Bulk Handling Today January 2013 by Promech Publishing

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

BULK

HANDLING

T O D A Y

January 2013

Contents On the cover: Martin Engineering Tel: (013) 656-5135, Email: frandk@martin-eng.com www.martin-eng.co.za

CMA 4

Conveying

From the Chairman’s Desk

29 Production Efficiencies in the Sugar Industry 31 Leading Technology for Impumelelo and Medupi 35 From One Source

SAIMH News 5

Another Great Success

Cover Story 6

39 Market Forum

Solving Flow Problems

Crushers, Screens, Chutes & Liners 9 Crushers Survey 11 Big Screens for More Throughput

Endorsing Bodies • •

RFA 15 Compulsory Microdotting of Vehicles

Transport

•

SAIMechE (SA Institute of Mechanical Engineering)

•

SAIMH (SA Institute of Materials Handling)

•

also mailed to members of the RFA (Road Freight Association)

16 Buy Back South Africa

Beltcon

21 The Effectiveness of Safety in Bulk Materials Handling

All rights reserved. No editorial matter published in “Bulk Handling Today” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure accurate reproduction, the editor, authors, publishers and their employees or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the publication, whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any consequences arising therefrom. The inclusion or exclusion of any product does not mean that the publisher or editorial board advocates or rejects its use either generally or in any particular field or fields.

Our e-mail address is bulkhandling@promech.co.za Visit our website on www.promech.co.za

CMA (Conveyor Manufacturers Association) LEEASA (Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa)

The monthly circulation is 4 016

Proprietor and Publisher: PROMECH PUBLISHING Tel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403 E-mail: bulkhandling@promech.co.za www.promech.co.za Managing Editor: Susan Custers Editor: Kowie Hamman Advertising Sales: Surita Marx DTP: Zinobia Docrat and Donovan Vadivalu

Subscriptions: Please email us at accounts@promech.co.za if you wish to subscribe to “Bulk Handling Today” at R405,00 (excl postage and VAT) per year; R1 020,00 per year for Africa/Overseas. Printed by: Typo Colour Printing, Tel: (011) 402-3468 FSC (Forestry Stewardship Accreditation)

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

CONVEYOR MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

From the Chairman’s Desk Dear CMA Team

It’s time to wish all our CMA members the very best for the year ahead – as always, many exciting CMA activities are on the cards – a snapshot of the important dates to diarise are given below. Please note all details below are subject to change, keep a look out on email for all notices of events.

I would also like to welcome our latest CMA member – Pegasus Industrial Services cc - we look forward to many years of mutual input and support with Pegasus. Here’s hoping to see as many of you as possible at all the 2013 events! Till then, Simon

CMA Activities 2013 Simon Curry

February 12

Members Meeting at Bryanston Country Club

February 20

Golf Day at Benoni Country Club

April 09

Members Meeting at Bryanston Country Club

May 06 - 13

Diploma Course – Design and Operation of Belt Conveyors at Ferndale Lodge

May 07 - 09

Conveyor Certificate Course at Ferndale Lodge

May 10

Beltsmen’s Certificate Course at Ferndale Lodge

May 14 – 16

Conveyor Certificate Course at Ferndale Lodge

May 22

Annual Dinner at Bryanston Country Club

June 11

Members Meeting at Bryanston Country Club

August 14 and 15

Beltcon 17 Conference at Birchwood

September 13-15

AGM and Industry Interact Weekend at Hunter’s Rest

September 20

Beltsmen’s Certificate Course at Ferndale Lodge

September 25 – 27

Conveyor Certificate Course at Ferndale Lodge

October 08

Members Meeting at Bryanston Country Club

Membership as at Dec/Jan 2013 All members subscribe to the CMA Code of Ethics ABB Industry Actom Afripp Projects Atlanta Manufacturing Bateman Engineered Technologies Bauer Bearings International Belt Brokers Belt Reco Bibby Turboflex BMG Bonfiglioli Power Transmissions Bosworth Brelko Conveyor Products CMG Electric Motors Conveyor Watch CPI Technologies CPM Engineering CT Systems David Brown Gear Industries Delras Engineering DRA Mineral Projects DRA Mining (Pty) Ltd Dunlop Belting Products

BULK HANDLING TODAY

Dymot Engineering Company ELB Engineering Services Facet Engineering Fenner Conveyor Belting (South Africa) Flexible Steel Lacing SA FLSmidth Roymec Hägglunds Drives South Africa Hansen Transmissions SA Hatch Africa Horne Hydraulics Hosch - Fördertechnik (SA) International Belting & Marketing Iptron Technology Joy Global (South Africa) Lesa Mining Equipment and C onveyor Belt Lorbrand M & J Engineering Martin Engineering Megaroller Melco Conveyor Equipment Moret Mining MS Conveyor Pulleys SA Nepean Conveyors OE Bearings Oriental Rubber Industries SA

January 2013

Osborn Engineered Products Pegasus Industrial Services cc PH Projects Holdings Protea Conveyors Read Swatman & Voigt Rema Tip Top South Africa Renold Crofts RSV ENCO Consulting Rula Bulk Materials Handling Sandvik Materials Handling SA Schaeffler South Africa SENET SET Agencies SEW Eurodrive Shaft Engineering Shaw Almex Africa SKF South Africa ThyssenKrupp Materials Handling Timken South Africa (Pty) Ltd Transmission Components Transvaal Rubber Company Unitek Engineers Veyance Technologies Africa Voith Turbo Zest Electric Motors

SAIMH NEWS

Another Great Success SAIMH held another great Joint Forum on 28 November 2012, where the topic of Train Loading Stations was presented to the forum. The presentation was given by Gustav Leipoldt, a Project Engineer from ELB Engineering Services and it covered the broader aspects of train loading from definitions, options and types to design considerations before wrapping up on future developments.

he main objective of the Rapid Train Load Out Station or Train Load Out Station is used to load rail wagons or trucks within the shortest possible time, accurately and

Company Affliates as at Jan 2013 Afripp Projects cc Bearings lnternational (Pty) Ltd Brelko Conveyor Products (Pty) Ltd Bulkcon CPM Engineering CT Systems cc Conveyor Watch (Pty) Ltd David Brown Gear lndustries (Pty) Ltd Deebar Mining & lndustrial Supplies East Rand Engineering Services ELB Engineering Services (Pty) Ltd Engicon Systems (Pty) Ltd Facet Engineering cc Flexco (SA) (Pty) Ltd GMR Hydraulics Goba Consulting Engineers Group Line Projects (Pty) Ltd Hagglunds Drives SA (Pty) Ltd Hansen Transmissions SA (Pty) Ltd Hatch Africa (Pty) Ltd lllustech Kimrae Engineering Prolects MacsteelVRN Martin Engineering

Melco Conveyor Equipment Morris Material Handling SA (Pty) Ltd Osborn Engineered Products (Pty)Ltd PD Engineering Services cc PDNA M&I (Pty) Ltd PH Projects Holdings (Pty) Ltd Quadrant PHS Renold Crofts (Pty) Ltd Rio Carb (Pty) Ltd Sandvik Materials Handling Africa Screw Conveyors & Material Handling Senet SEW Eurodrive Shatterprufe a Div. of PG Group Pty Ltd Spar Western Cape Super Dock Systems Tenova Unitek Engineering Zest Electric Motors (Pty) Ltd

most importantly repetitively within the strict tolerances and specifications as set by Transnet Freight. The Rapid Train Load Out Station has been proven in numerous iron ore, coal and bauxite applications worldwide. It combines proven process knowledge, structural and mechanical design, reliable and fast acting hydraulics with state-of-the-art feeding, weighing and automation technology in any weather conditions. If you had the opportunity to view the presentation and enjoyed the message, please feel free to promote the objectives of the SAIMH and encourage others to visit and join the Institute. The next meeting will be an AGM to be held 20 February 2013 at 15h30 at the ERPM Golf Club. Should you wish to join the institute or sponsor a presentation, please contact saimh@global.co.za Tony Pinto 079 890 3599 Adi Frittella: 082 558 3711 Roy Barbour: 083 962 3492 Melanie van Straaten: 011 772 1570 Email: saimh@global.co.za

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

COVER STORY

Solving Flow Problems The efficiency of any bulk material handling process depends on consistent material flow throughout the system. Any build-up of material in chutes, hoppers, silos and loading staiths cause a bottleneck-effect, eventually halting the flow completely, bringing the entire system to a complete standstill as manual clearing takes place.

at Martin Engineering about the various material flow solutions this Witbank-based company has to offer. Analysing the material density and the moisture content, results in the correct solution being supplied. Martin air cannons are a dry material solution, with a low tolerance for wet material, whereby vibratory equipment can be used on dry, wet and sticky material. “In other parts of the world this technology is widely used, so much so, that OEM’s now design silos, hoppers and chutes with the necessary cut-outs for air cannon inlets just in case they are required later on,” says Freddie Thompson, air cannon specialist at Martin Engineering.

Flow solutions

Freddie Thompson, air cannon specialist Jurgen Cneut, OEM vibration specialist at Martin Engineering at Martin Engineering

nstead of using the common method of physically agitating the area of blockage by manually pounding the silo or chute with large hammers, causing dimples in the steel which promotes even more blockage, an alternative solution such as vibration equipment, air cannons, or a sonic horn could have prevented any build-up in the first place. “Bulk Handling Today” talks to the flow specialists

The problem about bottlenecks and build-up of material is that they’re usually only noticed when no material whatsoever comes out the other side

Vibrating screens

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

In South Africa, the company has retrofitted several installations to date. In fact, several corporates in the cement industry, for instance, now plan to standardise on air cannons as part and parcel of their materials handling systems. In all Martin Engineering installations the huge costs involved in plant downtime, purely to clean out blockages, have been eliminated, as well as the safety risk operators run by having to clamber into confined spaces to clear out material. “The problem about bottlenecks and build-up of material is that they’re usually only noticed when no material whatsoever comes out the other side,” explains Freddie. “We recently came across an installation where the coal loading staiths were so blocked up that they had to actually break down concrete structures to get inside to clear the blockage. Apart from being out of commission for months, the costs escalated even more as brokendown structures had to be rebuilt.”

COVER STORY

Air cannons

How it works

“Freddie and I usually tackle a material flow problem together,to arrive at a recommended solution either in vibration or air cannons.” adds Jurgen Cneut, OEM vibration specialist at Martin. The company offers a very wide range of options in terms of vibrators, both electric, pneumatic and hydraulic. A range of Martin screen vibrators, electric vibrators, truck vibrators, ball vibrators, ring vibrators, portable pneumatics, turbine vibrators and piston vibrators, are also available.

The traditional valve design is well-established utilising negative-pressure firing. This external valve design offers a proven and reliable record of effective performance in challenging applications across a broad range of industries. The valves are mounted externally to the tanks and require minimal plumbing because only one line of air is needed to fill the tank and trigger the valve.

The coal loading staiths were so blocked up that they had to actually break down concrete structures to get inside to clear the blockage

At the heart of an air cannon is a valve which discharges a blast of air that has been compressed to around 8 bar in pressure vessel tanks ranging anything from 9 to 300 litres in volume capacity. This discharge of air travels down a short length of pipe to an outlet inside the material flow channel and is directed at the area prone to build-up, literally blowing the material along before it settles into a build-up.

“Our advanced valve design is a positive-pressure firing valve which is centrally positioned to make modern air cannons not only safer and easier to install and service, but also more efficient and more forceful,” adds Freddie. “The positive-pressure firing valves provide improved safety due to a second air line used to deliver a positive pulse of air from the solenoid to trigger the discharge, eliminating unintentional firings due to drops in pressure.”

Compact design

There’s also a compact central valve design which houses the entire valve assembly within the air cannon tank, providing the most direct air path for maximum force output and minimal air consumption. “This compact, powerful and efficient valve assembly also offers the smallest footprint, simple installation and easy, one-step maintenance,” says Freddie. “In addition, we have multiple valve and multiple-port air cannon systems which utilise a single air reservoir and one valve to discharge compressed air through multiple hoses or pipes to various locations on a materials handling system.”

Sound blasting

Last, but not the least, there is yet another pneumatic solution on offer to solve flow problems. “Sonic horns are acoustic cleaners which produce a low-frequency, high-pressure sound wave,” explains Jurgen. The sound wave is produced when compressed air flexes a titanium diaphragm in the sound generator. This sound wave is then magnified as it’s emitted through the horn of the system. The sound pressure causes dry particulate deposits to resonate and become fluidised, dislodging it from the build-up. “Material flow is affected by so many factors that almost every situation we encounter is unique. Therefore it is critical that we undertake a professional analysis of the material handling operation in order to come up with a specific solution for any given application and its unique operating conditions,” Freddie says in conclusion. “We’re fortunate in South Africa that we have the backing of a global network of engineers within the company who have experienced most of the flow problems that we come across today.” Fran de Klerk, Martin Engineering, Tel: (013) 656-5135, Email: frandk@martin-eng.com, Website: www.martin-eng.co.za

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

Crusher Survey Name of company Total Number of Employees Employees with tertiary qualifications Number of years operating in SA BEE rating Primary area of expertise: ▪ Design ▪ Manufacture/assembly ▪ Import ▪ Export ▪ Installation and commissioning ▪ Turnkey Contract to supply and install ancillary items such as: ▪ Structures ▪ Screens ▪ Chutes and feeders ▪ Pit civils and front-ends ▪ Grissly screens ▪ Cyclones ▪ Seperators ▪ Liners ISO Accredited Ownership Total value of last two contracts Number of projects completed in 2011 Value of largest contract completed in past 5 years Size of largest contract in terms of tons conveyed per hour

Atals Copco

FLSmidth

Metso Minerals

1200 (SA) 39 000 (Global)

198

1200 (SA) 30 000 (Global)

344 (SA) 3900 (Global)

160

101

20% 17

90 +

71% 90 + About to register a full equity BEE company (Jan/Feb 2013)

ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü Yes

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü Yes

Osborn Engineered Pilot Crushtec Products SA

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

R12 m 32

ü Yes Public / Subsidiary of Overseas Principal -

R170 m

4 000 ton

3 500 tons

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

Subsidiary of Subsidiary of Overseas Principal Overseas Principal

ü Yes

ü ü ü

Subsidiary of Overseas Principal

Yes Private -

Type of crushers handled ▪ Jaw ▪ Cone ▪ Mineral sizers ▪ Gyratory ▪ Impact Crushers — Horizontal Shaft — Vertical Shaft — Hammer mill

ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü

Service support: ▪ Manufacture and delivery to site ▪ Assembly on site ▪ Commissioning ▪ On-site supervision ▪ Personnel training ▪ On-site annual shutdown service ▪ Maintenance contracts Number of export orders over past 5 years Percentage of total business Total value of export orders over past 5 years CAD/FEA and/or CAM facilities Professional affiliations

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü 500 + including spares 60%

Yes No

Yes

Yes Yes

BULK HANDLING TODAY

ü ü

January 2013

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

ThyssenKrupp Materials Handling 90 70% 53

Wirtgen SA 64 29

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü Yes Subsidiary of Overseas Principal -

ü ü ü ü (Jaw) ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü

Yes Yes

Type of crushers handled ▪ Jaw ▪ Cone ▪ Mineral sizers ▪ Gyratory ▪ Impact Crushers — Horizontal Shaft — Vertical Shaft — Hammer mill

ü ü

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

ü ü

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

Big Screens for More Throughput Mines across the world are pulling out all the stops to increase margins as production costs increase. This means bigger crushers, faster conveyors, larger screens and bigger mills. This trend is now also taking root in South Africa where many mines are extending capacity to maintain cost-effective production.

or Haver & Boecker, a German company which specialises in the manufacture of large custom-made vibrating screening machines, this is good news.

“Bulk Handling Today” speaks to Joachim Hoppe,

Joachim Hoppe of Haver Southern Africa

We’re focussing on heavy-duty large screening machines the largest being 4m wide by 11m long with a capacity between 15 000 to 20 000 tonnes per hour technical & marketing director of Haver. “Haver Southern Africa was established locally in 2008 but, as it was at the beginning of the economic crisis, it

The size of screens made by Haver

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

has taken a while to find a firm footing in the local industry,” he says. “However, our products are not new to Southern Africa, but rather known under other names such as the Niagara, or a WS Tyler machine, yet they are in fact all Haver & Boecker products, made in different factories around the world such as Brazil or Canada.”

Vibration monitoring and analysis on vibrating screens is an important factor to ensure continuous and consistent screening over time Now locally available

The company has been in existence for 125 years this year, starting off with wire weaving for screens and later on developing packing machines for powder and granules such as cement, fertilisers and industrial chemical products. The minerals division, one of the two main business units of the South African office, specialises in screening equipment as a total solution for the mineral processing industry. Although the company specialises in large vibrating screens, they will not shy away from smaller sizes as every screen they design and build is custom made to the specific conditions of each given ap-

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

plication. “We’re focussing on heavy-duty large screening machines, the largest being 4m wide by 11m long with a capacity between 15 000 to 20 000 tonnes per hour,” Joachim says. “Although our base modules are standard items manufactured in any of the three factories in Brazil, Germany or Canada, we don’t make an off-the-shelf generic standard screening machine. Each machine is designed to best suit each individual mineral process after we’ve carefully studied the client’s requirements.

Choosing right

“Ideally we like to get involved from the very early stages of a mining development or expansion project in order to integrate our solution smoothly into the process the mine plans to follow,” he adds. “We have special software to do the necessary calculations scientifically, sizing the screens and advising the client on the best route to follow in terms of screening. “For example, they may have a single deck screening machine which is causing a bottleneck in the production process,” explains Joachim. “We can solve such a problem with a one-and-a-half or twodeck screen, or add a negative/positive screen, or simply just increase the size to ensure the material flow through the processing stage is optimised cost effectively.”

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

In action on site

Monitoring service

Haver’s service does not end with the delivery, installation and commissioning of the machinery though. “The ultimate objective is to partner with customers, not only for the time it takes to complete a project, but rather for the long term into the future where they can reap benefits from our after-sales services as well,” adds Joachim. Vibration monitoring and analysis on vibrating screens coupled with diagnostics and implimenting corrective action, for example, is an important factor to ensure continuous and consistent screening over time. “We’ve developed a vibration analysis system which is unique in the sense that we use up to eight sensors to simultaneously monitor a machine while it is in operation,” says Joachim. “Traditionally this has been carried out with one sensor which is moved to different positions on the machine to the record data to analyse performance afterwards. “The problem with this method is that the conditions in the machine change every time you stop to move the sensor to another position,” he adds. “Thus, the results are in fact not really a true representation of the dynamic operational conditions, making it difficult to compare data to find any faults in the machine. With eight sensors in strategic positions on the machine, you’re looking at simultaneous frequency graphs which show up faults in the machine or frame structure which

With eight sensors in strategic positions on the machine, you’re looking at simultaneous frequency graphs

Unique in the sense that we use up to eight sensors to simultaneously monitor a machine adversely affect the operational efficiency of the machine.”

Analysis

Small cracks in the structure of the machine are BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES, LINERS

The company specialises in large vibrating screens

invisible to the naked eye and only detectable through regular monitoring, but they have a huge impact on the performance of the machine in terms of effective screening and flow of material. “These small cracks show up as peaks in the frequency reading and clearly show up on the graph, allowing us to do something about it before an unexpected breakdown occurs,” explains Joachim. “The monitoring service must be undertaken on a regular basis and can be carried out by us as part of a maintenance contract, or, in the case of longstanding clients, even carried out by their technicians who simply send the data to us for analysis.”

Caring for the future

In today’s market, where there are many machinery manufacturers competing for a slice of the pie, it is important for the mines to consider the long-term relationship with their suppliers in order to obtain the optimum life out of capital equipment. Joachim says in conclusion, “This is why we strive for a global overview of the operations of our customers so that we can ensure they have the right machine for their operations. There are many instances where the wrong screening machines have been chosen purely because they were bought off a list of standard off-the-shelf machines. Not only do we care about the right choice, but we want to take care of the machine and its performance afterwards as well.” Joachim Hoppe, Haver Southern Africa, Tel: (011) 476-4804, Email: j.hoppe@haverboecker.com

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

RFA

Compulsory Microdotting of Vehicles Amendments to the National Road Traffic Act which came into force on 01 September 2012, require vehicle owners to have their vehicles microdotted or verify that the vehicles have microdot identification (Government Gazette 35130 dated 09 March 2012).

n addition, the Second Hands Goods Act of 2009 which governs the handling of second-hand (used goods), also stipulates under Regulation 24 (1) (2) (d), that dealers need to keep a second-hand goods register and record all particulars; including its microdot identification. What all these provisions mean, in a nutshell is that:

• A new or second-hand vehicle registered after 1 September 2012 must be fitted with microdots (fitted by OEM’s, MIB’s and motor dealers – not operators)

• A vehicle presented for Police Clearance after

1 September 2012, should also be fitted with microdots; or its microdot identification should be verified.

• Vehicles traded in to motor dealers, should they have a microdot identification, should then be verified before being registered in the dealer’s register.

The Road Freight Association, Tel: (011) 974-4399, Fax: (011) 974-4903, Email: membership@rfa.co.za, www.rfa.co.za

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

TRANSPORT

Buy Back South Africa Stewart Jennings, head of the Manufacturing Circle, had guests on the edge of their seats with this address given at the recent SASSDA Awards banquet.

anufacturing has not been sexy in our country for many years. In fact, our sector, with a few exceptions, is fighting hard to survive. We are at last getting some recognition. I don’t believe it is too late, but it is the eleventh hour.

Stewart Jennings

It is important though to be positive. We still have much to celebrate in our country, and we do have many areas of excellence. South Africans in all walks of life and all professions and in many jobs have, and continue to make, a mark.

Slave labour conditions coupled with a potent array of unfair trade practices that violate literally every tenet and norm of international trade Disloyal domestic customers

South African companies have a reputation of manufacturing quality products. We manufacture many items across a wide cross spectrum that are world-class despite our considerable manufacturing weaknesses and vulnerabilities, such as economies of scale, range of products on our shelves (ie, we will sell 500 000 new vehicles this year and consumers have a choice of 1 335 variants), disloyal domestic customers, a volatile and strong currency, too open an economy for a

We have the lowest GDP growth in Africa, against a background of a wonderful infrastructure compared with every other African country. This year we will struggle to achieve a 2.6% growth compared with: • • • • • • • • • • •

Angola: 9.2%, Mozambique: 7.8%, Zambia: 7%, Nigeria: 6.8%, Tanzania: 6.5%, Zimbabwe: 6.4%, Botswana: 6.2%, DRC: 6.2%, Kenya: 6.1%, Malawi: 5.9%, Namibia: 4.8%.

developing nation. I could continue, but I am sure those readers in manufacturing can identify with our challenges. The real issue at present is the extreme margin pressures we are facing, squeezed by rising domestic administered prices and a strong Rand coupled to highly subsidised imports. Our biggest challenge however for the country is the scourge of unemployment. There are so many different statistics on the unemployment number which in itself is a great concern, but we all agree that South Africa has the highest youth unemployment in the world, and the oldest workforce. Manufacturing has lost 280 000 jobs since the outbreak of the recession and over 440 000 small businesses have closed in five years.

Catastrophic margin squeeze

We have a situation where we should be the hub of Africa, but this is moving or moved to Dubai. The reasons are a too strong currency, influx of highly subsidised imports, killer administered prices and a skills shortage – these factors have led to a catastrophic margin squeeze.

Mining and manufacturing production and vehicle sales, annual growth, South Africa January 2010 – June 2012

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

It could and can be so “different”, but we must act and become “activists” not in the Julius Malema mould, but as positive catalysts for change. Most middle class South Africans

TRANSPORT

remain complacent, however, life is pretty good for those in employment and in certain sectors such as financial, services and retail, the stock market is booming and for some, the wealth effect camouflages the weaknesses in our economic thinking. But what about the rest (the vast majority)? We are having our Arab Spring right now. There have been well over 350 service protests (many of them violent) over the last four years, the Marikana debacle and the current wave of wild cat strikes are our own spring. Our people are not making ends meet, they are eking out an existence through micro lenders, this situation can only deteriorate unless we do something.

Imports and exports, South Africa January 2011 – June 2012

We are sitting on the sidelines, not dissimilar to what happened before World War II and before the Balkan conflict in the 90’s. We are letting hegemony from certain quarters take over, whether it is the greed of certain sectors or individuals in our economy or the might of China. As Edmund Burk quoted: “All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing”. This is where our Manufacturing Circle and the manufacturing industry needs to fight back and require the support of all South Africans. Real job creation is required as our absolute single Manufacturing imports from developed and Brics countries to South Africa, 1988 - 2011 focus, and this is why we need all South Africans to support our campaign to ‘Buy of so many of the worlds export markets has Back South Africa’. vaporised literally millions of manufacturing jobs and driven down wages from the USA to Mexico, Deluge of imports We are facing a deluge of imports. The growth of Brazil and disturbingly South Africa. South Africa imports, particularly from China over the last five has counteracted through social grants where we years has destroyed hundreds of thousands of jobs now have over 14 million citizens being subsidised in our country, from small businesses to large. We by the state. are currently in a race to the bottom on price and the real threat to businesses is their margins. “The China Price,” these are the three scariest words in South Africa at the moment for our manufacturers. Cut your price by over 30% or lose the customer. So why is South Africa so uncompetitive in comparison? Firstly their currency is 40% undervalued. Secondly much of China’s price advantage is the result of slave labour conditions coupled with a potent array of unfair trade practices that violate literally every tenet and norm of international trade. What happens in China doesn’t stay in China, it is the butterfly effect on steroids. China’s conquest

Our salvation

My concern is that more and more South Africans are fiddling while our country is burning in strikes and service delivery protests, job losses abound and margin pressure is forcing unemployment to grow, and wages to be cut. However, it’s not too late. The salvation of South Africa is in manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. This is where we will create the jobs. Manufacturing in particular creates positive investment, creates good jobs, creates wealth and beneficiates our raw materials. I have had exposure to the motor industry over its successful growth from 1995 to BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

TRANSPORT

today. It is a beacon for the manufacturing sector, it has invested, created skills and manufactures high quality motor cars. Why? • Government/private sector alignment through MIDP • Internationalisation of manufacturing • Transfer of skills • Created real wealth

Trade deficit entrenches on lower exports and increased imports

So what can we all do: Look out for South African products. Many of them have the 600 barcode, invest in our products or buy products from companies that support South Africa. The private sector is as important as the government in this vital area. Our businesses keep going offshore and buying predominantly from China, there are of course other countries that are also dumping products on our shores.

Manufacturing employment, South Africa 2008 Q1 – 2012 Q1

China’s conquest of so many of the worlds export markets has vaporised literally millions of manufacturing jobs PPI

Electricity

Rand: USD

%(Stregthen)/ weakening in Rand

2002

13.4%

-1.1%

10.50

2003

2.2%

-1.5%

7.54

-28.2%

2004

2.4%

6.40

-15.1%

2005

3.6%

4.9%

6.34

0.9%

2006

7.7%

4.6%

6.75

6.5%

2007

10.9%

6.7%

7.04

4.2%

2008

14.3%

21.4%

8.25

17.3%

2009

0.0%

26.2%

8.40

1.8%

2010

6.0%

24.0%

7.31

-13.1%

2011

8.4%

25.3%

7.26

-0.7%

2012 YTD

6.6%

18.00%

8.11

11.7%

Average increase

6.9%

11.9%

7.63

Total increase since 2002

81.4@

231.7%

-23%

The Rand is currently at 2003 levels, and has strenghened by 23% in the last 10 years, Cost (PPI and Electricity) have increased by between 81% - 231% over the same period

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

I hear all the time, if I don’t buy from China then my opposition will “kill me”. Let’s take a stand, governments preferential procurement is a start, but we can gain the impetus through setting up targets in our firms to increase our purchase of South Africa goods, similar to our BEE targets, and endeavour to reduce our growing reliance on imports.

Violence and poverty

We need to grow our total market and the only way is through increasing employment, the multiplier effect is “huge”. If we don’t, our markets will shrink and the only statistic that will grow is unemployment with a resultant increase in violence and poverty. Our balance of trade can no longer rely on short-term inflows of capital through the JSE and the bond market. We can’t continue to support 14 million plus South Africans on grants and have millions unemployed and only five million tax payers. The Rand will tumble uncontrollably unless we establish a sound base for our trade balance through mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. But we all need to participate, and become activists for South Africa. To become activists in a positive way, speak out constructively, work with government. The private sector, however, needs to stop undermining our manufacturing base. Support local production, set up targets to support and stimulate local procure-

TRANSPORT

ment. Invest in incubator companies, support local entrepreneurs.

Take a stand

There are other areas too of course where, we as South Africans, need to make a stand. Firstly, we can no longer accept the continued rise in administered prices, led by Eskom. These increases will put more and more South Africans on the street, and greatly assist imports. Secondly, the growth of small businesses is essential, but small businesses feed on big businesses, we must all be encouraged to nurture and stimulate Employment decoupled from economic growth has deindustrialisation and the currency played a role? incubator businesses. Thirdly, all companies should adopt a school, get involved with the management of the establishment.

I’m suggesting a six point plan:

Be passionate about buying SA products, whether they are baked beans, clothing or automotive components. Business has a duty to lead the way. Be a positive activist to fight the wrongs, one of which is the penal electricity price hikes. Nurture incubator businesses. Adopt a school. Lobby for skilled immigration and secondments. We do need additional import duties in some areas to offset highly subsidised imports.

And fourthly, we need to aggressively promote skilled immigration into our land. We need to take advantage of the unemployment in Europe to attract managers, engineers, accountants, teachers, medical professionals et al. They will not cause unemployment, but will stimulate growth and the transfer of skills. The USA and Australia is built on this strategy.

Increase our purchase of South Africa goods, similar to our BEE targets There is much hope for our beloved country based on the tenacity and resilience of our leaders across a wide spectrum of our society, but if I may change the words of Edmund Burk. “All that’s necessary for the current unsatisfactory status quo to remain and deteriorate in South Africa, is for enough good men to do nothing”. Let’s not perpetuate the status quo.

BULK HANDLING TODAY

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BULK HANDLING TODAY

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BELTCON

The Effectiveness of Safety in Bulk Materials Handling In the mining environment, conveyors and material handling systems present a significant hazard as a result of the associated large amounts of installed power, stored energy and inertia. Despite their widespread use, and the significant associated hazard, conveyors account for a relatively small proportion of mining fatalities.

uring the time period from 1989 to 2006, in Australia, only six conveyorrelated fatalities have been recorded, compared with a total of 310 mining fatalities (or 1.8%). In South Africa over a similar period there were 131 conveyor related fatalities which account for an estimated 3% of mining fatalities. (Based on an estimated average of 200 fatalities a year). The figures for the USA are somewhat different with 49 conveyor related fatalities out of 533 (or 9.2%) occurring in the period 1995-2007.

Review of data available

A search was done for safety data in a number of countries where mining is a significant industry. Data from the USA, Australia and South Africa was assessed. The quality, ease of access and reliability of this data differed greatly as follows:

USA

In the USA, the Department of Labor, on its website has a complete database of all fatal accident reports from 1995. The database is searchable through the equipment involved, and therefore conveyor-related fatalities can be easily extracted. A total of 50 fatal incident reports are available from 1995 to 2007. In addition, a complete database of all mining safety statistics from 1983 is available on the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety website, but conveyor related incidents cannot be easState

First Alert Issued

No. of Alerts

No. Conveyor Related

Conveyor Fatalities

NSW

1998

210

Queensland

1999

Western Australia

1989

170

Table 1. Summary of Australian safety alert

ily extracted, and the database lacks narrative information to provide context.

Australia

Australian mine safety statistics are collected on a state by state basis, which results in the data being somewhat fragmented. For all states however, there is a publicly available safety alert for every serious safety incident since the early 1990’s. The information supplied in the bulletin is sufficiently complete to determine the details of the event, the activities that were being performed, the location of the activities and the seriousness of the outcome. The information in Table 1 is for three states only and not Australia as a whole.

South Africa

The only data that could be found on the Department of Minerals and Resources website is limited to a summary of mine fatalities by month from February 2009 up to January 2011 (although a number of months are missing). The summary includes only very basic details of the fatalities. It was, however, possible to extract that of the 162 fatalities detailed, only two (1.2%) were as a result of conveyors, while another two were due to inundation by bulk material. In addition, a database of all mining reportable incidents between 1990 and 2009 was obtained from the DMR.

Methodology

In order to gain an understanding of the nature of conveyor-related fatalities, fatality reports involving conveyors from the USA, as well as safety incident reports from Australia were analysed. Associated with the hazards, there are a number of activities (related to conveyor belt operation and maintenance) that could result in a safety incident. The most common of these are: • Cleaning of spillage • Cleaning of chutes • Cleaning of material from (moving) mechanical equipment • Riding on the belt • Crossing the moving belt BULK HANDLING TODAY

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Cause

No of occurrences

Unsafe work procedure

No safe work procedure

Unsafe behaviour

No risk assessment

Structural failure

Inadequate rigging

Poor access

No safe crossing

Inadequate guarding

Guards removed

The improvement in safety statistics can, in the author’s opinion, be attributed to improvements in mine safety legislation, an improved understanding of the causes of unsafe behaviour and a greater corporate focus on safety.

Maintenance while operating 2 No start alarm

Not locked out

No holdback

Design

Inadequate planning

indicating that mining operations, especially in developed countries, are getting safer. Figure 1 shows the annual number of fatalities in Australian mines from 1989 to 2007 as published by the Minerals Council of Australia indicating an overall downward trend (although both measures seem to have flattened out since 1998).

Table 2. Summary of main causes of conveyor accidents

As these conveyors, designed in accordance with the revised standard are coming into service, and older conveyors go out of service, conveyor safety should improve • Unexpected movement of belt during maintenance • Unexpected movement of take-up during maintenance. These activities can be further classified as those that occur during operation, start-up conditions or during maintenance.

Analysis - are conveyors getting safer?

The first objective is to determine if conveyors are getting any safer. There is significant data

In Australia, the Australian Standard - Conveyor Safety Requirements - was revised to AS 17551986 in 1986 and again to AS1755-2000 in 2000. This standard sets minimum requirements for guarding, access, control, isolation, lighting, fire protection and operation of conveyors. In practice, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the interpretation of the standard by users is becoming ever stricter, with (for instance) guarded convex curves on long overland conveyors, now not uncommon in Australia. As these conveyors, designed in accordance with the revised standard are coming into service, and older conveyors go out of service (assuming that the standards have been improved), conveyor safety should improve.

Significant periods

Figure 2. shows the number of conveyor related fatalities that occurred in Australia per year from 1972. The following observations are worth noting. • Firstly, there are relatively few fatalities that result from conveyor incidents (the maximum being three that occurred in 1972), and in many years there are no incidents. This makes statistical analysis based on annual data difficult • Secondly, there are two significant periods where no incidents occurred at all, between 1980 and 1986, and then from 1998 until 2005. There is sufficient evidence that the data for the period 1998-2005 is accurate, as all safety alerts for the major mining states have been reviewed for this time period with no record of a conveyor-related incident. There is, however, some uncertainty about the first period as the only source of data is the ‘International Mining Fatality Review’, however, as the review lists 42 other mining fatalities in Australia during this period, it is unlikely that conveyor-related fatalities have been missed.

Figure 1. Australian mining fatalities 1990-2007

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In order to try and get a sense of whether there is a downward trend, Figure 3. shows the total

BELTCON

conveyor-related fatalities over a ten year period (that ends in the year noted). By analysing the data in this way, a downward trend in the number of fatalities does emerge, and supports the view that conveyors (in Australia at least) are ‘safer’.

Upward trend

In the case of the USA, there is only data available from 1995 until 2007. In Figure 4, the number of conveyor-related fatalities are presented on an annual basis, and on the same axis, totalised for a five year period (ending in the year noted). In the case of the USA, there is little evidence that the number of fatalities has Figure 2. Number of conveyor related fatalities in Australia per year reduced. In the same period, the number of miners in the USA has increased by 6.4% from 355 496 to 378 123. It should also be noted that the proportion of fatalities due to conveyors in the USA (as previously mentioned) appears to be significantly higher than in Australia. In the case of South Africa, as indicated in Figure 5, there is no indication of the number of fatalities reducing, if anything, there is a worrying upward trend if the fatalities are totalised over a five year period.

Possible reasons for improved safety

Figure 3. Total conveyor fatalities over a ten year period

What are the possible reasons for the improved safety of conveyors, in the case of Australia, and why is there not an equivalent improvement in the safety of conveyors in the USA and South Africa? And why is the proportion of conveyor-related fatalities in the USA so much higher than that of Australia? One possibility is a difference in the quality and standard of conveyor guarding. The Australian specification AS 1755-2000 Conveyors – Safety Requirements prescribes in detail the minimum requirements for the positioning and design of conveyor guards as well as minimum requirements for lighting, control of the conveyor, fire protection and signage. In the USA, CEMA 6 addresses safety and guarding, but is not prescriptive, leaving the positioning and design of guards up to a responsible and qualified engineer. For large surface mine installations, where conveyors are designed by professional engineers, the resulting guards will in all likelihood be more than adequate. In smaller sand and gravel quarry operations, which are less profitable, and where conveyors are built and

There is a worrying upward trend if the fatalities are totalised over a five year period Aus <1979

Aus 1979-

USA

No fatalities

Insufficient guarding

8 (47%)

1 (12.5%)

16 (31%)

No safe work procedures 5 (29%)

2 (25%)

10 (20%)

Unsafe behaviour

3 (17%)

5 (62.5%)

22 (43%0

Not locked out

0 (0%)

2 (25%)

4 (8%)

Table 3. Main causes of conveyor incidents (Australia vs. USA)

modified without professional design, conveyors may well be inadequately guarded. The data reviewed indicates that in fact, most conveyor-related fatalities in USA are in sand and gravel or rock quarry plants (60%). The photos in this article are from the Department of Labor Fatality Reports. The inadequacy of BULK HANDLING TODAY

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the guarding and lack of safety considerations is evident. Sand and quarry operations are characterised by low margins, small throughputs and small modular re-locatable plants. The relocation and reconfiguration is bound to have a negative impact on the integrity of the guarding systems.

Figure 4. Conveyor related fatalities in the USA

Figure 5. South African conveyor related fatalities 1990-2008

Figure 6. shows a completely unguarded tail/take-up pulley and loading area on a short conveyor in a US quarry operation. In addition to the lack of guards, there is considerable material build-up below the conveyor. Any attempt to remove the material while the belt is running would require working in very close proximity to the nip point. Figure 7. indicates a similar conveyor, completely unguarded, and again with considerable material build-up. In addition, in this instance, poor maintenance is clearly visible, including the poor alignment of the head pulley and resultant poor tracking of the belt. Figure 8. shows another unguarded installation in a US operation that includes two unguarded pulleys. In this particular installation it is clear that as well as no guards being installed, there are also no nip guards. There is in fact, no evidence of nip guards in any of the other referenced installations. Figure 9. shows a completely unguarded idler in an elevated portion of the conveyor, where a fatality occurred. The idler is easily accessible from below the conveyor, and there is no barrier to prevent crossing underneath the conveyor.

Most conveyor-related fatalities in USA are in sand and gravel or rock quarry plants (60%) Although all of the referenced installations would not meet the criteria envisaged in CEMA 6, that a suitably qualified engineer ensure that the conveyor be properly guarded, they would all explicitly fail to meet specific prescribed requirements of the AS 1755-2000, and it is extremely unlikely that a comparable Australian operation would risk operating similarly unguarded equipment. Figure 10. shows an installation in a sand and gravel operation where a fatality occurred due to a large rock falling off the conveyor onto a person below

Figure 6. Unguarded pulley

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Mechanism

Location

Pulley

Tail

Idler

Take-up

Chute

Transfer

Bin

Counterweight

Head

Drive unit

Carry

Fall

Drive

Falling object

Elevated

Falling rock

Under conveyor

Structure

Tripper

Structural failure

Run

Rigging

Bend

Other

Table 4. Nature of fatal incidents

Figure 7. Unguarded pulley and conveyor

the belt. Despite the steepness of the conveyor, it is clear that no effort has been made to prevent access to the danger area underneath, or to provide a safe underpass where required.

Causes of conveyor fatalities

The results of the analysis are summarised in Table 2. In total there were 76 fatal incidents where there was sufficient information to assign the main causes. A maximum of three causes were assigned for each incident. For analysis purposes, where possible the description of the causes was kept generic. The classification of causes is of course open to interpretation, for instance ‘guarding removed’ could have been grouped with ‘unsafe behaviour’, but has been included separately as a cause in its own right. In all the ‘guarding removed’ cases, ‘unsafe behaviour’ would also have been listed as a cause. The first three causes in Table 2 all relate to unsafe work practices, but differ as follows: Unsafe work procedures relate to events that occurred as a result of following a standard work procedure that is itself inherently unsafe. There is only one such occurrence, where a sample of material was drawn by standing on the material heap in a bin.

Figure 8. Another unguarded pulley and conveyor

Key to further reducing conveyor fatalities is now to minimise ‘unsafe behaviour’ including deliberate violations violations (which are deliberate contraventions of systems or procedures).

No safe work procedure relates to incidents that have resulted where no safe work procedure was in effect and if there had been a safe work procedure, the incident may have been prevented.

From Table 2, it can be seen the most significant cause is ‘unsafe behaviour’, followed by ‘inadequate guarding’ (27 times).

Unsafe behaviour relates to incidents where the behaviour at the time was inherently unsafe. Unsafe behaviour may occur as a result of: system gaps or organisational failures (lack of training for example) where the individual is in no way at fault; ‘slips’ or lapses, which are unintentional failures by an individual; or finally, as a result of

An analysis of the frequency of the causes of fatalities in Australia over time shows a significant decrease in the proportion of fatalities that are the result of ‘inadequate guarding’, and a related increase in the proportion of fatalities that resulted from ‘unsafe behaviour’. This strongly suggests that the more stringent guarding requirements

Stringent guarding requirement

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BELTCON

have reduced the number of fatalities, and that the key to further reducing conveyor fatalities is now to minimise â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unsafe behaviourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; including deliberate violations such as working within guarded areas, and not following safe work procedures. This same trend was not obviously evident in the USA data. This may also suggest the underlying reason for the lack of improvement in the South African fatality figures relating to conveyors (Figure 5). South African conveyors since the early 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have been guarded in accordance with the recommendations included in a memorandum issued by the Government Mining Engineer in 1982 and subsequently reiterated by the Regional Director, Eastern Transvaal Region, c1995, and conveyors in mines have typically been well guarded for some time.

Nature of fatalities

Figure 9.Unguarded return idler

In order to establish which components of conveyors are the most dangerous, all the fatalities where narrative information was available were reviewed to determine the mechanism or the mechanical component involved, as well as the location along the conveyor where the incident occurred. The results of the analysis are summarised in Table 4. As can be seen, by far the majority of the incidents are caused by entrapment in the nip point between the belt and the pulley. As has been discussed above, this is often a result of inadequate guarding (or in some instances removal of guarding). The second most common mechanism is being caught between the idler and the belt. The location at which most incidents occurred is at the tail.

SA data

From the South African data, an analysis was done on all accidents (fatalities, injuries and incidents), against the location as categorised by the DMR, and summarised in Table 5. Once again it can be clearly seen that the tail pulley is associated with more incidents in all three categories than any other part of the conveyor. This is not altogether surprising, as the tail area is often confined, requires cleaning of material from the loading point and belt plough, and is guarded only by removable (and therefore not always in place) guards.

Conclusion and recommendation

Although conveyors are intrinsically hazardous by virtue of the significant stored energies, they are essential to the economically-efficient operation of any mining operation. The risks can, however, be managed to a large extent by better design and guarding, and conveyors are in comparison with other mining operations relatively safe, in that they are associated with only a small percentage of total fatalities. Although effective guarding has contributed sig-

Figure 10. No safe crossing below the belt Head Pulley

Snub Tail All TakeFeederIdler Chute Total Pulley Pulley Pulleys up breaker

Fatalities 7 Injuries 14

9 17

56 110

72 141

13 25

5 10

27 51

14 25

131 252

Incidents 28

218

280

102

501

Table 5. South African incidents by categorization (1990-2010)

By far the majority of the incidents are caused by entrapment in the nip point between the belt and the pulley nificantly to safe operation of conveyors, guarding alone can only go so far in eliminating fatalities and injuries. To improve conveyor safety still further, the improvements made by better guarding must be maintained (and improved), and a renewed focus needs to be placed on eliminating unsafe practices and behaviour in the workplace. There is of course currently a strong focus on eliminating unsafe behaviour by most of the internationallylisted miners. This focus applies to all aspects of mine operation, not only to conveyors. BULK HANDLING TODAY

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BELTCON

This article also highlights the importance of the quality and availability of data related to safety incidents. The availability of good data allows for the measurement of improvement, and identification of trends. In the Australian and USA cases, there is easily available data with respect to fatalities. Data with respect to serious incidents is more difficult to find, but in both cases is still available. For fatalities there is good narrative data, detailing the results of the preliminary investigation, including a description of the people involved, what they were doing, and the condition of the plant at the time. Trends can be identified, providing useful insight as to where best spend resources to improve safety. In the South African case, although good detail was available of where the incident happened, it would be very useful for information relating to the nature of the activity and the cause of the incident to be recorded as well. Note: This paper has been condensed due to space constraints. The author is John Hill of Wave Engineering Solutions. This paper was first presented at Beltcon 16 held in Johannesburg in 2011 and copyright is vested with the IMHC. Enquiries can be made through the website; www.beltcon.org.za. John Hill, Wave Solutions, Suite 1, 475 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park, Western Australia 6017, PO Box 1756, Subiaco, WA 6904 Email: john.hill147@gmail.com

CONVEYING GUIDE The CONVEYING GUIDE is aimed at the end-user and will be distributed together with the July 2013 edition of “Bulk Handling Today”. It will also be distributed at Beltcon 2013 and various seminars and conferences throughout the year. We are offering you a golden opportunity to put your product or service on the map. The guide will advise industry users on how to choose, use and maintain conveyors and attachments for their specific needs and applications. “BULK HANDLING TODAY” is endorsed by: CMA (Conveyor Manufacturers Association); SAIMechE (SA Institution of Surita Marx Mechanical Engineering), SAIMH (SA Institute of Material Handling), and LEEASA (Lifting Engineering Equipment Association of SA). If you would like your product or service to feature in this definitive conveyor guide, I will be happy to provide you with further information so please do not hesitate to contact me. Make sure you’re in this comprehensive reference publication! Kind regards, Surita Marx

Advertising Sales Consultant

Bulk Handling Today, Tel: 011 781 1401, 083 281 5761, E-mail: bulkhandling@promech.co.za

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

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Production Efficiencies in the Sugar Industry Two innovative products have recently been launched that will play a major role in conveying in the sugar sector: the Megaroller idler range and the Super-Screw fastener range. Says Donovan Scott, general manager, BMG’s belting division, “The belting division’s service to the local sugar sector is underpinned by a broad range of quality products, a technically competent team and a 24 hour support service.”

he new Megaroller range is manufactured with virgin grade high density polyethylene, which allows for higher impact forces from conveyed materials and ensures excellent resistance to abrasion and ultra-violet rays. Corrosion is a significant contributing factor to the increased requirement for maintenance in any sugar mill. The Megaroller has a higher resistance to corrosion than regular steel idlers. Other important features

Regular cold splicing requires up to three times the preparation time required to prepare a belt

of this conveyor roller include low friction of coefficiency, the concentric design which decreases vibration, reduced noise levels and cost efficiency. The idler also carries a two year guarantee which is unprecedented in the sugar industry.

Service life

This environmentally-friendly roller, which can be recycled, is known for its extended service life. Anti-seize bearings, high quality grease and a specially-designed bearing housing incorporating a shock resistant bearing cover, coupled with an effective non-breathing sealing arrangement, enhance the efficiency of this system.

BULK HANDLING TODAY

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CONVEYING

The bearing housing and roller face are permanently fixed together by way of a heat fusion process to prevent the bearing housing dislocating from the outer shell under heavy loads. The Megaroller system also has less turning resistance, which means energy saving on start-up. Anti-static rollers are available for applications that demand fire redundancy and non sparking components.

compared with the time required to prepare a belt for Super-Screw fitment. A cold splice also needs to cure for up to four hours before the conveyor belt is operational again. Ambient conditions are also a factor to consider before a cold splice can take place – if the humidity levels are too high, the adhesive may not perform as expected.

Patch repairs

This new splice is manufactured in rolls of up to 25 metres in length and is available in various strength ratings. These types range from the product that is suitable for Class 315, up to Class 1800. Other features of the SuperScrew are the availability of white FDA material, as well as stainless steel screws to prevent corrosion. Further benefits include flexibility, as well as scraper and v-plough friendly features. This product can also be used for patch repairs, which reduces the need to insert more belting into the existing system. Veronique Bezuidenhout, BMG – Bearing Man Group, Tel: (031) 576-6221, Email: veroniqueb@bmgworld.net, www.bmgworld.net

Much faster

The Super-Screw splice, exclusively distributed by BMG, has quickly gained popularity in the local conveying market. This product enables the end-user to benefit from production cost savings through increased up time. The Super-Screw is easy to install, as minimal tooling is required. A sugar mill’s in-house maintenance team, after training from BMG, can efficiently install this product. Regular cold splicing requires up to three times the preparation time required to prepare a belt,

BULK HANDLING TODAY

January 2013

Book Now for March 2013 • • • •

Conveying Crushers, screens, chutes, liners Harbours, ports, shipping & railways Trucking & Transport Contact Surita Marx Tel (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403 or E-mail: bulkhandling@promech.co.za to book your advertising space

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Leading Technology for Impumelelo and Medupi ELB Engineering Services (ELB), an internationally recognised holistic solutions provider to the mining, power, port, construction and industrial sectors in the field of materials handling and process plants is applying its advanced conveyor technologies and design expertise to two high profile South African projects. Sasol Mining’s Impumelelo project and Eskom’s Medupi project have commenced construction, with ELB’s progress on track for completion in 2014.

he engineering design, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the greenfields Impumelelo coal mine project, in Secunda, Mpumalanga, South Africa was awarded in June 2012. It covers the design and supply of a system to transport coal over a distance of 28 km from the mine to the screening plant at Sasol’s Secunda complex.

Manage the forces and loads imposed by the topography that the conveyor traverses The system includes seven conveyors, starting with the 1 km-long incline conveyor designed for 3,350 tph and to operate at 2,900 tph to convey run-of-mine (ROM) coal from an underground bunker, for which ELB will be constructing the outlet, to the top of a 17° incline. Here the coal will be transferred into a 15,000 t storage bunker via a tripper conveyor, which is being designed for 3,500 tph and to operate at 2,900 tph to cater for storage and surges. The system will then extract the coal from the bunker to transport it to the Synfuels

plant stockyard, should the stockyard not be able to receive material, it will then be transported to a 4,000 t bunker, to prevent stoppages on the 27 km overland conveyor, from where it will be fed onto the main coal-supply conveyor to the Synfuels plant.

Innovative featues

The system incorporates a number of innovative features, including a 26.9 km-long, highly efficient and low maintenance conveyor system, designed for 2,400 tph and to operate at 2,000 tph. The length of the conveyor, which has to accommodate an undulating ground profile, presents a number of challenges. As a result, the starting, operation and stopping of the conveyor will be tightly controlled using drives at either end with an intermediate drive station halfway along the conveyor’s length. At this point, a tripper and chute arrangement will convey the coal over the intermediate drive point. To keep the belt moving smoothly, some 30,000 rollers will be installed. When the belt is in operation, a sophisticated PLC will control and synchronise all three drive stations to minimise the BULK HANDLING TODAY

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CONVEYING

54 conveyors of varying lengths from 733m to 24m and handling tonnages between 22 tph and 2,100 tph stresses applied to the conveyor belt. The conveyors were designed with ELB’s technology partner, Conveyor Dynamics Incorporated (CDI), US-based world specialists in belt conveyor and transfer-chute systems.

Largest to date

Dynamic conveyor analysis enables ELB to assess start-up and shut-down sequences, to eliminate risks of shock or dynamic waves acting along the length of the belt and affecting the supporting steel structure, as well as to manage the forces and loads imposed by the topography that the conveyor traverses. The major lumpsum project to provide the terrace coal and ash handling system for the Medupi Power

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January 2013

Station project in South Africa’s Limpopo province was awarded by Eskom among stiff competition in 2010. It is the largest bulk materials handling project to be received by ELB Engineering Services to date. Among other equipment, ELB’s contract involves the supply and installation of 54 conveyors of varying lengths from 733m to 24m and handling tonnages between 22 tph and 2,100 tph. Phase I of the contract covers conveyors and transfer houses to move coal from a the first of the two 1,000 t silos to the power station’s Unit 6 coal bunkers, and for ash conveying to the ash emergency offloading and reclaiming facility. Phases 2 to 6 of the project will involve extending the existing phase 1 ash and coal conveyor systems, as well as providing new conveyors, for removal of ash and delivery of the coal to the bunkers at Units 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. Also included in Phase 4, is the supply of virtually a duplication

CONVEYING

of the phase 1 inclined conveyors to feed coal to Units 1, 2 and 3.

Special features

The ELB-designed conveyors for Phase 1 include three 1,150 tph incline conveyors, and three primary, two secondary and two shuttle conveyors for coal handling. For ash handling, two transfer ash conveyors, two overland link conveyors, one stacker conveyor and one reclaim conveyor are being provided. A 1,200 tph fixed boom stacker and a 500 tph scraper reclaimer have been supplied for the emergency ash offloading area by ELB technology partner, FAM. The materials handling system calls for a number of special design features to maintain the efficiency of the coal and ash handling system, particularly as ash is a notoriously difficult material to handle, and for environmental protection of the surrounding area. Using the controlled-flow technology of the Australia-based Tasman Warajay, specialists in material transfer technology, the transfer points will feature a guided flow design to maintain the momentum of the material at approximately the same velocity through the chute arrangements and onto the next belt. This greatly reduces spillage of the material, plugging, downtime, belt wear and combustion dangers. The transfer points to the stacker reclaimer and overland link conveyors, the coal feeder chutes and primary conveyor chutes are also equipped with moving heads. These can move under load and thus also assist in maintaining production.

Total solution

A number of special design features to maintain the efficiency of the coal and ash handling system

Water sprays are being incorporated for belt washing, and coal dust extractions systems will be provided at the transfer points, thus inhibiting the dispersal of the dust into the atmosphere. The chute design will also minimise generation of dust, with skirting on all chutes and a double arrangement of curtains on the belts being provided.

and project management input. The business provides the supply of a total engineered solution to the mining, industrial, power sectors and ports based on its own in-house capability as well as technology agreements with world class product and know-how technology suppliers.

ELB Engineering Services predominantly focuses on equipment and products requiring engineering

ELB, Cornel Charlton, Tel: (011) 772-1509, Email: CornelC@elb.co.za, www.elb.co.za

BULK HANDLING TODAY

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BULK HANDLING TODAY

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CONVEYING

From One Source The main components of a conveyor system, the structure, pulleys, drives, idler rollers and belt usually come from different suppliers who each specialise in manufacturing these primary conveyor items. For bulk materials handling operators, this is a nuisance as they have to rely on many different suppliers for spares, service and maintenance of their bulk materials handling systems. The new HDPE idler

Pretorius. “The move to new premises, literally doubling our production capacity, signifies the company maturing into one of the market leading OEM’s in South Africa which can provide a full turnkey materials handling solution for bulk handling operations,” he says. “Be it a complete belt conveyor system or just a single item from our wide range of time-proven quality conveyor components, we can now help everyone, from start to finish and long afterwards.”

From left: Anton Pretorius: financial director, Roelf Van Blerk: managing director, and Stuart Van Blerk: sales and marketing director

n the twenty-two years it has been serving the conveyor industry, Moret Mining, a company specialising in the manufacture of belt conveyor systems, has paid attention to the requirements of their customers by systematically developing a full range of products for conveyors. “Bulk Handling Today” visits their new factory in the north of Randburg to speak to director Anton

All type of frames are designed and manufactured to specifications

Doubling our production capacity, signifies the company maturing into one of the market leading OEM’s in South Africa which can provide a full turnkey materials handling solution for bulk handling operations He adds, “The fact that Moret Mining is registered f o r the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system and is permitted to apply the SANS 1313-1:2012 part 1 and 3 certification mark distinguishes us from our competitors”

Keeping pace

The evolution of their idler design is a good example of how the company keeps pace with market requirements. Apart from also developing a fire resistant HDPE version of this idler, Moret has just launched a whole new design, a premium idler for heavy duty applications. Anton explains, “We already supply the local and international market with our own unique design of the HDPE idler and have successfully designed and developed our new generation BULK HANDLING TODAY

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CONVEYING

the company purely as a manufacturer but the company now also undertakes the complete installation of the systems they manufacture. This includes the conveyor structures and frames and gantry structures of all types, impact stations and the complete drive and take-up systems with their required structures. Anton adds, “But that’s not where it ends; we also offer a maintenance service under a maintenance contract to maintain the installed infrastructure.”

A suspended conveyor belt structure

of the HDPE idler which has already seen success in the local and African market. The Idler is manufactured out of Virgin HDPE material which is 100% recyclable. After thorough research and development, we have found the optimum rigidity and material density of the specially extruded HDPE tube to provide the maximum bending strength and durability. The new generation HDPE idlers are also available in fire resistant and anti-roll back configurations.”

A to Z

Moret’s managing director, Roelf van Blerk, started

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But that’s not where it ends; we also offer a mainenance service under a maintenance contract to maintain the installed infrastructure In this regard, the company covers A to Z on a customer’s conveyor system, whether installed by Haver or not. This includes routine servicing and repairs to all components in any of the sections of a conveyor system, from belt scrapers to chute repairs and re-lining, pulley inspections and alignment checks, transfer point repairs, drive maintenance, stringer repairs and conveyor belt surveying.” “In addition to the installation and maintenance services we provide, we’re also the original manu-

CONVEYING

facturers of a full range of conveyor components,” Anton says. “From conveyor idlers, steel idlers, HDPE idlers, fire resistant HDPE idlers, rubber impact idlers, rubber disc return idlers and linear screen idlers to rope rollers and garland sets. “We also make anti run-back idlers and do both angle iron and tubular frames,” he adds. “Moret Mining is able to supply top carrying, under slung, and self aligning frames for normal and heavy duty applications, both inline and offset. In terms of ultra impact stations, we offer the products in a three of five roll trough configuration and both configurations available in four or six string sets.” In addition to Ultra skeega pads, the comany offers Ultra track belt tracking devices in troughing and flat return configurations. Ultra belt scrapers come in primary, secondary and v-plough scrapers while pulleys, head pulleys, tail pulleys and snub pulleys is a speciality.

A Skeega pad

As far as stinger sections and belt extensions, Moret Mining is able to supply various different configurations of complete stringer sections, be it hanging, suspended and standing stinger sections and belt extensions.

woman ownership,” Anton says in conclusion, “and have appointed Lilian Setshedi as an executive director in the company.”

BEE

“We’re proud to announce that we have a broad based BEE status of level two with 30% black

Moret Mining, Stuart Van Blerk, Tel: (011) 474-1260 Email: moret@icon.co.za, Cell: 084 244 1007, or Lilian Setshedi, Email: lilian@moretmining.co.za Cell: 078 116 1948

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MARKET FORUM materials handling engineering and support services for the establishment of the facility. In addition, it is separately providing operational readiness services, including the preparation of operational and maintenance manuals and training modules.

Import/Export Materials Handling

Artistic impression of Vale’s regional distribution centre in Malaysia

DemcoTech Engineering, a specialist bulk materials handling and niche process plant company offering services from concept through feasibility study, design, engineering and supply to project completion, is a contractor in one of the world’s largest iron ore distribution centre projects to date – Vale’s project in Lumut, Perak, Malaysia.

The regional distribution centre comprises a deep water jetty and an onshore stockyard to receive iron ore from Vale’s mines in Brazil and distribute it to customers across the Asia Pacific region. With the centre due to be operational in June 2014, DemcoTech, a Johannesburg, South African based company, is providing

DemcoTech has completed projects throughout Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, but is seeing growing demand for its services internationally, in particular from Asia and South America. Services are offered though contracting mechanisms ranging from EPCM to lumpsum turnkey project execution to a wide range of industries, including the power generation, cement, mining, metallurgical, food, manufacturing and ports sectors.

Plant supplied by DemcoTech includes troughed conveyors, air-supported conveyors, pipe conveyors, mobile stackers and mobile conveyors. DemcoTech, Tel: (011) 608-4355, Email: info@demcotech.com www.demcotech.com

Maximised Uptime of feeders, conveyors, reclaimers, train positioners, and tipplers where variable speed and high torque is needed. Since the Hägglunds drive system is a direct drive, no gearboxes, fluid couplings or other types of speed reducers are needed. With a very high torque-to-weight ratio, their space saving and robust drives give users maximised uptime and easy maintenance. Since they are completely closed systems, they also withstand the harshest environments.

Hägglunds Drives South Africa engineers, installs and services complete drive system solutions for high torque, lowand variable speed applications. From their head office and service workshop in

Johannesburg, they cover Sub-Saharan countries and can dispatch service engineers throughout Africa. Typical applications within mining and bulk materials handling are all types

To find the optimum drive solution for each individual application, engineers will work closely together with end users, OEM’s and consultants. Experienced personnel handle installation, piping and commissioning of all Hagglunds drive systems. Training of the customers‘ operators and maintenance personnel is also provided. The company offers 24/7 field service and different kinds of maintenance agreements. Hagglunds Drives, Tel: (011) 454-4933, Email: info@za,hagglunds.com, www.hagglunds.co.za

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Conveyor Belt Safety

Longitudinal slitting in conveyor belts can be costly. Sharp objects are always ending up on the conveyor belt together with the materials conveyed, especially in the mining industry, in wood processing, or in recycling plants. “If they fall in an unfortunate position during belt loading, they may get caught up and split the moving conveyor belt longitudinally. In the worst case scenario, the belt can be written off completely,“ asserts Dr. Andreas Jungk, application engineer at the ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group. More protection against failures and expensive repairs is provided by the new electronic monitoring system Conti Protect Belt Rip Detection, which has only been on the market for a short time now. It detects

longitudinal slitting early on, minimises damage, and thus cuts cost and reduces the accident risk. Monitoring takes place via conductor loops, which are vulcanized into the conveyor belt. These loops transmit a high-frequency signal between a transmitter and receiver. If a loop is damaged, the signal will break down on the receiver end. The system control then stops the conveyor belt automatically.

How long the system needs to come to an emergency stop is determined by the distance between the conductor loops, which can vary between 20 and 50 metres. During an initial learning cycle, these distances are recognised and saved by the system. Contitech, www.contitech.co.za

The transmitter unit and revolution counter relay the measured data to a central unit, allowing belt damage to be detected early on

A Milestone John William’s Motors Bloemfontein, delivered a fleet of 44 Freightliner Columbia truck tractors to 27 owner drivers and 17 drivers of Barloworld Logistics, at the Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) factory in Dwaalboom recently. This hand-over marks the renewal of a five-year contract with Barloworld Logistics for rigs to service PPC Cement at their Dwaalboom factory. The 44 Freightliner Columbia’s

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Energy

Joy Global has introduced a first-of-itskind hybrid shovel. The P&H 2650CX is a diesel-electric rope shovel with an articulating hydraulic clamshell attachment designed to deliver a 65-ton payload. The machine will four-pass load 240-ton trucks and be capable of loading up to ultra- class 400 ton trucks. Engineered to blend the high productivity of electric mining shovels with the mobility and flexibility of hydraulic excavators, the P&H 2650CX is designed to deliver a 15% total cost of ownership reduction when compared with large hydraulic excavators through a combination of reduced fuel consumption (up to 25%), improved availability and decreased maintenance and repair costs.

replace a fleet of 44 Freightliner Argosy truck tractors that were handed over to the owner-drivers in 2007. Freightliner Columbia is an ideal vehicle for the PPC Cement application because of its lightweight MBE4000 engine. The 6x4 truck tractor is light enough to allow Barloworld Logistics to achieve their required payloads. The vehicles will transport 20 cement pallets with a 40 400kg payload on an interlink trailer. Barloworld Logistics, the transport operator, has a long-standing relationship with PPC Cement and this five-year contract extension, will take the relationship to a milestone 20 years.

The drive system used is also approximately 50% more efficient than comparable diesel hydraulic systems. In addition to reduced fuel consumption, the P&H 2650CX decreases the hydraulic routings, on-board fluid and pumps. This substantially improves system level reliability, efficiency and maintainability – which can result in increased machine availability over traditional diesel-hydraulic excavators. The first machine is slated to be placed in mine in the fourth quarter of 2013. Joy Global, Michelle Schultz, Email: michelle.schultz@joyglobal.co.za, www.joyglobal.com

Francois van Rensburg divisional director of Dedicated Transport Services at Barloworld Logistics says: “Freightliner was an obvious choice. Reliability is very important for us to be able to deliver a superior service to our clients. The personalised service and product we get from MBSA and their dealer, John Williams Bloemfontein, is a winning formula and the vehicles are a good match for the application.” Freightliner, Zamani Mbatha, Tel: (012) 677-6042, Email: zamani.mbatha@daimler.com, www.freightliner.co.za

Absorption

The Horne group reports positive market acceptance of its improved Technogrid energy absorption system, widely used for arresting failed conveyor belt counterweights, runaway gantry cranes, mine cages in over-wind or underwind conditions and runaway underground trains. Recent sales have included 350 units to platinum mines in South Africa, 75 units to Mongolia’s platinum and gold mines, and 38 units to Mexico.

In the case of a conveyor counter-weight, for example, the Technogrids are simply positioned vertically next to or below the counter-weight with a catch frame attached to their lower ends and positioned just below the lowest point of normal vertical movement. Should the conveyor belt fail and the counterweight fall into the catch frame, the Technogrids will stop its fall, absorbing all impact energy.

Individual Technogrid units can be designed to absorb energies from 24kJ to over 40 000kJ, and impact speeds of up to 120km/h. Horne Group, André du Preez, Tel: (011) 974-1004, Fax: (011) 392-5650, Email: andre@horne-group.com

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Imperial Logistics group company Tanker Services has been accredited as the only ICMI (International Cyanide Management Institute) accredited transporter in southern Africa. The ICMI Code is a voluntary industry programme for companies involved in the production of gold using cyanide, as well as companies producing and transporting this cyanide. It was developed under the guidance of the United Nations Environment Programme. “ICMI accreditation is a key requirement from Sasol’s gold-mining customers,” explains divisional chief executive officer, Lucky Maluleke. Having attained this certification, Tanker Services’ Specialised Products division joins the elite group of just 68 internationally certified cyanide transporters, with only 12 of these based in Africa.

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On achieving RTMS accreditation, Tanker Services Fuel & Gas (Germiston) has also become the only dangerous goods hauler that has been accredited and the first company in the fuel industry. RTMS is an industry-led, voluntary self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and transport operators engaged in the road logistics value chain to implement a vehicle management system that preserves road infrastructure, improves road safety and increases the productivity of the logistics value chain. The system recognises sustainable, high standards in driver behavior and fleet maintenance. Imperial Logistics, Marelize Hoffman, Tel: (011) 821-5500; Email: marelizeh@il.co.za www.imperiallogistics.co.za

January 2013

Lucky Maluleke, Divisional Chief Executive Officer at Imperial Logistics

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Machine operator: Roy David Griffiths, GHF senior technician Left to right: Thembelani Albert, GHF GM; Moshe Modiakgotlhe, mining section engineer and Luis Santana, GHF MD

Goscor Hi-Reach reports that there has been growing demand for its Genie GTH5022R rotating rough terrain telehandler. “Our recent delivery, through our Botswana distributor Gaborone Hose and Fittings (GHF), to a well-known Botswana diamond mine confirms the trend of a wide and varied interest in this very versatile machine,’ says Goscor Hi-Reach MD, George Landsberg. “In the mine’s case they were interested in, among other things, the specific height (22m lift height), weight and reach configurations of the 5022R. They also took various optional attachments including floating forks, an hydraulic winch and a man-platform,” says George. GHF’s Luis Santana says that the mining industry is showing particular interest in the machine because of its manoeuvrability, reach, ruggedness, and, most importantly, safety. “The Botswana mine in particular prides itself on high NOSA star ratings and its millions of incidentfree man-hours and does whatever it

can to keep this excellent record intact including buying equipment that emphasises safety.” The unique, key feature of being able to operate the unit from the man-lift basket overriding the main cabin on an either/

only system makes Genie alone in this level of safety.

Goscor Hi-Reach, George Landsberg, Tel: 0861 GENIE1(43643 1), Email: GLandsberg@goscor.co.za, www.hi-reach.co.za

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Africa. “This new 380m long chairlift system for Aquarius has a rope speed of 1.5m per second and is designed to take 600 people an hour, at an 11° incline, from the surface to dip 1. This capacity can be increased to 900 people an hour, if necessary.

Becker Mining South Africa has recently completed the installation of a chairlift system as part of the K6 Decline project, part of the Kroondal mine of AQP (SA). “Becker’s modular, low maintenance chairlift systems, with a simple, yet robust structure, are designed to transport personnel quickly, efficiently and safely underground,” says Anthony Labuschagne, product manager, Becker Mining South

Covered walk way surface-surface to underground

“Becker Mining South Africa worked in conjunction with DRA Mining and Aquarius Platinum, to complete the installation of this chairlift system in record time. This is one of the first projects in South Africa where a chairlift has been completed before the mine has come onto line. “The company has recently been awarded the contract for the second phase of the project – a 486m chair lift system. Commissioning of Phase 2 was scheduled for completion at the end of 2012.” An important feature of the chairlift underground transport systems is that it can be supplied with reliable diesel driven generator sets to ensure the absolute safety of miners in the event of a power outage. Becker Mining South Africa is committed to providing the latest product designs, impeccable manufacturing standards and cost efficiency, as well as enhanced safety and total reliability of this underground transportation system. Becker Mining South Africa, Anthony Labuschagne, Tel: (011) 617-6320, info@za.becker-mining.com, www.za-becker-mining.com

Contact Surita Marx on Tel (011) 781-1401, Fax (011) 781-1403 or bulkhandling@promech.co.za to book your advertising space

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Long Service Life The Konecranes series CLX02/05/10 are powerful and durable electric chain hoists for cranes and assembly cells. These newly-developed models have several advantages: they are more powerful, 25% faster and their service life is four times longer. The new CLX electric chain hoists can be employed as standalone applications such as in assembly cells for the processing industry, as well as in workstation and gantry cranes. Thanks to their solid steel structure, the new CLX electric chain hoists can lift heavier loads than previous models and have a service life that is four times longer. The service life of the lift chain is also longer, due to

the patented chain wheel. The newlydeveloped, oil-lubricated drive system of the chain wheel allows for better power transmission and a speed ratio of 6:1, which make the CLX electric chain hoist 25% faster than earlier models. An additional performance feature of CLX electric chain hoists is their higher safety standard. The brake and the safety clutch were designed so that in case the safety clutch fails, the load is prevented from falling. In addition, the CLX series is easy to maintain: all components are easily accessible, no parts need to be removed and the entire electronic system is located on two compact circuit boards. Konecranes, John MacDonald, Tel: (011) 864-2800, Email: John.macdonald@konecranes.com, www.konecranes.co.za

Renowned for Ruggedness

The High Impact Torsion system

A multi million Rand order for conveyor idlers for the new Booysendal platinum mine in Limpopo reflects the long-standing reputation for long life, low maintenance and minimum downtime of Osborn’s SABS-approved conveyor idlers. Standard Osborn idlers have been supplied for this project, for conveyor belt sizes ranging from 900 mm to 1 500 mm. Osborn offers a complete range of standard and custom designed idlers, which have proven their worth to thousands of satisfied customers in underground, overland and in-plant conveying applications across various industries. Manufactured from steel and high-

density polyethylene (HDPE), Osborn idlers are available in suspended, garland and standard designs. Deepgroove ball bearing or taper roller-bearing designs are available, and clients can choose from a selection of roll diameters (102 mm, 127 mm, 152 mm, 165 mm and 178 mm) and roll shell thicknesses (from 3.8 mm – 6 mm). An outstanding and sought-after option supplied by Osborn for all conveyor systems – both new and existing installations – is the High Impact Torsion (HIT) system. Replacing impact beds and skid beds, this exceptional system is fitted under the chutes and in high impact areas. It absorbs impact in these areas, and offers significant benefits, including longer belt life and longer idler life. The impact is absorbed in the product’s tor-

sion bar. There is therefore less impact on the belt, and the system reduces the likelihood of broken or bent frames. A noteworthy feature of the HIT system supplied by Osborn is that it can be fitted onto any new or existing installation. No modification to the installation is necessary and the system uses standard SABS rollers. With one of the largest manufacturing facilities in South Africa, Osborn offers installation, commissioning, spares and after sales service on all idler products. The entire range of idlers is renowned for ruggedness, and represents years of design improvements and field experience gleaned from various installations around the world. Reflecting their quality, Osborn idlers boast ISO 9008 accreditation. Osborn Engineered Products, Donovan Baleta, Tel: (011) 820-7600, www.osborn.co.za

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Reclaimer Refurbishments In March 2012, Venetia Mine, De Beers’ flagship operation in South Africa, which is situated in the Limpopo Province, requested that Tenova Takraf (Africa), formerly Bateman Engineered Technologies (BET), do an audit on their circular stacker and reclaimer slew-bearings. During the inspection, Tenova Takraf engineers found that the 2,1m bearing had worn beyond allowable tolerances. “A significant amount of play between the inner and outer ring was evident, and on further investigation, it was also found that the bearing’s mechanical seal was damaged,” says Paul Davies, Tenova Takraf spares and after-sales manager. “The damage was possibly as a result of a winch brake failure that caused the reclaimer boom to fall. There were no other damages to the reclaimer boom or chain,” he adds. Working on a diamond mine in a restricted area, meant that a significant amount of planning had to be done to ensure that the correct tools and equipment were on site and that a safety risk assessment was conducted, before the project could commence. The client required

stringent on-site security checks and compulsory medicals and inductions of all workers. To gain access to the damaged bearing slew bearing, the entire machine needed to be raised from the ground and supported with the aid of jacking support frames, which were designed and supplied by Tenova TAKRAF. Once the machine was lifted and supported, the centrecolumn stub section was removed to facilitate removal of the bearing. After the bearing’s innerring bolts were removed, the bearing was removed. The new bearing was The machine with jacking structure in place installed and the centrecolumn stub re-installed, Bateman Projects/Tenova Mining & Minerals, after which all bolts were tightened. A Paul Davies, Tel: (011) 201-2300 specialist bearing company was used Email: paul.davies@bateman.com, to torque all centre-column stub bolts. www.tenovagroup.com

Index to advertisers Barloworld Metso

At Home on the Mine Searle Hoist & Tool (Pty) Ltd successfully launched the king range of pneumatically powered chain hoists in June 2012 as an extension of its renowned King & Toku hoist ranges. Specifically designed for South Africa mining conditions and for vertical lifting and horizontal pulling applications, the range fully conforms to SANS 1638:2008, the relevant provisions of the Mine’s Health & Safety Act and the Occupational Health & Safety Act [DMR]. Test reports covering all SANS 1638 stipulated test procedures and “Certificates of Test & Conformancy” are supplied with every hoist together with

BULK HANDLING TODAY

a 60 page “Safety, Operating & Maintenance” manual. Each hoist is performance tested three times at different stages of assembly in Searle’s ISO 9001:2008 certified factory and load tested at least twice before delivery to customers ensuring consistent safety, performance and quality.

Bateman/Tenova 10 Brelko 43 Bulkcon 37 Conveyor & Industrial Supplies Inside Front Cover Dymot Engineering

ELB 26 FLSmidth 20 Horne SA

30, 33

Johnson Taylor

Certain unique features such as the ultra low pressure air motor (operating pressure range from 3,5-6,5 bar); internal lube chambers allowing external lubefree operation and corrosion protection of the internal motor components; zinc plated corrosion resistance load chain (FOS 7:1); and internal auto gearbox cooling; results in very long maintenance intervals, low maintenace cost and reduced downtime.

Martin Engineering

Outside Front Cover

M & J Engineering

Searle Hoist & Tool, Tel: (011) 882-2000, www.erwardsearle.co.za

Weir

January 2013

MBE 12 Multotec 44 Osborn 14 Scania 38, Inside Back Cover Thyssenkrupp 15 Wearcon 34 Outside Back Cover

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