Suppliers news: Hazen, Brazil Minerals, Atos

Hazen Research buys neighbour Huffman Laboratories

Metallurgical research and development firm Hazen Research has bought chemistry analytics provider Huffman Laboratories. The two companies, located across the street from each other in Golden, Colorado, will keep their current locations. The newly formed Huffman Hazen Laboratory will operate as a Hazen division.

Huffman was founded in 1936 by Ed Huffman Sr. and had been family owned for 78 years. Ed Huffman Jr. and Bill Huffman ran the business through 2014. Hazen was established in 1960 by Lew and Wayne Hazen, and became an employee-owned company in 1975. Nick Hazen has been president since 1994.

This deal expands Hazen’s capabilities by offering clients a coordinated approach to process development and analytical services.

“For over 30 years, Hazen and Huffman have often worked closely together on a contract basis to support the needs of our respective clients on special projects,” Nick Hazen said. “The acquisition of Huffman Laboratories provides existing and new clients with an integrated opportunity to combine Hazen’s excellence in process development and pilot plant demonstration with Huffman’s excellence in research analytical chemistry for the mineral, chemical, environmental, energy and industrial sectors.”

Ed Huffman Jr. said that “after 78 years as a family-run analytical laboratory, our 13 laboratory employees will join the existing 180 employee-owners at Hazen. This is a great opportunity for them to apply their knowledge and expertise, while continuing the Huffman legacy in analytical chemistry.”

Brazil Minerals leverages pay dirt

Pasadena, Calif.-based Brazil Minerals (OTC: BMIX) has acquired the last two pieces of equipment for its mining fleet, and has partly paid for it with US$55,000 worth of sand.

The large truck and a front-end loader will be used for sand-related operations and to transport diamond- and gold-bearing gravels to the company’s Duas Barras processing plant in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state.

The sand, to be picked up by the equipment supplier from Brazil Minerals’ property over time, represents 50% of the purchase price, with the rest to be paid in cash.

The sand being used for this transaction constitutes a small amount of the volume available, the company notes.

Brazil Minerals says that with this equipment, it is now self-sufficient at its diamond, gold and sand operations, as far as capital equipment is concerned. The company had been paying almost US$10,000 per month in rentals for a loader and a truck.

K+S outsources its IT to Atos

Germany-based potash and salt miner K+S Group has contracted digital services giant Atos to improve and manage its global IT infrastructure over the next six years.

Atos will provide K+S with central server and storage systems from its data centre in Furth, Germany, as well as desktop, printer and network services in 45 countries. The agreement will also see 35 K+S employees transfer to Atos.

“We are looking forward to working together with Atos to further improve the quality of the IT services,” K+S’s head of corporate IT Kai Finke said. “With Atos we have a partner with experience in this market, and great international presence to provide support for the K+S locations worldwide.”

“We offer K+S the required flexibility and experience in this specific market,” senior vice-president for Atos’ managed services Klaus Seifert said. “The whole team will provide their in-depth experience to deliver services that meet the needs of K+S.”

This deal aligns with the miner’s “fit for the future” initiative launched in 2013, which aims to improve the company’s cost and organizational structure, and better manage production, administrative and sales functions.

K+S is headquartered in Kassel, Germany, and has been in the mineral resource business for 125 years. With more than 14,000 employees and operations Europe, North America and South America, the company took in €4 billion in revenue in 2013.

Atos is headquartered in Bezons near Paris, France, and employs 86,000 people in 66 countries. The firm serves several sectors, including: defence, financial services, health, manufacturing, media, utilities, public sector, retail, telecommunications and transportation. In 2013 the firm generated €10 billion in revenue.