Showcasing the theme of technological development, FLSmidth’s stand at Electra Mining Africa 2014 will feature a fully operational pilot Reflux Classifier unit. This innovative technology, which improves fines gravity separation compared to conventional equipment, is fast becoming a preferred technology by major producers of metallurgical coal with installations in Australia, the USA, Southern Africa and China. Inroads are also being made into the iron ore and mineral sands markets.

“We’re excited to offer visitors to our stand a first-hand view of this technology in action,” Terence Osborn, capital sales & marketing manager - minerals at FLSmidth, says. “Reflux Classification technology is currently a big focus for us, as we believe it has the potential to revolutionise fine mineral beneficiation in the African mining and minerals processing industries.” Osborn adds that a major objective at Electra Mining Africa 2014 is to meet FLSmidth’s operational customers and there will be a large contingent of after-market personnel on the stand ready to field questions from these customers. In terms of after-market support, one of FLSmidth’s core values is getting closer to the customer and the company is achieving this by setting up Local Service Units in areas that are remote from the main centres, but close to customer operations. These small satellite facilities incorporate skilled manpower capable of conducting timely onsite repairs, assisting customers with their stock inventory, doing inspections and advising on maintenance practices. The level at which these services are provided depends on the type of service agreement in place with the customer.

FLSmidth is also committed to optimising its solutions to the market in order to offer the same quality of product at a better value to customers. This is being achieved through a specific focus on machinery re-engineering, R&D initiatives and by manufacturing its products in low cost centres, without reducing quality. Regardless of the global geography in which these manufacturing facilities are established, FLSmidth’s specifications remain the same, setting minimum design criteria and fabrication quality standards, and enforcing them.

For example, the company has operated its current 36,000 m2 facility at Qingdao in Shandong Province, Eastern China, for the past three years. Prior to its establishment, FLSmidth outsourced the production of this and many other products, but since moving this manufacture in-house from the Chinese facility these products are being made at a better quality. The Qingdao operation focuses on equipment that requires only light to medium fabrication and is of a more standardised type.

FLSmidth’s technology development initiatives have also yielded a new tailings dewatering press (TDP) focused on waste filtration in the coal arena. The TDP is a redesigned belt press filter that overcomes conventional design shortfalls to produce drier cake. Although wet tailings facilities are still used, the permitting of such facilities is very onerous. Today’s environmental permits do allow the establishment of “zero effluent plants”, which require dewatered tailings facilities. The TDP is operator and installation friendly and offers better performance and longer life than previous versions. It is fully manufactured at the Qingdao facility, allowing FLSmidth to offer a machine with more features than current offerings, very competitively.

Integration and efficiency
“Having made more than 25 acquisitions in the space of ten years, FLSmidth has advanced significantly towards our vision of offering a one source solution,” says Osborn. “Now we’ve embarked on a focused process of integration, optimisation and efficiency, which will standardise a way of working across all these entities in terms of IT platforms and collaborating with regional group offices. We’re also identifying any duplicated functions which can be centralised in line with our centralised engineering model. A great deal of progress has already been achieved.

“The point of doing integration is that we’re are not the sum of the entities we’ve acquired, but rather the sum and much more. Being aware of the global offering and introducing some of the newer products to our traditional customers allows us to greatly enhance our offering.” To this end, cross-selling is also receiving much attention, with initiatives in place to instil a more generalist knowledge among the sales team. This involves combining knowledge of the joint capabilities of technologies from all the acquired product supply companies into more comprehensive packages. At this year’s Electra Mining Africa, FLSmidth’s stand has moved from its traditional spot in Hall 5 to a central stand in Hall 6 Stand D16, among the other minerals focused exhibitors.