Ward. ‘Engineering skills and knowledge are also crucial to this success, which is why we’ve demonstrated our full commitment to industry training and development by working in partnership with the University of Derby and Institute of Quarrying to write and deliver an accredited University Diploma in Surface Mining Explosives Engineering.’

The one-year, level-5 course comprises a globally recognized programme and has been written to develop specialist knowledge and skills across the mineral products sector to ensure improved safety (targeting zero incidents), professionalism, improved public perception, and operational excellence.

The course programme ‘went live’ in October 2024, under the expert delivery of education consultant Chris Rowan at EPC-UK’s Learning & Development Centre in Alfreton, Derbyshire. Mr Rowan has applied his own knowledge and expertise to writing the course, alongside field experts Dr Rob Farnfield, Dr Geoff Adderley, and Dan Richards of EPC-UK; Javier Munoz of EPC Groupe; and IQ’s Julian Smallshaw. For further information about the course visit IQ at: www.quarrying.org; or email: learning@epc-groupe.co.uk.

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