Materials handling machines such as in pit crushers, spreaders, shiploaders, stackers and reclaimers are major investment items for the ports and mines involved in the supply chain for export of commodities. Australia is one of the few countries to have its own standard for such equipment, AS4324 which was introduced in response to a number of machine failures in the early to mid-1990’s. When procuring new bulk materials handling machines, the following stages need to be considered:
• Identifying specification requirements
• Assessing which type of contract is most suitable
• Tackling challenges with overseas procurement
• Ensuring effective quality control and supervision
• Handling shipment, site erection and commissioning
14. Specification
• Define design, material and quality
requirements
• Ensure configuration and performance can be
met realistically
• Good knowledge of the design standards
• Industry experts should be consulted to
ensure that problems are not repeated
• Operators and maintainers should review
15. • Common practice for shiploaders
• Now possible for land based machines such as
stackers and reclaimers
• Considerable savings in onsite labour.
• Allows procurement from overseas where
costs are lower than in Australia.
• Include transport load cases and sea
fastenings
Modularisation
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. Type of contract
• Design and Construct (EPC) - Single Contract
• Design and Supply – (Installation &
Commissioning Separate)
• Design Contract – (Supply, Installation &
Commissioning Separate)
23. Challenges with overseas procurement
• Design
– Design by Experienced OEM - Fabrication
Overseas
– Design by new entrant OEM - Fabrication
Overseas
30. Overseas procurement - lessons
• Detailed review of specifications pre award
• Australian Standards discussed pre-award
• Review of the 3D model is needed
• Adequate translation resources needed
• Access design considered throughout the
design phase, not at the end.
• Supplier design 100% prior to placing orders
• Constructability review of design
31. Effective quality control and supervision
• Design Phase
– Effective Specification
Key Dimensions properly thought out
Interfaces Well Defined
Machine Loads required by other designers
– Owners Engineer Role
– Design Audit
32. • AS 4324.1 Appendix K guidance for
engagement of a design audit engineer
• Engage Design audit engineer before
specification for machine is finalized
• Involve audit engineer in tender review
Design Audit
33. Effective quality control and supervision
• Fabrication Phase
– Owners Engineer Role
– Local Inspectors
34. Shipment, site erection and commissioning
• Modular Construction
• Packing
• Road Transport o/s
• Shipment
• Road Transport in Country
• Erection/Installation Phase
• Cut in
We have been involved with materials handling machines at most of the major ports in Australia as well with quite a number of mining operations. These machines are large cost items and their performance is critical to the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the operation. Within the last 10 years there has been a lot of activity in new construction. Many existing machines are also at the end of their design lives and require replacement. However costs have risen dramatically and owners and engineering organisations are actively looking at more cost effective solutions.
The specification for the machine should cover design, material and quality requirements for manufacture and installation, commissioning and hand over to operations, provision of spare parts and requirements for ongoing maintenance. The specification needs to be written to ensure that the configuration and performance parameters upon which the requirements for the machine were determined can be met realistically in practice.
Specification of the design requires a good knowledge of the design standards, their limitations and interpretations of the design standards commonly used within the industry. Industry experts should be consulted to ensure that problems commonly encountered on equipment of this type are not repeated should review the specification. The operators and maintainers of the plant have a large influence on the ongoing safe performance of the machine and should also be involved in review of the specification.
A project shipping and transport plan should include details of load-out facilities at the overseas port and should be prepared in conjunction with the shipping agent and local road transport sub-contractor. A detailing ship packing list should be prepared, including all components and equipment. The ship packing list should detail the overall dimensions and weight of each item, therefore allowing a detailed stowage plan to be developed by the freight forwarder.
The design engineers need to ensure that the lifting and lashing lugs are captured in the design.
Special consideration will need to be given to the packing and quarantine regulations that apply to Australia. The protocol for custom clearance needs to be coordinated with the shipping agent.
It large components fabricated overseas will be unloaded and transported to site by road. Due to the restricted space available on site, the major components will often need to be stored off-site in a storage yard and transported when required for erection.
Where possible it is desirable to transport the machine to site in as large components as possible. However iot may still be necessary to remove some components such as the counterweights to facilitate safe shipping.
The construction methodology for replacement machines is normally to cordon off an end of the stockpile to allow the existing machines to operate while the new machines are being constructed and commissioned as shown
Once the new machines have been assembled, commissioned, and put into operation, the existing machines can be moved to one end of the yard, the area cordoned off, and the machines deconstructed as shown.
