Example 1: Kumba Resources

Kumba Resources completed a comparative test at Sishen Iron Ore Mine on one of their main conveyors (1500 wide ST 2000 Belt) transporting 6500 tons per hour @ 3.4 meters per second. They use only 30 series Idlers on this belt. In order to prove our point, we submitted our normal 25 series Idler Rolls for this test. As per their own wording in the report “These idlers are exposed to the worst conditions inter alia:

1. Operating in a high dust area
2. Clay build-up is common in this area
3. High-pressure water is used to clean under and between the Idlers”.

The engineers working at this side made the initial comment that any idler that will be able to handle 50 million tons of Iron Ore before failing will be a drastic improvement for them and would be seen as a superior product.

At the end of the test period, these Idlers transported nearly 130 million tons of Iron Ore without a single failure. The Diagnostic Engineering Department at Kumba Resources makes use of sophisticated thermography equipment to determine the condition of the bearings inside the roller.

The inspections done proved that the Megaroller Idlers were still in good condition with the bearings running at an average temp of 25 ºC against the opposition bearings running at an average of 49.8 ºC. During the above period, most of the 30 series test rollers were changed – in some cases even more than once.

Example 2: Port Operations Saldanha

At South Africa Port Operations Saldanha, Megaroller produced similar results. The rollers transported in excess of 100 million tons of material and were still in excellent condition. The initial reason for Transnet to look at new products was that their rollers were exposed to high-temperature variations, regular rainfall, wind, and seawater spray.

Example 3: Impala Platinum

Impala Platinum invited most of the major idler manufacturers to participate in various test programs conducted over a period of more than 3 years in their plants and underground in Rustenburg.

At the end of 2004, these results were presented to management, and based on this evidence, Impala Platinum decided to enter into a long-term contract with Megaroller for the exclusive supply of idlers. Megaroller has remained the exclusive supplier of HDPE idlers to Impala since then and has enjoyed a more than ten-year relationship.

Example 4: Sasol Coal

At Sasol Coal, Sasol has a 20km long conveyor, which runs through a number of agricultural areas and a town. When Sasol Coal decided to speed up this belt to 6.5 meters per second, the existing rollers created vibrations, premature failures, and unacceptable noise levels.

Megaroller was invited together with other competitors, for an official test including a noise pollution test. Independent experts were used to measure the noise levels of the test idlers supplied by the various companies. The test results showed that a total noise difference of 21 decibels was measured between the standard steel idlers being used at the time and the Megaroller idlers.

These figures surpassed all expectations and based on these results Megaroller was selected as the exclusive supplier of all HDPE products to Sasol, which is still in place today.

Example 5: Harmony Gold

Conveyor belt life is very much dependent on the condition of the conveyor idlers, frame structures, and general housekeeping. It follows that the more roller failures you have the more damage can be caused to your conveyor belt and premature replacement of conveyor belts are a very costly exercise.

In 2010 Harmony Mine gave the total maintenance of most of their underground belts for the Target 1 shaft over to a Maintenance Company that has had a longstanding relationship with Megaroller due to results they achieved from using Megaroller products. This company, as with most similar businesses, are paid a monthly fee to ensure a minimum tonnage. It is thus in their own financial interest to ensure that products are used which ensures an increased production at the lowest total cost of ownership.

Due to the failure of idlers used at the time of the inception of the contract, the company had to replace 12,000 idlers, which were replaced with Megaroller HDPE idlers. Due to the incredible longevity of Megaroller idlers, they started to replace fewer and fewer idlers over time. In year 5 they replaced a total of 1200 idlers for the whole year due to the increased lifetime of the idlers. They also managed to improve the availability of the belt from just under 50% to 97% for the year. If only 1% of the additional tonnage value over the period is calculated, then the total value of the idlers replaced over the same period could be covered a few times over.

These cases are only a few examples of how Megaroller products have added value to their customers. It is thus clear that Megaroller products play a significant role in the achievement of a sustainable and profitable conveyor system.