For quarry operators working close to communities, balancing production with noise, vibration and dust can be a challenge. At its Bom Jesus quarry near Alhandra, Portugal, CIMPOR combined more than a century of limestone extraction with a Vermeer continuous surface mining approach to help minimize the impacts traditionally associated with drilling and blasting at a quarry.
Moving beyond drilling and blasting at Bom Jesus quarry
The Bom Jesus quarry has been in continuous operation since 1894 and covers approximately 325 hectares (800 acres), making it the largest licensed non-metallic mineral extraction area in Portugal. The site produces approximately 1.4 million tonnes (1.5 million tons) of limestone and marl per year, supplying raw material for cement production at CIMPOR’s Alhandra plant.
Historically, the operation relied on drilling and blasting with electronic detonators to control ground vibration. As surrounding communities expanded closer to the quarry, CIMPOR’s team began evaluating alternatives that could continue production while minimizing impact on neighbors.
“Bom Jesus was originally built outside the city, but as cities expanded, plants like ours ended up right on top of the population,” said Berkan Fidan, CIMPOR Global CTO and board member.
“We wanted to minimize the impacts on these communities,” said Carlos Barbosa, senior geologist at CIMPOR. “So, CIMPOR’s concern is to be able to operate the quarry and continue its activity, while maintaining good relationships with local residents and not creating significant impacts for them.”
After evaluating options, including hydraulic hammers and surface miners, CIMPOR selected a Vermeer T1255 surface miner.
Why CIMPOR chose a Vermeer surface miner
With no prior experience operating continuous surface miners, CIMPOR leaned on Vermeer Portugal and the EMEA team throughout evaluation.
“The experience with Vermeer Portugal and Vermeer EMEA was very positive because the technicians have a high level of expertise and many years of experience,” Barbosa said. “They know the machine very well, explained clearly what it can do, clarified our questions and worked with our data, which gave us a lot of confidence when deciding to move forward with Vermeer.”
For CIMPOR, framing the change as a community responsibility also helped guide the decision.
“[Regarding] blasting and other activities, there are also various effects: environmental effects, systemic effects and other problems,” Fidan said. “For this reason, we decided to start considering this as a matter of social responsibility.”
A turning point for surface mining at the quarry
Working alongside Vermeer Portugal, CIMPOR’s team described the change as a meaningful step forward for the operation.
“This marks a turning point in the operation of the quarry, not only at a social and environmental level by reducing impacts but also at a technical level,” Barbosa said. “It was an investment that we believe allowed us to produce in an area that was previously limited; it allows us to blend materials with other zones of the quarry, thereby expanding our production capacity.”
Barbosa also pointed to the close working relationship with Vermeer Portugal during the rollout. “It has been about two years, and from the beginning, we had very transparent direct contact with Vermeer Portugal, not only in the commercial phase, where all questions were answered clearly, but also in the implementation and maintenance phases, always with very close support.”
Training and support for surface miner operators
Adopting a continuous surface mining workflow at a quarry was as much a people change as an equipment change. At Bom Jesus, operators and planners moved through training on both the machine and the planning software used to build and import excavation plans.
“All operators underwent intensive training,” said Gonçalo Silva, quarry manager. “I myself took the training to learn the software for creating excavation plans, which need to be imported into the machine. It has been a joint learning process, both for us and for them.”
Operators have shared similar experiences working through the rollout.
“Watching our journey working with the machine has been quite good; it has been accessible, and they have always been ready to help us. I am happy,” said Rafael Braz, CIMPOR operator at Bom Jesus.
“It is very good to be part of a project like this where we can try to achieve the company’s objectives, especially considering the care for the environment,” said Ricardo Borges, CIMPOR operator at Bom Jesus. “The support from the Vermeer brand, together with CIMPOR, has been a very good experience.”
Doing more with surface miners at a quarry
CIMPOR’s experience at Bom Jesus shows how a surface miner at a quarry can play a role in extending operations near communities while supporting production goals and environmental commitments.
“There will be strong collaboration around technology at our core, and this surface miner will support us,” Fidan said. “It has meaning for the environment and for us, and we are motivated to pursue this idea.”
Get started with Vermeer surface miners
To learn how Vermeer surface miners can support production goals at your quarry while helping to minimize noise, dust and vibration, contact your local Vermeer dealership.
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by customers in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
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