Operational improvements: retrofits & upgrades

KEY BENEFITS

Minor repairs to major upgrades
Customised solutions
Experienced partner

What we offer

From minor repairs to complete upgrades – and everything in between

Industrial processes are typically hard on machinery and high on energy consumption. Frequent maintenance stops, ongoing repair bills and high operating costs can put a big dent in your profitability. But technology is moving forward all the time. New wear parts, new machinery and new techniques could help you eliminate bottlenecks, reduce costs and improve your environmental footprint. What are you waiting for?

Increase capacity

With a few key upgrades, you could see a significant increase in capacity. For example, a simple cooler upgrade at the Arabian Cement Company plant in Ramilya, Egypt, enabled the increase in throughput needed to support the plant’s production goals. All it required was a quick change to the cross bars and hydraulics. Read the story: Expanding capacity at Arabian Cement Company was quick and easy with a simple cooler upgrade. We’ve performed many such upgrades where we have been able to reuse existing equipment, retrofit new technologies and make significant process improvements. Let’s see how we could help you achieve your targets.

Eliminate bottlenecks

Bottlenecks can occur anywhere in your process, from a mill table that needs constant attention to a poorly designed truck loading system that can’t keep up with demand. These problems are standing in the way of your process’ true potential.

But bottlenecks are fixable. Take, for example the thickener project for Carpentaria Gold in Western Australia. By retrofitting the new Evolute™ feedwell, the thickener was able to recover more cyanide and more gravity gold, while utilising less raw water. Discover the amazing results: An Evolute™ feedwell upgrade gave Carpentaria Gold a 40% reduction in flocculant.

Reduce maintenance costs

Reducing maintenance needs is one of the main reasons customers come to us for repair and upgrade projects. At St Ives gold mine, for example, the frequent replacement of rubber impact bars on the primary crusher was disrupting production and pushing up costs. We replaced them with FerroCer impact ceramic wear panels for an instant, lasting imrpovement. Read the story about the St. Ives gold mine.

Another great example is the partial JETFLEX® burner upgrade we performed for Salt River Materials Group, which completely solved their flame stability issue and eliminated the maintenance challenges. Learn more about the burner upgrade at a reduced price.

Lower emissions

Strict emissions targets may necessitate a process upgrade. We’ve been working hard to make all our technologies more environmentally friendly so that you can achieve compliance and realise the performance you need to thrive.

That was the brief for the pyro upgrade at the Salonit Anhovo cement plant in Slovenia. We worked out a plan to carry out the work around their production requirements, including a cooler upgrade, new preheater system and the addition of a HOTDISC™. Read the full story on how Salonit Anhovo removed bottlenecks and upgraded its equipment with amazing results.

Make the most of our experience: talk to us about your emissions targets.

Reduce downtime

The Flotation Bypass System is a custom-designed system that provides a means of bypassing an individual cell in the flotation cell bank. Operators can increase overall productivity by eliminating the need to shut down the entire line for scheduled maintenance. With only a minor modification to your flotation circuit, you can eliminate thousands of hours of unnecessary downtime throughout the year. Learn more about how this economically strategic retrofit helps you maintain high levels of production.

Boost productivity and safety

To eliminate common bottlenecks in your reclaiming operation, we developed a retrofit package that is cost-effective and customisable. Upgrades to reclaiming equipment include improvements to bucket design, bucket wheel cute, bucket replacement, and centre chute backwall. Whether you implement one or all of them, you’ll see a reduction in downtime and maintenance. The improved designs decrease the frequency of contact with the equipment, which correlates to a safer, more productive environment.

Switch fuels

Fuel switching can help bring down costs and improve your environmental footprint, but it also carries wider implications for your process. We have helped customers to manage every type of fuel switch imaginable – so we can say with confidence that it doesn’t need to be a painful transition. China Resources Cement took advantage of our unique offering when they decided to burn urban and industrial waste at their Hongshuihe plant. They talked to our experts and soon decided that the HOTDISC™ was the right technology for their project. Within 6 months of installation, the HOTDISC™ handled 50 000 t of waste. A resounding success.

Partner with us

Choosing the right partner for your upgrade and improvement projects is so important. You need to find someone who understands your goals as well as your challenges. Someone with experience of your industry and all the pressures you face, as well as technological knowhow.

We believe that every successful project begins with a good working relationship. We work with you as well as independently to analyse your process and to discover the potential that lies within.

I’m thankful that we have FLSmidth in our corner, willing to try something new.
Gregg St Clair, vice presidentCement Operations at SRMG

With a global network of experienced engineers, we can support you at every stage, from design to supply to installation – and beyond! Projects might end after the final tests have been completed, but our relationships with our customers are ongoing. See for yourself.

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