How to Make Further Progress at the Potash Mines of Alsace After the Productivity Advances of the Past Ten Years.

During the last ten years, the productivity progress of the potash mines of Alsace originated substantially, on the one hand, from the modernization and the adaptation of the longwall faces with full-face shearing to all heights of the seam, and, on the other hand, from the concentration of the production in two establishments. In two areas (full-face shearing and haulage), programmable automation or systems with microprocessors have been installed. The improvement of the performances of the next few years will come from the development of these systems.