Modern Quarrying Q3 2018

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS – CRUSHING AND SCREENING

Total comminution to tailings solution

raising efficiency, productivity and profitability.” This involves building local capac- ity by actively developing mineral processing and other related skills in-country, nurturing young engineers in Weir Minerals Africa’s service-cen- tred performance culture. “Our team of process engineers brings years of experience from the mining sector, and through training and mentoring prepare the next generation of engi- neers for their role in supporting and building a sustainable mining sector,” he says. l

As regulations governing the management of mine tailings become more onerous, the solutions avail- able from Weir Minerals now includes a range of mechanical separation technologies such as thickeners, filter presses, centrifuges and vacuum belt filters. “To ensure the effective application of our growing equipment range, we place experienced process engineers at the centre of our relationship with customers,” says Steenbok. “This is key to helping customers drive down their cost of ownership while

Adding a partnership with technology group Andritz to its range of Trio crushing equipment, Enduron screens and other established brands, Weir Minerals Africa is further entrenching its position as a total solution provider to process plants. General Manager Comminution at Weir Minerals Africa, Vernon Steenbok, says: “Our offerings to mines now span all processes from the run-of-mine tip to the tailings dams including equipment such as crushers, conveyers, screens, feed- ers, pumps, cyclones, linings, hoses and valves.” Steenbok emphasises that the company has been expanding into the comminution space as a vital part of its total integrated solution provided to customers across Africa and the Middle East, from the gold mines of West and East Africa to the copper mines of Central Africa. Infrastructure development in the Middle East has also been important driver of the aggregate business, with resultant demand for Weir Minerals’ crushers and screens. A new range of small, mobile crushers and screens is about to represent a big opportunity for businesses to explore new opportunities in processing, especially in the areas of recycling and waste management. The EvoQuip brand also represents a unique hire opportunity for entrepre- neurs and plant hire companies where the machine may either become part of an existing fleet or provide owner-oper- ators with an opportunity to undertake smaller-scale crushing and screening operations on customers’ own sites. Distributed by ELB Equipment, the EvoQuip range is part of the Terex brand and extends from 3- to 19-t screens, complemented by crushers that range from 3,5 to 29 t. With the emphasis on mobility, the concept is to bring efficient crushing and screening operations to wherever they are needed. According to Martin Conway, Terex international sales manager for EvoQuip, the company’s machines, developed

A range of Trio equipment, including screens and conveyors, in an aggregate application.

Exploring new opportunities in processing

Distributed locally by ELB Equipment, the EvoQuip range is part of the Terex brand and extends from 3- to 19-t screens.

cost implications,” he says. “By comparison, the small EvoQuip machines are less expensive to buy and to operate making many lower-yield types of operations feasible by consid- erably bringing down operating costs. That means it can give old operations a new lease of life or may even be feasible to be brought onto quarries to produce saleable products from by-products,” says Conway. l

within the space of the last decade, are compliant with emerging trends in numer- ous industries. “For example, in the existing processing market the trend is for crushing operations to become smaller and operate on a just- in-time (JIT) principle where just enough is produced for immediate needs rather than stockpiling materials for future use. All too often big crushers and screens stand idle waiting for materials with obvious negative

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MODERN QUARRYING QUARTER 3 - 2018