Mining is a capital-intensive industry, and breakdowns and downtime are costly. Challenging economic conditions, intense global competition, environmental regulations and a continuous focus on safety, coupled with the need for zero downtime, are just some of the critical issues in this industry. Mining equipment must be robust enough to meet the challenges of harsh working conditions and high potential risk, while still ensuring maximum safety. Only the best components can withstand these extremes.
Over the last few years, advances in technology and equipment have dramatically increased production rates, reduced extraction costs and raised health and safety standards in mines around the world. Today, mine owners and operators can select the right equipment for their particular needs from a vast range of suppliers. However, it is still a balancing act. Optimum performance with a long lifecycle and proven endurance at the most cost-effective price remains the industry’s holy grail.
SMC understands the mining industry
With a firm understanding of the mining industry, pneumatics and automation specialist, SMC Pneumatics is a leading supplier to mines worldwide and can provide high quality solutions capable of withstanding the aggressive mining environment. SMC Pneumatics South Africa’s regional sales manager, Manny Vieira, says that there is no solution that the SMC team cannot find an answer to. With 51 subsidiaries located at key sites around the world, the company has been developing standard and special products for mining applications in Australia, Canada, China, North and South America, Russia and South Africa for over half a century. This global experience has resulted in a multicultural team of mining experts that share information and knowledge, and have developed some of the best performing products available in the industry.
“The mining industry is a key focus area for us. SMC has been providing pneumatic solutions to this sector since 1968 and has developed components to withstand some of the toughest environments. Over the years, we have worked with numerous customers in this sector and our offerings are built specifically around their needs,” he adds.
SMC offerings to the mining industry
Understanding some of the broader challenges that the mining industry faces allows the SMC team to provide the best possible support. Large bore cylinders, air filtration equipment, air dryers and shut-off valves are just some of SMC’s offerings to the mining industry. “We can build a complete range of high quality pneumatic cylinders up to 500 mm bore size with guaranteed long lifecycle performance”, he continues. “And specifically the VPT series of tried and tested bomb-proof solenoid valves, developed specifically for harsh environments, is the product of choice in numerous mines throughout the world.
“In addition, SMC has the perfect solution for taking components out of harm’s way, thanks to our purpose-built control cabinets to support various applications. By keeping solenoid valves and filtration systems enclosed, it is easy to maintain them and increase the working life of the components”.
Each cabinet is custom-built, based on customer requirements. Prior to building, customers will receive a layout and circuit drawing for approval. Depending on the application, components fitted into the cabinet include AW series filter regulators, VHS series pad lockable isolation valves, VP7 series solenoid valves, KQG2 stainless steel fittings and KQ2 standard push-in fittings. To add to this, all solenoid valves are individually isolated for improved safety and long service life. Solenoids can be locked off in the top cabinet while the bottom cabinet is free for operators to do their isolations free from contact with electrical circuits.
“Essentially, SMC designs and builds customer-centric solutions. As our history has proven, our company has evolved around the needs and requirements of our customers and continues to do so in the mining industry,” he concludes.
SMC Pneumatics is a leading pneumatics provider and has been voted for three consecutive years as one of the most innovative global companies by Forbes magazine. The company has sales offices in 83 countries, employing over 20 000 people across the globe. It has an R&D engineering team of 1450 and an 8200 strong sales force of experts who enjoy a close working relationship with customers. To deliver automation solutions for its diverse customer base, SMC offers more than 12 000 basic products with over 700 000 variations.
| Tel: | +27 11 100 5866 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.smcza.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about SMC Corporation South Africa |
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