Industry news

thyssenkrupp sells mining business to FLSmidth

The business unit employs around 3400 people and generated sales of around $1.28 billion in the 2019/20 financial year.

THYSSENKRUPP WILL SELL ITS

mining business to Danish company FLSmidth for around EUR 325 million ($522.6 million) as part of its realignment strategy. thyssenkrupp allocated the mining business to the multi tracks segment in October 2020 to find a new owner.

The business unit employs around 3400 people and generated sales of around $1.28 billion (EUR 800 million) in the 2019/20 financial year.

The company aims to transform itself into a high-performing group of companies with independent businesses, a lean holding company and a focus on systematic performance improvement across all businesses. thyssenkrupp AG CEO Martina Merz says the successful sale of the Mining business shows it is pressing ahead at full speed with the transformation of thyssenkrupp.

“But we have not yet reached our goal. The principle ‘Performance first’ continues to apply. We need to return to positive cash flow as quickly as possible. The sale of Mining Technologies makes an important contribution to this,” Merz says.

“At the same time I am pleased that we have found a very good new owner in FLSmidth. FLSmidth presented a convincing business strategy and a clear vision for the Mining business. It will give our employees attractive prospects. That was extremely important to us when negotiating the sale.”

FLSmidth CEO Thomas Schulz aid thyssenkrupp’s Mining business is an ideal addition for FLSmidth.

“We are particularly impressed by the capabilities, expertise and reputation of the thyssenkrupp employees, especially in projects and products,” Schulz says.

“The large global installed base offers great potential for the service and aftermarket business. We have similar business models, share a strong focus on sustainability and digitalisation and our corporate cultures are a good match.

“As a result, I am very much looking forward to combining our strengths; I am convinced that together we will play a leading role in shaping a zero-emission future for the mining industry and in creating sustainable growth for our customers, employees and shareholders.”

The transaction is subject to competition authority approval. The closing of the transaction is expected within the next 12 months.

Cement producer installs moisture measurement sensor

TO PRODUCE CEMENT, A GERMAN

manufacturer required sand, taken either from internal storage facilities or delivered by ship.

However, it found that the material had a much higher moisture level when it was transferred across the water.

Previously, the company checked the material moisture manually in the laboratory, but this was often slow.

To solve this, it installed SWR Engineering’s M-Sens 3, a microwave sensor specifically designed for continuous moisture measurement of solids during batching.

The sensor monitors product flow for moisture content and temperature, which can be used to detect how efficient the product stream is. Dusts, powders, granulate and other bulk solids can be constantly analysed to identify process failures, such as a defective screw or material clogging.

It does so by monitoring the material’s surface and capillary moisture, which influences the specific conductive capacity of a material. This can then be compared to an averaged bulk density to determine if investigation is required.

In the result of a material process failure or caking around the sensor, an alarm can be sounded to ensure the validity of the measurements is always high.

The cement manufacturer installed the M-Sens 3 directly on the conveyor belt with a shuttle to continuously monitor the moisture content of the sand.

The work required to take samples and check the moisture level in the laboratory is no longer necessary, saving time and costs. On a conveyor belt system, the M-Sens 3 can measure moisture of the solids and allow operators to react in real time if material is too humid or dry, helping prevent plugging of aggregates. Additionally, when

The M-Sens 3 monitors product flow for moisture content and temperature.

mounted at a bin’s outlet, it can take advantage of the constant bulk density and almost unchanging measuring field for monitoring residual moisture. This helps operators stop material that is too damp from reaching the next production level.

The system itself has been designed for easy installation and calibration. All an operator needs to do to calibrate the sensor is press a button and enter the referenced moisture content. Measured fluctuations in bulk density and temperature are automatically compensated by an internal filter function.

Central QLD coal mine set to expand

A CENTRAL QUEENSLAND MINE

will soon expand its operations, creating more than 150 jobs in the process.

The sale agreement between MetRes – a joint venture between Stanmore Coal and M Resources – and Peabody Energy Australia would allow the restart of the Millennium and Mavis Downs coal mines near Moranbah.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart says this venture will create more than 150 jobs through investment in underground expansions and completion of rehabilitation obligations.

“With a predicted mine life of 22 years including rehabilitation, these are lasting jobs and will create long-term royalties that will benefit all Queenslanders,” Stewart says.

“This investment is a strong sign of the growing confidence in our resources sector as Queensland continues its road to economic recovery.”

Queensland’s Stanmore Coal purchased their first open cut coal mine off Brazil’s Vale and Japan’s Sumitomo in 2015.

As part of the sale, Stanmore took on a $32 million rehabilitation obligation associated with the mine.

The Millennium and Mavis Downs mines will feature a mix of open cut, high wall and underground mining methods used for the extraction of high-quality metallurgical coal.

The project will have a total production of 13.9 million tonnes of metallurgical coal during its lifespan.

Stewart says the Queensland Government would continue to support the resources sector for the royalties and jobs it generates.

“The resources sector supports more than 84,000 jobs across Queensland and represents $44 billion in exports,” he says.

“The sector has played a vital role in supporting jobs during the pandemic and will continue to do so into the future.

“Queensland is naturally blessed with the world’s highest quality metallurgical coal, which the world needs to make steel.”