Cementing technological success FL Smidth

CEMENTING

TECHNOLOGICAL SUCCESS

FLSmidth is a global leader in the supply of equipment and services to the international cement and minerals industries. The company continues to maintain strong growth thanks to its world-class products, advanced technologies and tailored consultancy and support services. Philip Yorke takes a closer look at an innovative company that sets the standards for the industry.

FLSmidth was founded in 1882 and today is a global supplier of equipment and services to the cement and minerals industries. It supplies everything from single machines to complete cement plants and minerals processing facilities, as well as providing complete processing plant maintenance, support services and the operation of facilities. Today the company employs more than 13,000 people worldwide in offices located in over 50 countries.

Unique solutions

As mines continue to expand and fuel prices climb, mining companies are increasingly looking to control costs and improve ways of getting the ore out of the mine and into the processing plant. Traditionally shovels and trucks have always been used to transport the extracted rock to the crushing stations. Now today with ‘In-Pit Crushing & Conveying’ (IPCC) from FLSmidth, the ore can be taken directly into the crusher and then fed to conveyers to be carried to the next section of processing equipment. Thus bypassing the need for so many trucks to haul the material over large distances to a crushing station.

Conventional mobile and semi-mobile truck dump stations require massive geotechnical preparation and expensive retaining walls to allow trucks to drive to an elevation sufficient to dump material into the receiving hopper. In spite of new developments in current semi-mobile station design that have yielded some improvement in the cost of crusher relocation, the fact remains that these crushing stations can only be used in conjunction with a fixed conveyer system.

FLSmidth’s IPCC technologies and solutions have been uniquely engineered to offer many advantages over loading and driving out of the pit to the crusher. By crushing the ore early with IPCC, many hurdles and processes can be overcome that would normally increase costs.

Flexible project modules

The company offers a wide range of flexible project modules for projects worldwide and handles the engineering and procurement (EP) where it manages the whole range of plant equipment or can deliver segments, such as pyro or major upgrades. FLSmidth also offers its customers a unique 360-degree solution for the lifecycle of a plant, covering everything from initial raw material investigation to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) through to ongoing operation and maintenance services.

Today the company can offer a full turnkey service to the owner of a cement plant, including FLSmidth staff to run the plant and to guarantee output levels for an agreed price per tonne. The company’s EPC and O&M contracts are run by some of the most experienced engineers in the business alongside locally recruited staff who are fully trained and integrated into the company’s expert project teams.

Whether it’s an EP or EPC project, safety is always addressed very early in the project by FLSmidth. With an EPC project the company is fully responsible. With the EP projects, safety becomes the customer’s and the contractor’s obligation.

Leading by example

Research and development have always been given a high priority at FLSmidth and it forms an integrated part of its diverse range of activities. The company’s R&D efforts are focused on the development of technical solutions with high reliability and availability with minimum environmental impact and the lowest possible lifecycle costs.

The company’s R&D activities take place globally in various centres of excellence, its Dania test centre in Denmark for example

is the industry’s largest with laboratories and pilot testing facilities for new and existing plants. The company is also working in cooperation with universities and leading institutions throughout Denmark.

FLSmidth has an established record of product and technology innovation, and has pioneered developments in the cement industry for more than a century. The company constantly pursues innovative solutions to meet the global challenges faced by customers which includes CO2 emissions, energy efficiency and water use and conservation.

Single source

FLSmidth offers its customers everything from a single source, from process design and project management to equipment supply and plant commissioning. In addition, the company also provides the training for the operators who will eventually run the plants. FLSmidth has a wellproven process and track record to ensure successful project execution with a tried and tested series of procedures. Throughout the project, a dedicated project manager oversees and tracks the progress of every step and holds regular meetings with the customer.

Safety is a key word at FLSmidth and the company strives to ensure that work on project sites and its manufacturing units is always done safely. The company never leaves the site before all the equipment works in accordance with specifications and is also able to provide a comprehensive range of support services long after the plant is completed. n

For further details of FLSmidth’s range of engineering equipment and support services visit: www.flsmidth.com