Metso is aiming to further expand the global footprint of the Jonsson mobile crushing and screening brand that it bought in 2018.
Speaking to Aggregates Business at September's steinexpo quarrying and construction equipment event in Germany, Timo Nakari, VP of the Jonsson business line, said that when Metso acquired the Swedish company, its business was centred in the Nordics. Jonsson machines are now available around the world.
The massive 133-tonne Jonsson L120-330 mobile crusher was on display at the steinexpo show in Nieder-Ofleiden. The machine can be transported and takes around two hours to set up. "Most of our customers [for Jonsson machines] will be quarry operators," says Nakari.
All Jonsson machines are electric, and Nakari says the L120-330 is unique as it has two crushers - a jaw and a cone - on the same chassis. The large Jonsson machines include primary crushers ranging from 80 tonnes to 150 tonnes. "We also have five cone models and plenty of screeners," says Nakari.
Around 300 exhibitors and 440 brands were present at steinexpo this year, and for the first time this included Chinese crushing and screening equipment manufacturer Mesda, which was making its debut at a European show.
Baojian Wang, VP international cooperation of Guangxi Mesda Group, said his aim is to bring the company to international markets, particularly Germany and other European countries.
He added: "Mesda promoted electric-power mobile machines in China from the very beginning. For a decade of growth, the sustainable, and environmentally-friendly power solutions have been a very important value of Mesda, that we would like to offer to the [international] markets."
As part of its expansion plans Mesda appointed Patrick (PJ) O'Donnell to the new position of business development director at the end of 2022.
He will be responsible for development of the global network for Mesda's crushing and screening business, and to establish a sales and service network which is close to Mesda's end customers.
Having worked for a number of global manufacturers O'Donnell has over 20 years of business development and sales experience in the crushing and screening industry.
Metso has extended its manufacturing capacity of mobile track-mounted crushing and screening equipment in the Indian city of Alwar with the opening of new manufacturing facilities. The manufacturer says the extended facilities will help it capitalise on market opportunities for its quarrying equipment across India, south-east Asia, the Middle East and southern Africa.
Following the extension, the total size of the Alwar factory will be approximately 340,000 square metres, adding 35% more capacity to the factory.
Markku Simula, president of the aggregates business area of Metso, says the Alwar site in the state of Rajasthan has had several extensions since it initially opened in 2008, with the latest being the largest yet, increasing the size of the factory by about one third and making it the company's largest manufacturing facility.
He added that the new extension will focus entirely on producing mobile track-mounted crushing and screening machines from several Metso Group brands. In addition to the mobile Metso Lokotrack equipment, the increased capacity will be used to manufacture mobile McCloskey and Tesab equipment. At the same site, Metso also produces wear parts and pumps for the aggregates and mining industries.
Simula says that India, south-east Asia and the Middle East represent "tremendous growth markets" for Metso. "If you look at our aggregates business globally, we are extremely strong in North America and Europe," he added. "Where we see the future growth opportunities is the eastern hemisphere. The countries that are most vibrant right now are India and Saudi Arabia. There is a lot of activity in quarrying in India. The Indian domestic [crushing and screening quarrying equipment] market is very competitive. We are by far the number one international player in India and the second largest overall after one of the domestic players."
Simula says particular opportunities in India come from the Indian government's plans to increase highway construction in the country from 39km per day to 60km per day.
Metso's NW Rapid range of portable wheel-mounted crushing machines, which can be set up very quickly, was developed to meet the needs of the Indian quarrying sector.
Simula adds that there are also major opportunities for Metso's business in Saudi Arabia from a number of huge projects such as The Line linear smart city that is under construction in Tabuk Province. The 170km-long city is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 project to diversify the country away from its current dependence on oil production.
The Alwar factory now employs approximately 1,300 people in total. The official opening of the new facilities took place on September 19, 2023, and Metso says that production ramp-up to reach full capacity will continue until the end of the year.
Currently, 38% of the Alwar plant's output is for the Indian domestic market with 62% being exported to 80 different countries.
The new factory showcases the most modern manufacturing practices, hosting several sustainability-driven functions like automated warehousing, automated assembly lines, modern painting lines and 13,000 solar panels installed to enable the increased energy production. After the extension, solar energy covers 85% of Alwar's total power generation, which is the maximum permitted as per state government guidelines.
"With the increased manufacturing capacity, Alwar becomes the major Metso site for increased domestic business in India and exports to Metso's customers globally," Simula says. "Additionally, significant investment has been made in engineering and R&D resources, making it one of our key global engineering hubs."
The expanded engineering centre at Alwar now has around 100 engineers and Simula says it will play an important role in product development for the company.
Kleemann has launched the MOBIREX MR 100(i) NEO/NEOe mobile impact crusher, the first member of the new NEO line.
The Germany-based manufacturer says the machine is efficient, powerful and extremely flexible – and all-electric operation is possible with the NEOe variant.
It adds that the machine's compact dimensions and a low transport weight mean the new MOBIREX MR 100(i) NEO/NEOe can be used flexibly, quickly and in a very wide variety of applications. Operation in tight spaces on work sites or in frequently changing places of work is easily possible. Operation ranges from different recycling applications, such as the processing of concrete, rubble and asphalt, to the processing of soft to medium-hard natural stone.
The new impact crusher is available with two versions: Depending on the application area, it can be run all-electrically with the drive concept E-DRIVE and thus, locally, free of CO2 emissions [MR 100(i) NEOe]. Alternatively, the machine is available with the tried-and-tested diesel-direct drive D-DRIVE.
Kleemann states: "Very high product quality is expected from an impact crusher, and this is precisely what the MOBIREX MR 100(i) NEO / NEOe delivers. This is guaranteed not only by the powerful crushing unit with its 4-ledged rotor with a large impact range and versatile rotor ledge options, but also by the 4m2 large, optional, single-deck secondary screening unit. This makes it possible to produce a classified final grain size. Through the use of an optional wind sifter, the final product quality can be additionally increased."
It adds that thanks to a SPECTIVE operating unit specially tuned to the functions, the operation of the MR 100(i) NEO / NEOe is simple and intuitive. With SPECTIVE CONNECT, operators have all relevant data on speed, consumption values, and fill levels at their fingertips on a smartphone or tablet and prepared in a clearly arranged manner. SPECTIVE CONNECT also offers detailed troubleshooting aids to assist with service and maintenance. A unique feature in this machine class is the fully automatic crusher gap adjustment and zero-point determination. Zero-point determination compensates for wear during crusher start, and a homogeneous crushing product is retained.
The new MOBIREX MR 100(i) NEO/NEOe machine will be introduced gradually starting in 2024 in Europe and North America.
Terex-owned Simplicity, an established name in the aggregates and mining Industry, has introduced the new MHS620X Modular Screen Plant, a mainstay of screening efficiency in Terex's modular product offering.
The MHS620X features the new "extra clearance" 6'x20' ESX Horizontal Screen launched earlier this year at ConExpo providing increased space between the screen decks resulting in easier maintenance access to the media, therefore improving overall maintenance safety. Other key features of the MHS620X include an extra heavy-duty I-beam frame, rigid diagonal truss construction and galvanised steel structure including walkways, stairs, and guard rails. The MHS620X emphasises safety, sustainability, ease of operation, and streamlined setup times.
The complete Simplicity's modular product line consists of several pre-designed wet and dry screening "plug and play" modules. The variety of bolt-on options are interchangeable and can be fastened on-site using basic hand tools, eliminating any disruptions to ongoing operations. For use in various applications like mining, aggregates, demolition and recycling and industrial minerals applications, this product offering can be incorporated into a compact site or as part of a multi-plant system. "Simplicity is one of 3 legacy brands within Terex MPS and has always stood for innovation and customer-centric solutions," said sales director Russ Burns. "The MHS620X embodies the Simplicity reputation by delivering efficient solutions that place safety, sustainability, and operational ease at the forefront."
Simplicity says it is continuing to drive industry progress by introducing cutting-edge technologies that redefine the landscape of crushing and screening operations.
In separate news, Terex, along with net-zero technology company Catagen and bus manufacturer Wrightbus, has been awarded £6.27m funding by the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero through Phase 2 of the Red Diesel Replacement programme as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP). This funding is part of an £8.1m project to decarbonise non-road mobile machinery, which will create 15 highly skilled jobs and highlight Northern Ireland's manufacturing and engineering expertise that is now being used to reduce emissions globally.
The project will deliver a decarbonised end-to-end demonstration of a Powerscreen Premiertrak 450E crusher and Chieftain 1700XE screener powered by green hydrogen and e-diesel at a working quarry site in Northern Ireland in 2024. Specifically, the Powerscreen equipment will be fuelled by Catagen's ClimaHtech E-FUEL GEN and COMPRESSOR technology, and Wrightbus is supporting the development of a mobile hydrogen refueller.
Dr Andrew Woods, CEO and co-founder at Catagen, said: "The pathway to decarbonise the off-road mobile machinery is difficult; these vehicles tend to be larger, built for extreme conditions, have long duty cycles and high-power demand. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so we are delighted to be making this bold step with Terex and Wrightbus to develop an end-to-end decarbonised solution. This will showcase a Powerscreen Premiertrak 450E crusher and Chieftain 1700XE screener at a quarry, powered by a dual-fuel hydrogen e-diesel genset, produced and fuelled by the ClimaHtech system and the Wrightbus Hydrogen refueller."
David Trimble, group engineering director at Terex, said: "This project will demonstrate an end-to-end solution for the decarbonisation of Terex crushing and screening equipment through driveline efficiency improvements and displacement of fossil diesel with e-diesel and green hydrogen. The main aim is to produce a robust set of equipment for the quarrying and recycling industries with net-zero carbon emissions and a significant reduction in all engine emissions."
Terex-owned crushing, screening and conveying equipment brand Finlay has appointed Warner Bau-und Industriemaschinen (WBI) as an authorised distributor partner in northern and western Germany.
Established in 1992, WBI is an integral part of the Warner Group, specialising in supplying and supporting construction machinery sales and rental.
With immediate effect, WBI will sell and support the full range of Finlay equipment, including parts, service and technical support. WBI has a wealth of construction industry experience and has been distributing Liebherr construction machinery since 1992.
Moreover, it already has experience in the materials processing business and operates from eleven outlets strategically located across the region.
Martin Engineering is highlighting the importance of a sealed conveyor loading environment for the health of the system and the safety of the workplace. R. Todd Swinderman, CEO Emeritus at Martin Engineering, says that by retrofitting modern equipment, operators can mitigate spillage and dust.
"Along with serious and expensive workplace and environmental violations, controlling dust also makes sense from an operational aspect," he states. "Fugitive particulates can foul rolling components, machinery, and equipment air intakes, requiring extra parts and labour for cleaning and maintenance. The hazards of dust emissions unnecessarily raise the cost of operation when there are methods and technologies designed to control and suppress dust emissions before they become airborne and cause these risks."
Most of the dust is from crushing or milling and involves transitioning from one step in the production process to another through a conveyor transfer. The hydrophobic properties of some aggregates also make it harder to control dust emissions using water without adding expensive surfactant additives. Modern conveyor-belt-transfer-point designs offer long-term solutions that mitigate dust and spillage with components that are safer and easier to maintain.
In surface operations, control of dust is difficult because it happens in the open air, and the fracturing of the in-situ material creates dust. Typically, the bulk material is loaded into haul trucks at the point of extraction and taken either to a conveyor transfer point or a crusher.
"As the material is dumped and crushed, the most effective dust control is the use of water, or if water addition to the material is a problem, foam is used," Swinderman says. "Water isn't as effective as foam but is often preferred due to the cost of foaming chemicals. There are some residual effects of water, but they are usually short-lived.
