Machines and equipment utilised in the cement industry operate in highly corrosive environments. When a leading cement producer faced constant downtime due to frequent unforeseen failures of its elevator chain last year, the company turned to SKF for its expertise. SKF provided an efficient elevator chain solution that reduced operational and maintenance costs and delivered a vast improvement in reliability, subsequently improving uptime and productivity for the cement producer.
“This is a rather unique and challenging application for our elevator chain as the product being transported is a combination of high-wear, high-density materials such as slag, limestone and gypsum,” explains product manager, Frans Odendaal. Manufactured from superior quality components, SKF’s elevator chain is more than up for the task, delivering optimum and reliable performance even in the toughest of environments.
SKF provided an installation manual and supervised the installation process. The company conducted an inspection on the elevator chain after it had been running with product and Odendaal confirms that they will continue to inspect the chain and other components at regular intervals to monitor wear and elongation.
According to Odendaal, although the cement producer is not a direct account, SKF has been involved with the company for many years through distribution partners. “Our current territory manager has been paying regular visits to the plant over the past ten years. There is no doubt that the exceptional performance of our elevator chain has served to strengthen our relationship with the cement producer,” he concludes.
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