Modern Quarrying Q2 2019

Following the success of the plant upgrade at Shaft 5, CNC Crushers decided to upgrade its existing plant at Shaft 4 with Weir Minerals Africa’s new technology equipment.

that the quality of our product can influence plant utilisation and availability. The equipment must always be available in order to get the best utilisation, that’s the starting point,” says Steenbok. Michael Lapidoth, Product Support Manager for Trio ® and Enduron ® at Weir Minerals Africa, adds that utilisation and availability are two key parameters in aggregate production, especially considering that quarries are volume-driven operations selling low-margin product. For them to operate profitably, quarries need to keep volumes moving. “Availability is the proportion of time the equipment is available to be used for its intended purpose, while utilisation is the proportion of the time that the equipment is used for its intended purpose,” says Lapidoth. “In any mining environment, poor equipment availability and utilisation can endanger the success of the operation.” The start – Shaft 5 CNC Crushers’ working relationship with Weir Minerals Africa started at Shaft 5 back in 2015. A major pain point for the sand and aggregate supplier was the continuous breakdowns experienced with the older technology crushing equipment and unwarranted oil usage, which resulted in excessive maintenance

KEY TAKEAWAYS

45% increase in plant throughput at Shaft 5 owing to reduced downtime and improved crusher performance

60% improvement in plant production owing to maximum availability of equipment at Shaft 4

Reduced closed side setting adjustment time from 90 minutes to five minutes as Trio ® cone crushers incorporate multiple hydraulic cylinder clamping and adjustment

13% reduction in downtime related to liner changes at Shaft 4 plant

solution to CNC Crushers, initially on a trial basis, and the results were beyond expectations. Four years later, the operational challenges are a thing of the past and engaging the services of Weir Minerals Africa has turned out to be a game changer for CNC Crushers. “We have been in this business for 14 years, but we have only ‘opened our eyes’ in the past four years following our association with Weir Minerals Africa,” says Willie Crous, operations manager at CNC Crushers. Speaking about the solution, Vernon Steenbok, Genaral Manager of Comminution at Weir Minerals Africa, explains that Weir Minerals approached CNC Crushers’ operational setbacks with an integrated solutions approach. “We always approach every plant upgrade with a specific formula aimed at improving efficiency. For us, availability x utilisation x quality = efficiency. We are confident

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QUARTER 2 - 2019 MODERN QUARRYING