CONVEYING
Paul Moore reviews some interesting new conveyor projects, from mines to mineral ports, as well as some new technologies that are available
Clever conveyance
In a recent state of the conveyor industry interview, Christian Ullmann- Head of Global Application Engineering at Sempertrans stated:“ For the past year or so, the conveyor belt industry has been hit by decreasing demand due to a major global mining crisis, and fragile steel and cement sectors. In reaction to this challenging market environment, customers have been more meticulous with their demands. More than ever price is a dominant factor in their decision-making process. As a result, they are looking for the best techno-commercial offer. This means no over- nor under-engineering if you will. The key for success is to define the offer that will bring them as much value as possible in return for their investment.”
But this cost pressure goes hand in hand with the growing demand for reducing safety factors in order to save costs.“ That’ s why besides devising the most suitable product, we need to make sure to offer the best overall solution. Defining the adequate splicing technology for example goes a long way towards ensuring high efficiency where there is no room for mistakes. Close cooperation with Sempertrans’ Global Field Service specialists is then crucial to ensure smooth project continuity. They play a key role in making sure the specified product solution and our technical recommendations are implemented correctly in the last step. They also provide valuable feedback directly from the field.”
He adds:“ Last but not least, customers have urged us to push the limits of conveying technology. Conveyors are getting longer and longer and are required to be operational for a longer time. At the same time, environmental concerns are given more consideration. At Sempertrans we are prepared to tackle these customer challenges. That’ s why our R & D department developed products such as the energy-saving TransEvo and designed custom belts for as complex projects as the aerial structure of the Flyingbelt.”
Sempertrans has successfully implemented the energy-saving belt TransEvo Ultra for surface mining and TransEvo-V for underground coal mining. This belt enables power savings of up to 25 %, which is highly recommended in case of long-distance conveyance to optimise energy consumption. TransEvo covers are based on a special rubber compound which significantly reduces rolling resistance due to indentation losses while the belt is running over the idlers.
In terms of the overall conveyor belt industry, it is today more global than ever. In addition to well-established suppliers such as Sempertrans, a wave of smaller, emerging competitors have entered the low-end market segment.“ Very low prices, often at the expense of quality, are their main characteristic. As a manufacturer of high performance conveyor belts, Sempertrans strives to find the right balance for each
Transportadora Callao SA, the logistics operator of a special cargo terminal in the port of Callao, Peru, relies on a BEUMER Group pipe conveyor for the transportation of zinc, copper and lead concentrates of different mining companies from the warehouse to the terminal
application. This allows us to offer our customers price competitive yet effective solutions. However, at the end of the day all finished belts are black and look quite alike, which makes convincing customers that our conveyor belts are of higher quality an interesting challenge.”
Here application engineering has to bridge a big gap in what customers expect.“ Some customers, usually companies operating large conveying systems, are very experienced; they are the ones who make us push our own performance boundaries. It is obvious that their
Sempertrans together with the Italian ropeway manufacturer Leitner ropeways and its brand Agudio, developed the Flyingbelt, a combination of ropeway and conveyor belt. The longest Flyingbelt in the world started its operation life at LafargeHolcim’ s Barroso Plant in June 2016. After running for nine months it is possible to make the first proper comparison of actual data and design parameters like power consumption, availability and maintenance requirements, which have all been positive
48 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2017