CONVEYING
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ALPINE is an engineering , consulting , and equipment supply company in the field of continuous mining and bulk materials handling and is part of NEPEAN . IM spoke to President Milan Sjaus
How would you summarise ALPINE ’ s distinctive offer to the mining sector ? A : We are different from most traditional OEMs because our focus is to assist our customers in achieving their goals by offering innovative and sustainable solutions through the entire system lifecycle . We strive to maximise value and reliability of their assets utilising world class engineering and unique solutions . Our biggest goal is to make our customers successful .
Can you give any background on the history of ALPINE and why it was set up as a distinct company ? A : ALPINE started around the idea that our industries customers needed a partner to support them on a day-to-day basis , no matter if the issues are big or small . We saw a gap in customer service within typical OEMs , who are mainly focused on equipment supply , so we created ALPINE , to support our clients in all aspects of their business – from issues in their daily operations , to major capital projects . ALPINE ’ s name pays homage to the origins of our team , which started in Austria in the field of bulk handling more than 30 years ago and has since become recognised in the industry for successfully executing many major projects globally . ALPINE was established as an independent business to effectively fulfil its mission – to provide global expertise on a local scale .
What experience in mining from other companies and organizations is reflected in your team ? A : We are a team of professionals who have worked together for 20 + years , with most of our team coming from the old Sandvik Mining Systems organisation . Collectively the members of our team consist of top industry experts who have 500 + years combined experience in engineering / supplying 200 + and upgrading / refurbishing 100 + high-capacity continuous mining and bulk handling machines , and many complete systems in facilities worldwide .
What does being part of NEPEAN bring to ALPINE in terms of group wide synergies and expertise ? A : ALPINE , just like all other NEPEAN-owned companies , follows a core set of values and goals that are very important to the people and the culture of the NEPEAN brands . We follow what ’ s called the NEPEAN DNA and the NEPEAN Shared Purpose , highlighting what ’ s most important including : making our customers successful , strategically stationing our locations local to our customers , and being the best company we can be by empowering and supporting our own people as well as our customers . Additionally , ALPINE is able to draw on offering , expertise and resources of other NEPEAN businesses , such as innovative conveyor components , specialty conveyors , power and control systems , and manufacturing facilities .
In terms of conveying specifically , does ALPINE have any particular innovations or designs that you want to mention or highlight ? A : Our conveyors can be designed to accommodate any material type , throughput , and environmental requirements . ALPINE offers
Milan Sjaus , ALPINE President
a complete range of belt conveyors for bulk terminal and mine applications in stockyards and ports , from complete turnkey systems to individual conveyor components . For bulk terminals , we design troughed conveyors , pipe conveyors , portable conveyors , and feeders and for mines we provide overland type , in-plant type , underground type , shiftable type , extendable / relocatable type , mobile type , and feeders .
Is decarbonisation and reducing emissions a big part of the conveying value proposition in today ’ s mining market ? A : Unfortunately , not as one would hope . The resistance to adopting conveying over truck haulage is still very strong in many mining operations , even in cases where conveying is financially more feasible . The main reason is the perceived risk of committing to a technology that is less flexible than trucking and requires commitment to long-term mine planning .
all necessary local logistics , assembly crews and oversize-load transport permitting . The preassembly at VIVA included idlers , pulleys and steelcord belt splicing . With the installation and alignment of large components and splicing of the steelcord belt in a controlled , efficient shop environment , Virta says this innovative and optimised pre-assembly strategy significantly reduces site installation time , schedule and risk .
In December 2024 , Virta was nearing completion of its overall delivery of 18 conveyors and 13 feeders including some 5,000 t of steel .
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All equipment components are engineered in some way , however , the term “ engineered product ” is used to describe something tailormade . When applied to conveyor pulleys , ‘ engineered ’ means designed specifically to meet the conditions of a particular conveyor . When done right , the result is a pulley designed for infinite fatigue life with the lowest capital cost for the application and a quality build to ensure customers get benefit in both CAPEX and OPEX . Investing in quality engineered pulleys makes good business sense for mining companies . They ensure increased safety , lower weight , longer life and improved reliability .
“ Once the belt stops , production stops – and mining companies can lose millions each year ,” says Craig Wilson , PROK Vice President North America . “ With only one pulley failure the whole belt must stop and , in some cases , all production for the mine ceases meaning that investing in quality engineered pulleys is a very important decision for mines seeking to reduce overall costs and improve production ” he added .
Besides unsafe pulley failures can have catastrophic consequences and take extended periods of downtime to repair . Understanding dynamics , engineering out potential failure points and adding in processes for safety are basic concepts , however , PROK – like ALPINE part of NEPEAN - argues that many pulley manufacturers forgo these in favour of lowering costs and adding more to their throughput than the customer ’ s .
“ PROK focuses on innovation , quality and your uptime . Backed by years of experience , significant investments in research and a reputation among clients for having bestperforming products , PROK puts quality and reliability at the forefront of engineered pulley
42 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2025