The efficient movement of many bulk materials – including the materials used to build South Africa’s infrastructure – doesn’t just depend on roads, railways and trucks. This Transport Month, heavy equipment manufacturer Astec Industries has highlighted the role played by on-site material handling in the logistics success and competitiveness of mines, quarries, ports and plants around the world.

“Operators in these sectors are increasingly recognising that the journey doesn’t start when the truck leaves the gate. What happens at loading, stockpiling and transfer points influences the efficiency, cost effectiveness and environmental sustainability of their supply chains,” Astec states. Mobile conveying and stacking solutions can reduce unnecessary material handling, improve stockpile management and help operators make better use of available space. It can also reduce fuel consumption, labour requirements and maintenance costs.

Astec Telestack equipment has earned a reputation for delivering enhanced flexibility and efficiency in handling dry bulk material, whether from the pit, the port or plant. “By replacing traditional fixed infrastructure with mobile, high-capacity and versatile bulk material handling systems from Astec Telestack, customers can reduce operational costs by up to 80% in some applications, maximise production rates and reap the benefits of superior flexibility,” explains Casper Booyse, Astec Industries product sales manager: Material Handling & Breaker Technologies.

Astec Telestack’s tracked, wheeled and rail-mounted conveyors, hoppers and stackers allow operators to move from pit to port, often eliminating the need for wheel loaders and trucks.

Telestack equipment is used for stockpiling and linking in quarries, handling an array of materials from road base to limestone. The double handling of the material is reduced and productivity increased. With Astec Telestack products, different grades or material can be moved and stockpiled quickly and efficiently.

Astec Telestack radial telescopic stackers, like the Agg Stack TS 36-140, and Lattice Radial Stackers, like the RS-L30, offer the most cost efficient and effective ways of stockpiling material on the market, Booyse states.

The TS 36-140 is a unique material handling solution for the quarrying, mining and rail sectors and is also making its mark at ports and inland terminals around the world for ship and barge loading and unloading. The radial, telescopic and luffing features allow the operator full control when stockpiling a range of materials while eliminating segregation, degradation, contamination and the compaction of material.

The RS-L30 has a capacity of 450tph and is designed to stockpile material from secondary equipment with an optional built in radial function designed to maximise stockpile volumes. The conveyor’s flexibility and efficiency mean that it can be used in many applications both long and short term. This versatility also means improved resale value when the project is finished as it is open to many different markets, Booyse says.

The Agg Stack TS 36-140 has a production capacity of 800 mtph. It offers 30% more stockpile capacity on the same footprint compared to standard stackers. By minimising the need for wheel loaders, this unit reduces site traffic, lower emissions and enable substantial savings on fuel and labour. The automated stockpiling option cuts staffing requirements, further reducing costs.

Astec Telestack offers the widest range of mobile conveyors in the industry. Machines like the TC 424XR Radial Mobile Stacker are designed for flexibility and can be deployed quickly across different site locations. The TC 424XR is a track mounted fully mobile radial conveyor designed to work at production rates of up to 400tph. As mobile crushers and screens constantly get larger with increased throughputs, transport restrictions have not allowed for their on-board conveyors to increase in size and length to cope with higher tonnages. Track conveyors fulfil this need by providing much larger stockpile capacity and at the same time improve plant mobility by removing material from the processing equipment.

Astec Telestack’s Origin Wheeled conveyor range – which includes the C2000W – offers affordable wheeled stackers combined with the proven Telestack quality. Suited for short to medium term, highly mobile applications, the C2000W’s versatility and portability ensure that it can meet the needs of any stockpiling application, especially in confined areas. It is particularly suited to applications where movements are frequent. Featuring a widened wheelbase with pinned radial wheel positions, it offers superior stockpiling capabilities compared to other, conical stockpilers.

The flexibility and efficiencies delivered by Astec Telestack equipment show how choosing the right equipment on site can optimise the end-to-end supply chains of mines, quarries, ports and plants, Booyse states. “Transport Month usually focuses on what happens on South Africa’s roads and railways, but this is just part of the journey for many bulk materials. It starts where the material is extracted, processed and moved. The equipment that prepares, transfers and positions material before it ever reaches a truck plays a critical role in logistics efficiency,” he concludes.

The following Astec Telestack equipment is currently in stock and available at Astec South Africa, providing local operations with access to these world-class units without adding any unnecessary delays to their material handling journey:

• C2000W Mobile Conveyors
• TC424XR Mobile Radial Stacker
• TS 36-140 Telescopic Radial Stacker
• RS-L30 Radial Stacker.