BELT CLEANERS
Expanding horizons for TS Global Australian-owned TS Global has expanded significantly over the past 12 months. Graham Holford, the company’s director, tells ABHR about how its new facilities are supporting the mining industry. AUSTRALIAN MINES ARE MASSIVE infrastructure systems, built tough to handle the harsh conditions and high throughputs. To remain as durable as possible, bulk handling equipment tends to be heavy. As a result, installing a new belt cleaner could require two tradespeople moving a 70-kilogram piece of equipment up a gantry that could be covered in dust or debris. Graham Holford, Director at TS Global says these are the kinds of problems that the company tackles when designing its equipment. “The business has been built around practical people. Most of us are tradespeople who have been dealing with these problems and have firsthand experience with the challenges that our clients face,” he says. “It’s why we design serviceable, highperformance products that eliminate potential risks.” One of the main design focuses for TS Global’s belt cleaner range is to improve the manual handling. The new design aims to eliminate pinch points, which can crush fingers, and to split the weight of the cleaners in half through retractable cartridges. This means that when working on a site with rotable spares, maintenance staff can remove the cartridge and slot in a new on in less than half an hour. They can then service the worn cartridge offsite, improving safety significantly. As part of the installation package, TS Global also aims to reduce dust emissions with its cleaners. Instead of creating another potential way for dust to escape, the company’s installation teams will often add an inspection door to trap as much dust withing the chute itself. Holford says customisation has become more prevalent since the business first began more than 30 years ago. “Given the importance of safety issues
TS Global aims to offer a competitive price and fast response for servicing.
or environmental issues like carryback entering nearby waterways, mine sites are pushing harder to ensure everything is optimised,” he says. “Customisation is the way to do that, you can’t just throw the same thing at dozens of different problems.” TS Global has grown significantly to meet the needs of the modern mining industry, and has built a new facility in Tomago, New South Wales. The facility is the company’s new central headquarters for the business, located next to the existing TS Global workshop and warehouse. The expansion has helped the business to improve efficiencies, cutting down travel times between TS Global’s sites and created a business hub for the company. In addition, it has opened a new
36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2022
office in Perth that initially started as a one-person operation. The team has grown over the past year to eight people, with plans to hire around 10 to 15 new service specialists. Other branches have been set up in strategic mining areas around the country, to allow TS Global easier access to blue chip mining companies such as Rio Tinto or Glencore. Holford says the local support allows TS Global to offer a competitive price and fast response for servicing. “At the end of the day, it is critical to be responsive to our client needs,” he says. “Having people in the nearby area is necessary for that.” “Our clients are in the business of mining, not in maintaining belt cleaners. That’s why we’re building more service hubs around the country.”
