Steelworks Conveyor Reinstatement

Liberty OneSteel in Whyalla, a wholly owned subsidiary of GFG Alliance, is Australia’s only manufacturer of steel long product, producing over 1.2 million tons per annum of raw steel.

In April, a fire occurred on a conveyor at the steelworks which spans over a length of approximately 340 meters from feed to discharge end. With the main conveyor unutilised, the site had to use trucks to move the product; this meant an unplanned extra cost.

Fenner Dunlop’s Whyalla branch was promptly available to assist in the recovery, with the challenge of completing the overhaul of the damaged conveyor in only 38 days. The project involved having 120 trough idler frames, 400 trough idlers, 50 return idlers, 100 return idler brackets, nine return tracking frames and nine trough tracking frames manufactured and delivered to site. Furthermore, five pulleys were removed and completely overhauled which included new lagging, bearings and housings. 

With the new conveyor structure in place, 672m of 1200mm wide Duracon conveyor belt was installed. The Duracon belt is a fit for purpose, cost-effective alternative belt range backed by Fenner Dunlop’s comprehensive warranty and manufacturing expertise.

“Every customer project is unique but this one was a big challenge, they had highly qualified engineers working with us to develop the best solution. We understand that downtime can impact the operation productivity, with this in mind our focus was to finish the project on time and without incident” said Colin Kranz, Fenner Dunlop Branch Manager – South Australia.

The outcome of this project reinforces Fenner Dunlop’s commitment to be a trusted advisor for material handling in the mining industry. The work was completed ahead of schedule with no incidents, and the product line was fully operational the day after the conveyor recovery was completed.