Rod Pickering

Rod joined Shell Tankers in 1960 as an engineering apprentice and in 1965 he enrolled at Brighton College of Technology (UK) where he obtained a BSc Honours in Mechanical Engineering in 1969.  He arrived in South Africa in 1969 and started work on the mines with Union Corporation as a Junior Engineer where he obtained his Mechanical Engineers Certificate of Competency.  He then moved from the mines and worked in maintenance, sales and construction for a period of six years.  He joined the Chamber of Mines Research Organization in 1977 and was subsequently appointed Director of the Stoping Technology Laboratory with the responsibility to develop ways of mechanizing the narrow reef hard rock gold mines.  In late 1996 he started his own business combining his knowledge of mechanisation and mining and his first task was to investigate the practicality of using a Tunnel Boring Machine in a deep level gold mine.  Since 1998 his major client has been Sandvik Mining and Construction in the role of Manager of Strategic Projects with special responsibility for narrow reef and narrow vein mining throughout the world where his objective is to develop new mining processes in collaboration with customers.  Rod is passionate about introducing change that will transform the narrow reef hard rock mining industry into a safer and more cost effective industry that will contribute to the transformation of South Africa.  He has been a Fellow of the SAIMM since 1985 and is a Past President and believes that it is important for those with experience to give back to the Mining Industry.  He has been active in the establishment of the Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems at the University of the Witwatersrand and lectures at a post graduate level at the university.

Rod has an in-depth understanding of mechanised mining, rock boring and non-explosive mining methods.

He is widely recognised as an expert in the mechanisation of hard rock mining operations.