FLSmidth is a technology and service supplier to the global mining and cement industries and helps customers improve performance, lower operating cost and reduce environmental impact. Modern Quarrying visited FLSmidth’s manufacturing facility in Delmas and spoke to Warren Walker, the General Manager of Operations about this facility’s engineering capability to support local customers, but also customers globally with certain lines of products.
With the facility’s phase 2 expansion opening in 2019, the existing set-up increased to 10 500 m2 under roof and under crane. This facility offers a full screening solutions package that is locally manufactured, predominantly for the African market, but also the Middle Eastern and South Asian markets. If required, customised screens produced at this facility are supplied into other markets (such as Europe) when additional capacity is required.
“The facility, in the end, aims to increase the quality, reliability, efficiency and cost effectiveness of customers. It has a diverse product portfolio and manufactures a wide range of consumables, spare parts, as well as capital screens that often involves customisation,” explains Walker. It is one of FLSmidth’s designated manufacturing facilities around the globe that supplies key areas with operating equipment in the screening segment and adheres to strict internal and external standards which include ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and various welding standards.
The Delmas facility has a number of pillars and offers these under one roof. “It manufactures consumables, such as screen panels, flotation rotors, baskets etc. for its spare parts market. It also upgrades, retrofits and rebuilds,” says Walker. In addition, the facility also manufactures new capital equipment such as flotation equipment, vibrating screens, a range of different single and double deck, heavy duty, and medium duty vibrating feeders.
A central location to service customers
“When the facility was expanded, upgraded machines for casting of polyurethane media were relocated to the facility and it also upgraded to a large new generation manufacturing machine with the capacity to pour 42 kilogrammes and which enables the pre-programming of polyurethane hardness. Machines have been placed on tracks so they can be moved closer to the heating tables for production of the screen panels. We completely reinvented the older generation machines so we can support markets with screen panels,” says Walker.
As a result of the bottlenecks caused by especially the COVID-19 pandemic which led to long global freight lead times, users are not holding as much inventory as in the past. “Being close to our core customer base, the facility is able to offer locally produced premium quality products and made-to-order products to support customers with products. We keep sufficient raw material inventory so we are not affected by global shipping delays which in turn allows customers to reduce their inventories,” says Walker.
The facility produces panels for screens that were designed in South Africa, predominantly for iron ore screening. “We also produce a series of panels used by the FLSmidth group – the LUDODECK® system with an integrated clipping system. “These are supplied to customers in Mozambique, Zambia, the Middle East and India while capital screens are typically exported to Europe and Central Asia,” says Walker.
Manufacturing in Africa
Walker says that operating a manufacturing facility in South Africa comes with challenges, but that the advantages of producing locally outweigh these challenges. “South Africa is a low-cost country in terms of manufacturing. To alleviate the impact of loadshedding we have back-up generators. The facility is currently installing the first phase of a 300kW solar system which will reduce electricity costs and minimise its reliance on Eskom,” says Walker.
“The Delmas-area has a high unemployment rate. Some 70% of the facility’s blue collar production employees are from the local area. In terms of white collar engineers, the facility employs a diverse demographic which includes female engineers,” says Walker.
Skills development is a key part of maintaining high quality. “We have a good pool of people to train specifically on the production of screen media. Welding is one of the foundational pillars of all the fabrication work that goes on within the manufacturing work and we have 190 qualified welding procedures, covering different types of materials and standards for which the training is done locally.”.
The facility makes use of a robotic welder for the welding of panel frames. This gives repeatable quality and gives a 400% productivity improvement had it been done manually.
The importance of research and development
Most screens are equipped with polyurethane panels. Walker explains that because screen panels are commoditised products, it is price sensitive. “We use the more expensive open cast methods as this typically achieves a 30% higher service life than an injection moulded panel of the same size. To remain competitive, research and development into different polymers and production techniques is critical.”
The facility is currently purchasing a new latest generation casting machine for the production of panels. It will use propriety material that will significantly increase the wear resistance and service line of the screens. “This is an example of local and international research and development. Trials for this material enables us to achieve two to three times the life of the current TDI polyurethane material of the screening panels in the abrasive mining environment,” he says.
Chris Currie, Business Development Manager at FLSmidth says that this material – FLS-86 – is truly a “game-changer in the screening media space, with performance already proven in high-wear applications across many ore types in terms of abrasive resistance and service life”.
Research and development also looks at implementing new technology in the manufacturing process. “The latest generation machine being installed is auto calibrating which enables operators to get quality control records directly from, while it is fully PLC controlled, programmable and enables one to ascertain the ratios between different components,” Walker explains.
The facility is investigating the use of more robotic techniques (where possible) to increase its throughput and minimise production costs.
There is ongoing research to maximise development of the open area on the panels. Various trials are done globally for different materials, looking at the aperture configuration to optimise the screening efficiency of the product.
“Quality control of manufactured machines and components are managed at the Delmas facility by our quality control department,” says Walker. “Specialised welding skill sets are in place and stringent welding procedures are applied as vibrating screens are subjected to gigacycle fatigue during operation,” Walker concludes.
