Wirtgen’s big plans for surface extraction machine mobility

RSS475 Wirtgen Group joint president Stefan Wirtgen said the German quarrying equipment manufacturer will be looking to develop new mobile screening and crushing machines as it looks to “dramatically” increase its presence in the surface extraction sector.

Speaking alongside his brother and fellow Wirtgen Group president, Jürgen Wirtgen, at the Group’s recent Mineral Technology Days event, Stefan Wirtgen said: “We see the future in mobile crushing and screening products. We think there are advantages in them, such as lower investment costs than static units. There are also reduced requirements in terms of siting regulations, so a machine can be placed exactly where it’s needed.”

Meanwhile, speaking elsewhere at the Mineral Technology Days event, Thomas Khühle, 435 Kleemann’s technical director, said that while static crushing and screening machines represented 80% of the market in 1990, that had fallen to just 45% in 2010. At the same time, the mobile machine market had gone from 5% of all sold machines in 1990, to 40% in 2010.

“Every second [crushing and screening] machine will be mobile in ten years’ time,” said Khühle.

Developing new mobile screening and crushing units would allow the Wirtgen Group to continue its long history of innovation in mineral technologies, which has more recently included the creation of the Vario Miner for an Australian customer; the HT15 Quick-Change Tool Holder System; and the Wirtgen Pick Inspection System.

The Wirtgen Group of companies comprises the Wirtgen, Kleeman, 6047 Vögele, and 425 Hamm brands.

It already has more than 400 Wirtgen and Kleemann surface extraction-related units – including the Wirtgen Surface Miner 4200 SM; the Kleemann Mobicat and Mobirex series of tracked jaw crushers; and Kleemann’s Mobiscreen tracked screening units - operating at mines and quarries worldwide.

Stefan Wirtgen added: “We see growth in this area and will expand our work here dramatically. In the next few exhibitions, we will be surprising people with our new [crushing and screening] products.”

On the importance of emerging markets to the Wirtgen Group’s ambitions in the surface extraction machine sector, Jürgen Wirtgen said the Group was keen to develop the Kleemann brand in India, having successfully started production of Hamm single drum compactors at the Group’s plant in Pune.

The Wirtgen Group had, said Jürgen Wirtgen, spent the last five years speaking to “big players” in the surface extraction sector, including 3680 FMG and 6603 BHP Billiton, about what Wirtgen perceives are the cost saving and efficiency benefits offered by surface extraction applications. These, he said, included the capability of mining 100% of mineral deposits, as the primary crusher is integrated into the surface miner preventing the need for drilling and blasting at the quarry face.

“Surface mining has proven its suitability. We believe that surface mining has a big future. That’s why we are investing so heavily in it,” added Jürgen Wirtgen.

More than 1,400 mining specialist and quarry operators from more than 60 countries attended the Wirtgen Mineral Technology Days at Wirtgen’s Windhagen, Germany headquarters on 13 and 14 September, 2012.

During the event, Jürgen Wirtgen said the Wirtgen Group expects to achieve record net sales of €1.8 billion in 2012. This would represent a slight rise on 2011 net sales of €1.76 billion.