Modern Quarrying Q2 2020

A customer site where Weir Minerals’ ETO equipment has improved production and reduced downtime.

ON THE COVER

In situations where standard product offerings cannot meet project-specific requirements, Weir Minerals Africa’s Engineer to Order (ETO) process leverages close cooperation between the customer and the OEM’s process, engineering and design teams. ETO ensures that equipment is built to specification and satisfies all project obligations, writes Munesu Shoko. ENGINEER TO ORDER – MEETING PROJECT OBLIGATIONS

I n a world where a one-size-fits-all approach has lost relevance in the development of mission- critical assets such as comminution equipment, Weir Minerals Africa has, over the years, adopted an Engineer to Order (ETO) strategy with great success. Tiisetso Masekwameng, GM for Trio ® and Enduron ® Comminution Products at Weir Minerals Africa, says that in circumstances where standard models don’t meet project requirements, an ETO project is initiated. She explains that typically with the ETO approach, production information and specifications are constantly moving between the client, the process team and the engineer- ing and design division. Product data, including design specifications and engineering changes, is sent between the teams to ensure that the tailored, end-product meets exact customer and site requirements.

Extensive consultation August Durow, engineering manager at Weir Minerals Africa, says there is extensive consultation between the process and engineering teams. “There is a lot of interface between the two teams well before we put a proposal to the customer. In designing the equipment, we strive to satisfy all the project and site requirements. Quite a lot of effort goes into that upfront process,” he says. A typical ETO project starts with the process team receiving basic information from the client, including material to be processed, feed sizes and the required size of the end- product. “The process team then carry out the sizing and selection of equipment to achieve the required final product. With the sizing also comes the costing and pricing of the equipment,” explains Masekwameng. The process team then generates a flowsheet, in

8

MODERN QUARRYING QUARTER 2 - 2020