PROK Conveyor Components has manufactured high quality conveyor components since 1948 and in that time the industry leader has been a strong supporter of local industry and manufacturing and pioneers in the development of conveyor pulleys, idlers and specialist conveyor systems in the Australian market.

The Perth-based company with more than 70 years of experience was a well-recognised brand until it was taken over by Swedish engineering group Sandvik in the early 2000's and rebadged under Sandvik's name but now the strong brand returns to the market.

At the company's headquarters engineering and product line manager Ray Anderson, who has been with the company since 2000, is excited to see PROK back in business.

Anderson told AMM PROK was a well-recognised brand in the market before losing its identity in the acquisition but under NEPEAN ownership the decision was made quickly to re-establish the prominent brand and return the PROK name.

Anderson said PROK's design, engineering and production experience is the difference which sets it apart from other players in the industry. 

During the transition the prime focus has been on making the change seamless for customers to ensure minimal impact to their operations.

Anderson said feedback from the market has been extremely positive and hearing customers commenting and requesting PROK products immediately from day one of the acquisition was encouraging as it showed the value of the PROK brand. 

He said PROK has never been out of the conveyor game but it is exciting to return to a focused materials handling company, as sometimes it is easy to be lost in a large corporate conglomerate but now PROK retakes its place as the leading manufacturer of quality conveyor components in the Australian market. 

Anderson said the entire workforce is united and passionate about the change and value of the PROK brand and the positive feedback and comments from the team has made the transition all the more rewarding.  

He said a long term strategy in investing in local production and expertise to support local industry has been very well received from the team.

"We have supported the Australian market for over 70 years and are proud to continue manufacturing locally for our customers," he said.  

Through the NEPEAN business PROK has access to two additional manufacturing facilities, including one in Mackay, Queensland and one in Sydney, New South Wales, as well as sales offices in Perth, Sydney, Mackay and Indonesia. 

Anderson said PROK's high-quality mining products have an emphasis on performance and reliability, and they are available both as original components and as replacements in existing systems.

According to Anderson, PROK can meet its goal of supporting the profitability of its customers and is a perfect fit for NEPEAN as it transitions to a future of composite rollers and smart conveyor pulleys.

He said the standalone brand had a strong reputation for quality rollers and pulleys that last, and the long standing and known history of the PROK brand can be found in most conveyors within the materials handling industry.

Anderson reiterates however, that even though PROK has been extremely successful in the past the focus at the company is now firmly on the future and they look forward to operating with an Australian family owned company such as NEPEAN.

PROK have significant experience in designing conveying solutions that are safe, reliable and enable maximum productivity levels. PROK specialise in products for the future of mining.

PROK's latest offering is the Prokomposite™ roller; a low-weight, low-noise innovation that delivers more value than competing steel rollers or general market plastic rollers.

Prokomposite™ rollers are as strong as comparably-sized steel rollers and capable of carrying the same running loads.

Prokomposite™ rollers make 50% less noise and weigh 55% less than traditional steel rollers, and cost up to 20% less due to easier maintenance and lower energy demands.

Another market leading product is PROK's poly disc rollers that operate by utilising high abrasion resistance and high hydrolytic stability polyurethane discs.

The poly discs avoid the build-up of material that can be deposited onto the roller surface which can cause the roller diameter to develop an irregular worn surface and change shape. This is often a major cause of belt mistracking, and roller shell wear. Highly effective, PROK poly disc rollers are a reliable and simple maintenance solution to this common belt conveyor problem.

PROK's conveyor pulleys are also designed and engineered for extended service in heavy-duty mining and industrial application has the global capacity to manufacture over 5000 pulleys per annum with assembled masses upwards of 45 tonnes, and its pulley refurbishment services team provides significant cost savings against the purchase of a new pulley.

PROK established a pulley refurbishment service to provide an original equipment manufacturer-grade professional pulley refurbishment service to provide a finished product capable of meeting the same exacting standards of design and build quality as an OEM pulley.

The pulley refurbishment services team recently came up with a solution for a top tier client who desperately wanted to take advantage of an unplanned outage to change-out a competitor's pulley with a bearing fault but couldn't as there was no spare on site.

However, PROK's  refurbishment services team had a built-up pulley on hand which was days away from being shipped so, realising how important it was for the client the team had a final year apprentice work back to finish the pulley and prepare it for transport on the client's specialised transport cradles.

By nightfall the pulley had been loaded onto a truck and the following morning it was on the road heading to site for installation.

Going the extra mile shows how PROK makes a significant difference to its customers and is known as the conveyor company customers prefer to do business with.