AROUND THE
INDUSTRY
January - February 2014
MODERN QUARRYING
35
LOKOTRACK FOC
W
hen Banner Contacts Limited,
a crushing contract based in
northeastern England, first
put its two brand-new Lokotrack LT106
mobile crushing plants into operation in
December 2012, it was amazed at how
little fuel the new investment required.
“Each one of our LT106s consumes 9,0
ℓ
less fuel per hour than the predecessor
LT105,” confirms Banner Contracts direc-
tor Jo Banner.
After six months in operation at
Lafarge’s Tarmac Thrislington Quarry, the
Lokotrack LT106 mobile plant’s fuel con-
sumption averaged 15,5
ℓ
/hour. Banner
says these figures make them the most
fuel-efficient mobile crushers in his com-
pany’s fleet. And with fuel prices in the UK
skyrocketing from 35 pence/
ℓ
to 70 p/
ℓ
in
just six years, shaving a third off the fuel
bill makes a considerable difference.
“Not only have fuel prices increased,
they now vary considerably in a matter of
days, meaning that fuel costs are hard to
predict,” Banner adds.
All the processing at Thrislington
Quarry is carried out by Banner Contracts,
with the dolomitic deposit meeting the
requirements of the iron and steel sector.
The quarry produces kiln feed, which
on-site customer Steetley Dolomite sup-
plies for steelmaking after calcination,
and lump stone for blast furnace. In both
cases, the product acts as a flux, reduc-
ing temperature and removing impuri-
ties from the iron ore. The fines produced
during the process are also supplied for
iron making as part of the sinter, being
blended with various materials such as
iron ore and coke.
These products require a chemistry
consistency within the client’s set param-
eters: low value of silica, sulphur and alu-
mina, with a minimum 18% magnesium
oxide content.
In addition, the quarry makes several
co-products, including sub-base, capping
and aggregate and sand, for concrete
manufacture.
Jo Banner (left) manages the 20-year old family
business.
After six months in operation at Lafarge’s Tarmac Thrislington Quarry, the Lokotrack LT106 mobile
plant’s fuel consumption averaged 15,5
ℓ
/hour.
The production of dolomitic lime for steelmaking sets high demands
on the consistency and quality of kiln feed at Thrislington Quarry in
northeastern England.
Around the globe
Lokotrack – a major fuel saver
“The nature of the process lends
itself to having multiple smaller plants,
instead of one large one,”Banner explains.
“Lokotrack is good on tracks and easy to
move. It only takes around 30 minutes
to move the machine, clean up and start
crushing again.”
The flexibility of the mobile equip-
ment enables the operators to easily uti-
lise different faces to ensure that the kiln
feed composition is correct. It has also
made experimenting and fine-tuning
the process quick and easy. Equipment
can be regrouped easily to try out new
combinations.
Mobile flexibility was not the only
reason behind Jo and his father Mike
Banner ’s decision to invest in the
Lokotrack LT106 plants. The standard of
access and the guarding features of the
unit also played a part in the decision. For
Banner Contracts, health and safety are a
crucial consideration.
The level of service and personal rela-
tionship the company has had with Metso
was also a key factor. “Whenever we had
problems during the commissioning
phase, we were well support by Metso’s
service engineers,” Banner says.
The company placed an order for a
third LT106 plant in May last year, which
is in operation at one of the company’s
customer sites.
Banner Contracts Limited was estab-
lished in 1993 by Mike Banner. The
Darlington-based company offers con-
tract crushing, screening and washing
of aggregates, earthmoving, and related
plant hire services in northern England.
It employs 50 people and processes over
3-million tpa. The company has carried
out all the processing at Thrislington
Quarry since 2005 reaching an annual
production rate of 1,5-million t last year.
Article and photos by Sofia Williams, editor:
Results minerals & aggregates
