Big banana screen from Joest Kwatani

Vibrating equipment specialist fulfils coal sector’s need for sustainable screening solutions

VIBRATING equipment specialists Joest Kwatani, who have been at the forefront of developing custom-built vibrating screens, grizzlies and feeders for the South African and African mining industry for almost 40 years, especially in the coal sector, have introduced a new 4.3m wide banana screen designed to fulfil the coal industry’s need for more efficient, high-throughput equipment.

Focusing on critical issues such as lifespan and structural integrity, the new screen design, which incorporates the latest technology and refinements, is said to address the failure modes of existing 4.3m wide screens while also offering reduced downtime and ease of maintenance – a critical consideration owing to the large-scale components involved.

A well-known name in the coal sector, Joest Kwatani have become preferred equipment suppliers to one of South Africa’s largest coal-preparation plants close to Lephalale in Limpopo.

‘Impressively, one of our 1,500 tons/h single-deck vibrating screens measuring 3.0m x 9.8m and installed in 2005 is still operational today – proof of our equipment longevity excellence,’ said Joest Kwatani’s managing director, Kim Schoepflin.

The company also has two of the longest single-deck banana screens (3.66m x 10.0m) used in coal sizing installed at a colliery in Secunda, and more recently has replaced ageing competitors’ screens with two 650 tons/h double-deck exciter-driven ROM sizing screens at a Mpumalanga-based colliery. 

‘The fast turnaround time of less than six weeks from the date of order contributed to maximized uptime and productivity,’ said Ms Schoepflin.

Joest Kwatani say their considerable growth over the past two decades is largely due to their 24h, seven days a week customer service and branch network located in all major mining areas, with support from their Spartan headquarters.

‘We recently purchased another factory to increase our capacity, which now extends over an area of almost 17,000 square metres in Kempton Park,’ commented Ms Schoepflin.

‘It is the combination of our experience, specific problem analysis expertise and ability to offer cost-effective, technologically relevant solutions that contributes to our sustainability. We are confident that coal will remain critical to the world’s energy needs and we intend to provide ongoing support and innovation for our coal customers,’ she said.