ABB Switzerland organized the fourth global GMD last month with the conference hosting over 150 participants. This conference was the sixth ABB GMD User Meeting, after three global events were held in Switzerland (2007 and 2009) and Peru (2008), and after two regional events in Santiago de Chile and Sydney, Australia, both held in 2006.
ABB says the meeting “has become a distinctive interactive networking platform where all parties, not only ABB, but also end users and suppliers present educational sessions and exchange experiences. The conference attendees learn and profit from each other’s experience, and maintain an open and trustful relationship that eases and improves their future cooperation. In the past four years, this unique event has become a well established and accepted worldwide platform in the grinding industry.”
ABB GMDs are operating in mining, minerals and cement plants around the globe. To date, ABB has installed or won orders for 100 GMD units in 23 countries on five continents. Groundbreaking is one of the most recent orders, placed by Newmont Mining: As the first supplier in the market ABB won an engineering contract for a 28 MW GMD system for the first 42′ SAG mill, the world’s largest diameter mill.
The 2010 conference hosted over 150 key leaders in the GMD world, coming from all five continents. End users, major mill and motor suppliers as well as consultants, EPCMs and insurance representatives accepted ABB’s invitation and came to Las Vegas for the event. ABB GMD specialists from around the globe were happy to share their knowledge on new technologies with all involved partners and give them the opportunity to talk about their experiences and ideas.
Günter Becker, Senior Underwriter for Mining at Munich RE, Germany, stated: “Manufacturers and insurers are on the same side when it comes to the reliability of equipment such as GMDs. In case of a failure both want to have it running again as soon as possible. Therefore it was of great value to hear from end users, most of which are my clients as well, as well as from ABB about actual challenges and – more important – about ways and means to overcome those in a professional and timely manner. I want to thank the ABB GMD team for giving me that great opportunity.”
And Mikael Burck, Electrical Super Intendent at Boliden Mineral, Sweden, added: “For us as a new member in the GMD family it is most helpful to get in touch with the “veterans” in the GMD world. These meetings allow a great exchange of experiences and hence improvements, also with regard to services between the different sites. The presentations held were very interesting and of high quality.”
ABB says the meeting “is a beneficial event for all involved parties. It is an important forum for end users to learn about the latest developments in the GMD applications and make contacts for other services and support. It also provides valuable customer feedback for ABB on where it can improve its performance. The User Meeting helps to strengthen the bonds and trust between all involved parties by giving operators and suppliers their say.”
The 2011 GMD User Meeting will take place in Basel, Switzerland, in October. Date and venue will be communicated in due course.
As a variable speed drive, the GMD allows the mill to start smoothly, without any mechanical stress and fulfills the customer’s requirements for flexibility and adjustability of the process, enabling maximum control over the grinding process. Furthermore, ABB gearless mill drive systems feature several benefits when compared with conventional geared drive systems: superior reliability, availability, extended life span and improved energy efficiency. ABB delivered the world’s first gearless machine drive in 1969, which is still operating at the Ciment Lamberg-Lafarge cement plant in Le Havre, France.