How A WA Gold Miner Selected Its Dewatering Pumps

Adam Dardha, is the Electrical & Dewatering Coordinator, at Agnew Gold Mine Australasia. Here he discusses a trial of dewatering pumps. He talks about his experience with the PumpEng dewatering pumps that are now installed on-site.

How do you describe your operation?

Haultruck Gold Mining Open CutWe run an underground gold mine here. We use submersible pumps in all our sumps.

Why did you want to change suppliers?

We were experiencing very high levels of pump failure, which was putting our costs up. I decided to run a trial of alternative Vendors

Did you try anyone else before choosing PumpEng?

Yes, I went through two different vendors. PumpEng was the third vendor we used for a three-month trial period. After the trial was over, we looked at who had ticked the boxes according to our criteria, and that was PumpEng.

We were assessing whether a pump does what it says it’s going to. We also had our own company criteria. We evaluated engagements, and feedback, and had discussions on how we can do things better. Pricing is obviously one of those components, but our decision-making wasn’t limited to that.

What was the most important issue?

Pump failure was the biggest issue for me. It wasn’t so much the turnaround time but the pump failure. The pumps weren’t lasting as long as I thought they should.

What has been your experience with PumpEng?

PumpEng met the criteria in terms of communication, feedback and ideas. We could learn as a company from them. Importantly I’ve had a higher usage rate from the pumps, which meant less downtime.

How many pumps do you currently have?

We’re currently using about 52 underground pumps. They’re all used in underground sumps for dewatering. Some piggyback from sump to sump, some direct to mono’s.

How would you describe their performance?

Performance is consistent. They’re doing their job, and the turnaround is a lot less these days. It’s been a decision that puts money back into the company because I haven’t had such a high turnaround of the assets.

How would you describe PumpEng customer service?

This was one of the trial criteria that ticked a box for us. I’ve been dealing with the PumpEng people here, and their service has been great.

What sort of feedback are you getting from your crew?

Well, I can’t say I’ve been getting a lot of feedback, but no feedback is sometimes a good thing. There are certainly no negative comments.

What would you say to someone thinking about switching to PumpEng for their dewatering pumps?

I’ll definitely say go with these guys. They’ve got a lot of good ideas. They have been around for a while. They’re open to looking at new ways. They told me that the product speaks for itself and that has been my experience.

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