Melco reaches a number of milestones in 2013
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The company's most recent industry breakthrough was the August 2013 introduction of a new range of Rulmeca TOP return rollers to the South African market. Rulmeca is a worldwide group of companies that specialises in the production of rollers, idlers, motorised pulleys, fabricated pulleys and other components for worldwide bulk handling industries.
Melco has been a member of the Rulmeca Group since 2006, and first introduced the TOP roller range to the local market in 2012. Marketing and sales director Craig Warmback notes that the TOP range is a light to medium duty high-density polyethylene (HDPE) roller that is ideally suited for quarrying and cement applications, which was previously not available as a return roller.
Warmback reveals that this new offering incorporates a steel inner tube coupled with a modified and castellated HDPE tube. "This ensures that TOP return rollers are now up to 50 per cent lighter than similar rollers of the same length," he continues.
The end result is that Melco can now provide its customers with a complete set of TOP rollers for belts of up to 1 400 mm in width. Another distinct advantage of the Rulmeca range of TOP rollers is its wear resistance, which guarantees a longer operating lifespan of the roller, while minimising maintenance requirements for the entire plant.
What's more, the range of TOP rollers are rust resistant, and capable of operating in temperatures ranging between -25oC and 50oC, making it suitable for numerous applications, including; quarrying, manufacturing, ports, harbours and general industry. Warmback adds that the Rulmeca range of TOP rollers also greatly reduce the risk of belt mistracking and spillage. "A self-cleaning roller surface prevents any build-up of materials, which is the most common cause of these belt inefficiencies."
The TOP roller complements Melco’s existing range of SUPREME HDPE idlers which are used in heavier duty applications such as coal, platinum and gold mining. The SUPREME range is available in 102 mm, 127 mm, 152 mm and 178 mm diameters
Melco product manager Bryan Krynauw highlights the fact that Melco also supplied the first-ever 250 kW motorised pulley at the Kriel Coal Mine in Mpumalanga in mid-2013. The 250 kW Rulmeca 1000HD motorised pulley weighs 4980 kg, and is ideally suited as a belt conveyor drive solution for large volumes of bulk material for coal mining applications.
"This particular model of motorised pulley is 1 000 mm in diameter with a 1800 mm face length. It has a belt speed of 4-m-per-second, 3 000 Nm of torque and a belt pull of 58 800 Nm – making it the fastest and most powerful motorised pulley in the international market," he explains.
A complementary product that adds substantial value to the entire Rulmeca motorised pulley range is the Melco anti-runback conveyor roller, a uni-directional roller that is designed to prevent an inclined conveyor from running backwards in the event of a belt break.
"The Melco anti-runback roller has gained popularity in the local market over a number of years, due to the fact that it prevents belt runback and damage, thereby reducing downtime and minimising the risk of injury to personnel," states Warmback.
He adds that the contact surfaces of the brake are not load-bearing during normal operation, which ensures that there is no additional friction added to the conveyor installation. "These are fitted to the inside of standard Melco rollers, which can then be installed on existing idler frames."
Following on from Melco's recent 25% +1 Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) share transaction in March 2013, the company appointed Khetiwe McClain as a non-executive director in June 2013. McClain brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise, as a non-executive director at JSE-listed Village Main Reef, and as founder and executive director of Khusela Women’s Investment - an all women's investment company that has made significant inroads in the mining industry.
Melco managing director Gavin Hall notes that the company acknowledges the importance of maintaining its competitive edge with customers by ensuring that it can assist them in reaching their procurement compliance targets set out in the Broad-Based Socio-Economic Charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry.
"Melco is committed to complying with the ownership requirements of the Department of Trade and Industry BEE Codes of Good Practice, gazetted in 2007. Melco has participated and will continue to participate in opportunities to facilitate significant and sustainable growth for the business, as well as for individuals in the surrounding communities of Melco’s operations," he says.
As a result, Melco also established a broad based community trust - the Dukathole Community Trust -which became a 25% plus 1 share shareholder in Melco in March 2013. "The participation in the equity of Melco is aimed at expanding opportunities in the community, particularly for residents. Melco looks forward to partnering with the Dukathole Community Trust in furthering its objective of development of the community and its business," Hall continues.
Melco is one of the longest-standing members of the South African Conveyor Manufacturers Association (CMA), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The CMA was officially established in 1973 solely for conveyor system designers and idler manufacturers. The restrictive nature of the membership did, however, lead to the severe decline of membership numbers.
In the mid-1990s, Melco played a pivotal role in bolstering these numbers. Hall indicates that the company expanded membership numbers by actively promoting membership to suppliers of components, including; belts, gearboxes, couplings, bearings, motors, pulleys, cleaners, winchers and take-up systems. Within years, membership numbers soared.
"Today, the CMA boasts more than 70 members, who are leaders in their fields. This serves as the ideal platform for networking, and co-ordinating initiatives such as quality standards and best practice knowledge sharing," he adds.
According to Hall, who is also a CMA director, Melco also played an important role in establishing the CMA Code of Ethics - which all members are strictly bound by. "The Code of Ethics is comprehensive and lends credibility and establishes a level of professionalism and quality that can be expected of CMA members."
Hall states that all CMA members are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and service within their organisations, as well as an effective after sales service. "Further, they must be companies of stature, fully capable of honouring any warranty claim that may arise. All CMA members have a wealth of expertise and specialised technical knowledge, much of which is developed locally."
Despite a number of challenges currently facing the local conveying industry, Hall is optimistic of the future outlook. "As industries slowly shift towards a more quality-focused mindset, I believe that the CMA and its members have an important role to play in ensuring the future success and sustainability of the South African materials handling industry," he concludes.
Ends
Notes to the editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Melco link.
About Melco
Melco is one of Africa’s major conveyor equipment manufacturers. Melco has been a proud member of the Rulmeca Group of Companies since 2006. Melco idlers have been successfully utilised in many bulk materials handling applications in over 75 countries throughout the world, and installed on belt widths from 200mm to 3000mm. The Melco product range is comprehensive, comprising steel rollers ranging from 89mm to 215mm in diameter, with bearing and shaft arrangements from 25mm to 60mm diameter, HDPE rollers, idler frames and underground structure, and Rulmeca Motorised Pulleys.
Melco Contacts
Gavin Hall
Managing Director
Phone: 087 806 3160
Email: gavinh [at] melco [dot] co [dot] za
Media Contact
Ryan Collyer
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867-7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 072 377 5000
Email: ryan [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za