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This article outlines how Kenella drifter drill steel paired with R32 threaded bits is used to manage vibration, protect threads, and sustain consistent drilling performance in harsh African operating conditions.

In underground and surface drilling, tooling failure is rarely a “bad batch” problem. It’s usually a mismatch between ground conditions, impact energy, flushing, and how the drill string manages vibration and wear. When rock is fractured, abrasive, or wet, drill steel and bit selection directly affects penetration, hole quality, and the cost per metre.

Tungsten carbide sits at the hard end of the hardness scale — which is exactly why it’s used in high-wear drilling components where edge retention and abrasion resistance are non-negotiable. When tungsten input costs move, drilling tool pricing moves with it.

Earlier this year, Harlen Supplies completed a highly successful visit to Zambia, our first on-the-ground engagement outside of South Africa. You only really understand a site’s constraints when you’ve walked it: access, cycle times, safety controls, and the practical realities of keeping production moving.

When excavation is required near communities, existing infrastructure, or sensitive environments, conventional explosives can introduce unacceptable risk. On this project, the objective was clear: safely and accurately excavate a dam outline on a mine site without blasting, without compromising rock-breaking performance, and within the constraints of limited site access.

When a regional mall required a new extension, the excavation team faced a clear constraint: the work area was surrounded by existing buildings, services, and overhead powerlines. Conventional blasting was not permissible. The project demanded a controlled, safe, and low-impact method to fracture and remove rock without compromising nearby infrastructure. NexPand Large Hole, a powerful rock breaking chemical designed specifically for use in large holes.

Discover top-quality quarrying products for precision drilling, rock breaking, and block extraction. Explore our range of quarrying products today!

On construction sites, performance is measured in control, safety, and continuity of work. Harlen Supplies aligns equipment, consumables, and expansive mortar rock-breaking solutions to these requirements, ensuring that drilling, cutting, breaking, and site management activities are carried out with reliable, predictable and technically appropriate tools rather than compromised by equipment limitations.

Learn how NexPand ensures safe, controlled rock breaking with Harlen Supplies' expert training. Master NexPand use to boost safety and efficiency.

Explore Harlen Supplies' mining industry solutions with our comprehensive range of drilling, rock-breaking, and consumables for the mining industry.

Kenella drilling and rock‑breaking solutions, proudly distributed by Harlen Supplies, set the benchmark for performance and reliability across quarrying, mining and construction applications.

NexPand non‑explosive rock breaking mortar —engineered for precise, vibration‑free fracturing. Safe, efficient, and cost‑effective rock splitting solution.

Harlen Supplies is a leading industrial equipment supplier in South Africa, specialising in rock-breaking and drilling solutions for the mining, quarrying and construction sectors.