Modern Mining August 2024

and a similar time in the engineering office. Some go on to spend another year gathering experience in field service. At least 60 young people have been upskilled in this way over the past 15 years. “Raising skill levels becomes more important as crushing and screening technology advances,” he says. “Our machines are becoming ever more sophisticated and complex, which is why they can deliver such high performance so reliably – but this demands the appropriate technical support.” The reasons behind equipment complexity include safety features, he adds, which must align with stricter safety regulations. Recognising that mining is often a continuous, 24 hour per day operation, Pilot Crushtec gives its customers access to 24-hour telephonic assistance, as well as email and field support. Loss of production is costly, says Abelho, so rapid response time is essential. “Given the capital invested in these modern crushing and screening units, there has, in the last 15 years, been growing emphasis on preventive maintenance and condition monitoring,” he says. “Our training investment therefore includes preparing our technicians to conduct annual ‘check ups’ for customers’ equipment.” There is considerable value in these interventions, which can prevent major failures and unplanned downtime. Marais emphases that Pilot Crushtec’s approach has always been to act as a stakeholder in a customer’s business – adding value to the sustainability of their whole operation. “A capital purchase by a customer is only the beginning of long-term collaboration with us,” he says. “We treat our customer relationships as a mutual agreement in which we apply our best practice to help their businesses to succeed.” The rapid evolution of technology on mobile crushing and screening plants has also raised the investment necessary in the company’s service infrastructure. Abelho points out that there has been a considerable shift towards the use of more electronic and digital equipment in technical support – to diagnose, configure or repair today’s high-tech machinery. Pilot Crushtec’s commitment to partnership means that it extends its

Pilot Crushtec stocks spare and wear parts to the value of over R180 million.

Pilot Crushtec’s spare and wear parts stockholding comprises over 34,000 different line items.

Pilot Crushtec’s SupportLink team is ever-growing and consists of qualified and experienced field service technicians.

Abelho points out that, in addition to the mechanical aspects of machine support, the application side is even more demanding. This refers to the technician’s role in setting up machines, where they must check the loading, balance the circuits and ensure that screens are working as efficiently as possible. As the equipment models are continuously upgraded, improved materials and component designs make an important contribution to better performance and reliability, notes Marais. This also means that the use of pirate parts creates greater operational risk for end-users. “The philosophy of Pilot Crushtec and Metso is always to enhance our product range – from existing models to new lines – by allowing retrofitting of upgraded components,” he explains. “Pirate parts are a temptation to customers, but increasingly these parts simply undermine efforts to enhance uptime. The marginal saving on a spare part invariably leads to much larger losses in lost production and equipment availability.” 

skills development to the customers’ own people. Given its considerable experience and technical resources, Marais says the company views itself as a Centre of Excellence in its field – with much to offer in boosting industry-wide expertise. “We plan to reach out even more to customers and industry in general, to share our knowledge with other stakeholders,” says Marais. The company has generated many short courses that its own people undergo, but which could valuably be made available more broadly. Many of its training resources on crushers and screens are focused beyond a specific equipment model, and apply also to process, applications, field service and maintenance. “We focus on the results that customers achieve with our machines and solutions, so we are committed to building skills that support these results,” he says. “As the OEM, we fully understand our equipment and can advise on the best strategies to operate, service and maintain it.”

AUGUST 2024 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za  MODERN MINING  65