On April 29th, the managing director of Alquife Mine, Rosario Navas, fired the first blast in this emblematic mine in more than 20 years, under the supervision of MAXAM technicians, the global technology company specializing in the design, development, manufacture, and application of energetic materials, together with the VOLINTEC technical department, the company in charge of drilling, blasting, and techniques & procedures development for the correct application of the extraction work.
By doing so, the company gave way to industrial tests that will be carried out to verify the feasibility of this business project, meaning that Andalusia and Granada will recover what once was one of the most important iron deposits in Europe.
The first phases of the Alquife Mine operations are forecasted to create both direct and indirect employment in Marquesado de Granada, an area affected by depopulation due to the lack of attractive investment opportunities.
Specifically, it is planned to analyze the behavior of the ore during the smelting process, the market specifications with which it must leave the mine and the design of the technological process, which must be optimized to guarantee the viability of the project.
MAXAM, present and continously headquartered in Spain since 1872 and currently in more than 50 countries on the five continents, will be the designated supplier, through VOLINTEC, a company specialized in explosive-related techniques and with a presence in mining, civil works, and quarries across the nation and in countries such as Portugal and Chile, of the necessary solutions for the appropriate development of the operation. This includes explosives, detonators and accessories, all manufactured at MAXAM facilities in Burgos and the Basque Country.
Moreover, the company will also conduct video and vibration controls during various points of the blasts, so that they are executed at all times with maximum safety.
MAXAM - maxamcorp.com
MAXAM is a global technology company, specializing in the design, development, manufacture and application of energy materials. It structures its activity in four business units: blasting solutions for mining, quarries and civil works; cartridges and gun powders for use in hunting and recreational shooting; products and systems for the defence and security sector; and production of key primary products in nitro chemical activity.
Founded by Alfred Nobel in 1872, today MAXAM employs more than 6,500 people on five continents, in 80 industrial facilities, with subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and commercial operations in over 100 countries. At the close of the 2018 financial year (31 March 2018), the company’s turnover stood at over 1.14 billion euros.