Tag Archives: Metso Truck Body

Metso breaks records as it looks forward to more growth

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , ,

It was a record year in terms of profitability for Metso in 2019; a year that saw the minerals processing company make several strategic decisions to fundamentally change its group structure.

Orders received across the group increased 5% to €3.7 billion ($4.1 billion), with sales growing 15% to €3.635 billion. Adjusted EBITA rose from €369 million in 2018 to €474 million (13% of sales) in 2019, while operating profit jumped to €418 million from €351 million.

Metso President and CEO, Pekka Vauramo, said 2019 was in many ways historical and transformational for the company.

“It also marked a record in our financial performance, as our sales increased in both segments and our profitability was higher than ever in the company’s history,” he said.

The company also launched some major new products – including the Metso Truck Body and the VPX filter – in addition to publishing the Metso Climate Program, which aims for notable reductions in emissions.

The year will be remembered for two major strategic decisions from Metso.

“The first was the acquisition of McCloskey, a Canadian supplier of mobile aggregates crushers and screens,” Vauramo said. “After the closing of the acquisition in October, Metso’s offering strengthened in the mobile aggregates equipment market, which is estimated to see the industry’s fastest-growing demand.”

“The second and truly transformative step was the decision related to the partial demerger of Metso, after which Metso’s Minerals business will be combined with Outotec to create Metso Outotec, a unique company in the minerals, metals and aggregates industries,” Vauramo said.

At the same time as this, the company took the decision to allow its valves business to continue as an independent listed company named Neles.

Vauramo said: “We are confident that, as a result of this transaction, both companies will be well-positioned to grow and create value for our customers and other stakeholders.”

Shareholders of both Metso and Outotec approved the transaction in October at respective meetings and internal preparations have proceeded according to plan, Vauramo said.

The completion of the transaction still requires approvals from the competition authorities in various markets, but according to the company’s estimate, closing should take place on June 30, 2020.

Truck & Shovel conference gains Singapore Mining Club support

Automation, Careers in mining, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The inaugural Truck & Shovel conference is now just over seven weeks away and the stage is set for an exciting event looking into the future of the global loading and haulage industry.

With topics such as automation, digitalisation, fleet management, and tyre and fuel optimisation on the agenda, there will be much to discuss at the 1.5-day event, taking place at the InterContinental Singapore, Middle Road, on September 19-20.

In addition to gaining the support of Komatsu Mining (Platinum Sponsor), Zyfra Mining (Gold Sponsor) and Mining Industry Professionals (Media Sponsor), IM Events is pleased to announce that the Singapore Mining Club has backed this global event.

Truck & Shovel 2019 will now be held in association with the Singapore Mining Club, an influential group that exists to promote development of Singapore as the pre-eminent regional hub for the management and financing of mining enterprises.

We chose Singapore for this global event for several reasons, including:

  • Many of the big mining companies have procurement and marketing hubs in this Asian metropolis;
  • It acts as a gateway through to key mining hubs such as Australia, India, China and Indonesia, and;
  • It has good transport links and an excellent reputation for event hospitality.

Taking place in Ballroom I and II of the InterContinental Singapore, this event has attracted a number of high-profile speakers that have masses of industry knowledge to share with delegates.

We plan to kick off the day with a keynote from Komatsu Mining’s Jason Knuth (Senior Manager – Data Solutions) and Simon Van Wegen (Product Manager – Data Solutions) on ‘Data-driven designs for dynamic mining environments’.

The duo, who have spoken at many high profile conferences around the world, are set to reveal how advanced mining original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are leveraging the plethora of data nodes on smart equipment to adapt equipment and design solutions for the modern mine environment.

Mikhail Makeev, Global Business Director, Zyfra Mining, is set to continue this digitalisation theme during his catchily-titled ‘How to make your mine “rock”’ presentation. The company has automation and fleet management expertise that it has applied across many mine sites, with Makeev keen to share details on these experiences.

Automation

For those focused on surface mining automation, Truck & Shovel tackles the concept from three different angles.

Drew Larsen, Director of Business Development, ASI Mining, will provide a business case for haulage automation with a presentation titled: ‘Autonomous Mining – more feasible than you might think’. The company, 34% owned by global mining OEM Epiroc, began work on a project with Barrick Gold to retrofit and automate a fleet of Komatsu 930-E Ultra Class haul trucks at the Arturo joint venture operation in Nevada, last year, and is expecting to issue news on projects with other miners in the near future.

Tony Cutler, Principal Consultant, OTR Global, will be tackling automation from a different stance in his ‘Factoring tyres into autonomous haulage’ presentation. Research from the leading mining OEMs offering autonomous haulage systems (AHS) indicates these systems have the potential to prolong tyre life, a claim Cutler will interrogate up on stage.

And Steve Russell, Director – Mining, Scott Technology Ltd, will be looking at autonomous refuelling in his talk. With a title of ‘Robofuel Robotic Refuelling – A safety and productivity initiative for the 21st Century Mine’, he will highlight case studies that showcase just how effective this process is in an open-pit mining context.

Equipment design and innovation

The look and feel of loading and haulage equipment hasn’t changed dramatically over the past few decades, but with mining companies and OEMs now receiving data in real time about how trucks and excavators are operating and interacting with each other, one would expect these design blueprints to, in the future, be altered in some way – for example Komatsu’s cabless haul truck concept.

Taking on this topic at the event will be Christopher B Althausen, Director of Sales & Marketing for Pioneer Solutions LLC, and Brad Rogers, CEO of Bis Industries.

Althausen’s presentation, ‘Mining truck design and development: challenges, hurdles and solutions’, looks at his and his company’s experiences approaching haul truck design over many decades. Rogers’ talk, meanwhile, focuses on ‘Innovation in minesite haulage’. With Bis Industries now having successful trials of its revolutionary Rexx haul truck in its back pocket, delegates will look forward to hearing all about the proven productivity benefits of using this 20-wheel machine.

Maximising payload

The first day of the event will finish with a packed session on truck bodies and excavator buckets where four speakers will highlight just how effective customised solutions can be in the open-pit mining environment.

Carl Samuelson, Global Business Support Manager, Metso Haul Truck Solutions, will talk about successes the mining OEM has had with its hybrid haul truck tray, the Metso Truck Body, while David Pichanick, Global Manager Market Development & Innovation, Austin Engineering, will reveal how thinking ‘outside the box’ and changing the way the company uses materials in dump bodies and buckets has had an impact on safety and productivity. Tom Smith, Engineering Manager at DT HiLoad, rounds out the truck body talk, presenting, ‘HERCULES: The Strongest Tray in Earth’.

Ian Cornfoot, Managing Director of G&G Mining, has the honour of closing day one with a presentation on the use of customised excavator buckets titled, ‘Moving Rocks Not Steel – “Productive innovations in earthmoving buckets”’.

Fuel efficiency and management

As has been well documented, fuel efficiency is key when it comes to open-pit mining, with optimised fuel selection and management often keeping the cost per tonne down.

This topic kicks off day two of the event, with Kevin Dagenais, CEO of Blutip Technologies, looking at the use of predictive modelling techniques to target mining inefficiencies in this space. Sean Birrell, Group Product Officer, FluidIntel, follows closely behind him on ‘Analytics opportunities in fuel and lubricant management – unseen risks & untapped value in your supply chain & operations’, with Joao Silveirinha, Chief Technology Officer of Banlaw, rounding out the fuel talk with a talk titled, ‘Digital Transformation and Automation as it relates to the management of Hydrocarbons in Mining’.

Safety and training

The last session of the conference is all on safety and training, with two speakers keen to talk up the benefits of these in open-pit mining where accidents can cost lives and machines.

Daniel Bongers, Chief Technology Officer of SmartCap Technologies, will present, ‘Zero fatigue incidents achieved – moving to alertness monitoring’ in his 30-minute slot, with Graham Upton, Director of Business Development at simulator specialist, Doron Precision Systems Inc, following him with ‘Shovel and Truck, side-by-side Coordinated Training’.

For details of how to register for this event, or access the full program, please visit the website: https://im-mining.com/truck-and-shovel/

Please note, all company delegations of two or more people are entitled to a discount. Get in touch with Editorial Director, Paul Moore ([email protected]), or Editor, Dan Gleeson ([email protected]), for more information.

Metso Truck Body hits the heights at Terrafame Sotkamo mine

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Metso may have only just released its new Metso Truck Body, but it has already proven its worth during tests at Terrafame’s multi-metal mine in Sotkamo, Finland.

The mine has been the first one in the world to test the Metso-designed, light-weight body, which can hold almost nine tonnes more payload, improving the efficiency of the mine’s hauling operations.

As an added benefit, the rubber lining of the body cuts the perceived noise in half during loading and significantly reduces vibration.

Metso officially launched the new truck body at the Bauma fair, in Munich, earlier this month.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen, Head of Mining Department at the Terrafame Sotkamo mine, said: “The experience we’ve had during the first few months of testing the body is positive. The capacity and the durability of the body match Metso’s promises. Higher payload and driver comfort are both top priorities for us. The feedback from the drivers has been very positive.

“Metso seems to have done a great job in designing this light-weight body. Despite the higher, 325-t total load, the elevated rear flange manages to keep the boulders on-board without problems,” he continued.

The rubber-lined, light-weight body was installed on Terrafame’s oldest haul truck, a Hitachi EH3500, in December 2018. Prior to installation, the truck already had an impressive track record of 50,000 hours of operation, according to Metso. The new body hauled its first loads from the Kuusilampi open pit just before Christmas.

The mine’s truck fleet is in operation 24/7. Currently, the ore is loaded from the 60-m-deep pit on to the trucks with a Caterpillar 910 Series excavator. One truck drives approximately 40 rounds in a day, equivalent to around 6,500 t of payload.

Timo Sarvijärvi, Head of Mining Sales, Metso Finland, said: “A light weight without compromising durability was our driver in designing the Metso Truck Body. During the test period, we are keeping track of the hauled tonnage and collecting driver feedback.

“In addition to the higher payload, the body is lighter to carry when empty, which further increases cost efficiency. Moreover, we have recorded a reduction of around 10 dB in the noise level on a rubber-lined standard body, which means that rubber is 50% quieter compared to steel. We expect at least a similar reduction in the Terrafame trial.”

Kristiina Karjalainen, Haul Truck Driver at the Sotkamo mine, was among the first drivers to have tested the new Metso Truck Body. She said: “The new rubber-lined truck body has indeed cut noise significantly. Now the loading sounds I hear in my cabin resemble more of a whiz than a loud rumble. There’s been a noticeable reduction in vibration as well.”

According to Karjalainen, the first 40-t bucket load has always been the hardest for the driver. After that, the rock bed smoothes out the noise.

“The side shields of the new light-weight body work as they should, too, protecting the side view mirrors from falling boulders. I would definitely like to see a rubber-lined body installed on truck number 10, the one that I usually drive,” she added.

The Terrafame Sotkamo multi-metal mine, which produces nickel, zinc, copper and cobalt, reached its intended production level during last year. Yet, there’s plenty of material left to haul, with the mine recently applying for a permit to process 18 Mt of ore and 45 Mt of overburden annually.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen said: “In 2021, the amount of overburden to excavate will double, as we proceed with the Kuusilampi pit expansion and remove the large layer of rock covering the orebody.

“Before that, we will have to rethink the responsibilities and the composition of both our own as well as our contractor’s hauling processes. As the amount of hauled material grows, maintaining cost efficiency throughout our truck operations becomes more and more important.”

Metso enters new territory with development of Truck Body

Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , ,

Metso has launched its haul truck body at the Bauma 2019 show in Munich, Germany, showcasing the expansion of its product portfolio into new territory.

“The Metso Truck Body is a ground-breaking innovation that combines the benefits of rubber and high structural strength steel, enabling mines and quarries to haul more with less,” the company said.

Lars Skoog, Vice President, Mining Wear Lining & Screening, Metso, said: “Hauling is one of the most cost-intensive components of a typical mining or quarrying operation. In addition to fuel and labour, there’s plenty of maintenance involved too.

“To ensure cost efficiency, a haul truck should carry as much payload as possible on every round. At Metso, we set out to tackle this challenge and designed a truck body that requires minimal maintenance while maximising payload. The result is a lower operating cost per hauled tonne.”

The Metso Truck Body is a lightweight, rubber-lined tray designed for off-highway trucks. The elastic rubber absorbs the energy of every impact, preventing it from reaching the frame and thus allowing for a lighter-than-usual, high structural strength steel frame beneath the rubber. Thanks to this, the body can absorb maximum shock at the lowest possible weight.

Metso has been supplying its tried-and-tested rubber lining for haul trucks for several decades with outstanding results both in reducing the need for maintenance and improving the working environment for truck drivers.

Metso said: “The proven benefits include up to six times more wear life compared to traditional steel lining, half the noise, and 97% less vibration. Our latest innovation, Metso Truck Body, takes this concept to another level by combining the wear protection and working environment benefits of rubber with the payload-maximising abilities of a lightweight body.”

Skoog added: “Many mines prefer lightweight truck bodies because they enable the carrying of more payload. However, the problem with these traditional lightweight bodies is their lack of durability – they often have to be replaced in every one or two years, or repaired, which gets expensive.

“The Metso Truck Body provides an unprecedented solution that is both light and durable. The rubber lining and high structural strength steel frame have been engineered in a seamless process, utilising the best qualities of both materials.”

A typical Metso Truck Body weighs 20-30% less than a traditional steel-lined truck body, according to Metso. Depending on the application, this translates into a payload increase of several tonnes.

The Metso Truck Body is available globally for all major off-highway truck models used in mining and quarrying. Several lining options ensure application-specific fit, even in operations that struggle with problems such as carry-back.