Tag Archives: Screening

DDD Group expands screening capacity with Sovatec buy

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, , ,

DDD Group, based in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has taken over the business activities of the Italian company Sovatec s.r.l, expanding its wire and polyurethane screens capacity.

The new DDD subsidiary, headquartered in Stazzano (Piedmont), has been producing high-quality wire and polyurethane screens for various industries and applications, particularly for the separation of mining and quarrying products, since it was founded in 1973.

In addition to the significant increase in capacity in the production of wire screens, DDD Group is expecting to leverage synergies and expand its own product range through the integration of polyurethane screens.

The “Sovatec” name will be retained, as will the current 50 employees, all of whom will continue to be employed under the new management. Within the group, Sovatec will act as a “Center of Excellence” for heavy-duty screens in the future.

Paul Tüshaus, Managing Director of Dorstener Drahtwerke, sees the acquisition of Sovatec as an investment in the future of all the companies in the group: “With the subsidiaries MSD, CES, MDC and Sovatec, DDD Group is advancing to become one of the most important global suppliers for the screening industry. In the future, we will be able to supply our customers even faster and more comprehensively. At the same time, the expansion of our portfolio will make us more resistant and increase our technical expertise, which we want to bring to the market in the form of technical innovations.”

Sandvik poised to complete SP Mining integration

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Following its acquisition of the Schenck Process mining related business in November 2022, Sandvik has been working hard behind the scenes to bring its new offering and capabilities to market, with the OEM poised to complete the integration.

In October last year, Sandvik reached a key milestone in the integration of Schenck Process Mining into its Rock Processing Solutions Business area, when the company changed the names of the legal entities that came with the Schenck Process acquisition. The newly acquired entities provide Sandvik Rock Processing with a much better global reach, particularly in geographies where it previously had little presence.

This is especially true in Australia, where Sandvik Rock Processing only had a small team, while SP Mining had the majority of its engineering and R&D teams as well as production and service facilities in Australia. Schenck Process Australia, which employed over 400 people, became Sandvik Rock Processing Australia, now a major hub for Sandvik’s global Screening Solutions Division.

Since the renaming of the legal entities, the integration of the SP Mining business around the world has been a key focus area for the company. Part of this work includes the rebranding of all aspects of the business. In parallel the SP Mining and Kwatani equipment offerings have been united under the Sandvik brand. The company says the result is an unparalleled range of vibrating screens, feeders, screening media and train loaders.

In early May, the company achieved another key integration milestone, shipping out the first Sandvik-branded SP Mining screen from its Jandakot production facility in Western Australia. Pleased with the result, Sandvik’s Global Head of Marketing – Screening Solutions, Peter Newfield, previously Head of Marketing APAC for SP Mining, said: “Apart from the change to the look, branding and Sandvik nomenclature, nothing else has changed. Our legendary reliability, technology and aftermarket support remains as our customers have come to expect.

“We are now better equipped than ever to help our customers to optimise their comminution and material handling operations for maximum performance, safety and efficiency.”

Commenting on the company’s new offer, Newfield says that combining the industry-leading screening, feeding and loading expertise of Schenck Process Mining and Kwatani with Sandvik’s mastery of crushing and wear protection, allows the company to bring an unrivalled equipment line-up to market.

“This unique offering is underpinned by the expert process knowledge of our teams, a full range of digital tools, high quality OEM spare parts, consumables and lifecycle services,” he added.

But the integration isn’t just limited to the equipment. Newfield says that it has been a major project that involves every part of the business. In essence, the acquired Schenck Process entities have become Sandvik Rock Processing entities, and so SP Mining staff had to embrace the Sandvik culture and learn the company’s systems and ways of working.

“Of course, a big part of the integration is making sure that our key stakeholders understand the benefits of us becoming a fully integrated part of Sandvik,” Newfield says. “It takes time for people to adjust to change, and they need to know what is happening throughout the process. We have worked hard to communicate the changes to all our key stakeholders including our customers and employees.

“We are now changing the branding of all our Australian facilities, our motor vehicles and the work clothes that our people wear on the job every day. Our website and other marketing collateral is also being changed to showcase our new product offerings and brand.”

Newfield says he expects the rebranding projects to be complete by the end of June, which is the final step in the integration process.

“Our new offering, along with the advances that our combined R&D teams are making, allow us to partner with our customers to address our industry’s biggest challenge – making mineral processing more eco-efficient.”

Superior Industries announces new heavy duty Guardian scalping screen

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, , ,

Superior Industries, Inc., a US-based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and handling systems is announcing what it says is another advancement in its lineup of Guardian® Horizontal Screens with a brand-new heavy duty scalping model.

The new HD scalping screen handles a maximum feed size of 457 mm, surpassing its medium-duty predecessor, which maxes out at 355 mm.

The HD screen is equipped with a perforated top deck, or punch plate, made of heavy-duty 19 mm AR steel. A slight slope facilitates the movement of feed material for efficient screening.

Superior says it manufactures more than a dozen models of its popular Guardian Horizontal Screen series in Columbus, Nebraska, one of its four American manufacturing facilities. Horizontal screens are available in two, three, or four-deck configurations.

Metso reflects on ‘benchmark’ contract win in Chile copper space

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Metso has been awarded a major order worth some €55 million ($59 million) to deliver key concentrator equipment for a copper mining project in Chile.

The Metso delivery scope consists of high-capacity Nordberg® MP1250 secondary cone crushers, MF Series™ vibrating screens and energy-efficient Vertimill® VTM1500 regrinding mills.

For the flotation and separation circuit, Metso will supply multiple TankCell® and ColumnCell™ flotation cells featuring several of the largest available 630 cu.m TankCell units, as well as HCT™ High Compression tailing thickeners. In addition, Metso’s scope includes four MHC hydrocyclone clusters, of which two will be among the largest in the world.

Most of the products in the delivery scope are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering.

Fernando Samanez, Vice President, Minerals Sales for South America at Metso, said: “Working together with the customer and the engineering company on an open collaborative model has been an extraordinary experience. The model enhanced the efficiency of the engineering process and contributed to the alignment of all parties on the targets set by the end customer. This will be a benchmark to be followed in similar projects all over the world.”

Metso cuts the ribbon on Mexico screening media factory

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Metso has celebrated the inauguration of its screening media factory in Irapuato, Mexico, a new facility that, it says, will significantly increase its supply and delivery capabilities for mining and aggregates customers in North and Central America.

The screening media center employs 46 people and is located on a 9,000-plus sq.m lot. The new screening media factory uses advanced and sustainable manufacturing practices, and the installed solar panels will cover approximately 50% of the needed electricity, according to the company.

Alfredo Monreal, Vice President, Sales and Service, Mexico and Central America, Metso, said: “We are very pleased to officially inaugurate our new screening media factory in Irapuato. This milestone is yet another indication of our deep commitment to customer success. The Irapuato region is an important centre of excellence for high-quality products for our mining and aggregates customers.”

Metso’s screening installed base in the Americas has grown significantly: last year alone Metso delivered a total of 250 new screening machines to mining and aggregates customers.

Jouni Mähönen, Vice President, Screening business line, Metso, said: “Our target is to continuously develop our operations close to customers to further improve our service capability. The investment of a new factory in Mexico aligns with our strategy and improves our lead times, and it offers scalability in production volumes in a very important region.”

Today, Metso has approximately 730 employees working in production, sales and field service in Mexico.

In the same industrial area in Irapuato, Metso also has a new rubber and Poly-Met media factory. Construction of a new polymer filter plate factory will be finalised during 2024 and the factory will be operational in early 2025.

Metso’s screen offering consists of banana screens, horizontal screens, inclined screens, mobile screens, portable screens and ultrafine screens. It says it offers versatile screening media systems for a wide range of screening applications with solutions that range from rubber and polyurethane to classic wire.

Metso to deliver four modular FIT Crushing Stations to Americas mines

Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Metso continues to register demand for its modular mineral processing solutions, announcing that it intends to supply four FIT™ Crushing Stations in the Americas.

Three of these will be delivered to an iron ore mine in Brazil and one to a gold plant in Canada.

The combined value of the orders is approximately €20 million ($21.9 million).

The crushing and screening solution was launched in 2020. Since then, Metso has sold 24 FIT Stations around the world for applications including gold, iron ore, graphite, lithium, copper and slag.

The FIT Station is focused on flexibility and speed for quick installation with primary gyratory stations, jaw stations, cone crushers stations, screening stations and recrushing stations. Metso Product Manager, Daniel Nagano, says: “The capacities range from 200 to 4,000 t/h and all can be used in unique applications with multiple equipment configurations, and the combination of equipment modules can accommodate any kind of mining application.”

Modular FIT conveyors and ore sorting modules can also be added to the solution.

Erwin Huber, VP, Crushing and Conveying Systems at Metso, said the company is thrilled to see the customer interest in the modular FIT Station.

“The flexible solution enables us to deliver the plants with a short lead and installation time,” he said. “When comparing the FIT Station to similar crushing and screening plants in mining, we have seen a more than 30% reduction in implementation time.”

Metso expands crushing, screening manufacturing capacity in India

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Metso has extended its manufacturing capacity of mobile track-mounted crushing and screening equipment in Alwar, India, by opening new manufacturing facilities.

After the extension is complete, the total size of the Alwar factory is approximately 340,000 sq.m, adding 35% more capacity to the factory initially opened in 2008.

The Alwar factory has become one of Metso’s biggest manufacturing sites, employing approximately 1,300 people in total. The official opening took place on September 19, 2023, and production ramp-up to reach full capacity will continue until the end of the year.

The new factory showcases the most modern manufacturing practices, hosting several sustainability-driven functions like automated warehousing, automated assembly lines, modern painting lines and 13,000 solar panels installed to enable the increased energy production. After the extension, solar energy covers 85% of Alwar’s total power generation, which is maximum permitted as per state government guidelines.

“With the increased manufacturing capacity, Alwar becomes the major Metso site for increased domestic business in India and exports to Metso’s customers globally,” Markku Simula, President of the Aggregates business area of Metso. “Additionally, significant investment has been made in engineering and R&D resources, making it one of our key global engineering hubs.”

The Alwar factory will facilitate the manufacturing of several Metso Group brands. In addition to the mobile Metso Lokotrack equipment, the increased capacity in India will be used for the manufacturing of mobile McCloskey and Tesab equipment. At the same site, Metso is also producing wear parts and pumps for the aggregates and mining industries.

Monadelphous to construct new chemical plant at Talison’s Greenbushes lithium mine

Comminution of minerals, Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Monadelphous Group has secured what it says is a major contract for the construction of the Chemical Grade Plant 3 (CGP3) at Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes site in the south west of Western Australia.

The multidisciplinary contract, valued at approximately A$160 million ($102 million), covers the installation of a new crushing and screening facility and lithium concentrate processing plant. It also includes associated tank and piping fabrication works and electrical supply.

Monadelphous Managing Director, Zoran Bebic, said the award of this contract follows a successful period of early contractor involvement.

“We are delighted to have secured this key opportunity which further extends our participation in the development of Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes operations,” Bebic said.

Work will commence on site later this year and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.

The mining and processing operations at Greenbushes have been upgraded and expanded over the decades to increase production and incorporate new technologies as demand for lithium minerals has grown. The development of this third chemical grade lithium processing plant at Greenbushes will enable Talison to continue to supply the downstream lithium processing facilities of its shareholders currently being established in Western Australia and its facilities in China.

Three-machine train Metso mobile crusher ups productivity at chrome mining project

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A newly acquired Metso Lokotrack® LT200HPS™ is winning the day for Zizwe Opencast Mining at one of its strategic chrome mining projects in Steelpoort, Limpopo, according to the leading South African mining contractor.

With productivity high on the agenda in a highly abrasive chrome-processing application, a three-machine train of Metso mobiles – comprising a Lokotrack LT120™ jaw crusher, a Nordtrack® S2.11 scalping screen and a Lokotrack LT200HPS™ cone crusher – is making light work of the 200 t/h production target.

Joe de Beer, Crushing and Screening Plant Manager at Zizwe Opencast Mining, has been impressed in particular by the new Lokotrack LT200HPS cone crusher, equipped with a hanging screen. By featuring a detachable screen and return conveyor on one tracked chassis, he says, the LT200HPS is basically ‘two machines in one’, thus eliminating double-handling on site.

“The fact that the LT200HPS does the job for two machines was central to our purchasing decision,” De Beer says. “It features a detachable screen and return conveyor which guides screened oversize material back to the cone crusher. It is essentially a cone crusher, a screen and a conveyor on one tracked chassis.”

Yeshen Achary, Sales Engineer at Pilot Crushtec, said: “Traditionally, we have always brought the LT200HP in a standard configuration. Because cone crushers by their nature are not 100% efficient, the added benefit of having a screen post the crushing chamber is that it allows for recirculation of any oversize material back to the cone crusher.”

This, explains Achary, eliminates the need for another machine to work in closed circuit with the cone crusher. Having a single machine doing the job of two machines offers significant cost benefits for the customer.

Achary says: “Apart from the obvious capital cost benefit, having the cone and screen on a single chassis means that the machine is powered by a single engine, making one less machine to maintain. Having a closed loop on a single chassis also makes it easy to transport the machine between sites.”

Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec, explains that the LT200HP now comes in three different configurations. Apart from the standard cone crusher configuration, it is now available with a pre-screen called the HPX™, which is placed just before the crushing chamber or alternatively with an overhanging screen called the HPS, located post the crushing chamber.

He said: “In traditional operations, you would need two machines – a cone crusher and a screen – to do the same job done by this single machine. In addition, you would probably have to deploy a minimum of two to three conveyor belts to recirculate oversize material from the screen back to the cone crusher.”

Schenck Process Mining to become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The next step in the integration of SP Mining – the mining-related business of Schenck Process acquired by global, high-tech engineering group Sandvik – will see SP mining entities change their names to reflect their new ownership.

On October 1, Schenck Process Australia Pty Limited, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvik in November last year, will become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia Pty Limited. The Australian entity is the largest part of SP Mining’s global business, employing around 450 industry professionals.

Since the acquisition, Sandvik has been focused on bringing together its expertise in crushing with the screening, feeding, weighing and loading know-how of Schenck Process Mining.

According to the company’s President Asia Pacific, Terese Withington, this move is part of an integration process that will eventually see SP Mining become a seamless part of the Sandvik organisation.

“In Australia, we are bringing together our sales and back-office teams with those of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions to allow our customers to access our combined expertise in crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading,” she said. “Together we aim to deliver even better digitalisation, sustainability and productivity solutions to our industry.

“The end goal of our integration is to allow our customers to place combined crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading orders with our new legal entity.”

Withington says the scale of Sandvik’s operations and commercial reach will help to accelerate the combined innovation portfolio of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions and SP Mining.

She concluded: “We look forward to continuing to service the business needs of our customers and remain fully focused on the delivery of high-quality equipment, consumables, OEM spare parts and services to help them achieve their business objectives.”