There are several trends currently shaping the quarrying industry in South Africa. According to Brad Castle, product manager at Bell Equipment, global trends in the quarrying sector include stricter safety and environmental regulations, adoption of automation/digitalisation, skills shortage and rising operational costs. The same trends, he says, are being experienced in South Africa, although there is a greater appetite for digitalisation than automation at this stage.
The same view is shared by Ivan van Heerden, MD of Dynamic Weigh Systems, who says that there has been an increased focus on efficiency and cost-saving. Efficiency in quarries is vital for maximising profitability, minimising waste and ensuring sustainability by optimising resource utilisation, as well as improving overall production.
“By utilising new technologies and making data-driven decisions, as well as investing in operator education, quarries can win the efficiency battle at their operations,” says Van Heerden. “As the industry seeks to drive efficiencies, we see a growing uptake of onboard weighing solutions. However, the adoption at this stage seems to be limited to wheel loaders. We will use the coming conference to highlight an array of other solutions that allow for an entirely integrated approach from face to loadout.”
Rui Caldas, CEO of Caldas for Crushers Wears Spares, has observed the emergence of new-generation young entrepreneurs, particularly from previously disadvantaged communities, coming to the fore. He has also seen a trend where big holding groups are diversifying their traditional construction materials businesses by entering into the mainstream production of commodities.
Pieter Uys, business development manager at Multotec, says there has been a definite move to place more focus on sustainability, thus reducing the industry’s impact on the environment. Quarries, he adds, are also increasingly implementing new technologies, particularly digitalisation and automation, to increase efficiency and boost production.
Commenting on how the industry can navigate new changes, Uys says, “I believe the best way to navigate the trends is to embrace change, not fight it, as well as learning from past experiences. At Multotec we draw valuable lessons from over 50 years of experience in screening.”
Key exhibits
To help quarries meet their new operational obligations, Multotec will use the IQSA Conference to showcase numerous screening solutions. These include, but are not limited to, some of the company’s newest product developments in fine screening.
One of the solutions the company will highlight is the Multotec side-tension MBV mats. A key feature of these mats is their modularity, meaning that only areas that have failed need to be replaced, instead of replacing the whole large sheet because of failures in smaller areas of the screening deck. This presents a major cost saving, while reducing downtime.
“The once-off tensioning is another major feature of the side-tension MBV mats. These mats are only tensioned on initial installation, thereafter, you only replace the MBV strip/s that has/have been damaged without releasing and tensioning the whole mat again. This has a major reduction on downtime and the labour component related to changing out screening media,” says Uys.
In addition, the Multotec MBV mats are renowned for their self-cleansing properties. Because of the elliptical movement of these mats while in motion, they clean themselves, leading to less blinding and pegging. The resultant effect is a reduction in downtime and labour costs as the need for constantly cleaning screening media is reduced drastically.
Another product to be showcased at the show consists of the MultoSensepanels. With real-time monitoring of vibration patterns, it is easy to promptly identify issues such as loose, damaged or missing screen panels. Another benefit is the early detection of mechanical issues, including damage to cross-members and stringers, as well as exciter motor and counterweight imbalances, helping to prevent unexpected breakdowns.
The MultoSense panels ensure continuous measurement of wear on screening media, providing predictive insights into maintenance scheduling and timely replacement. In addition, the immediate identification of pegging and blinding occurrences enables proactive maintenance interventions to sustain optimal throughput.
“Multotec’s sensor-equipped screening panels represent a significant technological advancement in the quarrying and mining industry. By offering real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance insights, these innovative sensors help optimise screening performance, minimise downtime and enhance overall plant efficiency,” says Uys.
Caldas for Crushers Wears Spares will use this year’s show to showcase its latest product range, particularly the ready-to-operate, entry-level portable comminution equipment. “These plants offer low capital investment, immediate availability, they are simple to transport and require low skill levels. Customers can also have peace of mind knowing that they have guaranteed backup support from a partner that has proven itself over the past 30 years,” says Caldas.
According to Van Heerden, DWS will be using IQSA 2025 to introduce its new Bluetooth beacons which automatically select the stockpile being used during loading, thus removing the need for operator input.
Bell offering
Bell Equipment will use the show to highlight its niche Bell 4×4 articulated dump truck (ADT) range, which comprises the B30E 4×4, B45E 4×4 and the B60E 4×4. Operating Bell 4x4s in quarrying, says Castle, has been proven to reduce production costs through shorter cycle times, reduced fuel burn and minimal wear on haul roads – all of which translate into increased production and profit.
“One of our long-standing quarrying customers has seen significant gains from their fleet of eight Bell B30E 4×4 ADTs since the end of 2023. The company traditionally used 30-tonne (t) haulage vehicles in its quarrying operations, as well as traditional 6×6 Bell B30D models and various other sizes of Bell E-series ADTs.
“The client has found the Bell B30E 4×4 to be of great benefit for many reasons. By having only two axles, the truck can turn in tighter circles than that of a six-wheeled machine. There is also less scuffing on the road, which promotes longer tyre life and less wear on haul roads. Through the analysis of differential and final drive oils, the customer also discovered that scuffing induces strain through the drivetrains of traditional six-wheeled ADTs, a problem they do not have with the 4×4,” says Castle.
Despite their shorter bin, the 4×4 trucks carry the same loads as the 6×6 model ADTs, which is 28 t on average. Having a slightly shorter body length that is offset by the wider body of the bin, and no centre axle, the Bell B30E 4×4 ADTs can negotiate sharp turns found in quarries better than their 6×6, three-axle counterparts.
“The Bell B30E 4×4 ADTs made an immediate impact on the customer’s production, especially in terms of shortening cycle times. At this particular customer’s site, the trucks have comfortably shaved off one minute off a ten-minute cycle,” says Castle. “The customer noticed that the B30E 4×4 ADTs were also lighter on fuel, which has a direct effect on lower production cost per tonne of any material they move,” adds Castle.
In addition, Bell Equipment pioneered the production of ADTs that are Level 9-ready, meaning the vehicles can accept the installation of proximity detection systems (PDS) and collision avoidance systems (CAS) without the need for any modifications, helping the industry to comply with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources’ PDS/CAS regulations. More importantly, customers can retrofit PDS technology to their older Bell ADTs.
“All Bell ADTs offer industry-leading production, machine protection and safety features such as the PDS-ready platform that integrates with third party systems. In terms of safety and machine protection, our trucks feature keyless start, Hill Assist to prevent rollback on slopes, as well as Tip Safe to prevent rollovers due to unsafe tipping angles,” explains Castle.
In addition, Bell offers one of the most accurate onboard weighing systems on the market, which comprises three weighing points and has proven to be accurate to 5%, irrespective of the amount and distribution of the material being loaded.
“Onboard weighing is an integral feature of our Bell Fleetm@tic® telematics system that makes it possible to provide customers with useful production information, including payload, fuel consumption and tip cycle data to monitor and maximise their operational and fleet efficiencies,” says Castle.
Excitement brewing
Ahead of the 2025 IQSA Conference, several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) interviewed by Quarrying Africa expressed their excitement at exhibiting at this year’s show. “It is a great privilege to be associated with such great industry organisations such as IQSA and ASPASA, with whom I have personally been linked since 1991,” says Caldas.
“Multotec is excited, privileged and honoured to engage with our quarrying customers at this year’s IQSA Conference, while together we navigate, explore and conquer the changing landscape that faces the industry,” says Uys.
Castle says Bell Equipment is a proud, long-standing Associate Member of ASPASA, a partner association to IQSA. “Our local sales and distribution network, Bell Equipment Sales South Africa (BESSA), is a B-BBEE Level 1 company that offers a range of load and haul, as well as crushing and screening solutions from the world’s leading equipment brands, including Bell, Kobelco, JCB and Finlay,” explains Castle.
With ADTs suited for all sizes of quarry operations – from the Bell B18E to the B60E 4×4 – Bell has a range of JCB wheel loaders and Kobelco excavators that are matched to provide the lowest cost per tonne loading solutions. JCB telehandlers and skid steers are also useful utility solutions for machine maintenance and housekeeping under conveyor systems respectively, while the Bell tri-wheeler forklifts and JCB backhoe loaders are versatile general housekeeping tools.
“The Finlay range of crushing plants comprises jaw, impact and cone crushers, complemented by horizontal, incline and scalping screeners. In addition, the choice of two-tracked stacking conveyors delivers operational cost-reduction, site efficiency and improved material quality through reduced handling in certain applications,” concludes Castle.
