In recent years the
issues of productivity and efficiency have risen to the top of the agenda in
the global materials processing industry. There has been a shift in emphasis
from one founded on the principal of ‘more capacity’ to one which seeks to
ensure that every individual operation is extracting maximum value from the
material being processed.
This presents a new
challenge for most equipment manufacturers who will now have to go beyond their
previously self-imposed boundaries and get closer to the end user to ensure
that the equipment they provide will meet the productivity and efficiency
requirements that are now driving investment decisions.
Every application has
its own unique challenges and in order for equipment manufacturers to provide
fit for purpose processing systems they need to ensure they are at the very
centre of the discussion. This is especially true in the wet processing and classification market where understanding the specifics of the feed material is
a critical factor in the delivery of a successful project.
Any processing plant
including several different processing phases must be much more than a number
of individual equipment items in sequence. In order to deliver on the
productivity and efficiency requirements of the industry a robust plant design
process is required which requires a considerable level of consultation between
manufacturer and end-user. It is only by adopting this approach that a full
understanding will exist of the requirements of the project.
This process should
take account of a number of issues and ensure that the plant is configured to
ensure delivery of the most efficient processing system. These include material
testing and analysis, space restrictions, civils design, proximity to waste
storage areas, transfer point technology, water management and maintenance
access.
Our experience over the
last two decades in the design and delivery of successful materials washing
projects has been built on the theory of co-creation – a partnership between us
and you, the end-user to understand your objectives, address the issues you are
facing and ensure that the processing system is designed with the in-built
flexibility to ensure that any future changes in your requirements can be
accommodated with the least amount of disruption.
A successful materials
washing plant is built on a detailed understanding of your project as something
unique and the design and specification of the appropriate technologies to
ensure your objectives are met. To try and achieve this with a limited range of
standardised, mass produced equipment is not possible – and the success we have
enjoyed in the materials washing arena over the last 20 years is testament to
this.
By conducting extensive
material testing and analysis in our own laboratory a full understanding of the
nature of the feed material is gained. While testing will indicate whether the
final product specifications desired by the end-user are able to be achieved it
is the further detailed analysis of these results that will potentially reveal
opportunities to maximise product yield from the feed material. It may be
possible to look at production of additional sand specifications which will not
only reduce waste volumes but provide an additional revenue stream. This will
often require the introduction of more complex processing systems if a
specialist sand can be produced - sports sands, filter sands, foundry sands for
example. While this will require additional investment the return on investment
argument is a compelling one given the potential to produce a product for one
of these high value applications.
By conducting a process
audit on existing sites we can focus in on the areas where specific actions are
required in order to improve efficiencies. This will help us to identify what
the important issues are to you in that specific situation and ensure that any
new processing system is built to tackle these and deliver on your requirements
for increased process efficiency, productivity and plant availability.
A key element of the
co-creation process is the design workshops that we undertake. These workshops
typically involve a number of representatives from the customer – operations
personnel as well as senior management – as well as an extensive project team
from CDE. This will include a senior Technical Engineer who will be involved to
discuss plant specification in detail with you and ensure that there is clarity
around the site infrastructure (civils design, water requirements, power
requirements).
As well as dealing with
these pre-sales elements our design workshops will also introduce you to the
delivery processes we have in place to ensure project delivery goes to plan. This
is an area which is often overlooked and the costs of poor delivery
underestimated. Our washing centric ProMan system has been proven to deliver
hundreds of materials washing projects successfully and the design workshop
will involve meeting with the individual Project Manager who will take ultimate
responsibility for the delivery of your project and act as a single point of contact
until project completion. You will also be introduced to all of the other
elements of our project delivery process and meet the team of people involved
in your project – logistics, design, install & commissioning, post
commissioning support, training.
In summary, mass
produced and standardised equipment is designed around the principle of making
a production facility efficient rather than delivering successful materials
washing projects. The success we have enjoyed in the global washing sector is
evidence that successful plant design and delivery involves a huge level of
direct contact between us as equipment manufacturers and you as end users of
the equipment. Each and every plant we build is co-created with our customers
and this applies whether we’re delivering a single item of equipment or a full
turnkey processing system integrating many different processing phases. Our
M2500 is the perfect example – almost 100 machines sold in the last 3 years and
no two machines are the same.
It is this ability and
our agility in regard to the plant design process that ensures we are in a
position to help you deliver on your requirements for the most efficient, most
productive processing system available.