Latest from Pilot Crushtec International is the Metso HRC™ 8 high pressure grinding roll crusher for producing manufactured sand. In addition, the machine can also be deployed in the mining sector as a pre-grinder to help improve mill efficiency.

The demand for economical and efficient ways to produce crushed sand is growing, as natural sand deposits located near growth centres are being depleted and environmental regulations are becoming stricter. As a result, manufactured sand is becoming a high-demand material. The arrival of the Metso HRC™ 8 ushers in a new era for manufactured sand-makers.

The machine uses a method of inter-particle comminution by drawing in a bed of material between two rotating rollers. The rollers, one of which is in a fixed position and another one floating, generate an extremely high pressure, extruding the feed material down to the desired smaller grain sizes. 

“The HRC 8 is the ultimate solution to produce excellent quality sand that can substitute natural sand from natural deposits such as rivers. The quality of sand can be adjusted and optimised, thus reducing the amount of cement and asphalt required in concrete mixes or asphalt. The machine produces a gradation according to customer needs and delivers a perfect cubical shape for concrete and asphalt sands,” explains Oldemar Meneses, Product Manager, HRC Technology at Metso.

In addition, the HRC™ 8 can convert quarry waste into sellable product. The machine can reprocess non-sellable waste materials to correct the gradation curve and particle shape, converting them into high-value sellable products. This not only addresses the cost factor, but also speaks to the manufactured sand market’s drive for sustainable operation.

Not only is the machine suited for manufactured sand, but also for pre-milling applications across commodities such as chrome, lithium, gold, and copper, amongst others, says Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec.

“In mining, chrome and lithium will be the perfect applications for the HRC 8. In these commodities, sizing material down to a minus 5 mm size has traditionally been done with impactors. While the capital cost of using impact crushers seems lower, it is outweighed by the extremely high wear costs, especially when processing highly abrasive ores,” says Marais.

Both sand manufacturers and mines will benefit from the HRC™ 8’s increased throughput in a single pass, energy efficiency, reduced ultra fines and reduced operating costs as well as safety and ease of maintenance.

The HRC™ 8 provides a notable increase in  production efficiency. The flange design maximises the amount of material that is crushed by pulling the feed into the crushing zone. This method prevents the material passing the rollers and increases efficiency and throughput. The patented arch-frame, on the other hand, eliminates downtime caused by skewing.

The machine uses a combination of high pressure and a unique patented roller design to achieve a fine product with minimal energy input. In fact, the machine consumes up to 50% less power in sand production compared to other technologies for the same volume of net product.

“By reducing energy consumption and increasing wear life of components, the HRC 8 helps lower operational costs. Its efficient grinding mechanism also reduces the need for secondary crushing, further cutting down operational expenses,” concludes Meneses.

As quarries seek to meet growing demand for manufactured sand, vertical shaft impact (VSI) crushers are proving to be the ultimate solution due to their ability to produce high quality manufactured sand. With a rich heritage in the design and manufacture of VSI’s, Pilot Crushtec can cater for production requirements by using various size VSI’s with an installed power from 45kW up to 315kW    

Traditionally, cone crushers have always been the most preferred crushing solution in sand making, says Wayne Warren, Africa Sales Manager at Pilot Crushtec. However, the downside is that for a cone crusher to produce sand, it needs to be set on a very tight closed side setting (CSS), which renders it uneconomical due to the resultant excessive wear.

“A very tight CSS means that the crusher works on a liner-on-material crushing concept, which is not ideal because the wear rate increases dramatically, and the shape is generally poor,”  explains Warren.

The VSI’s rock-on-rock crushing principle is more efficient in producing manufactured sand as it directly crushes the rocks without any intermediate crushing stages. “The VSI makes use of material-on-material crushing – the stone is accelerated at a high speed into a rock box of the same hardness material, resulting in maximum breakage of the feed material,” explains Warren. “Depending on the speed, this can accomplish two things: stone shaping with some sand generation or, on a higher speed, a higher percentage of sand.”

Charl Marais, Sales Manager at Pilot Crushtec, says a VSI’s ability to achieve constant product grading makes it the ultimate crusher for sand making purposes. “If you feed a VSI constantly, it gives you a constant grading. On the contrary, with a cone crusher there is inconsistency in quality because of the way the liners wear. As soon as you have an uneven wear pattern on your mantle and bowl liners caused by intermittent feed conditions, your grading fails as well,” says Marais.

Pilot Crushtec’s VSI offering covers a broad range of kilowatt (kW) units in three shells, from 45 kW to 315 kW. The three base models comprise the VS100, VS200 and VS350, covering five different rotor diameters from 600 mm to 1 000 mm and 14 different configurations to suit differing customer needs. 

At the recently ended Lokolaunch 2024, a global Metso customer and partner event held in Tampere, Finland, Pilot Crushtec International walked away with two prestigious awards – Best After Market Distributor and the Second Biggest Lokotrack Distributor in the Large Distributor category.

The latest accolades bring the total number of awards won by Pilot Crushtec to five since becoming the southern African Metso distributor in 2016. After bagging the 2017 Best New Services Distributor Award and the 2019 Best Sales Growth Award, Pilot Crushtec was named Metso’s 2022 Distributor of the Year for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

“We are always extremely proud to get this level of recognition, especially from a global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) such as Metso. The latest accolades once again reinforce our commitment to the success of customers in southern Africa and corroborate the fact that the quality of service we provide to our customers is of a high standard,” says Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec.

The Second Biggest Lokotrack Distributor award, explains Marais, is for the second largest number of Lokotrack machines sold in the world. The two volume drivers for Pilot Crushtec in southern Africa are the Lokotrack® LT106™ mobile jaw crusher and the Lokotrack® ST2.8™ mobile scalping screen.

Taking a feed size of up to 600 mm, with a production capacity of up to 400 tonnes per hour (tph), the Lokotrack® LT106™ is the best seller in the Lokotrack® range and is especially popular among contractors. The machine is renowned for its versatility; it can be deployed in both mining and aggregates applications. The second-best seller, adds Marais, is the Lokotrack® ST2.8™ mobile scalping screen, which is renowned for making the scalping of sticky material a breeze.

The Best After Market Distributor acknowledges Pilot Crushtec’s customer service initiatives, including customer support, parts supply, parts availability, training events, new product launches, marketing campaigns and technical competence development, to name a few.

A consistent, reliable aftermarket regime has always been a key pillar of Pilot Crushtec’s operations. “Providing legendary aftermarket support is part of our philosophy. We have always been extremely consistent about delivering a high level of support – anchored by a comprehensive spare parts stockholding and trained skilled technicians,” says Marais.

To provide context, Pilot Crushtec carries about R180-million worth of Metso genuine spare parts at any given time. This not only includes critical items, but also slow moving items that could, in some instances, sit in the parts warehouse for years. Fast moving items are constantly replenished based on usage.

Trained technicians are the lifeblood of aftermarket success in crushing and screening. Therefore, Pilot Crushtec does not leave anything to chance when it comes to the development of its technical skills. The company invests heavily in training to keep its customer support technicians up-to-date with the latest equipment and industry trends.

In addition, Pilot Crushtec develops its own talent pipeline through a rigorous two-year graduate programme. During the past 13 years, more than 70 engineering students have gone through the practical phases of their mechanical and electrical engineering studies at Pilot Crushtec’s Jet Park, Gauteng facility. The programme plays a critical role in developing Pilot Crushtec’s talent pipeline and is also a deliberate effort to foster skills development and transformation in the engineering and mining sector as a whole.

Crushing and screening operations frequently run on a 24/7 basis to meet demand and optimise productivity, so crushing specialist Pilot Crushtec is the ideal partner to introduce its own brand of mobile lighting towers for these and other applications.

According to Pilot Crushtec Sales and Marketing Executive Francois Marais, the company has supplied lighting products before, but this step will see the new range under its own brand – Mobi Light.

“Our own brand gives us the flexibility to source the right products internationally, and provide the high level of local support that customers have come to expect from us,” says Marais. “Owners of sites that operate after dark will benefit from this range, and we will also supply to plant hire companies who rent this equipment to mainly the construction and mining sectors.”

The range covers mobile lighting solutions at entry level right up to premium applications, he explains. On the smaller end, a unit with four 320 LED floodlights will achieve a lighting area up to 5,000 m²; at the other end of the scale, a mining unit with six 320 WLED floodlights will light up 7,800 m².

Ben Armitage, Sales Engineer at Pilot Crushtec, explains that safety is a key consideration in the way the company has positioned its offering.

“Not only do you need sufficient lighting for the stationery crushing and screening equipment on a site, but there are typically several pieces of yellow metal equipment such as excavators, trucks and loaders moving around,” says Armitage. “Good lighting is therefore a critical element of the industry’s quest for Zero Harm.”

He notes that insufficient lighting also affects productivity. Where there is limited visual capacity, operators tend to reduce feed rates to plants – to avoid the risk of blockages and spillage. This can have a substantial effect on production and the resultant cost of operating the site.

“Other factors that the Mobi Lite tower range considers is the height of our masts,” he continues. “With our high masts at 8,5 metres, this ensures an increased lighting area while reducing operator fatigue, as the light is high enough to never shine in the operators’ eyes.”

The range takes advantage of developments in lighting technology – away from metal halide and toward light-emitting diode (LED) technology. LED lights offer a much longer lifespan, operate at low voltages and produce less heat.

“This has significant benefits for outdoor site operators,” he says. “LED lights light up the work area instantly and don’t require a cool-down period before the lighting plant can be relocated. These lights also consume less power, saving money especially when on-site power is diesel generated.”

Designed for demanding site conditions, the lighting units have a robust steel canopy to house the generating unit and start up panel. This strong structure prevents battery and diesel theft. Maintenance and inspection are also easier, as the steel doors on each side of the lighting plant can be opened for access to the large engine bay.

Pilot Crushtec International is introducing a new line of premium mobile crushers and screens in southern Africa. The Jonsson range comprises tracked units, largely aimed at the premium high tonnage, heavy-duty segment of the crushing and screening market. 

P.J. Jonsson och Söner is a Swedish mobile crushing and screening plant provider that has traditionally operated in the Nordic Region. Established in 1953, initially trading in fur and eventually construction machinery and used crushing equipment, Jonsson started manufacturing wheeled crushers in 1984, before venturing into the tracked market in 1998. To date, the company has supplied more than 350 tracked machines and in excess of 400 wheeled units. 

Following the 2018 acquisition by Metso, Jonsson is on a drive to expand its business internationally, and southern Africa is one of the strategic markets. The brand will leverage Metso’s existing eight year partnership with Pilot Crushtec to grow its footprint in the region. 

“Our partnership with Pilot Crushtec is aligned with our strategic focus to expand our global footprint,” explains Mikael Delbrant, Sales and Marketing Director at Jonsson. “We are excited to partner with Pilot Crushtec, an established name in the crushing and screening market in southern Africa.”

The same view is shared by Adam Benn, Director, Capital Sales, North EMEA, CEA and Southern Africa at Metso, who commends Pilot Crushtec’s focused business model, which has a strategic dedication to crushing and screening. The concentrated focus and unprecedented commitment to a specific line of products has, over the past three decades, served as the cornerstone of Pilot Crushtec’s success. 

“Pilot Crushtec is unique in its own way,” says Benn. “The primary focus on crushing and screening has over the years allowed the company to develop a profound understanding of the crushing and screening sector, which uniquely positions them to forge long-lasting connections with their customers in southern Africa.”

Jonsson’s range comprises tracked crushers and screens, unique double crushers and screens, feeders and conveyors. “The Jonsson range is primarily focused on the premium, high tonnage, heavy-duty crushing segment and is ideally suited for demanding customers who appreciate high quality, high production and high operating efficiencies,” explains Timo Nakari, VP – Jonsson Business Line at Metso. 

Pilot Crushtec will initially focus on selected products, particularly the tracked double crusher concept as well as heavy-duty jaw crushers, cone crushers and screens, confirms Francois Marais, Sales & Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec. 

Marais says the focus is initially on products that complement the existing Metso offering. Key among them is the Jonsson L 120-330 double crusher, which combines the two Nordberg C120 and GP330 crushers and a screen on one compact tracked chassis – the only mobile unit of its kind available.

“The Jonsson L 120-330 double crusher is a gamechanger for the local market,” says Marais. “Where customers would traditionally need to mobilise and run three separate machines, we can now bring an entire plant on one compact chassis. This is a unique proposition for the market; instead of three engines to maintain and three machines to transport, now there is only one.”

The Jonsson L 120-330 double crusher, says Marais, will be a big benefit for mining contractors who, by their very nature, place value on ease of plant movement on and between sites. Once on site, they can mobilise and start production in a fraction of the time that it would take them to establish a traditional fixed plant. 

In addition, Pilot Crushtec will offer two heavy duty Jonsson jaw crushers (L 150 and L 160), three large Jonsson mobile cone crushers (L 400, L550D and L 500D) and the Jonsson L 354 mobile screen. These models have been carefully selected to complement the existing Metso models. 

“Of note is that the Jonsson range incorporates Metso crushers, a product that we are familiar with and have the expertise to service and support. With energy efficiency and sustainability in mind, dual-powered and fully electric variants are available,” concludes Marais. 

Designed and manufactured in South Africa by Pilot Crushtec, the TwisterTrac VS350E vertical shaft impactor (VSI) has over the years gained popularity in Australia. Key to its success is the ability to meet the high throughput and high-spec aggregates requirements of this market, confirms Justin Guilfoyle, Queensland (QLD) Regional Sales Manager at Finlay Australia, the Pilot Crushtec dealer in Australia. 

Since 2004, Finlay Australia has been supplying and supporting the Pilot range of VSIs in the Australian market with great success. Jorge Abelho, Director Technical Support at Pilot Crushtec, says Australia has accounted for over 75 units since the first machine – the first generation TwisterTrac AC210 – was delivered in the market in 2005. 

Of the total population deployed in Australia, the state of Queensland has accounted for about 45 units, making it the biggest TwisterTrac market in Australia, says Guilfoyle. 

Building on the firm foundations of the predecessor models – initially the TwisterTrac AC210 and more recently the hydraulically driven TwisterTrac VS350 – the larger diesel electric TwisterTrac VS350E is gaining traction in the Australian market, with some four units sold in Queensland alone to date. 

Why TwisterTrac VS350E? “Australia has high engineered specifications for road base and concrete aggregates,” explains Guilfoyle. “While each state is slightly different in their gradation curve, there is generally a high requirement for 0.075 and 0.0425 micron, which is roughly 8 to 15%. In addition, there is a stringent shape obligation. These specs are for both State and Federal projects where a tight envelope has to be met.”

With cone crushers, quarries cannot produce the stipulated 0.075 and 0.0425-micron sizes and therefore have two choices – either to use a VSI or to purchase manufactured sand from other sources and blend it with their road base. This, he says, is a costly exercise, which makes it cost-effective to run a VSI. 

The crushing concept of the TwisterTrac VS350E, which uses rock-on-rock crushing principles, makes it the perfect choice for producing the required cubical material. Quality road and concrete aggregates require that the broken particles are cubiform, not flaky. 

“The TwisterTrac VS350E assists in bringing up the bottom end of the material to meet these specifications, while shaping the rock. In concrete aggregates, there is a large call for shaped aggregate product, and this is an application where the machine has thrived. In addition, the TwisterTrac VS350E produces a high-quality manufactured sand, which is highly sought after in Australia,” says Guilfoyle. 

The TwisterTrac VS350E, adds Guilfoyle, is also one of the few  mobile VSI on the market that can use anvils. One of Finlay Australia’s clients, FSCS, has been very successful in a limestone application, crushing down to a minus 1 mm by using anvils in the feed material. In a low abrasion application such as limestone, using anvils instead of the rock box results in a high reduction – this, in fact, was key to FSCS’s decision to opt for the TwisterTrac VS350E. 

Apart from product quality, the machine scores with its high production capacity, a major necessity in the Australian market. Aggregates producers in Australia generally run high production crushing and screening trains to meet high demand for their products. With a rated capacity of 300 tph, which can go up to 350 tph when using a cascade bypass system, the TwisterTrac VS350E is the largest mobile VSI on the Australian market. 

From the onset, says Abelho, the design of the machine was influenced by the high production requirements for Australian customers. “One of the biggest upgrades on the TwisterTrac VS350E compared with the previous TwisterTrac VS350 model, was the increased tonnage to meet Australian market requirements,” says Abelho.  

Being a diesel electric machine, the TwisterTrac VS350E provides increased operational efficiency, while reducing carbon emissions. “Due to industry demand and changing requirements, we phased out the hydraulically driven TwisterTrac VS350 for the VS350E diesel electric version,” explains Abelho. “Given that a VSI by its nature is a power-hungry crusher, migrating to the diesel electric version was a necessary exercise. In fact, we have seen up to 20% fuel savings on the TwisterTrac VS350E compared with the VS350.”

The TwisterTrac VS350E is  an electric drive machine which allows for far higher power utilisation than any other unit on the market. Powered by a Volvo TAD1651GE, 16 litre engine delivering in excess of 400 kW of power, the machine has the biggest engine and generator compared with similar products on the market, which is the reason it can produce more tonnages.

The increased production capacity, coupled with increased efficiency, translates into significant cost benefits for customers. “One of the reasons we are successful with the TwisterTrac VS350E is because the machine is 20% more efficient, yet it achieves 15 to 20% more throughput compared with the hydraulic version,” says Guilfoyle. 

Every good product is only as good as its support. The TwisterTrac VS350E benefits from Finlay Australia’s proven service and support across all states in Australia. The company has just been recognised as Terex’s largest dealer in the world across all the Terex materials processing ranges, which is testimony to its aftermarket support capabilities.

In the world of crushing and screening equipment maintenance and optimisation, the question of whether a spare part is merely a spare part is pivotal. Jorge Abelho, Director of Technical Support at Pilot Crushtec, presents a compelling argument for the superiority of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts over aftermarket alternatives.

His insights reveal how OEM parts are not just components but critical cogs in the larger machinery system, driving down the total cost of ownership and enhancing production efficiency.

Pilot Crushtec’s commitment to optimising total cost of ownership for customers includes not only providing world class quality equipment but also the company’s approach to spare parts and components. “All spare parts should be engineered with a deep understanding of the machinery’s entire system, and we believe this holistic view is what sets OEM parts apart from aftermarket offerings,” Abelho says.

The key to Pilot Crushtec’s success lies in their commitment to quality and a comprehensive inventory. Every spare part is considered in relation to other machine components, ensuring optimal interaction and performance. This is possible thanks to Pilot Crushtec’s extensive knowledge of system mechanics, bolstered by continuous research and development aimed at finetuning performance.

“A striking example of OEM expertise is the inclusion of sacrificial parts in systems to shield more complex and expensive components. This level of nuanced understanding is often absent in aftermarket parts, potentially leading to costly malfunctions,” he explains. “Further, OEMs, unlike aftermarket suppliers, don’t just focus on high-demand parts but provide a full array of components essential for the machinery.”

Pilot Crushtec’s investment in R&D extends to the real-world monitoring and maintenance of their machinery. This hands-on approach enables ongoing improvement of parts including rigorous testing and adaptation to diverse operating conditions globally. Collaboration with other OEMs during the design phase further enriches this process, allowing for specialised input that optimises component interaction under various duty cycles.

The comprehensive approach of OEMs like Pilot Crushtec translates to parts that, while potentially more expensive upfront, offer significantly greater value in terms of machine performance and long term cost effectiveness. Abelho says customers are increasingly recognising this value, as evidenced by their own cost benefit analyses.

Pilot Crushtec’s crushing and screening solutions are key for a wide range of applications within the energy minerals sector, and the company has built a significant footprint in these industry segments. Wayne Warren, Sales Manager Africa at Pilot Crushtec, highlights that the company has crushing and screening equipment operating successfully in lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper and graphite operations in the region.

“The flexibility of our mobile and modular equipment allows customers to tailor solutions to match diverse ore characteristics and processing plant requirements. This adaptability is crucial, especially when dealing with variations within the same commodity category, like lithium ores that differ in behaviour,” he explains. 

Pilot Crushtec’s equipment selection also considers material abrasiveness, minimising equipment wear by bypassing crushers when necessary. Their mobile equipment often includes pre-screening options as standard, reducing the need for additional screens.

Warren points to one case study that involves the supply of Metso mobile Lokotrack® trains for lithium crushing, where production requirements doubled due to high demand. In another project, modular equipment was adapted for ore sorters, highlighting the need for precision in crushing to avoid over-processing.

Pilot Crushtec continues to innovate, introducing equipment to the market like the versatile Metso Lokotrack® LT200HPX™ mobile cone crusher and the Metso Metrix remote monitoring system that is fitted to these machines. These advancements improve optimisation levels and offer remote machine monitoring and maintenance assistance.

The company also supports the mining industry’s efforts to reduce power consumption and carbon emissions by offering low-emission, electrically powered equipment options.

For safety and productivity, units feature built-in dust suppression systems. Additionally, Pilot Crushtec provides a 24-hour response service and an extended protection service warranty programme, ensuring minimal downtime.

In South Africa, the company has expertise in coal crushing and screening solutions, including specialised mobile and modular crushers designed for the coal market, meeting strict product gradings.

Sanland Equipment, the Pilot Crushtec dealer in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, reports a rapid uptake of the Pilot Modular VS100 vertical shaft impactor (VSI) since its market launch in 2021. The crusher fits the bill for both the type of applications and production requirements in these territories.   

For nearly 20 years, New Zealand, a popular VSI market in the world, has been one of the most consistent markets for Pilot Crushtec’s Twister VSI crusher range. Sanland Equipment’s Trevor Heaphy, who sold the first TwisterTrac VSI in New Zealand in 2005 and has personally been involved with the Pilot Crushtec brand for some 18 years across three companies, says Twister VSI crushers have, in the past two decades, proven themselves as cost effective and high performance solutions for tertiary, and also quaternary, crushing requirements in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

The bulk of the machines, confirms Heaphy, have been sold during his ten-year tenure at Sanland Equipment. In fact, the New Zealand and Pacific Islands market has accounted for 10 Twister VSI units since 2018. “In the last couple of years, I would be confident to say that we have sold more VSIs than any other supplier in New Zealand,” stresses Heaphy. 

Since its introduction in 2021, the Pilot Modular VS100 has been particularly successful in the New Zealand market, with five units delivered in just under two years. The machines are predominantly deployed in hard rock quarrying and sand processing applications. 

“In our market, sand has traditionally been obtained from natural sources such as coastlines. However, in recent years, sourcing sand from riverbanks and shorelines has been severely restricted because of the dire environmental consequences. On the back of growing demand for manufactured sand, the VS100 is proving to be the ideal solution for sand processing operations,” he says. “In addition, customers are pleased with its ability to enhance the shape and quality of aggregates.”

One of the quick success factors of the VS100 in this market is its size, says Heaphy. With a production capacity up to 100 tonnes per hour, the machine is ideally suited to the size of customer operations and production requirements found in this market. “The VS100 is also the right fit for our market because of the 110 Kw rated power. In the Pacific Islands, for example, some of the countries are very small and don’t have power reticulation to run anything bigger than that,” explains Heaphy. 

While the VS100 comes at a higher price than the predecessor AC06 and AC07 machines, Heaphy says the machine is a complete package which comes with many more features and benefits. Among the key talking points is the hydraulic lid lifting. The hydraulic pack opens and automatically rotates the lid, revealing the modular rock chamber and rotor, making daily inspections easy. 

Heaphy also makes special mention of the on-board jib crane installed as a standard item for safe removal of the rotor. 

“The VS100 has a special design focus on ease of maintenance. The discharge chute on the machine is primarily rubber, which reduces wear. The adjustment of the motor for belt tensioning purposes is also very easy. It’s also important to point out the smart design and simple operations of the crusher,” he says. 

Apart from ease of maintenance, Heaphy says the VS100 comes with more safety features, making it compliant with international safety standards. These include a new inclined staircase and a three-sided platform that is both non-slippery and chemical-resistant. The galvanised handrails and non-metallic walkways are a great benefit to New Zealand and Pacific Islands’ customers who operate close to the ocean where machines are susceptible to rust. 

To ensure high uptime for its customers, Sanland Equipment not only keeps a substantial stock of wear- and spare parts, but also major components such as complete rotor and bearing sub-assemblies. Having these items off the shelf is critical in the event of any major failures. 

Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec, says years of experience and advanced manufacturing methods have resulted in the Pilot VS100. Among some of the key features, he says, is the modular rock chamber, which allows you to go from autogenous crushing to anvil ring crushing configuration, and is designed for efficient rock-box build up.

In conclusion, Marais says the success of the Pilot Modular VS100 and the Pilot Twister range in New Zealand is testimony to Pilot Crushtec’s rich heritage in the design and manufacture of VSIs, which dates back to over 30 years ago. He also believes this success speaks highly of South Africa’s manufacturing capabilities. 

“Despite the array of challenges that local manufacturers have to contend with, such as labour, power supply and lack of infrastructure, potential still exists for South Africa to manufacture and export world class products. Pilot Crushtec’s success in a competitive VSI market like New Zealand is testament to the experience and expertise in our country,” concludes Marais. 

Amid growing demand for its crushing and screening services, Trollope Mining Services, one of the largest opencast mining contractors in Africa, has in the past three years taken delivery of a large fleet of Metso machines from Pilot Crushtec. 

With nearly 500 pieces of equipment in its fleet, Trollope has over the years established itself as the go-to contractor in the opencast mining sector in southern Africa. Currently operating in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, the company has also previously executed projects in the DRC and Guinea. The company operates across commodities including but not limited to coal, platinum, copper, andalusite, gold, phosphate, lithium, iron ore, manganese, diamonds and limestone.

To establish itself as a total solutions provider in the opencast mining contracting fraternity, Trollope Mining Services added a crushing and screening division to its business in 2016. Managing Director, Guy Hopkins says that in the past three years the division has seen exponential growth on the back of some major projects, necessitating an expansion of the crushing and screening fleet.  

Following the fleet expansion programme, Trollope Mining Services now operates a total of 15 machines. Of note is that the whole fleet is made up of only Metso machines. “We prefer Metso machines because of our experience with the equipment,” he says. “Fundamentally, the design and build quality of these machines are unmatched. Our buying decision is also influenced by the technological evolution of the Metso offering, which allows us to run ‘hands off’ operations. Apart from improved efficiencies, technology paves the way for improved safety on mining sites.”

Of its 15 Metso machines, six are dual-powered units, making Trollope Mining Services the biggest operator of Metso hybrid crushers and screens in southern Africa, confirms Charl Marais, Sales Manager at Pilot Crushtec. The dual-power fleet comprises two Lokotrack® LT120E™ jaw crushers, a Lokotrack LT330D™ cone crusher and three Lokotrack® ST2.8E™ scalping screens. These were expressly purchased for a project in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. 

With their ability to have both electricity and diesel as power sources, Marais says dual-power solutions provide the best of both worlds – significant fuel savings and a marked reduction in carbon emissions. “Significant cost reduction is achieved when the machines are connected to the grid,” explains Marais.

“Given the high cost of diesel, dual-powered solutions help reduce operating costs for our customers. In our experience, the cost of running bi-power machines off the grid is 1/20 the cost of running them off a diesel engine. There is therefore a major cost benefit for our customers’ operations,” says Hopkins.

Apart from the Metso build quality, Hopkins says the complementary aftermarket support from Pilot Crushtec is crucial to ensuring high uptime. “In all our buying decisions, having a partner that we can trust for the long term is fundamental. Pilot Crushtec plays a crucial role in supporting us with all the necessary spares and technical expertise to keep our Metso machines running,” concludes Hopkins.