Published in September 2009 Australian Longwall Magazine
ACTA was recently appointed as Longwall Associates’ Australian agent, enabling the company to add to its existing product portfolio of ACT flight bars, JDT LW
Chain/Enorm lifting solutions and the successful ACT Scorpion Cable Handler, LWA armoured face conveyors and beam stage loaders.
As part of the new arrangement, ACTA will hold an open day for industry to view the pan line system and other products being supplied to Baal Bone at its Taren Point, Sydney premises. Customers will be sent an invitation for the open day.
While ACTA represents Longwall Associates in Australia, Longwall Associates acts as the American agents to supply ACT’s Scorpion Cable Handler, manufactured by ACT Europe (ACTE) in the United Kingdom.
Three US mines are already trialling the Scorpion Cable Handler, a move ACT hopes will help it infiltrate the American market. The company already holds more than 90% of the market share with its Scorpion Cable Handler in Australia.
ACTE has appointed Shenzhen City Shenhuai Science & Trading Co as the agents to supply the Scorpion Cable Handler in some areas of China. ACTE said since appointing the Chinese agent some eight months ago, Scorpion’s market share had increased to about 60% of the western supply face packages as well as several of local supply.
To handle the increased international orders, ACTE has bumped up the capacity of its UK workshop both in area and production machinery as every component is manufactured in-house to control quality, cost, delivery and continuous development.
ACTA’s move to add Longwall Associates’ products to its line-up means Australian longwall mines now have more choice in underground armoured conveyor options. The move also strengthens the range of longwall equipment and customer support currently offered to ACTA’s Australian clients.
Based in Virginia, US, Longwall Associates has 30% of that country’s original equipment manufacturer face conveyor market and holds second place for OEM longwall pan line installations.
Its customers include Consol Energy, American Energy Corporation, Chevron Mining, Cliffs Natural Resources, Blue Mountain Energy, Ohio Valley Coal Company, Utah American Energy, Shanxi Asian American Daning Energy Company and Minerales Monclova SA de CV.
Longwall Associates offers OEM and rebuilt conveyor systems comprising of AFCs, stage loaders, crushers, mobile tail pieces and inclusive components, including a full transmissions line.
The company’s pan lines and sprockets are all customised. “We have never offered standard models to our customers or equipment that is not best suited for their operations,” the company said.
“When we work with a customer to design their next pan line, for example, first and foremost we listen to the customer. We then conduct our own research and assessments of the equipment and the mining conditions.
“When we are satisfied with the conclusions, we work with the customer on addressing non-equipment issues that can be modified to achieve more favourable results while our actual equipment design addresses the more challenging obstacles.
“We apply this approach to everything that leaves our facility from pan lines to sprockets to drive frames to gearboxes.”
Longwall Associates’ sprockets are successfully operating in the US, China and Mexico. The sprockets are interchangeable and reversible, promote equal load sharing and reduce shaft deflection on wider conveyors.
Longwall Associates also offers extended warranties on its products.
