Silverstone Crushers
SDLG wheel loader achieving high levels of productivity for material handling company
Silverstone Crushers in Brits, which sits equidistant between Pretoria and Rustenburg in South Africa, is achieving levels of productivity that far exceed what one might expect. From a site that covers just 2-hectares and boasts a single jaw crusher and screen combination, designed, developed and constructed in-house, that is. What’s more, all material handling on site is carried out with a single SDLG LG938L wheel loader equipped with a standard 1.8 m3 general purpose bucket that works around the clock on a 3-shift pattern. “Our crushing and screening plant can process approximately 300-tonnes/8-hour shift,” explains Managing Director Hans Kotze. “The SDLG wheel loader is a key element of the entire process here as we use it for loading the hoppers, managing the stockpiles and then loading trucks with aggregate sized from sand, >6 mm, >9 mm, >13 mm and >19 mm.” Silverstone Crushers processes slag from chromium producers in the area, crushing and screening it to produce aggregate for use in its own ready mix concrete batching plants, of which it operates three in the Pretoria area. “Essentially, we are taking the waste from one industry and refining it so it has a secondary use,” says Hans. “Our batching plants supply the five largest contractors in South Africa and our concrete can be found across largescale projects such as major shopping mall developments, where it’s used for the flooring.”
Key elements to success
On-site, the SDLG LG938L wheel loader, which was delivered three years ago, South Africa – 15 has recently surpassed 10,000 hours of operation. “We grease every day and service every 500-hours,” explain Hans. “In this application and environment, I’ve not seen another machine that can better the SDLG in terms of productivity, versatility and reliability.” Hans says that a key element of the operation’s success is Plant Manager Lourens De Jager. “Lourens is the main peanut in the packet,” he says. “He knows how to optimise our performance and in terms of the crushing and screening plant he designed, developed and built it all in-house.”
Delighted with dealer support
When it comes to the SDLG wheel loader, Lourens has been instrumental in keeping the machine at its optimum performance. “With this single SDLG LG938L we’ve managed to load up to 1,600 tonnes of aggregate in a single 8-hour shift for transportation to our batching plants,” says Hans. “This level of productivity over a sustained period has really proved the product for us and I’d say we’re very happy about our decision to operate SDLG machinery. Indeed, we now have a second LG938L working on 12-hour shifts at one of our batching plants and that’s already clocked-up 5,500 hours without any major issues.” As with any machine, dealer support is a prerequisite and to this end Silverstone Crushers is delighted with the support provided by Babcock International. “The support from Rob Baker and the service from Babcock has been excellent,” says Hans. “I would class Rob more as a member of the family than a salesman. We’re extremely happy to benefit from and enjoy his support and friendship and its thanks to him and SDLG that we’re now in pole position.”