Mechanical Technology November 2015

⎪ Local manufacturing and beneficiation ⎪

SA finalist for the Swedish Steel Awards

SA-based Milotek, along with its engineering contractor, RedPRO, is one of four global finalists for the Swedish Steel Awards. This is in recognition of the invention and commercialisation of the Futran suspended transport system, a new low cost, high availability, green alternative to trucks, trains, buses and conveyor belts, with potential to lower the overall cost of mining by between 5% and 35%.

M ilotek was created to de- velop and commercialise Futran, the world’s first automated, suspended, bulk commodities fractional rapid transit system. Off the back of the successful completion and trials of a demonstration plant near Brits, Milotek has been chosen as one of the four finalists for the 2015 Swedish Steel prize, one of the most prestigious awards for engineering in the steel industry. To be a finalist is testament to the engineering prowess and spirit of innovation present in South Africa. As motivation for selecting Milotek, the Swedish Steel Awards jury released the following statement: “Milotek has de- veloped a completely new, innovative and environmentally friendly system for high capacity heavy transportation; a modular elevated track with self-propelled trains. The potential of high-strength steel is fully utilised to enable cost effective lightweight solutions. Prefabricated track sections are bolted together for easy as- sembly, which is advantageous especially in far off regions. The system is very

flexible and can be adapted for many different transport applications. The Futran System was invented by Andries Louw, the founder and CEO of Milotek and then enabled by Milotek and RedPRO, the engineering firm contracted to do the detail design and development of the system. By using an elevated, light- weight steel track that can be suspended over grasslands, wetlands, grazing, agricultural land and existing roads, the system has a very small footprint, while allowing agriculture and animal migration to continue underneath the track. In built up areas the track can be constructed on top of railway lines, roads, pavements and walkways, thereby minimising the need to create new right of ways. Various types of automated, driverless vehicles, propelled by power- ful electric motors, are suspended from the elevated track and used to transport people and goods on demand from any point along a grid network of tracks to any other point – without stopping in between. Although the system was initially

Andries Louw, CEO of Milotek and inventor of Futran System, and Gerhard Claassen, CEO of RedPRO. developed as a low-cost public transpor- tation system that can be retrofitted onto existing urban infrastructures, Milotek is first focusing on the deployment in the mining industry, where a great need ex- ists to lower the cost of haulage, while limiting the impact on the environment. At Milotek’s 1.0 km Futran test track outside Brits, Milotek and RedPRO en- gineers are busy testing and refining the heavy haul motorised units, before being installed at the first client’s sites. From 2016 onwards, the company expects the system to have a major im- pact on mining, where the system has significant cost, environmental impact, and logistical and reliability benefits over existing modes of haulage such as trucks and conveyor belts. In the not too distant future, the Futran System is expected to enable low cost, long distance bulk haulage across the African continent and fast, efficient, reliable and low cost public transportation in even the poorest and most congested cities in the world. “Being selected as a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize is an incredible achievement for a young company dedi- cated to improving the way we interact with our environment and a remarkable recognition for the power of local inno- vation.” Andries Louw from Milotek and Gerhard Claassen, the CEO of RedPRO and lead engineer on the project, will represent Milotek at the award ceremony and hopefully, upon their return, bring the Swedish Steel Prize back to South Africa. Previous winners of the award include companies such as Lear Corporation, Mack trucks, Fiat and John Deere, and in 2014 the Steel Prize was won by Belaz for constructing the largest truck ever made. q

At Milotek’s 1.0 km Futran test track outside Brits, Milotek and RedPRO engineers are busy testing and refining the heavy haul motorised units, before being installed at the first client sites.

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Mechanical Technology — November 2015