Explosives have evolved from being primarily used in military warfare applications to becoming essential in various industries today. They are utilized in different forms such as pressings, castings, polymer bond, rubberized, blasting agent, and dynamites. These explosives are categorized based on factors like sensitivity to initiate, detonation velocity, stability, power, brisance, density, and hygroscopic nature. They can be classified as high or low explosives based on their velocity. Industries such as construction, mining, engineering, and quarrying heavily rely on explosives for their operations. Some notable uses of explosives include propelling rockets into orbit, bonding metals together, and producing industrial diamonds.
According to the procurement market intelligence report from SpendEdge, the mining segment holds the largest share of 75%-80% in the global explosives market in terms of revenue, primarily due to the rapid increase in mining activities. There are different types of industrial explosives, including commercial explosives and manufacturing explosives.
Companies like Dyno Nobel, Orica, and AECI play significant roles in the explosives industry. The market is influenced by factors such as technology, innovation, management practices, and business economics. Supply chain and logistics also play crucial roles in ensuring the safe and efficient distribution of explosives. It is important to consider the risks associated with handling dangerous goods and the impact on the natural environment.
Overall, explosives have become indispensable in various industries, driving economic growth and innovation while also requiring careful management and adherence to safety regulations.
Explosives manufacturing process
The explosives manufacturing process involves several steps to ensure safety and effectiveness. It typically begins with the selection and preparation of raw materials, followed by mixing and blending them to create a homogeneous mixture. This mixture is then shaped into the desired form, such as pellets or sticks. Next, the explosives are subjected to a curing process to enhance stability and performance. Finally, quality control measures are implemented to ensure compliance with safety regulations and standards. The entire process requires strict adherence to safety protocols and expertise in handling hazardous materials.
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Top 5 Companies Dominating the Explosives Manufacturing Sector
ORICA
Orica is an Australian explosives company and the world’s largest provider of commercial explosives and blasting systems. The company is also a specialist provider of ground support services in tunneling and mining. The company serves industries including mining, quarrying, construction, and oil and gas. Bulk systems, electronic blasting systems, initiating systems, packaged explosives, emulsifiers are some of the key products of the company. The company reported revenues of US$3.79 billion for the fiscal year 2016 by employing over 11,500 people.
Sasol
Sasol is an integrated energy and chemical company that develops and commercializes technologies, including synthetic fuels technologies and produces different liquid fuels, chemicals, and electricity. It is also the world’s first oil-from-coal company. The company now operates in 33 countries and is the largest corporate taxpayer in South Africa. Their line of chemical business includes products like polymers, solvents, fertilizers, and explosives. In 2017, Sasol reported sales figure of 245 ktpa for its explosives business.
Hanwha
Hanwha is a company involved in explosives manufacturing with diversified holdings in retail and financial services. Their product line of commercial explosives includes MegaMITE, MegaMEX, NewMITE Plus, NewVEX, LoVEX, and NewFINEX. Their products are used in chemical and power plants, electrical welding, train transition joints, and structural transition joint. In 2016, Hanwha confirmed a five-year-term contract with Whitehaven Coal to supply all bulk and initiating explosives and down-the-hole services in Australia.
MAXAMCorp
The history of MAXAMCorp roots back to 1872 when Alfred Nobel founded the Sociedad Española de la Pólvora Dinamita. The company offers high-tech products and services ranging from terra solutions, outdoors, defense, and chemicals. Blasting solutions, cartridges and gunpowder, and raw materials for the nitro chemical industry are some of its key products. One of their brand EXPAL specializes in demilitarization by recycling explosives recovered from different sectors such as infrastructures, mining industry, and demolitions.
Chemring
Chemring is an international firm, providing a range of advanced technology products and services worldwide for the defense, civil defense and key commercial customers. The company best producer of IM explosives, energetic devices, solid propellants, and subsystems in Europe. Rocket motors, propellant materials, canopy cutting charges, linear explosives, cartridge-actuated devices, propellant-actuated devices (CAD/PADs), fuze and safe/arm units, flight termination systems, pyro-mechanisms and actuators, warheads and charges, primers and initiators are some of the key products offered by the company.
Read more about the top companies in explosives manufacturing along with sourcing strategies, procurement best practices, pricing strategy and supply chain challenges in SpendEdge’s upcoming report on the global explosives market.
