Features

Wheeled loaders provide an efficient loading solution both at the quarry face and in the loading yard. ABE takes a look at the changing technology
The wheeled loader is a true quarry workhorse - it can provide productive truck loading at the quarry face or directly feed a mobile crusher hopper, as well as work in the loading yard. The addition of parallel linkage options on many models opens up a range of attachments that means the wheeled loader can also prove to be an effective house keeping tool.

Whi

Grupo Pinfra hopes to further improve productivity in its Mexican quarries with its latest mobile machinery acquisitions. Mexico-based Grupo Pinfra was one of the country's first aggregate producers to invest in mobile crushing and screening equipment. Twenty years on, the company is still confident that mobile equipment is key to meeting demand and has just expanded its fleet.

In 1991, Pinfra took delivery of two Metso Minerals Lokotrack LT125 mobile crushers and these have now clocked up 30,000 working

Demand for high quality aggregates in the United Arab Emirates remains strong and one drill and blast contractor is investing to improve productivity. Although construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi demand large volumes of aggregates, many quarries in those regions are being closed by authorities. Much of the demand is being met by quarries in the Emirate of Fujairah which are fast becoming the regions' 'bread basket' for gabbro aggregates. Meeting this demand is a challenge for these quarries an

Reducing airborne dust has helped one quarry in Trinidad to improve the environment of its workers and relations with its neighbours. Dealing with nuisance dust is an issue for almost every quarry and for those operating in the tropical paradise of the Caribbean, it is no different. One Trinidad-based quarry operator has recently tackled the problem and is seeing benefits for its workers, neighbours and its machine service life too.

Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) extracts around 1.1million tonnes of limes

Despite the higher initial cost, rigid dump trucks still offer lower costs and higher productivity in the long term
Articulated dump trucks and conveyors may be grabbing the headlines when it comes to lower investment costs and lower emissions, respectively, but rigid dump trucks (RDTs) still deliver best value. That is according to Caterpillar quarry industry sales representative Phil Walker, who told ABE, "The RDT is the first choice for hard rock quarry customers in Europe.

"When you add up all of th

Operating or walking close to moving machines presents quarry workers with a greater risk of accidents. ABE looks at technology aimed to protect the workforce. Quarrying equipment is by nature large and heavy but this presents some major risks to people working in the quarry. For machine operators, just accessing and exiting the cab can be dangerous, plus there is the risk of overturning while manoeuvring around the site. There is also the issue of visibility and ensuring the safety of quarry workers when t

With increasing numbers of mining and minerals companies taking advantage of renewables, Aggregates Business Europe looks at two UK-based companies who have been leading the way. In previous editions, renewables lawyer Sonya Bedford has discussed the legal issues (whether contractual, regulatory or relating to EU and member states’ competition laws) which arise from the rush to renewables, as well as the potential economic and social benefits to aggregates operators maximising the benefits of the earth’s na

Noise can be one of the biggest causes of complaints from neighbours surrounding quarries. ABE takes a look at the issue. Almost every stage of aggregate production from drilling and blasting, to loading and hauling, to crushing and screening creates some level of noise. These processes can all contribute to the ambient noise level in the area surrounding the quarry, which is why many quarries have restricted working hours.

With many quarries in Europe located close to residential areas, controlling no

A tracking technology, designed to travel through a mine or mineral processing plant in a series of simple steps, has been made smaller. SmartTag, a 20mm RFID (radio frequency identification) transponder, was designed to allow tracking of material from its source through blasting, run of mine pads, crushers, intermediate stockpiles and into the concentrator. The system was developed by Metso’s Process Technology and Innovation (PTI) Group, which is involved in mineral processing consulting. A significant am

As a quarry manager Julian Smallshaw spent years at the rock face. Now he organises the education and training that helps others do the job. He talks to Patrick Smith. As a youngster, Julian Smallshaw was fascinated by rocks, and his local quarry offered the ideal place to indulge this passion. It was while visiting the quarry that he was advised to send off a speculative job application. It paid off, and while he maintains the interest in mineralogy and geology, the one-time hobby turned into a career that