In south eastern South Australia, alljig® machines boasting low energy usage and low energy costs are hard at work processing iron ore. This innovative system, which was adapted to suit the new conditions at the Iron Baron Mine, represents a major triumph for allmineral and SIMEC Mining alike.

Iron ore production in lush South Australia

Despite being the smallest of the five continents, Australia is awash with natural treasures both above and below ground. Its fascinatingly varied scenery includes tropical jungles, scorching desert regions, and the paradisiacal beaches on the west coast. The south is lush and green: near the city of Whyalla in the south-east of South Australia, the Middleback Range rears up with its rolling mountaintops and dense eucalyptus forests. Beneath these green hills lie generous reserves of ore. At around two million tons of haematite per year, the Iron Baron Mine boasts one of the highest mining production capacities in the region. The ore processing plant featuring a volume of 10 million tons per year is owned and operated by SIMEC Mining, the biggest industry player in the region. When this site was reopened in 2011, allmineral was entrusted with the planning, delivery, and monitoring of the installation and commissioning of the Iron Baron project. Given their decades of practical work, industry insight and relentless pursuit of innovation, the allmineral team offered precisely the technical knowledge, skills, experience and resources required. At the heart of the iron ore processing plant were two alljig® jigs: one alljig® G-2500 coarse-grain machine with a feed size of 8-32 mm and one alljig® F-2500 fine-grain machine for feed sizes of 1-8 mm. 

Sustainable conversion beats full-scale rebuild: an investment in the future

The allmineral team tackled this sustainable conversion project with its familiar blend of passion and enthusiasm, demonstrating how innovation and change are best implemented with a sense of proportion – as much as necessary but as little as possible. SIMEC Mining was happy to order the necessary adjustments from our experienced team and later commissioned allmineral with another major project. 

The customer received a tailored complete package encompassing the corresponding changes to the machines already in use, namely the alljig® G-2500 and alljig® F-2500. While the coarse-grain machine (alljig® G-2500) was retrofitted to enable production with a new feed size of 2-8 mm, the fine-grain machine (alljig® F-2500) was allocated with a new feed size of 1.3-2 mm. Drawing on their wide-ranging specialist knowledge, our engineers and experts duly completed this task on site with their trademark speed. 

alljig® meeting changing demands: new challenges for reliable machine systems

The installed machines proved to be extremely reliable and successful in the following years, just as we would expect of any project involving our team and our installations. As this success led SIMEC Mining to expand its operations, the machine installations were ultimately adjusted in 2017 so as to cater to these modified capacities. Since the installation of entirely new facilities was neither a viable nor a sustainable option, this called for innovative solutions to meet our customer’s evolving needs. 

Successful reorientation: system solution for maximum quality

Now that the conversion work is complete, we can look back proudly on our second highly successful collaboration with this Australian mining company. As in 2011, when we performed the expert delivery and installation of the required machines in accordance with strict Australian standards, we were once again able to meet the individual needs of our customer across the board. Having enjoyed a number of years of flawless operation, both alljig® jigs were converted to fulfil the new requirements. After painstaking planning, the necessary adjustments were implemented in the space of a week with the support of a highly experienced allmineral service engineer on site: the allmineral team always delivers the ideal solution for its customers, no matter where they are. This system solution for the Iron Baron project has further cemented the company’s status as a quality leader on the market for efficient, sustainable and resource-conscious machines used in iron ore applications

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