In the picture: One of the 125 Konecranes units assisting in the smooth running of CITIC Pacific Mining’s Sino Iron project

One of Australia’s largest crane installations at CITIC Pacific Mining’s Sino Iron project is benefiting from the safety, efficiency and reliability of Konecranes CXT and SM cranes.

Konecranes supplied a total of 125 units – a mixture of CXT wire rope hoists and SM winches from 1.5 tons -125 tons lifting capacity to the Sino Iron project, Australia’s largest magnetite mining and processing operation located at Cape Preston, 100 kilometres south west of Karratha in WA’s Pilbara region. The SM winches, in 75t and 125t options, are generally used for process related tasks in the ball mills, aggregate mills and magnetic separators, such as loading new balls into the mill. The CXT monorail hoists handle the comparatively lighter loads and are generally performing non-process related tasks such as service and maintenance.

Konecranes’ world leading safety and efficiency technology is backed by local knowledge and support with over 31 sales and service locations across Australia and New Zealand.

“The Konecranes units certainly benefit our operations, particularly where there’s no pedestrian access,” says Mr Alan Shepley, Senior Coordinator, Maintenance Services, CITIC Pacific Mining.

Konecranes has just recently completed the assembly and installation of several new 75t and 125t SM cranes for the concentrator at Sino Iron.

Konecranes Branch Manager for North West WA, Mr Steven Greenshields said the operation went very smoothly. “It has to date been a safe and highly successful build and install carried out by a professional and competent on-site install team.”

To provide further support to the Sino Iron project, Konecranes has two technicians permanently stationed on site for 12 hours a day, every day of the year to perform service and maintenance on all the cranes, for which Konecranes has the maintenance contract – reducing downtime when servicing or maintenance is required.

CXT Hoists

CXT wire rope hoists are staple lifting devices used widely throughout Australasia and globally in maintenance tasks, production lines, engineering and processing plants and industrial warehouses and factories. Their strength, compact size, speed, reliability and safety make them indispensable in production facilities where time is money and space is limited.

Konecranes CXT wire rope hoists are designed to be industry benchmarks of safety and ergonomics, with easy and effective load handling and optimum dimensions for space saving solutions. CXT hoists utilise the latest technology for improved load accuracy, versatility and ease of use – making them the industry leader in medium-heavy indoor cranes.

SM Cranes

Konecranes’ SM ‘Spacemaker’ range of cranes combines excellent operating height and hook approaches with compact, lightweight construction. These characteristics produce substantial savings on building costs (up to 30% in many cases) and a maximum of work space.

The SM trolley features a totally enclosed transmission, with a low dead weight and low height requirement. It comes with hardened and ground gearing, which allow for longer life and quieter operation.

–www.australianmanufacturingnews.com