ELB Equipment (ELB), is one of a few South African companies offering a broad range of earthmoving, construction, mining and quarrying equipment from a single supplier. The company has established itself as one of the most respected names in the industry and represents a number of world-renowned manufacturers whose products are designed to meet the strict emission and safety control regulations that apply to the industrialised first-world countries. In this special feature, MQ looks at two Terex machines which are boosting production and saving costs.
Wash plant boosts production
Through ongoing investments in the quality of sand produced, Kilo Sand in Tshwane is a first choice for suppliers and contractors servicing the northern suburbs and the lower reaches of Tshwane.
Kilo Sand’s Josef Lewis with ELB Equipment’s Heath Dickson and Wakefield Harding.
In this heavily-traded area, where numerous quarries are similarly positioned to service two of the fastes growing areas in Africa, Kilo Sand’s quality differentiator is key to its success. Driven through an ongoing investment in modern machinery and purpose-built equipment, the company is able to supply the best quality materials at cost-effective prices.
Its latest acquisition of the Terex FM120 pushes the quality boundaries still further with its ability to produce more sand of a higher quality, while simultaneously minimising water usage. For its many customers, this means the company can produce a superior quality river sand with the right balance of coarse and fine material for more useable product per load.
Procured from ELB Equipment, the sole distributor of Terex washing systems in Southern Africa, the new machine has also boosted production of washed river sand on site by over 35%, which is assisting the company to keep up with ever-increasing demand.
“It replaces our 10-year old Powerscreen FM120, which had become tired and in need of refurbishing,” explains Kilo Sand owner Josef Lewis. “Rather than taking it out of production for the time needed to refurbish it, we decided to go the route of purchasing the best, most suitable new machine to get the job done more efficiently.
“Having put in a lot of research of other types of machines available, we went with the upgraded version of the trusty FM120, as it is still the only wash plant able to completely meet our requirements. It remains the one best suited to our dry screening mode of operation. The unit has a true 120 t/hour throughput with better handling of slime (fines) and a resultant higher quality end product, striking the perfect balance between efficiency, low running costs and improved production,” he says.
Since commissioning the new Terex FM120 washing plant, Kilo Sand has boosted washed river sand production by over 35%.
After several months of operation, the Terex FM120 has positively boosted production by at least 35%, resulting in the company’s loading cycle needing optimisation to keep up with the new washing plant’s increased capacity.
There are also positive spin-offs for the environment due to its efficient operation. The extended efficiency of the plant’s hydrocyclones is better able to capture fines rather than simply expelling this to the settling ponds on the property. This ensures better recirculation of water on site and prolongs intervals between excavating or relocation of the ponds.
Considering the fact that the entire operation is located on Lewis’ generations-old family farm, which still produces crops and livestock, the environmentally friendlier operation is an important consideration. With everything in its place and the lands well cared for, the Kilo Sand operation is responsibly managed to cohabit with the thriving and beautiful farm.
“In many ways, we uphold most of the traditional values of bygone generations on the farm,” Lewis says, “and still value honest, sincere relationships. Just as it is important for us not to pollute our neighbours’ drinking water, it is similarly important that we do business with reputable and reliable suppliers.
“ELB Equipment has been one of the most important parts of our business from the early 1980s, when we needed more water and decided to excavate our farm dams; to the realisation that the sand excavated was of a saleable quality and valuable in its own right. The company’s experts have given us sound technical advice and financial assistance to procure the right equipment needed to turn the operation into a fully-fledged quarry with multiple streams of high-quality saleable products.
“Since those early days, we have gone on to buy more than 30 pieces of equipment from them, ranging from crushers and washing plants to wheel loaders, excavators and everything we need to run a slick operation,” Lewis says. “The fact that the relationship has lasted over three decades is, in many ways, testament to the quality of equipment provided by ELB Equipment and the quality of service it provides to its customers. Trust is important and they have earned ours.”
