Responsiveness to customers – driven by dedicated support teams – is allowing FLS to leverage its wide selection of innovative technologies and services in addressing customers’ pain points.

According to Bhavesh Parbhoo, Head of Service Sales for Sub-Saharan Africa at FLS, the company’s success over 140 years means that it is today a large and complex organisation that is home to leading expertise and solutions. Guided by feedback from customers, the company has streamlined the way it engages with each site or customer, explains Parbhoo.

“Our wide range of offerings means that there are many touchpoints for customers – depending on whether they are looking for capital equipment, parts, consumables or professional services,” he says. “We have now simplified the way that customers can access these offerings, while keeping our focus on designing solutions that match their needs.”

Taking a unified team approach to customer relationships allows FLS to apply its wealth of knowledge and varied skill sets to a wide range of market challenges. This has been facilitated by regular value sessions between FLS and the customer, he notes, where key performance indicators are discussed and measured. These typically focus on equipment availability, maintenance predictability and skills sharing with customer personnel.

“Where we have applied this approach, we can see significant improvements in all these KPIs,” he says. “Among the technologies that have recently seen high levels of success across these measures are our nextSTEP rotor and stator, to improve performance of forced-air flotation equipment, and our screening panels, which have demonstrated much longer life.”

Interventions like these have allowed FLS customers to improve their recoveries, and to drive down their total cost of ownership of equipment. A useful tool in this engagement process has been FLS’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, which centralises customer information to avoid data silos. This keeps all team members appraised of progress in the relationship between FLS and the customer. 

Team performance is enhanced by continuous skills development through the FLS Training Academy, which is situated at the FLS Service Centre at Chloorkop, Midrand. These focused training services are also offered to customers, he points out.

“Among the challenges that many of our mining customers face – especially those in remote rural areas – is finding local skills to maintain state-of-the-art equipment,” says Parbhoo. “Now they are able to send their personnel to us, for them to be trained in our fully equipped facility on the specific equipment that the mine operates.”

After the necessary period of training, FLS is able to certify the trainee’s capability, and the mine can then absorb them into the workforce. He highlights that this is an example of where FLS can address customer challenges well beyond the specification and supply of the equipment itself. Another critical customer need is safety on site, which includes any supply partners or subcontractors working on the mine’s equipment. 

“Our safety culture at FLS in embedded in the training of service and other staff, ensuring that all activity on operational sites is compliant with mine health and safety standards,” he says. “Customers must always be in control of their safety levels, and can be assured of that by mature partners like FLS.”

With its service centres in strategic locations in Africa, FLS builds closer relationships with customers to help transform mine efficiency. 

According to Dirk Wesselman, Head of Field Services for sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa at FLS, being geographically close to customers is a vital starting point in providing high quality service support to the mining sector. Based at FLS’s Chloorkop Service Centre in Gauteng, Wesselman highlights that the visibility and responsiveness of the company’s field service technicians underpins its support commitment to customers in Africa.

“Our strategy of continuously growing our service centre footprint, and strengthening the capability of those centres, lies at the heart of operational efficiency and equipment reliability,” he explains. “Having technicians regularly on site with customers means they can frequently check the optimal performance of our crushers, screens and other equipment.” 

The service teams support the full range of FLS equipment in fields from liquid-solid separation to crushing, feeding and milling, including high pressure grinding mills, and even laboratory equipment. 

“Since the acquisition of TK Mining business, we also continue to support the large installed base of ThyssenKrupp legacy mining equipment in the mining sector,” he points out. “Our presence in key mining regions ensures that we can respond rapidly to customer callouts to ensure minimal downtime. More importantly, our regular on-site presence builds our understanding of customers’ needs – so that we can work with mines to plan maintenance and avoid unscheduled stoppages.”

In addition to facilitating planned maintenance for mines, Wesselman highlights that many customers rely on OEM maintenance contracts with FLS as part of their efficiency programmes. 

“These maintenance contracts are drafted to meet the customer’s specific requirements,” he says. “This arrangement puts a skilled team of specialised technicians at the service of the mine to ensure constant monitoring and rapid response. It can also be further enhanced with a ‘reliability engineer’ who focuses on detailed monitoring of all related equipment, to keep it performing optimally.”

Wesselman also highlights the company’s installation, commissioning and maintenance (ICM) contracts, which usually support a ‘plug and play’ plant upgrade involving a filter press or high pressure grinding roll (HPGR). 

“Working with contracting houses, we are involved from the manufacturing stage through to installation supervision, cold and hot commissioning, and the ongoing maintenance,” he says. 

The collaborative relationship between FLS service centres and mining customers is often built on the regular audits and inspections that the OEM’s technicians conduct on the equipment on-site. This creates the baseline for understanding the equipment’s condition, so that appropriate interventions can be specified to keep the equipment operating at OEM standards.

“We have developed our depth of infrastructure and expertise with exactly this goal in mind,” he says. “With the information gathered from our inspections, we can support customers as they systematically plan and prioritise their repair and maintenance requirements.”

Where components and equipment need off-site repair or refurbishment, these can be taken to the company’s well-equipped service centres where specialised artisans conduct the work with state-of-the-art equipment in accordance with OEM standards. 

Philip McCormick, Head of Service Centres – Chloorkop and Stormill, highlights that these centres’ depth of capability represents the company’s commitment to supporting customers with cost effective refurbishment and repair services that can be delivered in short turnaround times. McCormick also emphasises the value of FLS’s Training Academy in producing artisans and technicians who are specialised in the range of FLS offerings.

“With their specialisation in our products, our technicians are also able to identify any non-operational equipment on customers’ sites which could still be refurbished,” he says. “We even have examples where equipment like girth gears and mill drive pinions has not been stored correctly, and now requires refurbishment. Our workshops can add considerable value by restoring these items to functionality, so that they don’t need to be replaced with new units.”

Mining customers are to benefit from the stronger regional capability being developed by FLS, which is making the company even more responsive to customer needs. 

This is one of the key outcomes of the company’s strategic evolution underway, according to newly appointed FLS President Sales and Service for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Bernard Kaninda. As a leading full flow sheet technology company, FLS occupies a distinctive place in the market, says Kaninda, giving it a special relationship with customers.

“Being a partner through all their mineral processing requirements, FLS walks with customers throughout the lifecycle of a comprehensive range of equipment and solutions,” he says. “This engagement gives us greater impact in helping the mining industry achieve its sustainability goals.”

FLS aligns itself with industry imperatives by committing to energy and water reduction targets, and committing to reach zero emissions by 2030. To achieve these goals, he says, it was imperative to further grow the region’s capability – shifting from the previous regional definition which comprised sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and Southern Asia to a more cohesive EMEA region.

“We believe the move to an EMEA region will better create the capabilities we are looking for, combining the strengths of Africa and Europe, and our learnings in the Middle East,” Kaninda explains. “We expect to be able to respond more quickly with services, spares and equipment, and are building local resources to achieve these improvements.”

The focus on communication and partnership is being fostered through clusters within the region, which are empowered with adequate resources for quick response times and effective support for end-users. 

“As a partner that tailor-makes solutions for our customers, we go further by guaranteeing the performance of that equipment,” he says. “This means being able to respond effectively as and when the situation demands, so we need to be in close proximity to the customers’ sites – and very familiar with the conditions they experience.”

The clusters in Africa ensure a strong presence in Southern African countries – including South Africa, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo – as well as West Africa and North Africa. These are areas where FLS already has a significant footprint of equipment in operation. 

“The mining sector is dynamic, however, so we are constantly expanding our equipment footprint and will be establishing a presence wherever we have a significant installed base,” he says. “It has always been a matter of pride for us that FLS customers will receive the same close attention irrespective of where they are around the globe.”

Streamlined logistics are an important aspect of the strategic shift, which will reduce delivery times through better availability of inventory in-country. Teams in the clusters will also facilitate faster access to service and parts. 

“We are also committed to the communities in the regions where we operate, and are increasing our local employment as we develop our presence in different countries – especially in Africa,” says Kaninda. “We believe in building local capability and this is visible in our teams, in which 90 to 100% of staff are already local in the various clusters.”

These teams are supported by specialised training provided by facilities such as the FLS Training Academy at the Chloorkop service centre in South Africa. This well-equipped regional training hub underpins ongoing skills transfer to build the company’s skills base and succession pipeline, he says, ensuring all customers receive the same FLS experience. So successful is Chloorkop’s model of combining technical services with training, that the company plans to replicate such a facility in the Middle East. 

“This will allow us to upskill youth and enhance our positive economic and social impact on the community,” he explains. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t even look at another such centre in Africa, as there is growing demand for artisans and other specialised skills.”

Africa remains vital as a provider of mineral resources for the transition to a lower carbon future, concludes Kaninda, highlighting that FLS will continue to partner with customers so that mining itself becomes more responsible to the environment and community.

Supporting customers in achieving optimal plant performance is today more vital than ever, in the face of inflationary cost increases and volatile commodity markets. 

These concerns are behind FLS’s service focus at Electra Mining Africa this year, where the company is driving sustainable productivity through its solid and growing support and maintenance infrastructure. According to Alistair McKay, Vice President Mining: Europe, Arabia and Africa at FLS, this includes engaging visitors at the event on the value of the company’s innovative digital solutions. 

“In addition to our market leading solutions for mining plants, we will be sharing our extensive foundation of expertise, technical services, spares and consumables to support customers,” says McKay. “The show gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how these resources can lower operating costs and drive profitability.”

Key to FLS’s success in doing this is its understanding of exactly how its solutions are performing in customers’ processing facilities. As the original equipment manufacturer, he argues, the company is best placed to partner with mines to optimise performance and to maintain equipment health at the highest level. 

“There is a global shortage of skills to conduct this important work, making it essential that we continue to both replenish and enhance the necessary levels of expertise for our ever-advancing equipment,” he explains. “This is why we invest so heavily in our training facilities and trainers – to upskill not only our own people but those of our customers.”

He highlights that there is “nothing worse” than for customers to invest in high quality, high production equipment, which then underperforms due to insufficient knowledge. The company is also leveraging digital solutions in this endeavour. 

“While there is a plethora of digital solutions in the market, we have focused our energies on creating solutions that meets strategic priorities,” says McKay. “This means being able to monitor and analyse the health of the asset, while leveraging this data to optimise the performance of that asset.” 

Visitors at the exhibition can also see how FLS’s digital solutions integrate with its control centre, from which it can provide customers with 24/7 support. 

In terms of new offerings at the FLS stand, visitors will be witness to the launch of the new NexGen Polyurethane formula for the company’s wear products and can discuss application opportunities with the company’s experts. The NexGen Polyurethane is relevant to screening media and mill trommels – particularly at the front-end of the concentrator where impact and abrasion is high. 

“We will also be talking to visitors about our local production facilities that allow products like these to be readily available to our mining customers,” he says.

FLS’s leading slurry pumps will also be showcased for their performance and energy efficiency. McKay concludes that this year’s Electra Mining Africa will be the first since the company’s acquisition of Thyssenkrupp’s mining business.

“We can therefore show visitors our fully integrated FLS portfolio which has leveraged the best-in-class offerings of both companies,” he says. “This range of products and technologies continues to support optimised and sustainable operations at lower costs.”

Visit FLS in Hall 6 Stand D16. 

To support its full flowsheet technology capabilities, FLSmidth is continuously developing vital skills at its well-resourced Training Academy at the company’s Chloorkop Service Centre in Gauteng.

According to the FLSmidth Training Academy Head Steve Parkinson, the training underpins the ground-up succession strategy of ensuring long term competence within the business – with the depth to embrace evolving technologies that continuously improve its offerings. 

“Our considerable investment in skills development nurtures local talent to provide us with a strong pipeline of relevant and quality expertise,” says Parkinson. “This knowledge base is shared within FLSmidth not only across the continent but globally. At the same time, we invariably train more people than we can absorb, so we provide a rich resource of trained individuals for other players in the local mining and engineering sectors – including our customers and competitors.”

Through a rigorous selection process countrywide that targets unemployed youth under 26 years old, 10 apprentices are enrolled every year at the academy. They spend three years in formalised training towards their qualification and future role as an artisan. FLSmidth employs as many as it can accommodate within its resource planning and budgeting; the company also goes the extra mile in trying to find placements for the others, either among its customers or the broader industry.  

“In this way, we develop our own specialised in-house expertise while creating a skills pipeline that supports the local economy and builds a stronger base for the manufacturing, mining and other sectors,” he explains. “This is part of our commitment to the growth of mining and industry in Africa.”

Such training is only possible because of FLSmidth’s depth of skill already at work in its advanced Chloorkop Service Centre on the same site. Here, the company conducts turnkey refurbishment and repair services, supported by infrastructure that includes a large fabrication shop, an assessment and assembly area, and a heavy machining section with both conventional and CNC equipment.

“The rules of supervising and mentoring apprenticeships require that there is at least one artisan for every three apprentices,” explains Parkinson. “We therefore leverage our existing skills base to nurture the artisans of tomorrow – ensuring that each apprentice is closely supervised and well managed to enhance the practical learning process.”

FLSmidth also hosts a two-year Engineering Graduate Internship programme, where it develops graduates in disciplines such as mechanical, chemical and metallurgical engineering. Each intern is supervised by an FLSmidth engineer working in the relevant field. 

A further training programme being offered is a unique learnership that FLSmidth conducts in collaboration with the German Chamber of Commerce. The Commercial Apprenticeship Training scheme (CATS) involves a two-year learning programme, earning the successful participant an Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) qualification at Level 5 in South Africa, as well as a German qualification – the Diploma in Industrial Management Assistant.

An information technology (IT) learnership is also offered for 20 local people with disabilities; with its focus on computer-based system development skills, the field is less inhibiting for people with disabilities, he points out. This initiative aligns well with the company’s social responsibility strategy and its sustainability goals.

“The track record of the Training Academy in South Africa has been so successful that we now have valuable experience to share with FLSmidth operations globally,” he says. “Colleagues abroad are able to draw on our model to achieve similar results in their regions. A number of our trainees have, in fact, already been placed in operations abroad, proving the world class quality of our outputs.”

Within the FLSmidth Service Centre itself, the quality of the learners from the Training Academy is already well proven. For example, the current foreman of the machining shop was an apprentice in this facility just 14 years ago. There have also been general workers admitted to the apprenticeship programme, qualifying successfully to become qualified machine operators.

The Training Centre also provides staff and customers with product training, says Parkinson. This generally covers three levels: the first level is general knowledge about products, the second level is basic operations and preventative maintenance, and the third level focuses on specialised maintenance.

The energy-intensive nature of comminution processes has led to FLSmidth’s efforts to develop more energy efficient equipment. One such technology is the patented Eccentric Roll Crusher (ERC®) which, through its innovative design, not only reduces energy consumption in the primary crushing of hard rock, but also offers increased throughput and reduced wear.  

Comminution by its nature is an energy intensive process, and its efficiency not only impacts the overall energy consumption of processing plants but also improves the sustainability of mining and quarrying activities. Ideally suited for use in both underground and surface operations, the ERC® offers significantly higher efficiency and flexibility than any conventional crushers in the processing of hard rock, says Demitri Kokoroyanis, Regional Product Line Manager – Crushing & Screening, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & South Asia Region (SSAMESA) at FLSmidth. 

“A particularly effective kinematic of the oscillating roll with constant stroke in the entire crusher cavity allows for a higher reduction ratio and more effective use of crushing energy,” he says. “The reduction ratio of 1:10 potentially allows for elimination of secondary crushing stages, depending on the material characteristics.”

In addition, the high moment of inertia of the roll and flywheels contributes to accumulated crushing energy, reducing the power requirements and effectively compensating load peaks in the comminution process. 

Key design features of the ERC® are compactness and robustness. Due to its low profile, the crusher offers a construction height up to 50% lower than other hard rock primary crushers. This compact design and the reduced number of components simplifies transportation, installation and maintenance, and also lessens CAPEX costs by up to 10%. 

The integrated pre-screen allows for efficient bypassing of fines, boosting crusher capacity as well as reducing energy consumption by up to 40% and increasing liner life in the process. Bypassing fines also reduces the risk of compacting and overloading of the crushing chamber.

“Mine operators and quarry owners can also benefit from the higher service life of wear elements on the roll,” says Kokoroyanis. “The back-turning of the roll occurring during the crushing process distributes the loads over the entire circumference. This prevents local wear zones and results in uniform wear.”

With impact resistance and wear in mind, the large chunks of feed material in the crushing chamber do not fall directly onto the mounted working element, but hit the hood, which is significantly more resistant to such loads than other components. That is a key advantage over many conventional primary crushers. 

“As more and more mine operators become aware of the benefits of this innovative technology, we are seeing a great deal of interest in the ERC® range. We have already sold several units over the past four years, with some being installed in Laos, Asia, and, we hope, soon in Angola,” concludes Kokoroyanis. 

Driving its leading technology through a pure play mining strategy, FLSmidth has been optimising its footprint to be closer to customers with local solutions and expertise.

Alistair McKay, FLSmidth’s Head of Site and Service Sales Sub Saharan Africa, Middle East & South Asia (SSAMESA), highlights the CORE’26 mission at the centre of this strategy. CORE’26, explains McKay, is based on the principles of sustainability, technology, service and performance. 

“We go to the market through our five regional structures around the world, which deliver sales, service and order execution,” he says. “The regions are in turn supported by our global organisation and its leading product lines. The global resources are strategically located in countries such as the US, Denmark, Germany, India and South Africa, where we have a concentration of expertise to support our offerings.”

As part of the footprint optimisation, resources have been deployed and infrastructure investments made in key areas, with Johannesburg remaining as the mining hub for the SSAMESA region. World class facilities in the region include the Stormill service centre – for KREBS® pumps, valves and cyclones – and the Delmas manufacturing facility for vibrating screens and other equipment. There is also the fully integrated engineering facility and a service centre at Chloorkop, focused as a centre of excellence on refurbishing high pressure grinding rolls. 

McKay highlights that the manufacturing, assembly and refurbishment capacity of these centres cater for product lines not just for this region but for FLSmidth globally.

The regional footprint includes local sales and services offices in Ghana, Saudi Arabia and India. “Our strategy allows us to get closer to customers around Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, while building the local manufacturing base as part of our global supply chain,” says McKay. 

He also emphasises the importance of technical knowledge in successfully building the SSAMESA footprint. “Relevant expertise and know-how remain important enablers to our customers for projects and broader development in Africa especially,” he says. 

The company’s focus on local manufacture in countries like South Africa also means that the domestic economy is supported while local skills are employed and developed. With a focus on skills development, FLSmidth contributes to the training of customers’ staff, while pursuing talent development through learnerships, apprenticeships and scholarships. 

“As a technology provider of world class sustainable offerings across the full flowsheet, the expertise in our regional footprint is key,” he says. “We also prioritise research and development that supports our sustainability ambitions and our customers’ green journey.”

Efficient operation and minimal downtime are crucial for maintaining productivity and profitability in grinding circuits. To address these challenges, many operations are opting for the KREBS® SmartCyclone™ technology from FLSmidth.

According to Abrie Schutte, Senior Applications Engineer at FLSmidth responsible for the KREBS® pumps cyclones and valves product business line, this innovative technology combines advanced monitoring and automation features to optimise closed-circuit grinding operations.

“SmartCyclone™ integrates various components and software to provide a comprehensive solution for grinding circuit management, and significantly incorporates roping sensor technology, wear detection technology, a wireless controller system and ECS/ProcessExpert® process control software,” Schutte says. “End-users have found that by leveraging these elements, maintenance planning is enhanced, wear reduced and there is an overall improvement in grinding circuit performance.”

The wear detection technology of SmartCyclone™ employs specialised sensors to monitor the wear status of cyclone components. This real-time information enables operators to proactively plan for part replacements and schedule maintenance activities, minimising unexpected downtime caused by component failures.

Schutte further explains that an automated monitoring system is a key feature of SmartCyclone™. “This is important as it allows operators to detect wear and troubleshoot issues from a centralised control room, eliminating the need for manual equipment inspections with a reduction in associated risks.”

By promptly identifying and addressing potential problems, process disruptions are minimised, ensuring optimal performance of the grinding circuit.

The SmartCyclone™ system also includes a roping detection feature, which identifies and corrects disturbances known as “roping.” Overloaded cyclones or those experiencing roping can lead to increased bypass of coarse solids to the overflow and greater particle size variation.

“This accumulation of slurry can adversely affect downstream equipment, such as flotation cells. By monitoring and detecting roping, operators can confidently operate the plant closer to its limits, thereby increasing production capacity and improving mineral recovery,” he says.

By integrating SmartCyclone™ with ECS/ProcessExpert software, the grinding circuit’s performance can be further optimised. The system dynamically adjusts variables such as water addition, pump speed and the number of operating cyclones based on real-time data from SmartCyclone™ sensors. This continuous optimisation enhances particle size distribution, maximises mineral recovery and improves the overall efficiency of the grinding circuit.

SmartCyclone™ offers a comprehensive solution for closed-circuit grinding operations. By leveraging advanced sensor technologies, automated monitoring and process control software, this innovative system empowers operators to enhance maintenance planning, reduce wear, and optimise the performance of their grinding circuits.

“With its ability to detect early warning signs, troubleshoot potential issues and dynamically adjust variables, SmartCyclone™ sets a new standard for smart and efficient grinding circuit management,” Schutte concludes.

In the mining industry’s drive to conserve energy, a focus on pumps is essential, especially given the sheer scale of pumping equipment required on the average mine and mineral processing plant. 

On this score, global minerals process specialist FLSmidth has allowed mines to achieve new levels of efficiency with the initially patented wear ring technology on its KREBS pumps, according to Stephan Kruger, FLSmidth’s Vice President Pumps, Cyclones and Valves for Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia. Mines have seen significant efficiency gains by using KREBS pumps, explains Kruger, resulting in considerable bottom line impacts when multiplied by the dozens or even hundreds of pumps often employed on a single mine site. 

“It is not only the rising cost of electricity that drives mines’ energy strategies, but also their commitment to a low carbon future,” he says. “FLSmidth’s KREBS pumps directly support these efforts by our mining customers, thanks in great part to our innovative wear ring technology.”

He highlights that two key aspects that reduce efficiency in slurry pumps tend to be suction side recirculation and mechanical grinding between the casing and the impeller. The wear ring significantly reduces both of these factors, leading to lower power draw and longer pump life. 

“Through our case studies, we have seen power draw being cut by 5 to 10% for the same flow and head with the application of KREBS pumps,” he points out. “Similarly, we have measured the impact on pump life, and have shown that the life of wet end parts can be lengthened by one and a half to two times.”

According to Derek Lane, General Manager Operations, conventional products in the market solve only one of these factors through impeller and liner adjustment which may reduce recirculation but simultaneously exacerbates the grinding. “This leaves the pump user having to compromise on efficiency, which we do not expect our customers to do,” Lane explains.

He says adjusting the wear ring allows the speed of the pump to be maintained as a constant, rather than users having to speed up the pump in response to the impact of grinding and wear. The wear ring in KREBS pumps can be easily adjusted so that it continues drawing the same power for the required pressure, holding energy consumption to a minimum.

The regular adjustment of KREBS pumps can also be done without shutting down the pump and disrupting operations, says Morne Potgieter, FLSmidth Sales Manager Pumps, Cyclones and Valves for Central and Southern Africa. This is important as it contributes to the general continuity – and hence efficiency – of the whole operation. 

“The wear ring can be simply adjusted by hand while the pump is running, and without the use of any special tools,” he notes. “This allows the gaps to be kept as small as possible to avoid recirculation inside the pump, while maintaining speed and pressure.”

FLSmidth makes the most of this technological innovation through its skilled field service teams and training offerings, which ensure that customers understand and apply the wear ring adjustment to best effect. Potgieter says the training leaves on-mine operators more comfortable with the task of adjustment, even if many of them may be hesitant about working on rotating machinery.

“We also do extensive technical training with customers on aspects such as pump assemblies, and make sure that we are available when they need us,” he says.

The life of KREBS pumps is further enhanced by the range of materials of construction available to suit the application, says Kruger. “The choice of material is based on the application requirements and in particular minimising wear. There are a number of factors considered which determine the material of construction such as pump size, impeller size and tip speed as well as slurry hardness.”. 

Materials used in the construction of slurry pumps are classified into two main types: metals and elastomers. For metal pumps high-chrome alloys, hypereutectic alloys, hypoeutectic alloys and stainless steels are commonly used. Elastomers options vary between natural rubber, polyurethane and synthetics such as neoprene.

He emphasises that the application of these materials makes their own contribution to the mining sector’s sustainability agenda, by reducing the level of scrap produced due to equipment replacement. 

Leading technology and products have been added to the FLSmidth stable with the TK Mining acquisition, arguably making FLSmidth the world leader with its comminution portfolio.

Craig Brickhill, FLSmidth’s Regional Product Line Manager – Milling and HPGR, highlights that the FLSmidth brand now encompasses the best solutions, equipment and expertise from across the flowsheet.

“On the grinding side, for instance, FLSmidth is a leader in solutions such as semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills, while TK Mining held decades of positive experience with High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR),” says Brickhill.

FLSmidth Regional Product Line Manager – Crushing and Screening Demitri Kokoroyanis says the same applies to crushing. The company’s combined crushing technologies now put it well ahead of competitors, argues Kokoroyanis.

“Our Top Service Gyratory Crushers are advanced in both their ultra heavy-duty design and the way they facilitate safe and efficient servicing,” he says. He also points to company’s Eccentric Roll Crusher ERC®, which fits between the jaw and gyratory crushers in the range and this differentiates FLSmidth from the competition. The ERC® has a built-in static grizzly screen before the crushing zone to allow removal of the fine material. Large rocks are fractured at the opening of the jaw to increase throughput and reduce the power consumption.

A key addition to FLSmidth’s current offering is the HPGR range, says Brickhill, with an installed population of about 160 units. The technology is an energy efficient alternative to traditional milling, as it transfers energy directly into the rock. As a dry process, it is also likely to see growing uptake as mines pursue sustainability targets that minimise water use.

The wide range of crushing offerings feeds into FLSmidth’s role as a provider of semi-mobile in-pit crushing plants – of which there are over 285 installations worldwide.

“Our plants can be designed for direct feed – usually from gyratory crushers – and also for indirect feed, which can be accomplished with an apron feeder before a gyratory, ERC®, jaw crusher, double roll crusher or double roll sizer,” says Kokoroyanis. “We can take care of everything from the truck tip to the discharge conveyor, and the plant comes complete with auxiliary equipment for a smooth operation. The plants can be relocated to a new position in the pit with the use of transport crawlers with minimum disassembly required as mining progresses.

Brickhill notes that the acquisition also means that FLSmidth’s engineering infrastructure now includes a world class engineering facility at Chloorkop, Gauteng, focused on refurbishing HPGRs. The facility also includes a test centre where material can be tested for suitability for processing by HPGR and for sizing of full-scale units.