Leading crushing and materials handling contractor SPH Kundalila has reaffirmed its faith in Metso crushers by putting to work another Lokotrack® LT120™ from local distributor Pilot Crushtec.

The Lokotrack® LT120™ mobile jaw crushing plant, acquired early in 2021, has been added to SPH Kundalila’s crushing fleet at an opencast platinum mine near Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province. The company has been conducting crushing operations for the customer on that site since 2013, although it was contracted for other activities there since 2010

“The new machine is part of our ongoing plant renewal process, ensuring that our fleet performs optimally with high uptime levels,” says Graeme Campbell, group commercial manager at SPH Kundalila. “We already have four of these models on other operations, and they have all been strong and reliable production units.”

The crushing fleet on this project processes 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes of platinum ore per month for the mine’s mineral processing plant. Material entering the crusher can be sized up to 800 mm in size, which is reduced to a product of 250 mm or less for transportation to the plant.

The mobility of the track-mounted LT120™ provides the necessary flexibility that the mine requires to maintain a consistent grade for the plant, moving crushers when necessary to treat ore from different locations on site.

According to SPH Kundalila operations manager Dean Zeelie, the experienced team is able to relocate the crusher in as little as half an hour, while providing significant savings by avoiding additional load and haul costs.

Zeelie says that the Metso mobile crushers have proved themselves as reliable performers in front-line, hard-rock applications in SPH Kundalila’s contracts, with one unit notching up almost 25,000 hours to date.

“The Metso technology allows us to closely monitor machine running time and operating time, so that we can schedule regular service interventions,” he says. “Our on-site maintenance team ensures that all delivery targets are met, as our role in maintaining mine throughput is vital.”

This disciplined approach allows these mobile crushers to be completely refurbished at SPH Kundalila’s rebuild workshop in Potchefstroom at long-term intervals. This enhances reliability and lowers the total cost of ownership.

The close relationship between SPH Kundalila and Pilot Crushtec goes back over 23 years, says Campbell, with the company investing in Metso crushers since 2007. He notes that they collaborate at early stages of potential contract opportunities when Pilot Crushtec will assist with testing and will then provide recommendations on the most suitable equipment for a job. He says Metso’s Bruno simulation software is also a valuable tool that the company utilises for finding optimal solutions for its projects.

According to Francois Marais, director sales and marketing at Pilot Crushtec, the Lokotrack® LT120™ includes a Metso C120 jaw crusher with a 1 200 mm by 870 mm feed opening, providing excellent capacity even in the toughest applications.

“The hydraulic drive ensures trouble-free operation and enables crusher direction to be changed in case of blockage or alternatively the on-board hydraulic hammer can be used, while the Caterpillar C13 engine module delivers optimal power to the high inertia flywheels,” says Marais.

“Its compact dimensions, combined with agile tracks, also make it easy to transport. The chassis design features good clearance at both ends, enabling simple loading on a trailer.”

Campbell highlights that the success of SPH Kundalila is built on unwavering reliability, and never falling short of a customer’s production expectations. This proven performance has meant that its contracts often endure for decades in sectors ranging from gold, iron ore, platinum and chrome, to manganese, zinc and aggregates.  

“To deliver on our mandates to customers, we rely on high quality equipment like Metso crushers, and the experience and support of Pilot Crushtec,” he says.