Loadtech Load Cells are specialists in onboard weighing as well as providers of complete weighing solutions for heavy goods vehicles. This is especially valuable in trucks carrying payloads in the quarry environment. The company uses latest load cell and display technology, combined with machine to machine communication, to give the consumer all the modern day benefits, combined with extended reliability, durability and accuracy, eliminating guesswork in the quarry loadout process. In an industry with tight margins, increasing efficiency and productivity is crucial. MODERN QUARRYING spoke to GLEN WEBSTER, Sales Director of Loadtech Load Cells, about a new addition to the company’s line-up as a natural progression in the company’s offering, the increasing uptake of payload management systems, as well as growing business in Southern Africa.
A new product for 2024 and beyond
In addition to its current offering of products that assist with the loadout process, Loadtech is introducing the new Loadrite L5000 wheel loader scale to the South African market. This is the next generation of onboard weighing systems inspired by smart devices and enables operators and quarry owners to stay on top of every load using the powerful new Loadrite L5000 wheel loader scale. With a modern and easy-to-use interface, built-in connectivity and best-in-class weighing, quarry owners can maximise every load with accurate data. It connects machines, people, and the office to make bulk material handling management easier, safer, and more efficient.
Webster explains that Loadtech’s growth in the last three years is a sign that the market is maturing and that there is a growing appetite for digital loadout processes, whether it is at the excavation, conveying belt or loading phase.
He says that the appetite for monitoring productivity has grown. “We offer solutions to monitor what the input is into a crusher (excavator scales), conveyor belt scales and loader scales.”
In this sense, Webster says the best seller of the Loadrite offering is its products for wheel loaders for the loadout, followed by scales for belts to measure how many tons have been crushed. The third most popular product is scales to monitor the tonnage of rocks originally excavated.
The logical next step in technology
Webster says that two factors informed the launch of this system. “We need to move with technology and secondly because importing electronic components can be problematic. The supply chain interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to waiting periods of six to eight months for components to build the L3180 (which the L5000 will eventually replace). “We then investigated how to adjust and the L5000 was the answer as the intelligence is not in the tablet, but the SIM card that is inserted,” he says.
Says Webster: “The L5000 system enables you to capture activity and also enables performance improvements with real-time insights and streamlined ticketing capabilities. It is the ultimate choice for any bulk material handling operation.”
The L3180 has a modem, but the new system, although it is similar, does not need one. A SIM card is inserted, directly, into a protected touch screen. Similar to the L3180, the L5000 uses weighing intelligence and solid-state sensors for more accurate, precise and faster loading. It also connects machines and devices for the collection and syncing of data to the InsightHQ reporting portal. The latter is optional, but provides production and performance metrics in a simple dashboard. It visualises activity in real time or plays back the shift to improve productivity.
“The main advantage of the L5000 is that operator manuals and guided videos are available on the tablet. The simcard enables the operator to go online and view videos of how to operate the system. This solves the problem when the operator cannot read. The touchscreen (as opposed to its predecessor’s push buttons ) also allows record-ability and it is faster to operate than the button system,” Webster explains.
Growing Loadrite
The Institute of Quarrying’s 2024 conference will showcase how the products offered by Loadtech have developed innovatively and progressively by showcasing (chronologically) the entire line-up of Loadrite solutions available for the local industry. These are the L-Series SmartScale for loaders, the X-Series excavator payload management systems, the C-Series conveyor belt scales and the InsightHQ for actionable insights, dashboards and notifications.
Webster says that the company is growing its team to expand into other parts of South Africa. “We have appointed a Loadrite brand manager, Loutjie van der Merwe, who will be responsible for managing the Loadrite brand for Loadtech.
The company has recently opened a service point in Western Cape Province. “We are starting from a service level and have based a technician there who focuses on Loadtech’s tyre inflation product as well as Loadrite. He services our customers in the West Coast and adjacent areas. Van der Merwe will aim to expand Loadrite into quarries operated by especially Afrimat in both the Western and Northern Cape, but there are also plans afoot to expand into Southern Africa.”
Loadrite 360
The L5000, which replaces the L3180, works in the Loadrite 360 solution. This is a connected quarry solution that can holistically improve loadout operation through performance metric tracking, job data automation, and real-time 360º job visibility. The L5000 connects the loader and weigh bridge to provide data sharing of loadout jobs, resulting in greater efficiency, improved visibility and higher product sales.
