TECHNOLOGY
De Beers has built a prestigious reputation over the years , derived primarily from one attribute : quality diamonds . The company , which has been the leader in diamonds for more than 100 years , has notoriously remained silent about its exploration tactics … until now .
De Beers recently opened up about its exploration strategies and how the company ’ s technology division ‘ DebTech ’ is giving it a competitive advantage for diamond exploration , mining and ore treatment .
Added value The role of DebTech is to provide cost effective and value adding technology that will ensure a sustainable competitive advantage to the value of De Beers .
The company ’ s innovative products are developed by marrying De Beers ’ diamond industry knowledge along with its technical expertise to provide world-class services . De Beers ’ R & D function helps manage the entire DebTech innovation process and aims to identify , create and demonstrate the feasibility of new technologies in order to further the company ’ s Exploration and Ore Processing divisions .
According to the DebTech website , the R & D function is to make use of key technologies suppliers in the relevant fields of interest , while implementation is completed as a collaborative process between DebTech and relevant De Beers ’ business partners .
“ The Product R & D function manages the entire product acquisition process from requirement analysis , concept generation to final design and operates alongside the Product Supply and Support function . Together , these two functions collaborate with internationally recognised technology component suppliers and combine their unique understanding of operational requirements , within the diamond industry , to deliver the products appropriate to meet those unique needs .”
To ensure quality and innovation is maintained among all of its products , the division employs a large number of specialized technicians . Core functions are performed by this team throughout the product lifecycle , including the provisions of specialized skills during the manufacturing , assembling and testing of products .
Scheduled inspections are
26 N ovember 2014