ty need other equipment to support it or to run hoses to supply it with air. The production to consumption ratio has been much improved. Earlier, to achieve this level of production we needed about twelve drill rods per month. Now, with the Girodrill, we only need two to produce the same amount.” With the cost of drill steel averaging 75 euros/unit, savings are substantial. Deltell continues: “We achieve very high levels of productivity with 1 600 to 1 700 linear drilled meters in two eight hour shifts. And that’s more than seven hours of productive drilling out of the eight hours that the engine is running with a fuel consumption of just 105 to 110 liters! “These are very profitable figures. We can produce eighty cubic meters per day with just one machine so we are extremely satisfied.” Expanding the fleet Levantina now plans to increase its capacity even further by adding more Perfora rigs to the fleet. The company plans to order three Mining & Construction – 2 / 2013
With 250 people working two shifts a day, the Levantina quarry in southern Spain produces as much as 1 000 m³ of limestone per day. A fleet of Perfora Girodrill drill rigs recently helped to raise productivity here by 20 percent.
more units in 2013 followed by another five in 2014. Meanwhile, tests are being carried out with a Perfora SpeedCut wire saw. These are also proving positive, achieving 21 m2/hour compared to the 10 to 13 m2/hour of previous equipment. If these early results continue, Levantina plans to extend SpeedCut technology to other quarries in the group. Quarry Manager de la Muela concludes: “We are always looking to increase productivity and we trust the Perfora range from Atlas Copco to bring to us the best equipment for exploring the dimension stone industry.” Footnote: In February 2012, Atlas Copco made a major commitment to the dimension stone industry (DSI) with the acquisition of the Italian specialist Perfora, a company that manufactures and sells DS cutting and drilling equipment. Perfora is a leading supplier in this segment, with a strong customer focus and high quality products. As part of the Atlas Copco Group, Perfora is now a global supplier of tailor made equipment for dimension stone producers.
Smooth operation: Using the Girodrill 200 with remote control.
Levantina owns and operates 63 quarries in Spain, Portugal and Brazil. It has nine factories, 35 distribution centers and l 700 employees worldwide. The company offers an extensive range of natural stone products including marble, granite, limestone, onyx, travertine and slate. More than two million tonnes of raw materials are extracted annually, of which 1.4 Mt is marble from the Crema Marfil quarry, the largest in the world. These materials are used for construction projects of all types such as shopping malls, public buildings and hotels.
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