Albion Stone, which mines the famous Portland limestone, has become the first stone company in the world to invest in a £500,000 Epiroc Boltec S bolting rig, which it is using in its Bowers and Jordans Mines.

Meet Albion Stone on Stand F5 at the Natural Stone Show in London at ExCeL 30 April-2 May

The Boltec S offers a number of major health, safety and operational advantages over the previous system used for putting roof bolts into the mines to protect against falls.

This new bolting machine drills and bolts the roofs in a single, safe operation.

It allows the operator to install roof and rib support (bolts and mesh) from a remote and well protected position in a safety cab well away from the drilling operation.

The time taken to install a bolt has been radically reduced by the machine. It also uses considerably less water and is significantly quieter and more mobile than drills previously used. Resin injection and bolt installation is also automatic, just about eliminating manual handling for the operator.

The machine is fitted with a number of cutting edge safety features, such as the automatic detection of any person who inadvertently approaches the machine while it is working and fully automatic fire suppression.

The Epiroc Boltec S is currently the most advanced bolting machine in use in any UK mine and the acquisition of this machine will help to make Albion Stone’s mining operations even safer and more efficient.