Long reach
Conveyor belts as valuable transport arteries for commerce
Summary: Conveyor belts can do more than just transport unit loads or bulk cargo from A to B. They form the backbone of efficient production processes, particularly when faced with current economic challenges such as raw material shortages and exactly synchronized global value-add chains. Conveyor belts and conveying equipment are thus a central influencing factor for companies‘ competitiveness. To maintain their peak performance over the long term, regular maintenance is a must. The timely exchange of worn components can effectively prevent a sudden failure of the conveyor belt. A project in the Chilean Los Pelambres copper ore mine, however, demonstrates how such economic loss can be avoided. Here, while still in operation, two of the heaviest-duty conveyor belts in the world – with a total length of 23 km – were completely replaced.
Whether in mining or general industry, conveyor belt systems nowadays form an integral part of both the raw material extraction and modern production. They optimize transport routes, make complex logistics processes more efficient and bridge short or medium distances for the transportation of goods. The demands on the conveyor belts concerned are many and high. As well as high levels of conveying performance and load-carrying capacity, factors such as low wear and maintenance costs and a high degree of production safety play an important role. Another main goal of the operators of conveyor...
