12 minute read
PROVIDING A KEE TO SUCCESS
The KEE Group has so far purchased three pugmills and has plans to buy more.
When WA civil support services provider KEE Group needed a new pugmill for a difficult job, it turned to Crusher Screens Sales & Hire.
KEE Group group director Damon Spiers knows what he’s looking for when he needs new equipment – and he doesn’t make the decision to engage a supplier lightly.
“My peer group reputation is of the highest calibre: if I put my name into it, I stake my reputation on it,” he said.
KEE Group is a multi-faceted business with four divisions: KEE Hire, KEE Transport, KEE Surfacing and KEE Fuel.
“KEE Group is a synergistic powerhouse, with genesis in transport, then diversified into surfacing, starting with asphalt and then the other part of my business is rental hire,” Spiers said.
“From a quarry point of view, our surfacing side of things has built up a reputation and is on every single road project. We are using our pugmills to condition sub-base and base course and pavers to lay that.”
When Spiers came across a job that required treatment of contaminated soil that had to be neutralised with lime, he looked at equipment in the market and the longevity of the job meant it didn’t make sense to hire.
“Everyone seemed to be using a particular pugmill. I looked into it, and I came across the IMS (Irish Manufacturing Services) and I liked it better,” Spiers said.
And that’s where Crusher Screens Sales & Hire came in.
As the IMS Australia distributor, Crusher Screens Sales & Hire builds a high-quality range of plant equipment including the track-mounted pugmill and blender, mobile cement silos, high-production track, link and radial conveyors, and feed hoppers from 12–45m long.
“I’ve only bought pugmills from (Crusher Screens Sales & Hire),” Spiers said. “What’s hard is when things break down – can they supply spare parts and repairs? – and they’re is good at it all.
“Anyone can buy a machine and lay asphalt, it’s the sincerity of purpose – you’re there to give your clients and your community an end result that is quality. (Crusher Screens Sales & Hire) is definitely on the quality side.”
Relatively uncomplicated machines, pugmills are ruggedly built and easy to manoeuvre.
“I made a name doing my own fit and analysis and the IMS pugmill has been fantastic,” Spiers said.
“One has turned into three and I’ll be buying more. We’re doing amazing things with them. They’re easy to transport – you can get 500 tonnes per hour coming out of them.”
A pugmill can go from treating contaminated materials to conditioning materials for a road or barriers. The applications are largely dependent on what the client needs.
Crusher Screens Sales & Hire’s IMS Track Mounted Pugmill is fitted with a twin shaft for anti-surging high-production material blending. Each shaft is fitted with replaceable 500-grade paddle tips that are rotatable through 180 degrees to equalise wear.
The pugmill is fully hydraulic from transport to operational mode without removing any items of plant.
The standard machine is manual controlled for adding water and can be upgraded to a fully automated programmable logic controller (PLC) and recording system for adding cement, lime, chemicals and emulsified asphalt mixing
IMS has mobile 40-tonne cement silo options that refill the pugmill cement hopper with attached load cells automatically controlled by the pugmill PLC.
The pugmills are highly accurate, a major advantage of which is the ease of making sure things are always working as they are meant to be. The machine is set to its tolerances and everything else is run like clockwork.
“They can meet any specific requirements in conditioning material, whether that be in base coarse material or pavement material,” Spiers said. “We can provide real-time reporting on the percentages of water, lime, cement at any part of the work.
“You can even activate it via an iPad sitting in a car.”
John Andersen is one of the co-owners of Crusher Screens Sales & Hire, and he is highly focused on customer service.
“He’s just a pleasure to deal with. He’s thankful for the custom, he actively gets involved, he asks if he can do anything else,” Spiers said.
“From a manufacturing and dealership point of view, I love dealing with John.
“We do a lot of our own customisation, but John has provided levels of support when we’ve wanted to do certain things.”
The machines and strong levels of support means Spiers is able to use the pugmills exactly as he chooses.
“Kee Group has taken a fantastic product and customised it to meet our expectations,” he said
“Our model is not to hire these pugmills out. I come up with the methodology to deal with contaminated soils, adding various compounds to lay in a road. The pugmill is part of the full chain of a division that can provide a full turnkey solution.
“I can control the quality of each part of that supply chain.” •
For more information on Crusher Screen Sales & Hire’s range, visit crusherscreen.com
Wirtgen’s range of Kleemann equipment helps to crush high-wear material.
CRUSHING DIFFICULT DIRT WITH SUPPORT A STONE’S THROW AWAY
Walker Quarries has used Wirtgen mobile equipment to turn a mountainous quartzite resource into a growing operation, 150km west of Sydney.
Originally touted as a gold mine, then a silica sands mine, the site was eventually given a life producing hard rock for Western Sydney’s construction industry from mid-2015.
With approval to produce up to 500,000 tonnes per annum (tpa), the namesake operator of Walker Quarry has been growing year-on-year with the help of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Wirtgen’s range and support.
With a workshop just a stone’s throw from Walker Quarry, Wirtgen was the easy choice for operations manager Trevor Hoffmann.
“The Kleemann decision was brought about by a couple of things. Kleemann is well-designed and manufactured with a background in German engineering,” he told Quarry.
“The other factor was that Kleemann’s parent company, Wirtgen, have a location about an hour and a half away in Emu Plains. So it was a good decision for us based on quality and proximity.”
Walker Quarries has a wide range of Kleemann gear, including screens and crushers.
On the crushing side, the operation uses three MC110R jaw crushers, two MR130Z impact crushers, and one MCO9S closed circuit cone crushers.
These units were chosen for their hardwearing and mobile design, as is typical for Kleemann equipment. Hoffmann said these units were a no-brainer given the site’s mountainous nature and the lack of utilities.
“It was originally a greenfields site with no plans or accommodation to install a fixed plant,” he said.
“There was no fixed power to the site, so it had to be quarried with mobile gear, and it
remains this way as we continue to expand.”
When Hoffmann began work at Walker four and a half years ago, the operation was only producing about 90Ktpa.
The team is now pushing 300Ktpa, with the Kleemann equipment not hurting its chances of increasing towards 500Ktpa over the coming years.
But it will be no easy feat – the Walker resource holds some of the tougher material found across the Australian quarrying industry, according to Hoffmann.
“The quartzite we mine is extremely abrasive. We use ground-engaging tools with significant wear components and we’re constantly speaking with Wirtgen to understand how we can better utilise our equipment to manage this kind of material,” he said.
“The rock is not only very abrasive, but it’s got its own mind in terms of how it wants to break. We’re very particular about the shape of our aggregate and the impact crushers we use put us in a good position to supply specific products to the market.”
And while Wirtgen is always happy to recommend textbook methods of using the crushing equipment – running aggflows and maintenance plans with all its customers – the machines’ versatility allows Hoffmann to find new and exciting ways to get the best out of his operation.
“Knowing our material best, we prefer to use it in slightly different ways, but we’re always working to learn from one another,” Hoffmann said.
“Wirtgen have brought their own potential clients to Walker Quarry to show how we use the equipment in our own way compared to the textbook fashion.”
Wirtgen will be heavily involved in the future at Walker, according to Hoffmann, with plans to add various products to its output, including river pebbles.
“Part of our future is to install a new sandwashing plant by the end of this year, which will be used to wash all the tailings off of our quartzite,” he said.
“Wirtgen will continue to play a big part in our expansion and we expect to be partners with the them for a long time.” •
For more information on the Kleemann range of crushers, visit wirtgen-group.com/en-au
IQA NEWS
The Institute of Quarrying
Australia
OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE IQA BRANCHES
L–R: Bradley Brown, AIQ, Graymont; Damien Gramola, AIQ, Delta Rent; Paul Chenery, AIQ, Komatsu Australia.
HUNTER SUB-BRANCH MEETING
The Hunter sub-branch dinner on February 17 was fantastic opportunity to finally bring together the greater Hunter Region quarry family again. The Newcastle foreshore and Marina Views conference centre was the perfect spot for a warm afternoon, with 40 participants coming together to network while watching the boats come and go.
A lovely dinner was followed by Dan Bolton, Principal Inspector for Small Mines and Quarries at the NSW Resources Regulator, explaining recent changes to the certification qualifications. Dan’s engaging and informative presentation also went through the regulator’s focus areas in the coming year for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 operations. NQLD BRANCH NEW YEAR WELCOME DINNER AND PANEL
The NQld branch welcomed 70 attendees to the Townsville RSL for its Welcome to the New Year and Panel event on February 18. This much anticipated occasion included a twocourse dinner and entertainment from a local comedian, but the highlight of the night was a panel featuring four highly regarded industry professionals and IQA Fellows with more than 130 years of combined industry experience.
Gavin Markwell (Markwell Group), John Fahey (BQC Quarries), Greg Rains (Nordev Contractors) and Bob Ware (quarry manager) answered questions about what quarrying was like in the ’70 and ’80s, including challenges compared to now, and what lessons can be applied within the industry today.
The evening included a special presentation by the NQld Branch Committee Chairperson, Lawrence Fahey, to long-time IQA member and current NQld Committee member and former Chairperson, Greg Rains, who was upgraded to a Fellow of the Institute.
A great night was had by all and provided an opportunity for learning and networking, which all attendees readily embraced. A special thank you must go to our event sponsors Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and Georgiou Group.
IQA JOB NOTICE BOARD
The IQA Jobs Board is a great way to reach people in the industry who may be looking for a new opportunity. IQA members can advertise vacancies for free. The advertisement will be published for three weeks and, if the role is not filled in that time, you will be able to request the advertisement stay live for a further three weeks.
Email admin@quarry.com.au to advertise a job and follow the IQA on LinkedIn for industry updates.
NSW POST-REGULATOR CATCH-UPS
The NSW Resources Regulator held its annual Health and Safety Roadshow for small mines and quarries across the state during February, March and April 2022. These roadshows provide valuable information and resources to the small mines and quarry sectors and help our industry to maintain safe practices while providing faceto-face engagement with the regulator.
UPCOMING POST-REGULATOR CATCH-UPS
The IQA Central West and Northern Region branches are hosting informal networking meetings immediately after the conclusion of the roadshows in Orange, Dubbo and Port Macquarie. These meetings provide a networking opportunity for our members and are a great way to make new connections. The IQA will provide a brief presentation on education and professional development opportunities available to members and associated industries.
IQA NEWS
The Institute of Quarrying
Australia
The return of face-to-face events has proved very welcome in 2022.
VICTORIA SUB-BRANCH DINNER MEETING
When 57 guests gathered at the National Hotel in Bendigo on February 24, it was the first Victorian event to kick off 2022.
Guests embraced the opportunity to reconnect. Some arrived earlier in the day for the four-hour electrical awareness workshop, while others travelled from as far as South Australia and Queensland to attend the event.
During the dinner, Gordyn & Palmer, one of the Victorian sub-branch major sponsors, gave two presentations. As an electrical and automation solutions specialist, Gordyn & Palmer is well placed to deliver an informative insight on the electronic advancements in the quarrying industry. Later in the evening, the audience enjoyed an interactive and valuable discussion around switch room safety.
The momentum of Victorian events continued with the Autumn Breakfast on 10 March at William Adams in Clayton, where an ANZ economist delivered an Australian economic update and guests enjoyed barista made coffee from an icon restored 1969 Citroen HY Van.
MEMBERSHIP REVIEW COMMITTEE NOMINATION
The IQA is seeking an EOI for up to five additional representatives from industry, branches and sub-branches, and suppliers to join the Membership Review Committee (MRC). The MRC’s role will be to: • determine applications for member status, where applicants do not have a formal or exempting qualification • determine applications for membership that are referred to it by the National Office staff or
Chair of the Committee • determine applications for membership that are referred to it by applicants that are not happy with the decision of the National Office staff or Chair of the Committee • review and provide recommendations to the Board via the Chief Executive Officer on all nominations for Fellowship • review and provide recommendations to the Board via the CEO on all nominations for
Honorary Fellowship • review and provide advice to the CEO on all membership matters • review and provide advice to the CEO on strategies to sustain and grow membership • refer matters of Committee composition, membership guideline amendments, membership grades and annual membership fees to the Board via the CEO. EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Face-to-face training is back. Following a very disrupted schedule, the IQA has scheduled a number of new courses that are being offered in-person, including: • Supervising for Safety • Plant and Equipment: Safety,
Compliance and Best Practice • Slope Stability • Respirable Crystaline Silica • and more.
Visit www.quarry.com.au for up-to-date scheduling of courses in your state. If a course is not listed, please contact the IQA admin@quarry.com.au and we can discuss your training needs.
For more details on IQA events, visit quarry. com.au/events
VICTORIA SUB-BRANCH ELECTRICAL AWARENESS WORKSHOP
The IQA was thrilled to partner with the Victorian sub-branch to deliver the face-to-face electrical awareness workshop on February 24. This half-day workshop was held before the first subbranch networking dinner meeting for 2022.
While online learning and virtual workshops have been incredibly successful since the onset of COVID restrictions, we are encouraged to see face-to-face learning back on the IQA calendar.
For more information on virtual and face-to-face professional development opportunities, visit www.quarry.com.au/education
