Rent-to-own–rebuilt-shovel program in Brazil
SUPPLIERS NEWS
Given the reality of soft market conditions, when mine operators often look to rebuilt equipment as an alternative to new machines, P&H MinePro Services is offering what it believes is a more conservative shovel investment choice-the rent-toown option.
Two electric mining shovel excavators, completely restored by MinePro Brasil, are now at work on a rent-to-own basis, and a third is being readied for an early 2002 start-up. In addition, three P&H rebuilds are in the lineup at other Brazilian mines that purchased them directly. Meanwhile, several other P&H shovels are being renovated at the MinePro shop in Belo Horizonte for rental/purchase.
“We are finding increased interest in our area to acquire well-worked shovels that we have restored to top shape with a total renovation of electrical and mechanical functions,” says Andre Paio, managing director of MinePro Brasil. “Our rent-to-own program is further stimulating that interest by giving mine management the added option of pay-as-you-go financing as the shovel earns its keep.”
“After a complete reconditioning,” Paio adds that, “a shovel, with 60K hr or more, looks and works like new and can be counted upon for many more years of reliable, costeffective service.”
Rental agreements provide for regular payments during a five-year period, Palo explains, after which the mine owns the shovel. During that period, MinePro supports the machine under service and parts contracts. The mine also can purchase the shovel outright at any time during the rental phase.
MinePro’s first rebuilt rental in Brazil was a P&H 1900AL purchased from a Brazilian limestone mine, disassembled, transported, overhauled, and erected late in 2000 at CSN’s (Companhia Siderugica Nacional) Casa de Pedra Fe-ore mine. Paio reports that the shovel has achieved over 95% availability. Its performance has led CSN to rent another rebuilt 1900AL from MinePro, scheduled to begin operation in February 2002.
Paio says the work record of the first 1900AL at Casa de Pedra was also instrumental in the rental of a rebuilt P&H 2100BL shovel by MBR (Mineracoes Brasileiras Reunidas) for its Capitao do Mato Fe-ore mine, as an alternative to buying another type of loader. The 2100BL was purchased by MinePro from a Vulcan Materials limestone mine in Illinois, torn down, and transported thousands of miles to the Belo Horizonte shop of MinePro Brasil. There, under the direction of Rodrigo Gravata, the shop’s service manager, the machine received electrical and mechanical improvements, new gear and crawler components, and a rebuilt 17 yd3 dipper.
The 2100BL was commissioned for its new life at Casa de Pedra in August 2001, after a six-month erection project. An interesting sidelight to the shovel recommisioning is that MBR asked MinePro to design a special illustration for the shovel to show a jungle snake typical of that mining region for which the Capitao do Mato mine is named. This art is displayed on the 2100BL shovel’s exterior.
The first P&H rebuilt shovels in Brazil were purchased in 1999 by the Fosfertil mine-a pair of 1900ALs with about 20K hr each that had been parked at an asbestos operation and now are averaging availabilities of 96%-plus. MinePro Brasil recently built two, 18 yd3 dippers for the shovels to reduce the number of passes needed to load the mine’s 170-st haulers.
The most recently rebuilt shovel in Brazil has been working for several months at the Alegria mine of CVRD (Companhia Vale do Rio Doce), the nation’s largest miner, and one of the world’s biggest Fe-ore producers. CVRD asked MinePro to recondition a 1900AL from its Timbopeba pit 19 mi away.
To accelerate this job, MinePro employed a special “Portico” lifting system, utilizing hydraulic jacks instead of the usual mobile construction cranes to handle the undecking and reassembly of the shovel’s upper and lower units.
Paio says Alegria’s 1900AL is its first P&H machine, and is it exceeding the mine’s expectations, loading in four-hours the total daily output of the mine’s rubber-tire loader.
To sustain the growing market for rebuilt shovels, MinePro Brasil has acquired five 1900ALs from a Brazilian mine for renewal, machines with up to 60K hr each. One of them is already rented-a shovel slated for a February 2002 start-up at CSN-and Paio expects to have two more working by the end of 2002, either on a rent-to-own or direct purchase basis. Circle 200
Modular Mining Systems has introduced ProVision, a line of high-precision Global Positioning System (HPGPS) products for drills, shovels, excavators, and front-end loaders that are fully integrated with the IntelliMine mine management system.
ProVision systems use HPGPS technology, information from mine-planning packages, a wireless radio network, and onboard color graphics consoles (CGCs) to provide continuous highlevel information and data transfer in real-time between operations and planning on current projects and working conditions. Information displayed to the operator includes a map of the work region, real-time position in the region, continuously updated project requirements, and local hazards. Modular recently added ProVision Dozer to the suite, providing bulldozer operators with continuously updated cut-and-fill requirements, topography projects, the dozer’s real-time position in the region, and any hazards that may be present. ProVision’s GPS technology tracks both NAVSTAR IV GPS and the Russian GLONASS satellites to determine equipment locations to the highest accuracy available, at virtually any location in the mine. Circle 201
Philippi-Hagenbuch has developed a 42.5– gal Water Tank for 200– st-payload, off-highway trucks, such as the Caterpillar 789. Designed to meet OEM Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and axle-load split specifications, the PHIL Water Tank provides water at rates up to 1,500 gal/min and typically covers an entire haul road width in one pass. Constructed of high-strength, corrosion-resistant steel for lighter and more efficient tank/volume ratio, the Water Tank’s three-piece construction includes a unique hinged baffling design (patent pending) that features three front and three rear bullheads for easy access to the tank’s interior. The Water Tank is built with no interior restrictions, minimizing confined space concerns vs. conventional tank designs, and a worker can walk from end to end in the tank for easy maintenance. Safety features include a back guard on the rear ladder and a safety rail around the unit’s unique flat-style top. The unit employs a front-mounted water cannon that allows distribution of water from 150 to 200 ft. Six specialized spray heads are rear-mounted and include four horizontal sprays and two vertical sprays. Circle 202
The latest addition to Flexco’s SR ScallopedEdge conveyor belt fastener system is the model RAR8, featuring a high-strength, eightrivet attachment for reliable splicing on longer, wider, and heavily loaded belts in underground mining. Designed for longer life on higher-tension belts with mechanical fastener ratings up to 1,500 PIW (263 kN/m), the new fasteners also offer the advantages of RustAlloy, a low-chrome stainless steel alloy. The RAR8 fasteners will fit the same belt thickness range as RAR6 fasteners and will wrap smoothly around the same minimum endpulley diameter of 18 in. under full-rated tension. The SR fastener design grips the belt end between top and bottom plates, approximately 1.5-in. wide and joined at one end by two wide-hinge loops. Each fastener segment is secured to the belt end with a hammer-driven, self-setting rivet attachment to simplify installation and shorten downtime. Fastener strips are offered in five lengths to suit standard belt widths. Circle 203
Perkins Engines has launched its 1100 Series, a new range of diesel engines conforming to EU and North American Stage2/Tier2 onhighway emissions requirements. The new engine line starts at 3.3-1 displacement and introduces a three-cylinder model with natural or turbo-charged aspiration and mechanical fuel injection. A 4.4-1, four-cylinder design follows, with natural aspiration, turbo charging or turbo air/air-charge cooling technology. Topping the range is an all-electronic 6.0-1, six-cylinder model with turbo air/air-charge cooling. This, like the electronically controlled four-cylinder models, provides precise functional response and full integration with machine systems. 1100 Series models offer 500-hr service intervals, ecologically friendly filters, and the benefit of up to 3 dB(A) noise reduction. Circle 204
Copyright PRIMEDIA Intertec Jan 2002
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