Part of the Swedish-headquartered Sandvik Mining & Construction, SMH was built on the foundations created by the former Australian-owned Prok and Beltreco businesses. The latter enjoyed a 25-year association with Rema Tip Top, a German manufacturer of advanced corrosion and wear protection, and conveyor belt maintenance products.
This alliance is now being continued by SMH and Rema Tip Top, with both companies believing they are in a stronger position than ever before to pursue major partnership-style contracts with mining clients.
Together they provide the market's most comprehensive range of conveyor products and services. SMH designs, manufactures and installs conveyor systems, and runs the country's largest national conveyor service network. Rema Tip Top offers a complete range of conveyor belt maintenance products.
The SMH/Rema Tip Top has already worked with significant mining clients in Australia from the inception of mine and processing plant projects with its wear and corrosion protection products and services.
"Over the past decade SMH has successfully supplied and applied well in excess of 500,000 square metres of Rema Tip Top corrosion resistant linings in major projects such as Olympic Dam, Lihir, Mt Keith and Murrin Murrin," Jim Debenham, sales and marketing manager for the alliance, said.
"Rema Tip Top's products set the standard for performance and ease of use.
"Using our experience [parent Tip Top Industrie has been researching and developing protective coatings and linings for more than 40 years] and advanced laboratory tests, we select the right materials for all types of operating conditions to make the protection systems fully effective. The know-how and products ensure valuable, heavy-duty equipment continues to work correctly, and increase the service life of equipment significantly."
In fact, there are many examples in Australia and elsewhere where Rema Tip Top products have outlived the capital equipment they were installed to protect. At the giant Olympic Dam operation in South Australia special rubber linings produced for thickener tanks are said to be still working efficiently after more than 14 years of service.
Headquartered in Germany, Rema Tip Top is regarded as a world leader in corrosion and wear protection, and conveyor belt maintenance. The company has more than 4500 employees worldwide and an annual turnover exceeding US$1.2 billion. Its R&D efforts have been focused on utilising the versatile properties of rubber, polyurethane, teflon, polyethylene, aluminium oxide and polycarbamide to protect and enhance the life of conveyor belts, processing plant and equipment, and machine components.
In the area of conveyor belt maintenance, the company's product range includes materials for the lagging of drums and idlers, belt cleaning, skirting and sealing, hot and cold repair, and vulcanising and bonding.
According to Debenham, SMH's extensive Australian belt service network continued to provide a penetrating distribution medium for Rema Tip Top products.
"SMH is the leading, most technically competent and experienced rubber lining applicator and conveyor splicing company in Australia," he said.
SMH national product manager, Mark Meredith said the availability of world-leading conveyor maintenance products complemented the company's other market offerings.
"No other group can offer the full range of manufacturing, supply, installation and service capabilities that SMH can," he said. "We provide a true one-stop-shop of conveyor products and services.
"Both companies are able to provide a depth of product research and development, and service experience, that is unmatched by others in this business.
"We are also uniquely positioned - and have runs on the board in this area - to work with mine operators over the life of a project. That includes being involved at the start to ensure a conveyor system is fit for purpose, and thereafter over the life of the installation."
SMH has more than 20 conveyor service branches across Australia. - Australia's Mining Monthly
