Becker Wholesale Mine Supply
Still Making Headlines!

“We wanted to make sure we did everything right, and that the deal would be good for all parties involved,” Hensler and Dr. Becker said of the carefully-fostered details of the transaction. He pointed out that neither company’s client bases will see logistical changes in terms of how business is conducted, but Becker Wholesale Mine Supply customers will enjoy a greater level of customer and technical service. Current office locations and staff will also be maintained, though BWMS will expand its technical assistance and engineering teams to best serve operations.

Becker Wholesale Mine Supply’s existing distributor network will remain in place post-merger; these companies include Delta Electric, Carroll Engineering, Industrial Mine Supply, Wallace Electric, HC Global and Mine Systems. The companies will also maintain its relationships with mining manufacturers VARIS, Venture Design-Mine Tracer, Frederick Mining Controls, Kenwood Radio and WMS/ Comtrol and continue to carry all product lines.

“This merger is a win-win for everyone in the mining industry,” Hensler said. “Together we offer every mining communications product mining operations demand, and we continue to expand those offerings every single year.”

Becker Mining Systems AG is a global provider of mine wide solutions and is one of the leading suppliers of underground infrastructure systems within the fields of energy distribution, automation, communication as well as transportation and roof support.

The MineTracer Communication and Tracking System was approved by MSHA in January 2008, the first system approved under 30 CFR Part 23. This system is flexible enough to meet any standard required by MSHA. Venture Design is so certain of this, we are guaranteeing the system. MineTracer is an excellent and affordable stand-alone wireless tracking and communications system, but is also fully compatible with existing leaky feeders, particularly the industry-leading Varis system. MineTracer excels in the key MSHA performance areas. Specifically, Required coverage area -While it is possible to provide 100% coverage for every entry and crosscut in the mine, it just doesn’t make sense. We believe that MSHA will follow West Virginia’s lead and require communications and tracking on two escape ways, the main travel entry and a second escapeway. Unlike RFID tracking systems that simply detect a miner passing through a zone, MineTracer provides true continuous tracking of miners and vehicles in the mine. With continuous coverage on main travel entries to the working faces, maximum safety monitoring and operations management can be achieved economically.

Tracking precision -Location accuracy is fundamental to the overall effectiveness of safety tracking underground. Short-range RFID readers placed every thousand feet along a travel entry can not provide accurate, continuous information on miners’ locations. Emergency services personnel will tell you that “time is life” in finding and helping injured people. We believe that a reasonable and achievable tracking accuracy require feet. Certainly this level of performance is more useful for safety, for day- to-day management, and for rescue operations than dealing with thousand-foot voids. Since MineTracer tracking tags are monitored by multiple wireless readers, triangulation is used to achieve a typical tracking accuracy of +/- 75 feet. A miner’s chance of surviving an accident increases dramatically if dispatchers and rescuers know where he is. MineTracer provides this security.

Standby power capacity -The current MSHA policy letter requires 24 hours of standby performance in the event of a power failure, and that communication and tracking systems operate for a portion of every hour. MineTracer is both an extremely low power user and a low maintenance system. In an average sized mine with 12 miles of coverage area along two escapeways, only two AC power connections are required. MineTracer has been designed so that the entire installation (not just part of it) operates continuouslyon battery power for at least 48 hours following AC power shutdown in a mine, because intermittent or part-time operation does not provide the safety net that miners need to survive.

Survivability features - Survivability of a communications and tracking system during a mine disaster is critical. All undamaged portions of the system must still operate and exchange information with the surface in order to assist trapped or injured miners as much as possible. If the main communications path to the surface has been blocked by a roof fall, fire, or other event, there mustbe alternate or redundant paths for the information to travel. The fundamental design of every MineTracer installation provides alternate paths to the surface in the event that the primary communication path is cut off. MineTracer also self-diagnoses component failures and reports the problem and the location immediately to the dispatcher. The true test of MineTracer must be with the miners and operators who depend on it. Mona Marcum, dispatcher at the Big Branch Mine appreciates its ability to tell her where her miners are. “With the MineTracer System, I know where they are at all times…it’s like having hundreds of extra eyes underground…If we have a miner down, I can send a rescue team…minutes make a difference.”

Mine operators must make a decision on a communications and tracking system. They must be in compliance with MSHA’s performance requirements and MineTracer is guaranteed to meet those requirements, but meeting the letter of the law should not be the driver behind the decision. Bringing miners out safely is the key, and MineTracer can help do it.

Please contact Eric.Pirttima@venturedesignservices.com or BillHensler@wholesaleminesupply.com about the details and the many additional safety and operations features of the MineTracer system or visit www.ventureminetracer.com.