Modern Mining September 2017

PRODUCT News

Specialised equipment needs specialised care

a customer to keep their plant avail- ability at between 96 % and 98 %. When a cost-saving exercise led to a general contractor being engaged, the plant avail- ability dropped to 89 % – a significant drop that cost the mine substantially in terms of lost production. “It wasn’t just our equipment that was affected,” says Baller. “All the OEMs were shifted off site in favour of the general contractor. Their drop in productivity was therefore not limited to just the chutes but extended to a range of other specialised equipment. Without sufficient training on all the equipment, the contractor could not keep up the required standards, leading to this drastic reduction in plant performance and overall production.” On the other hand, Baller says, there are a range of benefits that an OEM brings to a mining operation that turn their mainte- nance charges into tangible value for the customer. “In some cases, we have maintenance contracts which actually involve our own crews on site, who perform inspections and conduct the maintenance work,” he says. “The mine will order the spares when they are required, and we work hand- in-hand with the mine’s maintenance superintendents and engineers to sched- ule the maintenance on these plants.” He says that Weba Chute Systems also has customers doing their own main- tenance. “We assist them with random inspections, just to keep an eye on things, but they generally do their own planning and installation, as well as the ordering of spares,” says Baller. Mark Baller, Weba Chute Systems, tel (+27 11) 827-9372 activated and hydraulically released on the drive wheel brake path. Secondary and primary brakes are capable of holding the entire out-of-balance load. Other critical safety devices are the passenger override sensor and an intelligent pull key system. This system can be supplied with depend- able diesel-driven generator sets to ensure safety in the event of power outages. Installation of this chairlift systemwill be completed in December 2017 and commis- sioning will take place at the mine early in 2018. Tom Searle, Becker Mining South Africa, tel (+27 11) 617-6320

that mine, so the material chosen and the particular configurations of the transfer points cannot be changed willy-nilly by the incorrect installation of parts or components,” he says. When maintenance is not con- ducted in line with the equipment design, this affects the performance of the chute, and ultimately has a knock-on effect on the whole mate- rials handling process of which it is a critical part. “This will often result in additional costs being incurred by the customer,” Baller says. “Operationally, there may be added impact and damage to the conveyor belts, or more spillage at the transfer point which requires added clean- up time. Also, dust emissions may increase, and these would have to be addressed.” The eventual result of incorrect mainte- nance is that the unit becomes irreparable and has to be replaced. This introduces capital cost implications, on top of the operational and maintenance costs. “So it is not difficult to see that it can be very dangerous to put the maintenance in the hands of a service provider that is not correctly trained or is not sufficiently knowledgeable,” says Baller. “By trying to save a little – say, R20 000 to R30 000 a month – on the maintenance cost, some mines put their whole operation in jeop- ardy. Even a single hour of lost production can cost the operation hundreds of thou- sands of rands in foregone revenue.” The quality of maintenance, he says, has a direct impact on plant availability. In a recent case, Weba Chute Systems had collaborated on maintenance with installed at the bottom of the decline. The installation will be footwall-mounted. “Becker’s robust chairlift systems, with the latest technology and manufacturing trends, meet stringent quality and safety regulations in the mining sector. These modular, lowmaintenance chairlift systems are designed to transport up to 900 person- nel per hour, quickly, efficiently and safely in all underground applications, including difficult mining conditions.” Safety features include a rope slip sensor and fail-safe brake system, which is spring

An experienced Weba Chute Systems installation crew.

A trend onmany mines to cut maintenance costs has sometimes led to general con- tractors being engaged to conduct repairs and servicing; this is generally not a good idea for specialised equipment, warns Mark Baller, MD of Weba Chute Systems. “Most customers are well aware that good maintenance is the right long-term solution to preserve the value of their assets and ensure smooth operations,” says Baller. “Faced with financial pressure, however, outsourcing to general contrac- tors is seen as a cheaper option, which it is actually not.” The danger is that these service provid- ers are not that knowledgeable about the specific products they are maintaining, he says. In many cases, for instance, they see the Weba Chute simply as platework, and conduct repairs in a fairly haphazard way through welding. “What they don’t realise is that our chutes are custom engineered to meet the specific operational requirements of

Becker chairlift system ordered by Tau Lekoa Becker Mining South Africa’s Alrode manu- facturing plant has commenced production of a chairlift system that will be installed at Tau Lekoa Gold Mining Company’s mine near Orkney, in North West Province.

“This contract encompasses the supply and installation of a new180m length chair- lift system, which will run between the 800 and 900 levels and will operate at an incli- nation of 34 deg,” says Tom Searle of Becker Mining SA. “A 22 kW streamlined drive unit, with geometric precision for maximum use of balance and design strength, will be

42  MODERN MINING  September 2017