[SPONSORED CONTENT] The material processing capabilities of this South Australian family firm have leapt ahead in recent times, thanks to a new Sandvik QA335 Doublescreen, supplied by Porter Equipment.
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Todd Bowden says that the addition of the Doublescreen has proven to be a sound strategic move for the company
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A mainstay of the South Australian aggregates industry for over 50 years, Sloan Sands operates from several sites north of Adelaide, including a wash plant at Lewiston, and the company’s main civil sand pit at the appropriately named Sandy Creek.
The company provides sand material to industry for all manner of purposes, including concreting, paving, trenching and filters. It also provides screened topsoil, screened and composted loams, river gravels and other aggregates. But sand is the main focus.
Todd Bowden from Sloan Sands says the family firm has always been a sand operation, but with bigger contracts coming through recently, the need to futureproof the frontline machine fleet became an immediate consideration.
“We were running an older screen, which we’ve looked after over the years, but we knew we needed to up our ability to process larger volumes of material,” he says.
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“The Sandvik actually came about when we were discussing another machine purchase with Porter Equipment. We looked at the options the Sandvik plant could give our operation, did some calculations and decided we liked the look of it.”
With Sloan Sands already running Hyundai wheel loaders (also supplied through distributor Porter Equipment) as part of its machine fleet, the firm was confident it would have the expertise on hand to establish the new screen and get it working to capacity as quickly as possible.
“The Sandvik is obviously a big step up from what we had here previously, but we had a lot of guidance from Porter Equipment in getting it on-site and working,” says Bowden.
“The volume we are processing daily now has probably doubled since we got the new screen; whereas we used to see an average of three trucks through the gate per day, we’re probably seeing six now We’re running 12 trucks from one pit; the Sandvik is just so quick and versatile, it means we’re almost running to keep up.”
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Bowden says he has been thoroughly impressed with the Sandvik QA335 Doublescreen the company purchased. He says the versatility of the screens – being able to reconfigure them from top to bottom and vice versa – is a huge operational bonus.
“Aside from the speed and robustness of the Sandvik, it’s also a simple matter of just not needing to have to do so much to get it running at the capacity we need it to run at,” he says.
Part of the extensive Sandvik line-up of heavy duty high-productivity screens, the Sandvik QA335 features their patented Doublescreen technology. The innovative system features two high velocity, angle adjustable screens. Both primary and secondary screenbox angles can be adjusted in over 20 different combinations to optimise screening performance and accuracy, depending on the material being processed and the configuration of the worksite.
Not only has the Sandvik QA335 Doublescreen been designed for best performance, but ease-of-operation has also been a feature recognised by users all over the world.
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The Doublescreen features two high velocity, angle adjustable screens. As well has being a boost to production, the Doublescreen has also led to a reduction in fuel use
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The screen comes equipped with sequential start-up and a radio remote control to assist with manoeuvring the machine into the exact processing spot required. This is achieved thanks to its two-speed crawler track drivetrain.
The Sandvik QA335 Doublescreen’s conveyor system consists of a 1000mm wide main conveyor that offers rapid hydraulic raising and lowering to enable quick mesh changes and easy maintenance. This is augmented with two side conveyors both featuring a discharge height of 4.7m for precise stockpiling, and a 1200mm wide fines conveyor.
Other standard features include the large volume hopper, a hydraulic tipping grid with remote control, an intuitive colour-coded control panel allowing for sequential start-up and a wrap-around walkway which provides a safe working platform for service and maintenance.
Power comes courtesy of a 74.5kW diesel engine, which Sandvik says can offer up to 15 per cent lower fuel consumption through a mix of reduced engine speed and optimised hydraulics.
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No idle boast, Bowden says the new screen has definitely reduced the company’s fuel burn; another plus point.
Mitigating unnecessary downtime is a big deal for Sloan Sands. Bowden says that Porter Equipment has the company’s back in this regard too.
“We’ve worked with Porter Equipment’s support techs for a while now and they always work around us.
“Whenever scheduled servicing is required, they tell us how long they need, and we’ll book it in to suit; they’re very good at working around our needs so as not to interrupt general workflow.
“I think Porter Equipment has a very good understanding of their customer’s needs. It goes beyond just supplying a reliable machine; there’s the whole aftersales side of things too, which you can’t fault them on.
“I’ll be honest, when the topic of the Sandvik first came up, we weren’t really looking to replace our older screen,” concludes Bowden.
“But the capability of the new one is very, very good, and its arrival on site at Sandy Creek has had a positive impact on our business. Combined with the support that Porter Equipment gives us, I believe the decision to update our screen when we did has proven to be a sound strategic move for the company.”
Photography: James Elsby