Despite the old age of the majority of Symons crushers in the field, a large installed base remains operational across the world, signalling how these robust, legendary cone crushers are valued by their owners. Customers operating these machines can benefit from Metso’s commitment to the Symons crusher fleet through parts supply, as well as upgrades and modernisations for improved performance, safety and extended lifetime.
“The Symons is a legend in the world of cone crushers. These crushers are robust, easy to repair, and require little maintenance, which is why they are highly valued by their owners and are widely recognised as the backbone of crushing operations in many regions of the world. As part of our commitment to the Symons range, we have a dedicated team focusing on the product,” says Charlotte Kilpinen, Global Product manager, Metso.
Metso has invested in its supply chain to reduce both the cost of parts and turnaround times. In addition, Metso has invested in inventory across strategically located distribution centres so that lead times can be reduced. The company is currently working to streamline a more competitive pricing of parts.
“To ensure that operators of Symons crushers have the parts they need, at a reasonable price, Metso has implemented a strategic stocking program for the Symons 2, 3, 4, 4¼, 5½ and 7 ft cone crusher parts,” says Kilpinen.
Benefits of OEM parts abound
Firstly, says Kilpinen, Metso’s Symons parts are manufactured to complement the design of the Symons crushers. They are engineered to deliver certain desired outputs and tolerances. Being the OEM of the Symons cone crushers since their first production in 1928, Metso has the know-how to engineer the parts to fit and function seamlessly with the crusher kinematics and instruments.
Secondly, the high quality of Metso OEM parts ensures a longer lifetime, which directly reduces the cost per tonne of crushed material. Many replacement parts profess to be reliable, but they are still not made according to the OEM’s requirements in terms of design and materials. In addition, generic parts can lead to additional costs by breaking and causing wear to other parts or to the whole system. In contrast, OEM parts require less frequent repairs and replacements and will help extend the crusher’s life.
By dealing with Metso directly or its distributors in some regions, Symons cone crusher owners have access to expert technical knowledge and support. Metso technicians are professionals who understand the machines and know how they work.
Upgrades and modernisations
Apart from OEM parts, Metso offers upgrades and modernisations which allow Symons cone crushers to perform like modern-day machines, no matter their age. These upgrades improve reliability and help customers ramp up capacity. By opting for crusher upgrades, Symons owners can also prolong the life of their equipment and make it more efficient. Upgrades also provide additional safety for maintenance crews and help simplify and speed up maintenance.
For increased production, the Advanced Bowl Adjustment Control upgrade can lead to productivity gains of up to 20%, thanks to a remote setting feature that reduces the need for manual setting and makes for easier adjustment. This feature also reduces maintenance time and improves safety during bowl removal and installation.
For increased reliability, Metso offers replacement Hydraulic Power Units (HPU). Many of these upgrades are based on integrating hydraulics. In most cases, a replacement power unit is mandatory to take full advantage of the upgrade features.
With Metso’s Hydraulic Lock Posts upgrades, customers can simplify their bowl-locking procedure with safer and faster setting adjustments for their Symons crushers. Hydraulic cylinders replace mechanical posts, reducing the labor and time required to change crusher settings from hours to seconds.
Delivering customer successes around the globe
By installing some of these upgrades, a Symons crusher owner saw a 31% increase in machine availability, thanks to less time needed to adjust the unit’s bowl and Closed Side Settings (CSS). In fact, the crusher’s setting time was reduced from 30 minutes to five minutes, while the bowl removal time was reduced from three hours to 25 minutes and the adjustment ring removal time was reduced from 10 hours to three hours.
Another success story according to Johnny Carvalho, Technical Service Support, a major mining customer operating Symons 5½ ft cone crushers has benefitted significantly from utilising OEM parts and support. Due to wrong operating settings and incorrect oil viscosity, these machines experienced regular breakdowns, impacting the client’s production negatively. Leveraging OEM expertise, the Metso team was able to get down to the bottom of these issues, thus improving machine uptime and availability.
“One of the key challenges the client experienced was the excessive wear on socket liners, which had to be changed every six months. By switching to Metso liners, they now need to change them after only just two years. Not only are OEM parts lasting much longer, but they are saving the customer replacement downtime since they need to be replaced so seldom,” says Carvalho.
Understanding the value
Based on these proven benefits, several Symons crusher owners around the world are starting to consider Metso again for their parts, upgrades and technical support. This is testimony to the growing understanding of the value of OEM parts and technical support.
