Capital Equipment News June 2019

Motor rehabilitation in Zambia keeps mine pumping

Volvo CE launches EMEA Uptime Centre

Marthinusen & Coutts technician taking vibration readings on a 3 300 kW pump motor.

The centre is the outcome of a reorganisation of the product support department.

Marthinusen & Coutts’ Cleveland Engineering Services Division teamed up with the Marthinusen & Coutts Kitwe facility in Zambia to rehabilitate medium voltage pump motors in one of the wettest mines in Africa. A pump OEM had approached Marthinusen & Coutts to assess several underground pump motors. There was an ur- gency to the situation due to the risk of flooding should there be any undue interruptions in pumping operations. Investigations revealed that the motors driving the pumps were in a poor condition, with this severely affecting the availability and the performance of the pump chambers. This required the initiation of a detailed refurbishment pro- gramme, involving the procurement of spare parts, the setting up of an on-site bearing store, and taking the lead in return- ing the motors to full service. Where possible, the motors were repaired in situ – thus avoiding any possible crisis of underground flooding – while others were removed for full refurbishment. The highest level of engineering practices were followed during repairs, re-in- stallation and commissioning. Ongoing support is also being provided, including the training of mine maintenance staff, the development of installation and commissioning specifi- cations, conducting of regular site inspections, management of spares and continual engagement with mine engineering management. b

Located at Volvo CE’s EMEA regional headquarters in Eskilstuna, Sweden, the new Uptime Centre will assist the entire Volvo dealer network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in keeping custom- ers’ machines up and running. It will serve as an IT nerve centre, monitoring data trans- mitted by connected machines through CareTrack and identi- fying areas where uptime and efficiency can be increased. “The majority of problems we work with should be things that we detect before the dealer or customer does. That’s our goal – to be proactive and provide solutions to problems before they happen,” says Fredrik Gerhardsson, VP After- market within Volvo CE Sales Region EMEA. Case handlers will alert dealers to machine errors codes and alarms so that they can take immediate action on behalf of their customers, reducing unplanned stops, spending on fuel and maintenance and preventing future problems. “When I identify a problem, I make a complete report that I send to the dealer. The dealer goes to provide preventa- tive maintenance, extra training or offer options that will ensure even better uptime or efficiency. A trained operator, for example, can save a lot of money on fuel and unplanned maintenance,” says Leif Waad, one of the case handlers in the Uptime Centre. b

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