BRAUTESETH BLASTING: Brauteseth Quality Speaks for Itself

The mining industry across sub-Saharan Africa continues to boom as a leading driver of economic progress, valued at more than $108 billion in 2023 and 8% of all government revenue across the region. This geography is home to more than 50% of global reserves and production of cobalt and manganese, and more than 20% of aluminium and copper. This vast mineral wealth is, like it has always been, a source of hope for the continent. 

But working in the mining and extractives industry is tough. You must have sustainability, longevity, and experience. There is no quick in and out in this heaviest of industries.

Similarly in construction. Growing at CAGR 4.7% from 2023 to 2027 $210.4 billion, the sub-Saharan African construction industry is vital for economic development, employing thousands, and creating businesses, industries, and communities. 

For Brauteseth Blasting, the Port Shepstone-based drill and blast specialists, sub-Saharan Africa offers significant opportunities. 

HISTORIC SUCCESS  

Established in 1983 by John H. Brauteseth, the early days were all about construction and building. John’s family ran a construction firm with a number of small projects around KZN. The company outsourced its drilling operations until John decided to fill the gap with a business dedicated this area of expertise. 

“He started up the company as a small operation with some handheld jackhammers,” says Financial Director and third generation family leader, Brett Brauteseth. “He kept it small and wanted to be a one-man operation.” 

Eventually, John’s nephew Clive took the reins of the business, growing the team and fleet of equipment. He purchased air rigs, and eventually hydraulic drilling rigs after winning a small contract to service a limestone project. With spare capacity in the business, the company expanded across various aggregates and quarry operations, delivering superior performance and creating lasting relationships based on mutual success. 

The company’s boom moment came in 2009 when it gained a contract with a large coal mining operation in KZN. This decade-long project helped the company to grow quickly, and the team saw the obvious synergies across mining and construction. 

“From 2020, we gained a mining tender with Foskor and that exposed us to more mining companies and contracts most of which we still work for today. Our reputation grew in the mining industry, and we continue to serve across all disciplines,” says Brett. 

ZAM & NAM  

Today, the client list for Brauteseth Blasting includes some of southern Africa’s biggest and best. NPC, Foskor, Rossmin, Idwala, Basil Read, Rumdel Cape, Concor, Aveng, and Afrisam are just some of the big brands that have enjoyed the Brauteseth difference. The reputation is among the best in the industry, and the range of services provided is large. The company can provide a turnkey service for miners, including production drilling, blast design, down-the-hole service, and a complete rock-on-ground service; and there is similar breadth in construction, civils and aggregates with provision including road cuttings, platform levelling, water reticulation, controlled blasting, and much more. 

Growing from one man 40 years ago to an expert team of around 300 today, the company now has ambitions to become the go-to drill and blast company in the south of the continent. 

“After we gained more interest from mining houses, we decided to spread our risk outside of SA and we opened up in Zambia and Namibia. We started tendering and actively pursuing projects. We have been pretty successful in Zambia with First Quantum Minerals on the Kalumbila project which we started in June 2023. In February 2024, we started with Barrack Gold at their Lumwana mine,” explains Operations Director, Sven Brauteseth. 

He adds that the company has experienced significant growth in the past 18 months, almost doubling in size as mining projects have flourished in Zambia. 

“At the same time, we have also expanded in South Africa and we have projects in the Northern Cape, throughout KZN, in Mpumalanga, and we have operations in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. 

“Our goal is to expand into more countries in the next couple of years,” he furthers. “We have the entity in Namibia, and we are continuing to tender there. We are not opposed to anywhere in Africa, but we will weigh up the risks appropriately. Anywhere with a stable economy is somewhere we would consider. The main thing when working in countries that are more high risk is that we would only work for Tier 1 clients, and that buys us some security.” 

BEST TECH

With 20 commercial quarries, five large-scale mining operations, and numerous large construction sites served by Brauteseth Blasting, the company must adapt and change to stay at the industry’s cutting edge. 

Sven explains that use of the best technology is one important way the company differentiates itself from others. Using mainly top-end Sandvik equipment, Brauteseth Blasting has the best and most available fleet. 

“At Foskor, we run a fleet of eight Leopard™ DI550s, drilling about 65,000m per month. We also provide a rock-on-ground service where we drill and blast, and we handle secondary blasting and other ancillary services. We have signed an extension that will keep us there for an additional two years. We want to stay on that site and we are very happy with the work there,” he says. 

“We work for Idwala in the Northern Cape and KZN, and we have been with them in KZN for around 15 years,” he adds. “We have a good relationship with Idwala Carbonates and our head office is relatively close to theirs in KZN. In Danielskuil, in the Northern Cape, we have a DP1500i and on the south coast we have two DP1500is.” 

These machines are fuel efficient, with robust design for African sites, and with easy operation to remove unnecessary complexities in the operator cab. A new, highly efficient dust collector also bolsters environmental credentials. 

Brauteseth Blasting drilling rigs are retired when they get to what others would consider mid-life. “We run a tight model,” says Sven. “After that, we park them and replace with new equipment.” 

Not the industry standard, the experienced team has recognised that when working with high-end products you need high-quality, state-of-the-art machinery in brand new condition. Opting against refurbishment in the search for optimum efficiency, this strategy replacing old with new regularly has paid off. “We are always looking for the highest availability and efficiency, and that only comes from brand new equipment,” Sven adds. 

Innovation on the blasting side is also rife. Recently, the company began using the Enaex DaveyTronic® technology – a modern, digital system with improved safety and connectivity characteristics.  

“That has been a strategic decision that we have been happy with,” says Sven. “We already use it extensively at Foskor and we have changed our whole operation throughout KZN and the Eastern Cape.” 

Another factor that differentiates the company from others is its fleet of explosives mobile mixing units (MMU). Perfect for opencast mining and quarries, MMU availability can be the difference between operating on time and on budget, or not. “We have just built a new one which will be in production before the end of the year,” says Sven. “It gives us flexibility as we are not reliant on suppliers to deliver explosives products for us. We also have bulk storage at our HQ and we can keep 85 tonnes of emulsion and an explosive magazine close by. It’s not common in the construction or quarrying space and most contractors don’t have that. It has bought us a lot of flexibility and we can be very efficient.” 

To operate this fleet of machinery, keeping it prime and ready for action, a highly skilled team is employed. Trained and upskilled inhouse, the team can deploy on projects of varying nature – specialised blasting for construction, technical blasting for mining, to bulk and quarry blasting – and this is again not something on offer across the industry. 

“We also have a very strong mechanical team and we have mechanics on all projects alongside a field service unit from head office that is made up of very skilled artisans, with years of experience on Sandvik drills. That IP allows us to maintain the drills and that is a key to success – the faster you can finish drilling on one site, the sooner you can go and drill somewhere else,” says Sven. 

QUALITY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Looking forward, the goal for the company remains committed to providing top-tier services that exceed expectations. The Brauteseth family is ambitious and always looking for growth opportunities, and as prospects open up around the continent Brett and Sven are confident that the brand’s work will be recognised. 

“We grow by word-of-mouth, our quality speaks for itself,” Brett says. “We have always been able to be pretty competitive around pricing because we don’t rely on many third parties, and with high efficiency we can bring the rates down. We’ve also always had a good fleet that is available, and customers appreciate that.” 

“Generally, we pick up a lot of customers when they have been using someone else and when they look to ramp up volumes the previous service provider couldn’t keep up,” Sven adds. “On new jobs, we get in with new equipment and build strong relationships so that we can stay and help them achieve their goals. So far, that has worked.” 

Because of a spread across quarry, construction, and mining – all over sub-Saharan Africa – the company has become highly sustainable and is well-spread in terms of risk. “We are also not exposed to one single commodity – we run projects in limestone, copper, lithium, coal, phosphates – and that helps us to be more balanced,” says Brett. 

For those in the market for a drill and blast partner, there are few that have the footprint and fleet of Brauteseth Blasting. There are few that can match the African experience of the company with more than 40 years behind it. And there are few that can boast the passion displayed across the Brauteseth enterprise.  

“We are always on the lookout for new projects, and we have ambition for growth. We try and build solid relationships with current clients so that we can achieve contract extensions, remining on projects for decades. That is our way of ensuring longevity in the business, and it has worked,” Brett concludes. 

Even in mining and construction, some of the toughest industries on the continent, Brauteseth Blasting is finding opportunities and creating an impact. Now, after 40 years, there is a feeling that there is much more to come from this exciting and ambitious drill and blast expert.