US company brings materials handling technology to SA

To give a world-class boost to South Africa’s road maintenance capabilities, among others, bulk materials handling and mineral processing specialist Osborn is supplying the country with Astec equipment, such as the Shuttle Buggy.

Osborn is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Astec Industries, the US’s leading manufacturer of equipment for asphalt road building.

The Shuttle Buggy – manufactured in the US by Roadtec – is material transfer vehicle that promises to bring road maintenance costs down by up to 90%.

“With South Africa’s pothole problem, the timing couldn’t be better for this unique vehicle to be showcased locally; which is why Johannesburg-based Osborn has made it one of the stars of the show at the upcoming bauma Africa Exhibition,” states Osborn commercial director Stephen Ireland.

In addition to the Roadtec Shuttle Buggy, Osborn will showcase other Astec machines at bauma Africa, including the BTI rock-breaker system, the Astec mobile high-frequency screen and the vertical shaft impactor from sister company KPI-JCI.

“Equipment from Canadian hydraulic breaker specialist Breaker Technology Limited (BTI) forms part of Osborn’s extensive equipment offering, and the robust BTI rock-breaker systems and breakers are increasingly sought after for their reliability and simplicity of design,” says Osborn.

Ireland explains that Johan-nesburg-based Osborn began handling sales and marketing for its sister company, BTI, in sub- Saharan Africa ten years ago.
“In this decade, Osborn has substantialy grown BTI’s business in the region,” he says.

“Astec mobile high-frequency screens are engineered to provide higher production capacities and more efficient sizing, compared with conventional screens. “High-frequency screens feature aggressive vibration applied directly to the screen that allows for the highest capacity in the market for the removal and separation of fine material, as well as chip sizing, drying manufactured sand and more,” notes the company.

Ireland states that a unique feature of KPI-JCI’s vertical shaft impactors is its versatility. “The same machine can be configured to run in standard, semiautogenous and fully autogenous modes.

“The KPI-JCI VSI crushers deliver highly consistent end products that are available in both stationary and portable configurations and produce up to 500 t/h,” he explains.

In addition to highlighting the high quality of Astec machines in its equipment offering, Osborn will also have one of its own locally designed and built modular jaw crusher plants on display at bauma Africa, as well as equipment that it distributes for manufacturer of underground technology equipment American Augers.

“New and existing customers are recognising the value of Osborn’s exceptional ‘plant in a box’,” says Ireland, referring to Osborn’s modular plants.

“For customers seeking equipment that is easier to transport, our modular plants offer an affordable, suitable solution,” says Ireland, adding that the modular plants are ideal for plant expansion.

All that a customer needs to do, he says, is put down a concrete slab, unpack the new modular plant and the expansion is complete. “They immediately have the desired duty and capacity.”

While not mobile, the plants are easily transportable. Three products are available in different sizes – the modular jaw crushing plant (sizes 2540, 3042, 3055 and 3648), the modular cone crushing plant (sizes 38, 44, 52 and 57) and the modular screening plant (6 feet × 16 feet and 6 feet × 20 feet double and triple decks).

Osborn will also display an auger bore and a DD-110 horizontal directional drill from American Augers at bauma Africa. American Augers’ auger boring machines are designed for the fast, efficient installation of wider-diameter pipes from 450 mm to 3 500 mm, notes Ireland.

“They eliminate the safety risks associated with traditional tunnelling methods, like pipe jacking, and are more efficient as they include a quick tram mode that is unique to American Augers’ equipment,” he adds.

Further, the midsized DD-110 horizontal directional drill is a self-contained unit that excels in hard-to-reach job sites and it boasts the most rotary torque in its class, says Ireland.

Osborn can be found at stand D.10 in the outdoor area at bauma Africa, which runs from September 18 to 21, at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg.