Tag Archives: Schlam

Schlam to provide specialised maintenance services through new Fixed Plant Maintenance division

Equipment maintenance, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , ,

On the back of growing demand for specialised maintenance services, Schlam has launched its new Fixed Plant Maintenance division.

This expansion is being spearheaded by Kaze Richardson, an experienced fixed plant professional determined to drive operations in the Pilbara and the Goldfields regions to new heights, Schlam says. Having been involved in multiple fixed plant projects and shutdowns sector since 2010, Richardson developed his skillset from a Leading Hand to Site Manager.

Schlam says: “With a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by industries in the regions, Kaze brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. His vision for the Fixed Plant Maintenance division is to provide exceptional services to Schlam’s valued partners, ensuring that their operations run seamlessly and efficiently.”

Richardson added: “Our goal is to become the go-to provider for all fixed plant maintenance needs in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions. We aim to do simple things well, with an ‘Adapt – Achieve – Repeat’ ethos.”

The establishment of the Fixed Plant Maintenance division reflects Schlam’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its clients, it says. By offering expert services, Schlam aims to provide its partners with a comprehensive end-to-end solution for all their fixed plant requirements. Whether it is routine inspections and repairs or complex refurbishments and upgrades, Schlam says its Fixed Plant Maintenance division has the capability to handle projects of any scale or complexity.

One of the key strengths of the new division lies in its team of highly skilled professionals. These individuals possess extensive knowledge and experience in working with a variety of materials, including steel, aluminium and various alloys. Their expertise allows them to fabricate custom components, structures and assemblies that meet the highest industry standards, Schlam says.

The Fixed Plant Maintenance division follows rigorous testing procedures to ensure every project meets the highest standards of precision, durability and compliance with industry regulations. This dedication to quality control reflects Schlam’s commitment to delivering exceptional results to its clients, it says.

Safety is of paramount importance to Schlam, and the Fixed Plant Maintenance division prioritises the implementation and adherence to robust safety protocols and best practices. By creating a secure working environment, Schlam says it ensures the wellbeing of its employees, clients and stakeholders, aligning its values with theirs.

The company concluded: “With the launch of the Fixed Plant Maintenance division, Schlam is poised to revolutionise the maintenance services industry in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions. Through exceptional expertise, unwavering commitment to quality, and a focus on safety, Schlam aims to become the trusted partner for all fixed plant maintenance needs.”

Schlam and BHP WAIO celebrate 300th Hercules mining dump body delivery

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Western Australia-based mining product and services supplier, Schlam, is commemorating the delivery of the 300th Hercules mining dump body to one of its key customers, BHP Western Australia Iron Ore.

BHP WAIO received its first Hercules body in 2018 and formalised a supply agreement with Schlam in November of the same year. Today, nearly all the mining trucks across WAIO’s fleet are fitted with a Hercules dump body, Schlam says.

The 300 Hercules dump bodies have been 100% designed and manufactured in Western Australia, creating additional employment opportunities and averaging 56 full time jobs per year.

Being lighter, the Hercules body provides miners with a significant increase in payload, increasing operational efficiency, Schlam says. The innovative curved body design and targeted material selection have resulted in a service life increase of up to 100%.

Hendrik Mueller, Managing Director, Schlam Payload Solutions, said: “Each Hercules body is custom engineered and built to suit the unique operational requirements of the mine site it operates in. Working collaboratively with the BHP team we have been able to identify the key performance criteria needed to deliver on safety, productivity and cost goals.”

He added: “We work closely with BHP, at many levels, especially on-site, with their input having contributed to the ongoing development of some of our products. The Hercules EXO is one example, with the product now being the dump body of choice among iron ore miners in Western Australia, and beyond.”

A commemorative event is being held at Schlam’s head office in Welshpool today. The 300th dump body, with its commemorative livery incorporating the brand colours of both companies, was recently transported from the company’s Forrestfield plant to be proudly
displayed at the event in Welshpool.

Schlam to leverage SSAB’s fossil-free steel in future mining products

Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

SSAB, the leading global Swedish steel company, has entered an agreement with Australia-based mining equipment and engineering services provider, Schlam, that, it says, will revolutionise the steel industry by promoting the increased use of fossil-free steel with a drastically reduced CO2 footprint.

As part of the ambition, both SSAB and Schlam will look to integrate fossil-free steel into their existing products and Schlam will leverage SSAB’s fossil-free steel to bring to market a new generation of sustainable products to reduce its CO2 footprint, SSAB says.

“I’m pleased to announce this collaboration with SSAB,” Matt Thomas, CEO of Schlam Group, said. “It builds on our shared expertise and a determination to drive innovation.”

In addition to the steel products, both organisations recognise the need to cooperate not just in their capacities as industry leaders, but also in the areas of sustainability and CO2 emissions, SSAB says. A common knowledge exchange will be a consistent thread throughout the course of cooperation, as Schlam pushes ahead to make fossil-free end products the new expectation for the Australian mining industry.

Schlam is also a partner of SSAB’s Hardox® In My Body program customer. The program has more than 500 members in 60 countries and members serve a wide range of industries, including mining, construction, quarrying, road building, recycling, demolition and agriculture. The Hardox In My Body sign represents equipment that is manufactured to the highest standards by a qualified Hardox In My Body member. All members have been thoroughly assessed and have earned the right to display this logo as a sign of their commitment.

Matthew Spiteri, Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at SSAB, said: “We’re proud to welcome Schlam as a partner and look forward to creating more demand for fossil-free steel products in Australia.”

Schlam to supply Fortescue with new Hercules EXO truck body

Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Schlam says it has been awarded a multi-million-dollar supply agreement with Fortescue Metals Group Limited for both its products (Schlam Payload Solutions) and services (Schlam People Solutions) divisions.

The contract will see Schlam Payload Solutions supply Fortescue with dump bodies and buckets – including the company’s newly-released Hercules EXO – while Schlam People Solutions will provide skilled on-site mechanical and fabrication services for a minimum of three years with options to extend, it said.

The agreement solidifies Schlam’s decade-long relationship with Fortescue, the company added.

Schlam Chief Executive Officer Matt Thomas said that he expected the agreement’s value to reach over A$90 million ($62.7 million).

“Fortescue will be one of the first operators to receive the Hercules EXO since its successful trial and market release,” Thomas said. “The Hercules EXO is a 240-t-class iron ore specific dump body that is 20% lighter than the company’s already class-leading Hercules. The decreased weight gives miners a greater payload potential, while a complete redesign and innovative material selection have resulted in a 100% increase in service life.”

Thomas added: “Like Schlam, Fortescue is a proud and innovative West Australian company. This relationship strengthened when we trialled a Hercules dump body suited to their fleet of 240-t-class trucks in 2018. At the time, it was the lightest 240-t body we had manufactured and, through working with innovative partners, like Fortescue, we’ve been able to develop the next generation of payload products, including the Hercules EXO.”

To date, Schlam has supplied almost 60 Hercules bodies to Fortescue’s fleet of mining trucks and will deliver a further 50 in the next financial year alone.

The agreement brings Schlam Payload Solutions and Schlam People Solutions under the same set of terms and conditions. The latter expands Schlam’s portfolio of Tier-1 clientele, for which it supplies heavy-duty mechanics, boilermakers, auto-electricians and other skilled labour.

“The agreement will underpin our journey to introduce the latest robotic technology to transform our manufacturing processes and develop a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility right here in Western Australia,” Thomas said.

Schlam delivers 1,500th Hercules dump body in Australia

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

Schlam has now reached the milestone of manufacturing its 1,500th Hercules dump body in Australia, with the dump body in question delivered to Glencore’s Mt Owen complex in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales.

Now in its 14th incarnation, the Schlam Hercules has become the dump body of choice for many of the most significant Tier 1 operators, OEM truck builders and mining contractors in Australia, Schlam says.

Schlam Chief Executive Officer, Matt Thomas, said it was a team effort to reach this milestone.

“Our manufacturing division – Schlam Payload Solutions – is filled with some of the most dedicated and hardworking individuals I’ve ever met. And, when they work together, anything is possible.

“The pandemic and supply chain concerns have pressured our team, however, they have managed these challenges superbly while maintaining our commitment to quality and customer service.”

The first Hercules was manufactured in Australia in 2003, and it took 17 years to reach the 1,000th milestone. It took the company just 22 months to then reach the 1,500th mark.

Thomas says that long-term national supply contracts with BHP, Fortescue, Glencore, Northern Star Resources, Newmont and other significant miners mean that the Hercules is set to continue along this upward growth path.

“We are creating efficiencies in our manufacturing processes through robotics, automation and ‘LEAN thinking’ to support this growth while maintaining quality,” he said.

“We’re also growing our sales and aftersales teams, ensuring that customer service is exceptional at every step of their experience with Schlam. We pride ourselves on following our products into the field and believe this has been a critical element in our growth.

“I thank the whole team – no matter where they work in the company – for helping us reach this milestone, and I look forward to many more to come.”

Schlam offers iron ore miners higher payload potential, longer service life with Hercules EXO

Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Western Australia-based mining product and services supplier, Schlam, has launched the Hercules EXO, a next-generation mining dump body that, it says, offers iron ore miners both a higher payload potential and longer service life.

The Hercules EXO is a 240-t-class iron ore specific dump body that is 20% lighter than the company’s existing Hercules dump body. The decreased weight gives miners a greater payload potential, while a complete redesign and new material selection have resulted in a 100% increase in service life, according to the company.

Schlam CEO, Matt Thomas, says miners will no longer have to compromise between payload and longer service life with the arrival of the Hercules EXO.

“The Hercules EXO is an ultra-lightweight body that maximises payload without sacrificing body life or requiring the addition of wear packages,” he said. “It is the culmination of 20 years of continuous improvement and innovation wrapped into one high performance dump body.”

Schlam’s engineering department completely redesigned the previous Hercules to reduce weight in all non-wearing components.

“The team looked at the structural componentry individually to reduce weight so we can maximise steel thickness in the wearing areas, where it really matters,” Thomas said. “Using hybrid steel thickness, combined with Hardox® 500 Tuf steel from Swedish steelmaker SSAB in the wearing areas, means that the EXO has a service life more than double other lightweight options.”

The extra service life has three added benefits: cost, safety and the environment, Schlam says.

Compared with heavy-duty products on the market that use liner packages, the payload potential of the Hercules EXO is far more significant, according to the company. It also does not require the labour-intensive wear plate replacement events needed to achieve target body life.

“When you factor in stored energy, working at heights, craneage, welding and more, liner replacement is high-risk work,” Thomas said. “The Hercules EXO removes these risks making it a safer option for miners.”

The EXO project was completed in close consultation with Schlam’s customers, who revealed carbon impact is increasingly coming to the forefront of their concerns, the company said.

“It’s no secret that steel production creates a lot of carbon,” Thomas said. “However, having a dump body that uses less steel in the original manufacturing process and only needs to be replaced every eight years rather than every four has a massive net benefit on carbon production.”

Schlam books Hercules dump truck body order from BHP

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Mining products and services provider, Schlam, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar national contract to supply its Hercules dump body to BHP Minerals Australia.

The tender will see Schlam continue to supply dump bodies to BHP Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) sites and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) sites in Queensland and New South Wales with its world-class trays.

The contract will generate revenue in excess of A$110 million ($79 million) for Schlam, it said.

The Hercules dump body was selected due to its lightweight design and durability, according to the Western Australia-based company.

“Our engineering team was challenged by their counterparts at BHP to push the limits of the Hercules’ design to lower its already light weight and increase payload further,” Schlam CEO, Matt Thomas, said. “This resulted in the development of a new Hercules design that is 20% lighter than other already class-leading Hercules models and is maintenance-free with up to six years of service life due to steel innovations.”

The contract gives Schlam confidence to push ahead with its national and international expansion plans in both the product and service side of the business, the company said.

Thomas said the award would see Schlam transform its manufacturing processes to use the latest technology and robotics, redefining the production methodology for the business.

“We are delivering on our promise to make mining equipment more productive,” he said. “Supplying the highest quality buckets and bodies in parallel with the talent we provide through our mechanical and fabrication services division, the business is going from strength to strength. As we edge closer to the end of 2021, the outlook for Schlam has never looked better.”

New Cat 793Fs start arriving at KCGM’s Super Pit gold operations in Kalgoorlie

Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , ,

Northern Star Resources has started to welcome the first of its 39 new Caterpillar 793F haul trucks to its KCGM Operations in Western Australia.

The first of these haul trucks arrived in September, with the remaining trucks to arrive at site between now and April 2022, Northern Star said. They will be transported from Perth to Kalgoorlie-Boulder on the Great Eastern Highway.

Part of an open-pit fleet replacement program, the trucks will offer “improved visibility and comfort” to Northern Star’s 200-plus local operators working in the Super Pit, while supporting KCGM’s life of mine plans to 2034, the company said.

The trucks are fitted with Schlam’s Hercules dump bodies, which have been custom designed to suit the hard-rock mining environment of the Super Pit and KCGM’s mining plan, Schlam said.

At KCGM, open-pit mining rates continued to ramp-up in the September quarter, with an increased production rate of 72 Mt/y achieved at quarter end.

Schlam’s Barracuda buckets receive SSAB Hardox seal of approval

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Schlam says it has been certified as a Hardox® In My Body member for its Barracuda range of excavator, shovel and wheel loader buckets.

The Barracuda range of buckets is custom made for the customer’s ground conditions, commodities, material properties and OEM earthmoving fleet, Schlam says.

From high production lightweight buckets through to armoured buckets, each attachment is tailor-made to get the best out of the client’s fleet of load and haul equipment, according to the company.

General Manager of Schlam Payload Solutions, Glenn Brearey, says a poorly designed bucket will slow productivity and performance of the load and haul ecosystem.

“The biggest bucket is not necessarily the best; that’s why a fit-for-purpose solution engineered to suit the conditions is critical to maximising the investment in your dig machine.

“It’s also why we choose Hardox wear plate. Its properties – exceptional strength, hardness and toughness mixed with bendability and weldability – means that we can purpose-build a Barracuda HX for low wearing conditions where weight can be saved using linerless attachments or high wearing conditions with short bucket change-out intervals. Hardox wear plate allows us to be agile to our clients’ needs.”

Manufactured by global steel company SSAB, Hardox wear plate is a leading abrasion-resistant steel.

While the Barracuda has been in Schlam’s growing product catalogue for some time, the acceptance into the Hardox In My Body program means each Barracuda HX with a Hardox In My Body logo will have passed SSAB’s strict quality control with regard to welding quality, manufacturing process and design, and is approved as a premium product by SSAB’s board, Schlam said.

Each logo comes with a unique ID that is traceable and identifies the origin and material used in the bucket. This way, customers know that the product is made from genuine Hardox wear plate and not an inferior imitation.

The addition of the Barracuda line of products into Hardox In My Body program follows its Hercules dump truck bodies also being welcomed into the program earlier in the year.

Schlam adds SSAB Hardox wear plate to Hercules dump truck bodies

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

Schlam has teamed up with global steel giant SSAB to offer its Hercules dump truck bodies with Hardox® wear plate. The move follows Schlam being accepted into the Hardox In My Body program.

Glenn Brearey, General Manager of Schlam Payload Solutions, said the company is choosing to use Hardox steel due to its wear resistance, hardness, strength and overall performance, which surpasses the metal found in competitors dump bodies.

“Hardox has used the latest technology to create the world’s leading abrasion-resistant steel, giving our clients extended service life and high productivity in the most challenging mining environments,” Brearey said. “The Hercules is the dump body of choice for many Tier 1 miners around the globe due its lightweight and, therefore, greater payload potential. By using Hardox wear plate in the Hercules HX we’re adding another dimension to our already world-class offering.”

The Hercules HX can withstand heavy impacts without permanent deformation or cracking, ensuring more service life from the truck body investment, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership, the company said.

Every Hercules HX made by Schlam will have a ‘Hardox In My Body’ decal on it to verify it’s been manufactured using Hardox wear plate and not an inferior imitation, Schlam says.

SSAB Marketing Manager – South East Asia & Pacific – Kirs Chua said: “Each application with the sign attached has passed our strict quality control and is approved as a premium product by the SSAB board. Specialists within wear and structural technology carefully analyse each application regarding welding quality, manufacturing process and design.

“Each sign has a unique ID that is traceable and can secure the origin and material.”

Every Hercules HX is custom engineered and built from the ground up based on a mine’s unique operational requirements and is designed to deliver the same outcomes across all commodities, including coal, gold, copper and iron ore, Schlam says