Bulk Handling Today June 2019

BULK

HANDLING Endorsed by: CMA l LEEASA l SAIMechE l SAIMH June 2019

DEVELOPING AFRICA WITH TRAINS ACCURATE LASER MEASUREMENTS

T O D A Y

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Breakfast meetings, working lunches, indoor or outdoor dining, half-day and full-day packages including all welcome refreshments, teas and lunches are offered in Standard, Gold and Platinum packages.

Secure parking, Wi-fi, lockable space, all underpinned by highly qualified and helpful staff dedicated to ensuring your event is a success, make The Peartree a destination of choice.

www.thepeartree.co.za e-mail: info@thepeartree.co.za Tel: 011 781 1401 41 St. Albans Ave, Craighall Park

BULK

HANDLING

T O D A Y

Endorsed by: CMA l LEEASA l SAIMechE l SAIMH June 2019

BULK

June 2019

Contents

DEVELOPING AFRICA WITH TRAINS ACCURATE LASER MEASUREMENTS

On the cover: (010) 003-3057 www.kznindustrial.co.za kerayshap@specialised.com

T O D A Y

CMA News

Health and Safety

Conveying

Laser Sensors

4

Company Profile

28 Dealing with Dust

6 Removing Rubble from a Mega- Tunnel

31 Accurate Measurements 36

Manufacturing 9

Market Forum

Endorsing Bodies

Reaching new Horizons

Mining

•

CMA (Conveyor Manufacturers Association)

•

LEEASA (Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa)

•

Mineral Processing

SAIMechE (SA Institution of Mechanical Engineering)

•

Railway

SAIMH (SA Institute of Materials Handling)

•

also mailed to members of the RFA (Road Freight Association)

11 True cost of Downtime

Forefront

12 Automatic conveyor tension control

Earthmoving 19 Quality components lead to Quality products 23 Locally Manufactured Trommel 24 Trains imperative for African development 26 Large Investments

Copyright

All rights reserved. No editorial matter published in “Bulk Handling Today” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure accurate reproduction, the editor, authors, publishers and their employees or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the publication, whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any consequences arising therefrom. The inclusion or exclusion of any product does not mean that the publisher or editorial board advocates or rejects its use either generally or in any particular field or fields.

Our e-mail address is bulkhandling@promech.co.za Visit our website on www.bulkhandlingtoday.co.za

The monthly circulation is 3 673

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COMPANY PROFILE

WEBA CHUTE SYSTEMS

E

ffective transfer of materials in chutes has become a pressing issue for all mines. With the spotlight firmly on increasing productivity through more effective discharge of materials, coupled with minimising downtime and maintenance, solutions are critical to sustainability.

With more than 4 500 transfer chute installations throughout the world handling a variety of materials, Weba Chute Systems operates an extensive manufacturing facility in South Africa providing customised transfer chute solutions globally, delivering products to Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa, USA and South America.

The company has been producing custom engineered material transfer solutions for the mining sector for over 50 years.

Each application

Its systems are designed using the principle of conveyed material impacting on surfaces that already contain material and are configured to control the direction, flow and velocity of the calculated volume and type of material processed.

Transfer chutes and systems are engineered for each specific customer application, taking factors such

as belt width, belt speed, material sizes, shape and throughput into account.

Weba Chute Systems adopts a streamlined and scientific approach to the dynamics of bulk materials handling at transfer points, providing the industry with a multitude of benefits. Customisation at the design phase allows mines to fully appreciate these benefits which include reduced maintenance requirements, improved transfer conditions, longer conveyor belt life and higher throughput.

Sound engineering principles and use of sophisticated software during the design stage is followed by quality manufacture at Weba Chute Systems’ South African manufacturing facility which is ISO 9001:2015 accredited.

Performance guarantees, set in accordance with operational and applications parameters, are provided with all the company ensuring the provision of a fit-for-purpose transfer point solution for each application.

Through its extensive applications knowledge and experience, the company is well positioned to create effective material transfer solutions, irrespective of the continent or commodity.

ABSOLUTE MATERIAL FLOW CONTROL • Optimum material flow • Up to 80% decrease in material degradation • Reduced dust and noise levels

• Virtually maintenance free • Greatly reduced spillage • Significant reduction in belt damage

CHUTE SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS Tel: +27 (0) 11 827-9372 • email: info@webachutes.com

www.webachutes.com

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CONVEYOR MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

From The Chairman’s Desk with seven passes on Alan Exton’s conveyor certificate course and 8 distinctions and 3 passes on Graham Shortt’s design diploma course. Well done to you all. The number of candidates passing through training on both these courses over the years is astounding. Visit the website www.cmasa. co.za for the names of all the successes.

Jay Pillay and Mel Miller

W

hat a lovely evening was had for the CMA Annual Dinner last month. Although numbers were down on last year, the Annual Dinner 2019 was exceptional in many aspects: Mel Miller is great entertainment, the meal was excellent, and the ambiance at Bryanston Country Club convivial to a relaxed and enjoyable evening for all.

Two successful training courses were held recently,

It’s Beltcon time again. Beltcon 20 will be held on 31 July and 1 August at St George Hotel in Centurion and offers a programme jam packed with a wealth of information. Visit the web site www. beltcon.org.za for a glimpse of the papers that will be presented by speakers from South Africa, Italy, United States of America, Germany and Australia.

The IMHC started with Beltcon 1 in 1981, so with a two-year build up, the conference is now in it’s fortieth year. This is quite an achievement in our constantly changing world. There are still some stands left in the Exhibition area, and each stand includes two delegate tickets, making for an extremely inexpensive way to advertise your product to this extremely select audience, as well as affording your technical staff an opportunity to attend the conference. The exhibition is only open to delegates, who represent decision makers from industry as well as designers, users and manufacturers of all things belt conveying. Please support this home-grown conference with the world-renowned reputation – it is worth it. See you all there.

Jay Pillay Chairman

Membership at June 2019 All members subscribe to the CMA Code of Ethics Acrow Limited Actom Afripp Projects Altra Industrial Motion South Africa (Pty) Ltd Bauer Bearings International Belt Brokers Belting Supply Services BMG Bonfiglioli Power Transmissions Bosworth Brelko Conveyor Products CedoTech cc Closeal Manufacturing Collisen Engineering ContiTech South Africa (Pty) Ltd Conveyor Watch (Pty) Ltd Conveyor & Engineering Equipment CT Systems David Brown Gear Industries DRA Projects SA (Pty) Ltd Dunlop Belting Products Dymot Engineering Company

ELB Engineering Services Fenner Conveyor Belting (South Africa) Flexco SA (Pty) Ltd FLSmidth Roymec Giza Technologies (Pty) Ltd Habasit South Africa (Pty) Ltd Hägglunds Drives South Africa Hatch Africa (Pty) Ltd HMA South Africa (Pty) Ltd Hosch - Fördertechnik (SA) International Belting & Marketing (Pty) Ltd KevConBelt (Pty) Ltd Lesa Mining Equipment and Conveyor Belt Lorbrand Magnet Service Binder CC Martin Engineering Megaroller Melco Conveyor Equipment Merlin consulting (Pty) Ltd Moret Mining Nautilus Projects (Pty) Ltd

Nepean Conveyors OE Bearings Oriental Rubber Industries SA Osborn Engineered Products Pegasus Industrial Services cc Regal Beloit South Africa Rema Tip Top South Africa Ringspann South Africa Rossi Gearmotors (Pty) Ltd Rula Bulk Materials Handling SENET SEW Eurodrive Shaft Engineering (Pty) Ltd SKF South Africa Tenova Takraf ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa (Pty) Ltd Timken South Africa (Pty) Ltd Transvaal Rubber Company Voith Turbo Weba South Africa (Pty) Ltd WorleyParsons RSA Zest Electric Motors

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CONVEYING

Removing Rubble From A Mega-Tunnel Conveyor belts designed by Continental are being used to transport several tons of rubble from one of Sweden’s biggest infrastructure projects: “Förbifart Stockholm” (Stockholm Bypass). The bypass, which is situated to the west of the Swedish capital, has been under construction since 2015.

M

ost of the bypass is being built underground, and it is intended as a northsouth link to reduce the volumes of traffic passing through the centre. Heidelberg Cement’s aggregate company Jehander is using Continental solutions to enable rubble from the mega-tunnel to be reused for road construction.

Saving the environment

More than 18 kilometres of the bypass are up to 80 metres below ground level and pass under Sweden’s third-largest lake (Lake Mälaren) in three places. It would be easier to build an over-ground system of routes and bridges but Sweden is focused on environmental preservation. The self-confessed goal of Sweden’s Ministry of Transport is also to complete the project creating the smallest possible CO2 footprint in the process.

A series of conveyor belt systems are being used to transport the extracted rock to three temporary ports that have been set up for the project

Daniel Grimes from Continental and Per Åsander from Jehander pictured at the company’s quarry, where the company's conveyor belts are currently working flat out

Constructing mega-tunnels like the Stockholm Bypass project generates several tons of rubble.

A series of conveyor belt systems are being used to transport the extracted rock to three temporary ports that have been set up for the project. The rubble is taken across the waterways by inland vessels from the construction site in Stockholm to Jehander’s quarry in Löten.

Reusing the rubble

Transportation by sea has proven to be a much more

At Jehander’s quarry, conveyor belts are being used for the smooth transportation of rubble from the Stockholm mega-tunnel so that it can be reused for the road construction requirements involved in the infrastructure project

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efficient mode than using truck fleets as ships can carry between 1 500 and 3 000 tons of rock per load, whereas trucks can manage only 35 tons.

As many as four fully-loaded ships a day arrive in Jehander’s port.

More than 18 kilometres of the bypass are up to 80 metres below ground level and pass under Sweden’s third-largest lake (Lake Mälaren) in three places The rubble is then reused as concrete mostly for road construction, or is used to build houses and office buildings. But first the rock has to be washed, crushed, and treated at Jehander’s quarry site.

and monitoring for complex conveyor systems and delivery of conveyor belts and components.

“Our range of round-the-clock services also includes assistance with conveyor belt replacement and arranging for the belts to be vulcanized or repaired with local partners. With expert advice, emergency support and an extensive service offering that covers every special case, our technology ticks all the boxes when it comes to safety and flexibility requirements,” concludes Daniel.

Jochen Vennemann ContiTech Tel: +49 511 938 18024 Email: jochen.vennemann@contitech.de

“At Löten quarry, our textile conveyor belts are currently working at full speed as a result of the major bypass construction project,” Continental’s Daniel Grimes explains.

“So far we have taken roughly seven percent of the total 5.5 million metric tons of rock that needs to be processed out of the tunnel. For this undertaking we can count not only on the quality and long service life of Continental’s conveyor belts, but also on the smooth operation of the systems.

Tight-knit network

Continental’s tight-knit network means that it can offer its customers a local service with everything from a single source, from technical advice, planning and engineer driven development all the way through to manufacturing, installation, commissioning, maintenance

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Quality. Innovation. Efficiency.

Gear units and motors from SEW-EURODRIVE (Pty) Ltd have always set the trend and established new standards in drive technology. For this reason, the quality label “made by SEW” has become a hallmark of quality in the drive industry.

Market-orientated products developed and manufactured in-house, as well as uncompromising quality, are the cornerstones of our success.

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world Cape Town Branch Tel: +27 21 528 7600

8

Durban Branch Tel: +27 31 902 3815

BULK HANDLING TODAY

Nelspruit Branch Tel: +27 13 752 8007

June 2019

Port Elizabeth Branch Tel : +27 41 372 2244/6

SEW-EURODRIVE (Pty) Ltd Eurodrive House Cnr. Adcock ingram & Aerodrome Roads, Aeroton Ext 2 Johannesburg P.O. Box 90004 Bertsham 2013 Tel: +27 11 248 7000 Fax: +27 11 248 7289

MANUFACTURING

Reaching New Horizons FLSmidth has relocated the manufacturing of its core screen media products to the modernised Delmas Supercenter facility, providing a base from which to grow its sub-Saharan markets.

T

his follows the 2017 decision to proceed with an investment at the 120,000m2 premises in Delmas.

“In line with this strategy, FLSmidth has opted to focus on the in-house manufacture of three core product lines, polyurethane, wedge wire, and ceramic wear solutions,” says Stephan Kruger, FLSmidth Director for Manufacturing and Warehousing in the region.

Sales concluded, jobs preserved

Excess polyurethane is removed from the screen panels after the polyurethane has fully cured following the casting process

FLSmidth concluded the sale of its non-core screen media product lines, including woven wire screens, perforated plate and wire conveyor belts, to crusher support services. During this process, FLSmidth secured a preferential supply agreement to support local industry customers with the continued supply of these products.

Opted to focus on the in-house manufacture of three core product lines, polyurethane, wedge wire, and ceramic wear solutions The transaction has also preserved 79 jobs in the manufacturing sector, retaining a considerable production capacity within the country. Thirty of the employees have been relocated to the FLSmidth Delmas operation.

“We have invested in state-of-the-art equipment, including full Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining capability,” says Stephan. “The new facilities include 5-axis and 6-axis machining centres, introducing a high level of technology to support the product lines in our business while optimising production costs.”

The investment in production capacity will allow FLSmidth to manufacture a broader range of components for its spare parts portfolio in-house, and to do this more cost effectively.

Products to be produced

The wedge wire screens to be produced at the facility are commonly used in carbon recovery in carbonin-pulp (CIP) and carbon-in-leach (CIL) plants in the gold sector. They are also used for dewatering and magnetite recovery in the coal sector and in other applications such as water filtration and sugar production.

Fettling and cleaning before final quality checks are conducted on polyurethane screen panels

FLSmidth Willie van Wyk Tel: (010) 210 4820 E-mail: marinda.kerr@flsmidth.com www.flsmidth.com

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MINING

True Cost of DOWNTIME The South African mining industry has performed poorly over the past ten years, with its contribution to the national GDP having halved since 1994. Year-on-year production fell by 3,3% in January, according to Statistics South Africa, with downtime, power outages and uncertainty around regulatory policies significantly hamstringing the sector’s production.

A

ddressing the major constraints impeding the sector’s growth and development could result in an annual expansion of between 3% and 4% up to the year 2020, and the creation of thousands of jobs and greater potential investor interest.

One of the major contributors to losses in productivity and profit is downtime. On the surface this is attributed either to maintenance or mechanical failure, with these alone having a significant impact on production and profitability. However, a deeper look into the actual typical operating conditions in the mining environment reveals that there are

It is clear that the true cost of downtime is notably higher in reality than in theory

levels of downtime beyond these two.

Overall equipment efficiency

A closer approximation of actual production time can be reached by applying an OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) analysis on a calendar time-based approach, as opposed to a loading time-based approach, since the latter is based on theoretical total time and is more likely to give an inaccurate reflection of actual production capacity.

With a calendar time-based OEE analysis, a number of additional factors affecting productivity are taken into account. Some factors include unscheduled downtime, maintenance, idle time waiting time and environmental disruptions.

From this, it is clear that the true cost of downtime is notably higher in reality than in theory, and since many of these factors are beyond the control of managers and personnel, it clearly illustrates the importance of quality and reliability of the equipment itself to the overall viability of a mining enterprise.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Africa Tel: (011) 841-7700, www.hitachicm.co.za

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FOREFRONT

Automatic Conveyor Tension Control In the late 70’s, winch manufacturer, Jegkurt Engineering offered an automatic adjustment system using the Piab tension switch. Gravity towers were the normal method of applying a single constant tension for starting and running the conveyor. Jegkurt initially used a single switch to provide the required tension level. However, it was realised that without live adjustments of the starting tension, the tension had to be increased to a very high level for start-up. This was unacceptably high for running and a second tension switch was added to provide an acceptable running tension. This composed a simple but crude automatic adjustment system with a timer and a couple of relays. The tension switch system enabled longer conveyors to be operated but it was clear that the type of control directly influenced the achievable result. This kind of system could only be classed as an automatic adjustment system without any dynamic control whatever.

I

n mid-1982, Numeritech, the forerunner of Iptron Technology was approached by a winch manufacturer to measure the displacement of their Bellville Washer tension gauge with a view to use automatic tension control. Iptron immediately responded with the recommendation that a strain gauge based load cell was the superior approach. Numeritech was then commissioned to build a prototype which was demonstrated very successfully at an exhibition. With a solid background in physics, mechanics including transmission line theory, Ian Plunkett approached the challenge along purely scientific principles. The task was set out very simply: a. Tension of up to 6 tons b. Running level of 2 to 3 tons c. Starting level of 25 to 50% above running level The entire control system and load cell was designed along theoretical lines with no pre-conceived ideas or following any existing practices. All the electronics and the load cell were

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designed from scratch and manufactured in-house. The EGT (Electronic Gravity Tower) was conceived and born.

Numeritech proceeded to design and build a production prototype called the Series 1 - EGT-2000, a fixed-speed winch controller. Some 150 EGT-2000 and variants were built from October 1983 to July 1986. The tension switch automatic adjustment system was completely superseded by the EGT control system due principally to its proportional active control.

Series 2 commenced in July 1995 and continues to this day.

This was a complete microcontroller based design in the same format utilising a true 2-wire 4-20mA loop-powered load-cell. The 2-wire 4-20mA tension transducer was a very difficult development and was the first of its type in the world. Today it has been dramatically improved and is still the one and only successful 2-wire loop-powered tension transducer (load cell).

The control philosophy of the EGT-2420 was complex, sophis-

ticated yet easy to use and to adjust with every conceivable practical logic, timing, interlock and safety feature that was possible for a single speed winch. It remains unsurpassed in sophistication to this day. No other fixed-speed tension control system has bettered it. It’s high reliability and conservative design gave it a life-expectancy of more than 20 years. Its software is unconditionally stable and completely bug free.

The friction barrier In time, every single system failed. The winch brake was the first casualty, followed by seizure of the take-up trolley wheels; rope entanglement on the winch drum was endemic and even the rope sheaves succumbed due to bearing collapse; ropes became stiff from loss of lubrication; interlinking with central control was missing or lost. Dynamic problems disturbed the control; winches were too slow to control during start-up.

The company hundreds of site visits (without any backup support from winch manufacturers) to find in the majority of cases that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the winch control panel.

Therefore the conflicting symptoms that could only be attributed to friction. Every problem was reported back to the winch manufacturer who totally disagreed with every one of Iptron’s findings.

They claimed that friction was unimportant because the system would ‘find its own way’, that sheave wheels never seized, and that there is no friction in the flexing of steel ropes. Despite clear proof to the contrary, they claimed that DC brakes were as fast as AC brakes.

To Iptron there were some shortcomings in the EGT-2420 system; further development was needed. Long conveyor belts require faster winches but these were not available.

Frictional diagnostics and safety interlocks were needed, dynamic active damping of tension transients was essential for long conveyors.

the tension of long conveyors. This technology is applied to very large gravity towers and is the sole key to achieving longer conveyors.

The next level of technology In 2006 Iptron realised that a better tension controller was needed. One that that would provide the following: • Variable-speed as well as fixed-speed winch control • 5-level dead band for enhanced response • Automatic latch-off when target level is manually reached • Dynamic matching to the time constant of the belt • High integrity tension measurement • DC earth leakage diagnostics • -ve limit – open loop monitor • +ve safety limit • Power supply monitoring • Tension output signal (mirror signal) • Tension loss detection • Frictional diagnostics • In-line rope transport friction • External rope transport friction • Trolley wheel/obstruction friction • Brake performance • Comprehensive behavioural diagnostics • Enhanced safety features • Protection against over-tensioning • Protection against rope-jamming • Validation between winch motor current and tension

Whichever way you look at it, the following statements are true:

• Communication with central control

1. Friction is the single biggest problem affecting all types of tension adjustment system and especially gravity towers.

• Intrinsic safety

2. A bad start on a conveyor is a sign that the tension control system does not match its dynamic characteristics.

• Take-up trolley limit monitoring

3. The tension control system imposes a limit on the achievable length of a conveyor.

4. If the starting tension cannot be maintained steadily during conveyor acceleration, the system is inadequate and drive slip will result.

5. Dissipation of tension transients is the key to controlling

• Accurate winch motor and brake current monitoring • Interlinking with AC variable winch drive control • Winch speed hyper cycling under tension control to effectively double the winch speed when deviating widely from target control levels • Monitoring of the AC drive by the main controller via RS485 link • Dynamic braking resistor to match type of gearbox of winch. For example spur/bevel gearbox has a very high regenerative component.

• Stored energy display.

The new EGT controllers are designated as the EGT-28AX for variable speed control and the EGT-24FX for fixed-speed winch control. During demonstration of the first system to various mines, there was the continually repeated statement that the take-up winches were too slow.

Reasoning High speed was only required if the tension increased to a high level or if the tension dropped to a low level.

This meant that by using the original motor, the AC variable drive output frequency could be increased provided that: BULK HANDLING TODAY

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FOREFRONT

a. The motor and brake RPM limits were not exceeded b. The AC variable drive was not overloaded c. The conveyor running level should be no greater than 50% of the winch rating

The difficulty in doing this was ensuring that the AC variable drive did not stall.

This was covered by creating an algorithm using the rope tension to control the speed during any tension increase.

In South Africa, and most of the world, there are few dedicated conveyor take-up winches. Haulage winches are offered for the purpose but they present some serious problems: a. Conveyor take-up winches operate from zero tension up to full tension This means that if multiple layers of rope occur, the lower layers of rope are easily displaced by overlaid ropes. If the winch is too slow to keep up with tension variations during start-up, there will be large tension transients which will encourage rope jamming on the winch drum. Haulage winches are all 5 to 6 metres per minute, too fast for short belts and too slow for long belts. It is all very well having the rope tightly wound when delivered but it is likely to be almost completely unwound during installation. This problem is particularly aggravated by fully loading the drum to provide spare rope. b. Multiple layers of rope on the winch drum increase the winch loading by a minimum of 10%. This leads very quickly to winch stalling on narrow winch drums.

Concept of hyper cycling The winch motor running at 100Hz has turned out to be an

unbelievably elegant solution to the winch speed being too low. Speed could be increased without a bigger motor to enormous advantage. The question was: Could the winch motor, gearbox and the brake etc be rotated faster? This required the approval of the winch manufacturers, who, when approached in 2013, were totally against this. They never actually approved it even though both the motor and brake were adequately rated. The fact that they have copied this development implies that they do approve. The company successfully installed the first system on 1st May 2014. It has operated 24/7 for over 4 years now and has not faltered in its superior performance.

Iptron alone continued developing conveyor tension control at its own expense and has been solely responsible for innovating all of the following in South Africa: a. Use of strain gauge load cells for tension measurement b. Invention of two-wire loop-powered 4-20mA tension transducers c. Invention of DC earth leakage system for 2-wire looppowered transducers d. Invention of the control logic and timing and interconnection philosophy for tension controllers e. Brake pre-release timer to speed up response and the reduction of brake wear f. Invention of hyper cycling winch motors to restore tension to normality in the event of excessive deviation g. Invention of 5-level dead-band system to cater for rapid loading

THE LEADING INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION

FOR THE KZN REGION

- KITE2019 VISPROM AD 210X148 INTERACT MEDIA PATHS.indd 1 1412789BULK HANDLING TODAY June 2019

2019/04/02 12:28

h. Invention of measurement algorithms for take-up friction i. Classification of frictional components of take-up system mechanics j. First application of proportional, integral, derivative control of conveyor tension to actively dissipate the energy of tension transients k. First specification for take-up winch design in South Africa.

Various other companies have hooked onto conveyor tension control believing it to be a very simple task. In South Africa not one other company has undertaken any development or innovation in the field of control philosophy for take-up winches.

Every ‘knock-off’ is blatant copying intellectual property.

Current status of conveyor tension control in South Africa In recent years, there has been a regression to automatic adjustment systems using slow winches and a ‘locked takeup start’ found 35 years ago before Iptron introduced tension control by the EGT Systems. This has resulted in a major deterioration of the quality of conveyor start-up, setting back conveyor enhancements. Despite the EGT System offering live adjustments for over 3 decades, there are many conveyor designers who unbelievably still specify a locked take-up start.

A locked take-up start is equivalent to disallowing a gravity tower from controlling the take-up tension.

This retro-attitude results from the belief that electronic automatic tension control is unreliable. The fact of the matter is that the controls and all well-designed electronics are highly reliable. What many engineers do not understand and Flextronics refuse to accept is that every conveyor tensioning

system ultimately fails due to mechanical deterioration in the form of friction. Strangely, the worst offenders are gravity towers. Their tension reference (the suspended mass) is located remotely with typically 8 rope sheaves between it and the conveyor belt.

Note that sheaves are budgeted to have 1½ % friction. The electronics is routinely and erroneously blamed for all problems. The missing link in all this is frictional diagnostics.

The old EGT-2420 controller – known as ‘The system that just works’ Iptron’s peak decade of sales occurred in the 1990’s. This is also when every system started failing. Major customers abandoned perfectly good systems.

Iptron’s mistake was that of leaving the mechanical problems to the mechanical engineers. For a specialist electronics engineer to tell a mechanical engineer what his problems are is just not acceptable.

The winch manufacturers were disinterested in problems that were not attributable to the winch. They never went to site and were thus completely and conveniently ‘unaware’ of any problems. Anyone who has not spent the hundreds of hours observing take-up winches and take-up trolleys has no clue about the practical aspects of tension control. Iptron'sstudy of trolley wheel friction, sheave wheel friction, rope flexure friction and rope entanglement on winch drums is ‘inconveniently’ denied by winch manufacturers and mechanical engineers.

Extrapolating this to other tensioning systems paints a sorry story of engineering incompetence and complete lack of understanding of the basic physical principles.

This situation is responsible for letting conveyor users believe that tension control is a very unimportant task and does not

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FOREFRONT

justify any kind of structured engineering approach.

Iptron realised, eventually, that the mechanical problems were casting the whole field of automatic conveyor tension control in an extremely bad light. Iptron researched this problem extensively and came to understand the mechanical problems and took steps to develop algorithms to identify and quantify the frictional components.

The company also tackled the eternal dynamic problem of tension transients in conveyors. This alone presents the biggest obstacle to the advancement of conveyor technology.

Iptron has for years been recommending to winch manufacturers to produce purpose-designed take-up winches instead of haulage winches. These recommendations are based on our findings and analysis of problems encountered on site.

Virtually every system is prone to rope entanglement and rope speeds need to match the conveyor dynamics. Some of this is at last being actioned.

Standards for mechanical aspects

• Winch drums should be grooved and wide enough to accommodate the working length of the take-up system on a single layer.

• If multiple layers are to be used, a ‘Lebus’ style groove should be provided but rope overlay should be limited to two layers.

• The winch should be rated at a minimum of 2 times the running tension.

• Winch rope speed should be a minimum of 15% higher than the expected rate of generation of slack during acceleration.

• All winches should have the option of fitting a slip clutch so that the maximum tension rating of the winch will be not be exceeded by more than 25%.

• Winch slip clutches should be free of dynamics. They should only be multi-disk type.

• Adjustment of the slip clutch must be provided for with a security lock to prevent unauthorised adjusting.

Standards need to be compiled for conveyor tensioning systems. This would cover the following:

• Adjustment of slip clutches can be hydraulically adjusted.

• Take-up winches

• Fixed-Speed winches should be provided with a highspeed brake.

• Winch frames should be rated in kN in size intervals of .2 with acommon final planetary ratio of +/- 7,2 : 1.

• Gear motors would be selected to provide the speed and power.

• Gear sizes and materials should be standardised.

• Fixed speed winches should be limited to 100kN. • Worm primary gearboxes should be used for fixed-speed winches.

• Bevel or spur gears should be used for all variable-speed winches.

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• Variable speed winches require a brake to lock the winch when adjustment is completed.

• Winches with slip clutches must have rotation sensing on the drum. These can be proximity sensors operating in quadrature sensing bolt or holes in the winch drum flange.

• Take-up trolley standards • All rotating components should have rolling bearings.

• Minimise the number or falls of rope.

• Rope sheaves should rotate about the horizontal axis; i.e.

they should rotate vertically. This is to minimise yawing effects

• Core balance • Wiring standards

• Trolley wheels and the take-up trolley must not foul the structure and must move freely.

• Conductor sizes

• Total friction of the take-up trolley movement should be less than 5% of the running tension.

• Insulation

• The trolley rope sheave/s must never be allowed to contact the rope clamps on the tension transducer. This causes total loss of control.

• Take-up trolleys should have normally closed limit switches.

• The tension transducer should be mounted stationary on the structure.

• Any friction in the rope sheaves between the In-Line ropes will cause errors in the measurement and additional load on the winch. This friction will also tend to cause overadjustment of the conveyor tension.

• All and any friction in the external rope sheaves (not inline) will cause additional loading of the winch and will not affect the accuracy of measurement.

• All and any friction in the movement of the take-up trolley will tend to cause under-adjustment of the conveyor tension.

Customer standards Very few customers seem to have published standards. Such standards should include: • Preferred switchgear

• Wire marking • Electrical safety standards • Enclosure specification • Enclosure component density/spacing • Front panel control required • Metering • External electrical links and functions • RFI Screening for AC variable drives • Communication specification • Documentation

Conclusion The development of conveyor tensioning by Iptron Technology clearly places them at the forefront of the field. Continued development is totally dependent on conveyor users and designers actively endorsing and supporting their dominant efforts.

Iptron Technology alone have originated all the technology and have unequalled hands-on experience with hundreds of systems. Their contribution to this field has been unparalleled and highly significant.

• Supply input breaker/fuses • Preferred AC variable drives • Preferred control voltages • Inductive RC suppression • Motor protection

Iptron Technology Ian Plunkett Tel: (011) 534-1285 Email: iptron@mweb.co.za www.iptrontech.co.za

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EARTHMOVING

Quality Components Lead To Quality Products The secret to Sany being the fifth-largest construction and related equipment manufacturer in the world is largely due to its strategy of using quality components from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Cummins.

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he Sany range of excavators, front-end loaders, graders, and rollers is distributed in Southern Africa by Goscor Earth Moving (GEM), which has made inroads into markets as diverse as agriculture, construction and civils, and mining, according to MD Barry Owen. As an example, Barry points to the highly successful Sany SY210 excavator, one of two in the 20 ton space, and the second-smallest excavator offered by GEM. The SY210, with a bucket capacity of 0.93 m2 and an engine output of 104kW, has an operating weight of 20.9 tons, which represents a hefty advantage for customers in that they have access to a rugged and reliable machine, at an attractive price with full technical back-up and support.

Best components

The SY210 uses a Cummins 6BT5.9-C140 Type six-cylinder in-line water-cooled engine with a maximum torque of 1 300 rpm. “Sany has a clear drive to use only the best components on its machines, from Cummins to Isuzu and Mitsubishi on the engine side, and Kawasaki pumps on the ancillary component side,” Barry comments.

He has high hopes for the success of the SY210 excavator, which is an ideal machine for smaller clients needing flexibility and maximum efficiency in their equipment. “Standout features are the fact that it is easy to operate, while still being tough and effective. This built-in reliability is mainly due to the use of quality components such as Cummins engines."

Cummins Sales Manager and Earthmoving Segment Leader Bo Fu, explains that Cummins has a dedicated team at its Johannesburg head office dealing with Chinese OEMs in particular.

Sales and Earthmoving Segment Leader, Bo Fu

Sany MD, Barry Owen

Large range

From 2.8 litres to 95 litres, the Cummins engine range is sufficiently flexible to cater for everything from bakkies and mini-vans to light-duty, mid-range, and heavy-duty buses and trucks, all the way to construction and mining equipment, as well as marine, rail, and port applications.

From 2.8 litres to 95 litres, the engine range is sufficiently flexible to cater for everything from bakkies and mini-vans to light-duty, mid-range, and heavy-duty buses and trucks In addition, Cummins has the flexibility to cater for specific regional requirements in terms of regional emission standard, fuel/air quality, and customer requirements.

Goscor Debby Marx Phone: (011) 230-2600 Email: dmarx@goscor.co.za www.goscor.co.za

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MINERAL PROCESSING

Locally Manufactured Trommel Multotec recently won a tender from Tronox’s Namakwa Sands to replace a trommel at the mine’s Primary Concentration Plant East (PCPE) at its Brand se Baai site on the West Coast.

G

reta Mantell, technical sales representative at Multotec Manufacturing, says the scope of supply included the trommel screen, screen panels and ancillary equipment which formed part of the installation at the PCPE. “What was essential on this particular project was that the new trommel would replicate the exact process functionality of the old unit and provide the same level of operational performance and reliability as the old screen had for the past 12 years,” Greta says.

The trommel screen is fitted with Spalto polyurethane panels selected to ensure optimum throughput and wear life In this application, the Multotec trommel screen is used to classify East Mine Run-of-Mine (ROM) by size and discharge the oversize to the tailings conveyor. The undersize is processed as normal.

Significantly, this screen is the only piece of equipment operating in the ROM processing circuit for

which there is no standby or bypass alternative.

Corrosion protection

Tronox’s PCPE uses sea water for its processes and this, together with operating in the harsh West Coast environment, meant that corrosion protection was a priority on the trommel. It has been supplied with replaceable polyurethane shell protectors as well as a high performance corrosion protection paint on all the non-rubberised surfaces. The trommel screen is fitted with Spalto polyurethane panels selected to ensure optimum throughput and wear life.

With a focus on improving total cost of ownership, Multotec implemented its innovative one-side fitting of screen panels on the trommel, which Greta says will facilitate quicker panel changeouts saving on costs.

Multotec Group Vivienne Murray Tel: (011) 923-6000 Email: marketing@multotec.com www.multotec.com

From left at the official handover of the locally manufactured trommel are Jacques Kleynhans, T&I project manager at Tronox SA Sands, and Greta Mantell, technical sales representative at Multotec

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RAILWAY

Trains Imperative for African Development African conditions are perfectly suited to rail transport solutions, due to long distances interspersed with rich mineral deposits and dense population centres. The fact that our rail infrastructure is somewhat lacking is testament to past policy and implementation failures, but rail still offers vast opportunities for our continent.

T

he question is how to unlock these potential benefits for the good of our people without the process becoming derailed by the inefficiencies that have plagued earlier developments.

"The answer lies in developing policy and finance solutions that encourage all stakeholders to make

Sustainability is one of rail’s defining advantages. It has a fraction of the carbon footprint of road transport, and large projects allow for training and upliftment of young professionals.

the system work," says Andiswa Dlokolo of Gibb.

Poor infrastructure

In general, Africa’s rail infrastructure is poor, a view echoed by the African Development Bank’s 2015 report Rail Infrastructure in Africa: Financing Development Options. However, as that report also found, there remains a crucial role for rail to play in the sustainable development of the continent.

"Personal experience in West Africa has born this out. There are policy moves to reinvigorate the

In general, Africa’s rail infrastructure is poor, a view echoed by the African Development Bank’s 2015 report: Rail Infrastructure in Africa

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region’s infrastructure, to return national lines to service and to build regional integration between the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) countries through a coastal rail link."

The existing state of rail is mixed. However, the objective potential for rail to assist in the African revival cannot be denied.

In South Africa, there has been an element of policy inertia, which has slowed down planning momentum, but also astonishing innovations in public-private partnerships and network design that led to the great success of the Gautrain commuter system.

Across Africa, the most successful design and funding models are those tailored for their own particular purpose.

Funding issues

Funding might come from state, public-private or foreign investors. In some cases, government will substantially contribute to the infrastructure side of capital funding, while private investors will fund

the operations and the rolling stock.

This plays to the respective strengths of what government and the private sector do best and allows the two to build financing models around these competences. The funding may come from debt or equity structuring, but it is crucial to the viability of the projects.

The existing state of rail is mixed. However, the objective potential for rail to assist in the African revival cannot be denied.

"It’s interesting that in many projects across the continent, the determining factor in who wins a major rail contract will be which consortium can secure the best interest rate on their debt. This is where Chinese groups can have the advantage, with their banking and engineering firms all aligned to an overarching state policy," adds Andiswa.

"This policy coherence holds lessons for national governments across Africa. If China can apply its vision across the planet in service of its national goals, our governments should be able to build regional partnerships that serve our passenger and freight needs more effectively, at greater scale and more sustainably."

Sustainability is one of rail’s defining advantages. It has a fraction of the carbon footprint of road transport, and large projects allow for training and upliftment of large numbers of young professionals.

Projects on the table

Ambitious rail projects are on the table such as the Trans-Africa railway from Senegal to Djibouti. The North-South Rail Corridor from Durban to Zambia link is another. Whether these make the transition from planning to implementation is the province of national policy.

Similarly, where there is a business case for high-capacity freight corridors, the demand for rail solutions will increase.

This will provide the motive to link landlocked African countries to the coast and to other markets.

"Rail in Africa has a future. There are obstacles that need to be overcome, and several countries need to be more effective, but there is likely to be demand for rail solutions that are fit for purpose, particularly in urban and inter-city transport and along established trade corridors," Andiswa concludes.

GIBB Andiswa Dlokolo Tel: (011) 519 4600 Email: adlokolo@gibb.co.za www.gibb.co.za

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RAILWAY

Large Investments Traxtion has opened its new Rosslyn-based maintenance facility for business, allowing it to provide locomotive rebuild and overhaul services at scale.

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he industrialised area of Rosslyn, a suburb of Tshwane, is the manufacturing centre of Gauteng, best known for its automotive industry. “The opening of this facility signals a giant leap as we solidify our position as Africa’s pre-eminent private rail operator,” says Traxtion CEO, James Holley.

Deciding factors

The deciding criteria for Traxtion in making the R68-million investment in this particular location is threefold. “The pool of skilled artisans available in the region to facilitate rapid growth was a very important factor,” explains James. “This, along with the opportunity to do a cost effective refurbishment of an existing facility, and the outstanding rail access infrastructure into Rosslyn were drivers behind the investment.”

It is a lesser known fact that South Africa has one of the top ten largest railways in the world and moves in excess of 220 million tones of rail freight per year Locomotives for refurbishment will be transported directly into Rosslyn via rail from as far afield as the DRC, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. By collaborating with complementary rail services providers, Traxtion now offers its clients a full-service destination at the Rosslyn workshop and is able to provide rolling stock refurbishment solutions for mining, industrial,

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freight and state-owned enterprises throughout SubSaharan Africa. Locomotives from West and East Africa are shipped to Durban, and either railed or trucked up to Gauteng.

It is a lesser known fact that South Africa has one of the top ten largest railways in the world and moves in excess of 220 million tones of rail freight per year. The problem seen on South Africa’s roads, is that road transportation still enjoys a disproportionately large share of the freight market, creating truck congestion and dangerous driving conditions.

Expansions and refurbishments

The new 7 370m² premises which houses 50 staff, gives Traxtion the capacity to match its inherent capabilities as a specialist in the repair and maintenance of diesel and electric locomotives.

“This facility enables us to increase the number of locomotives that we are able to refurbish from three, at our old workshops, to fifteen at any one time. The full property size at 50 883m², gives us a lot more room for future development. We are currently installing five of the eight intended railway lines into the workshop, and that’s before we start developing the rest of the site.”

Current refurbishments on the premises include twelve locomotives from Traxtion’s own fleet of 59 locomotives which will take nine months to refurbish. “All the key component parts have been procured and are in our store on the premises,” concludes James.

Traxtion James Holley Tel: (010) 465-0010 info@traxtion.africa

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Dealing With Dust As tons of material per hour are quickly dropped with great force through receiving chutes onto a receiving conveyor, fugitive cargo often piles up around the frame, and dust migrates throughout the area collecting on idlers, pulleys and floors and affecting air quality.

W

orkers have to continually clean up the material before it encapsulates the belt, potentially exposing them to a hazardous work area around a moving conveyor, where even incidental contact can result in serious injury. Considering that most conveyor injuries occur though routine maintenance or clean up, controlling fugitive material is becoming one of the primary elements in a well organised effort to reduce hazards and prevent injuries.

With a constant stream of material crashing on the impact point of the receiving belt, the transfer point can be extremely turbulent, and this turbulence must be contained Reduced profit margins

“Conveyor operators need only take a broad look at the expense that fugitive material has on a system to realise the full cost that accompanies inefficient

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transfer point designs,” says Jerad Heitzler, Product Specialist at Martin Engineering. “Problems such as improper belt support, badly sealed chutes, damaged idlers and uneven cargo distribution can all result in spillage and belt mistracking. They also contribute to increased costs for lost material, premature equipment failure, maintenance and cleanup, as well as the potential for injury and compliance issues. These factors raise the cost of operation and reduce profit margins.”

Transfer points

Containment is the key to avoiding spillage and dust, and there are a number of components designed for this purpose. Although shaped transfer chutes and rock boxes direct the material flow to mitigate the concussion of material on the belt, most highvolume operations need one or more impact cradles to absorb the force of the cargo stream. Heavy duty impact cradles can be equipped with rubber or urethane impact bars with a top layer of slick UHMW plastic to minimise belt friction.

“Within the settling zones which are located after the impact cradle in the conveyor chute box, slider cradles can then create a troughed belt to centre the cargo and reduce disruption quickly, aiding in dust settlement,” says Jerad. A smooth belt path should have no gaps, minimising disruption and

promoting containment, allowing dust and fines to settle into the cargo stream prior to leaving the containment area.

potential fines or forced downtime, to determine specifically how they can affect the bottom line,” concludes Jarod.

Airflow

Martin Engineering Rick Felde Email: rickf@martin-eng.com www.martin-eng.com

“With a constant stream of material crashing on the impact point of the receiving belt, the transfer point can be extremely turbulent, and this turbulence must be contained. By slowing the airflow in the skirted area, suspended dust is allowed to settle onto the cargo path,” adds Jerad.

A smooth belt path should have no gaps, minimising disruption and promoting containment Chute sealing

By closing gaps and keeping a tight seal on the belt, apron seals can also be attached to the chute walls to prevent fugitive dust and fines from escaping. “A crucial requirement in any transfer point designed for reduced spillage and high efficiency is an effective skirting and wear liner sealing system at the edge of the belt,” explains Jarod. Modern designs feature external skirtings, which establish the tight belt seal needed to eliminate fugitive dust and fines.

“Managers concerned with the overall safety and cost of operation need to review potential hazards, the impact of rising labour costs for cleanup and maintenance, combined with the expense of

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LASER SENSORS

Accurate Measurements The rapid development of sensor technology provides cement producers with a range of solutions that optimise performance potential and strengthen market presence. The non-contact volume flow measurement of conveyed materials can help to optimise the material handling process from quarry to final product.

and the volume of material transported is calculated using an average material density.

This process is hindered when material density changes or when a conveyor belt is not properly

B

ulkscan flow measurement technology introduced by Sick Automation several years ago has had its portfolio broadened with the introduction of its Bulkscan low cost LMS111. Both versions provide non-contact maintenance-free measurement of volume flow more accurately than mechanical belt scales. They also minimise errors in mass and volume flow rate calculations.

Inside the Bulkscan sensor, high-pulse laser beams create a profile of the material on the conveyor which, in combination with belt speed, represents volume flow and calculated mass flow Monitoring flow in cement plants

Knowing how much raw material is in the yard is a challenge. It is essential that conveyors provide a nonstop flow of raw materials, additives, fuel, clinker and cement upstream and downstream of the pyroprocess. Mechanical scales measure mass

Non-contact time-of-flight technology is used to measure the volume flow of bulk materials on conveyor belts

The Bulkscan also provides bulk edge and conveying edge monitoring

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LASER SENSORS

maintained. Material density is used to convert mass from the weigh scales into volume and vice versa. “When the density is incorrect, the volume and mass calculations are also incorrect,” says Felix Bartknecht of Sick.

The solution

Bulkscan flow measurement technology enables the yard manager to directly measure the contour, volume, height and material distribution through the use of Lidar (light detection and ranging) based technology. The sensors can be mounted over conveyor belts, onto cranes and reclaimers.

“Inside the Bulkscan sensor, high-pulse laser beams create a profile of the material on the conveyor which, in combination with belt speed, represents volume flow and calculated mass flow,” says Felix. This measurement principle is based on a laser beam that is deflected internally across a rotating mirror. The sequential order of the laser pulses is synchronised with the rotation frequency of the motor and the desired angular resolution.

Generally, the motor rotation speed is determined by the maximum emitted pulse frequency of the laser source and the desired angular resolution.

The laser beams scan the surface area of the material on the conveyor and send this information to the measurement device, which compares the data with an empty reference conveyor belt.

Bulkscan allows plant operators to directly measure volume flow on conveyor belts, bucket elevators or drag chain conveyors outdoors in harsh conditions as well as inside the cement plant. The scanner

can be mounted above the conveyor, measuring volume flow without any material contact, making it virtually maintenance free. The collected data can either inform manual processes, or be fed input to fully-automated systems to drive changes in material flow and composition. When large objects are detected, the plant operator is alerted and an automated stop process is triggered.

The scanner can be mounted above the conveyor, measuring volume flow without any material contact, making it virtually maintenance free Optimising processes

Bulkscan also helps plant operators to optimise conveyor operation and reduce unplanned downtime. The same laser beams used to measure the bulk flow rate provide information about the exact height and distribution of the bulk material on the conveyor. In addition, the centre of gravity of the load and the distance between the bulk material and the conveyor edge is measured and provided to a closed-loop system to adjust material distribution on the belt. This process automation helps increase belt life and decrease one-sided roller wear and downtime.

Sick Automation Robert de Scánde, Tel: (010) 060-0550 robert.descande@sickautomation.co.za www.sickautomation.co.za

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Non-contact volume flow and measurement using the sensor and belt speed encoder

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MARKET FORUM

Improving road safety Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has launched a five-year pilot project to run a 44-pallet Performance-Based Standard (PBS) trailer between Bloemfontein and Upington. The launch took place at Gutsche Plant, in Hamilton, Bloemfontein.

The PBS trailer is 27.9 metres long and can transport 44 pallets, compared with a conventional 30-pallet trailer.

This truck is expected to reduce road traffic and improve safety, while also enhancing productivity for CCBSA. It is projected to reduce the number of loads that will need to be transported along this route by 78%.

“This pilot project is part of an ongoing programme for us to develop new ways of delivering to our customers while contributing towards managing the heavy traffic on South Africa’s road, to minimise damage, improve safety and to reduce congestion,” says CCBSA Logistics Director, Flora Jika. This approach uses performance-based standards, which specify the performance required of a heavy vehicle on particular routes, bearing in mind both safety and the nature of the road infrastructure itself.

“Performance-based standards provide greater leeway for vehicle designers to come up with innovative ideas and trucks and trailers designed in this way are often called smart trucks,” Flora concludes.

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa Nnana Mamatshele Tel: (011) 848-2600 Email: nmamatshele@ccbagroup.com

Costs savings through lubrication Quarrying or industrial-scale excavation is a punishing application for mechanical equipment. For KuluCrete, a supplier of bricks, blocks, roof tiles, kerbing, pavers, river sand and crushed stone in Southern KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, switching lubricants on the company’s excavator has resulted in cost savings.

KuluCrete’s Komatsu Excavator PC270 is a turbocharged, air-

to-air after-cooled hydraulic excavator used for the removal of raw materials and subsequent placement in crushers.

Previously, the company was using an EP2 lubricant, but having to replace the excavator’s pins every three months.

Llewellyn Owen, National Sales Manager in South Africa at Lubrication Engineers (LE) SA, recommended KuluCrete test LE’s Almagard 3752 as an alternative lubrication.

KuluCrete’s workshop manager Clinton Stroebel had a new set of pins installed with the Almagard applied, and the unit was returned to the quarry. With the Almagard 3752, the pin set remained scar free for over 1 000 work hours and was only replaced after 1 834 run hours when slight scarring appeared.

According to Clinton, when using the previous lubricant, the pins sometimes wore so severely that they were a third of their original machined size after three months of use.

Lubrication Engineers Callum Ford Tel: (011) 464-1735 Email: callum@ lubricationengineers.co.za www.lubricationengineers.co.za

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MARKET FORUM

Getting into the mining sector VDM Plant Hire plans to expand its operation to supply construction equipment to the mining sector.

“We are currently extending our fleet of excavators, road rollers, wheel loaders and TLBs to include machines that comply with mining specifications and standards,” explains Lindo van der Merwe, owner of VDM Plant Hire. “This expansion programme encompasses the upgrading of existing machines and the investment in new equipment,” he says.

The company will also be partnering with SMEs, which have contracts with mines for equipment supply. This is in line with the current trend, where mine authorities extend contracts for plant hire to SMEs, rather than purchasing

or renting equipment directly from suppliers or manufacturers.

“What’s important to us in our selection of capital equipment, is a high-level of support from the supplier, as well as low maintenance costs and a good re-sale value of the equipment, hence our decision to purchase a R210W-9S excavator from HPE Africa.”

No Contest

Key machines in the VDM Plant Hire fleet are Hyundai excavators, which deliver on high performance, reliable operation, fuel efficiency and safe operation, concludes Lindo.

HPE Africa Lani van der Watt, Tel: (011) 397-4670 E-mail: lani.vdwatt@hpeafrica.co.za www.hpeafrica.com

ELB Promise Right Job

Right Time

Right Way

Distribution and Product Support by:

Key machines in the VDM Plant Hire fleet are HPE Africa’s Hyundai excavators, which deliver on high performance, reliable operation, fuel efficiency and safe operation

Chain cements uptime

When a cement producer faced constant downtime due to frequent unforeseen failures of their elevator chain last year, the company turned to SKF South Africa for their expertise.

SKF provided an elevator chain solution that reduced operational and maintenance costs and delivered a vast improvement in reliability, subsequently improving uptime and productivity for the cement producer. On the back of this success, SKF received a second order from the cement company for an elevator chain as a spare unit.

“Manufactured from superior-quality components, our elevator chain is more than up for the task, delivering optimum and reliable performance even in the toughest of environments, assisting the customer to reach their goal of maximising production,” says Frans Odendaal, SKF Product Manager for Power Transmissions.

SKF Samantha Joubert Tel: (011) 821-3602 Email: samantha.joubert@skf.com www.skf.com

www.elbequipment.co.za

+27 (0)11 306 0700 elb@elbquip.co.za

Branches and Dealers throughout South Africa and Southern Africa

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MARKET FORUM

A complete weighbridge solution From weighbridge to driver and inventory management, and access and identification, WBX offers its customers a complete logistics solution.

Warrior 2400

“Our complete logistics solution is aimed at combating the longstanding problems associated with goods receiving and dispatch,” Dariel Software Solutions Executive Director, Greg Vercellotti comments.

compasses driver management, vehicle management, order management, and scheduling.

WBX , Greg Vercellotti, Tel: (011) 566-5755 Email: greg.vercellotti@dariel.co.za www.wbx.co.za

An added benefit is easy integration into business systems, including ERP, warehousing, and manufacturing. In addition, the system is configurable to match any business process, and address business concerns without having to change the system.

200tph

The WBX suite has been designed and developed to combat fraud and theft, and to speed up slow and error-prone paper-based processes based on outdated technology.

Distribution and Product Support by:

The WBX suite covers planning a shipment by allocating drivers and vehicles to an order or stockpile. It en-

Dariel Software Solutions Executive Director, Greg Vercellotti

Automatic milling tracking Wirtgen has developed the Wirtgen Performance tracker that makes it possible to accurately and reliably document actual completed milling work.

Branches and Dealers throughout South Africa and Southern Africa

ELB Promise Right Job

Right Time

It is not uncommon for milling contractors to have to mill more than is specified in the RFP when carrying out a rehabilitation project. But how can the contractor bill the client on the basis of a transparent calculation when this occurs? Up until now, this usually involved calling in a surveying technician. The result are additional costs and delays in completing the project.

The Wirtgen PERFORMANCE TRACKER uses a laser scanner to measure the

Right Way

www.elbequipment.co.za

+27 (0)11 306 0700 elb@elbquip.co.za 38

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cross-sectional profile to be milled.

Surface milling performance and milling volume are then precisely measured using GPS positioning and other sensors.

The machine operator can continuously track the most important information in real time on the control panel’s display. After completing the milling work, a report with all of the relevant performance and consumption data is generated automatically in Excel and PDF format and sent to the machine operator by e-mail.

Wirtgen SA, Waylon Kukard Tel: (011) 452-1838 Waylon.Kukard@wirtgen-group.com www.wirtgen-group.com

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