Following six years of development and testing that involved the equivalent of circling the earth more than 625 times, Michelin has introduced a successor to its XDR2 mining tyre. The new XDR3 is available from this month in size 40.00 R 57, and as of January 2017 it will be joined in the range by a 53/80 R 63 fitment.
On 18 June Magna Tyres Group announced that Cemex UK has renewed the contract for Magna to deliver OTR tyres to Cemex in the UK for the next two years. Cemex is reportedly “very satisfied” about the performance of Magna Tyres because of “the low cost price per hour, the reliability of the tyres and low amount of breakdowns”.
Six years after it began operating in Western Australia, Kal Tire has expanded into Eastern Australia where the majority of major mines operate by buying Klinge & Co. No figure has yet been disclosed.
“Even though our reputation is strong and recognized in many countries, it has been a challenge convincing customers of our credibility inside Australia as our experience there has been limited.” says Dan Allan, senior vice president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “With Klinge, Kal Tire aligns with a well-respected, trusted company known to the Australian mining industry and secures our presence as a national tyre service provider.”
Continental is show its specialist mining tyres at Electra Mining Africa 2016, held 12 – 16 September at Expo Centre Nasrec in Johannesburg. As well as a range of light, heavy and special application belts, mining tyres on-show include: the UnderGroundMaster, DrillMaster, ScoopMaster and EarthMoverMaster. Not only will these tyres be shown for the first time in Africa, but they are also being previewed ahead of their official launch at the MINExpo tradeshow in Las Vegas, USA, from 26-28 September.
Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group has opened a new mining tyre repair facility in Australia. The operation in Muswellbrook is within the Hunter Valley coalfields, some 160 miles northwest of Sydney, and is said to be the first of several measures planned by Kal Tire as part of an expansion of its mining tyre management service offerings in Eastern Australia.
The latest OTR tyre from Michelin has been specifically designed to cater to the needs of underground mine operators who seek higher speed capabilities from their loader tyres. The new 18.00 R 25 Michelin XSM D2+ LC (Long Cycle) is an L5S tyre capable of covering a distance of up to six kilometres each hour – a significant improvement on the four kilometre limit attached to the existing Michelin product for this application, the XSM.
BKT says there is no way of overlooking its presence at Bauma. This comment relates to the company’s size 27.00 R 49 Earthmax SR 45 Plus mining tyre, which at an imposing 2.70 metres tall can be easily spotted within the Munich-based exhibition’s outdoor area, however it could equally apply to the number of new products that the off-road tyre specialist has brought to the show.
On 29 March, Titan International subsidiary Titan Tire Reclamation Corp. officially opened its oil sands facility in Fort McMurray, Canada. Titan International estimates that the operation, when fully operational, will be able to convert 240,000 pounds (108.9 tonnes) of scrap tyres to approximately 13,600 gallons (61,800 litres) of oil 52,800 pounds (23.9 tonnes) of steel and 76,800 pounds (34.8 tonnes) of carbon black each day.
Citing “weak market conditions that are not expected to improve during 2016,” Titan International has given word of layoffs that will take place at its Bryan plant in the US state of Ohio. The layoffs will begin on 8 February 2016 and affect at least 130 employees. The tyre maker anticipates these layoffs will be temporary and last a minimum of six months, however some may become permanent should market conditions fail improve.
Belarus-based tyre maker Belshina JSC says its goal of producing 63-inch tyres for mining trucks should be realised by the end of next year. The company reports that modernisation of the milling facility at its Babruysk plant is currently taking place, and according to the project’s schedule further equipment for upgrading the plant will begin arriving in January 2016. A group of Belshina specialists will also complete tyre building training at a location within Europe in the coming months and will assemble prototype tyres ahead of the first Belshina 63-inch OTR tyres leaving the factory some time in 2016.
Michelin has introduced a new 67 ton load capacity mining tyre for 250-ton rigid dump trucks. The tyre maker says the Michelin XDR250 50/80 R57 offers at least 24 per cent higher hauling productivity (based on Ton Miles Per Hour) and a 11.6 per cent greater load capacity than the Michelin 40.00 R 57 XDR2, while productivity is at least 25 per cent better than that of its main competitor, the Bridgestone 46/90 R 57 VRDP, with no trade-off on tyre life.
Arminera 2015, the latest in a series of biennial mining exhibition, was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 5 to 7 May. The show was inaugurated in 1997 and is now the largest international, mining related exhibition in the country, with exhibitors showing a variety of vehicles, equipment, tools and the latest in mining technologies.
Trucks operating in surface mines weigh 200 tonnes and carry loads twice that. These machines work under demanding conditions, and the slightest problem can be a logistical nightmare – when a tyre needs changing, it can often take more than eight hours to swap over the four metre tall, five tonne rubber.
Growing manufacturer of off-the-road (OTR), industrial and truck tyres, the Magna Tyres Group used its presence at Intermat to introduce various new tyres for different OTR applications. For construction and mining purposes the company introduced MA10 L5 and M-Terrain E4. The existing tyre pattern MA08 L5 for wheel loaders is from April 2015 also available in tyre size 20.5R25.
The Marangoni Group, a recognised world leader in the retreading sector, is also an important supplier of earthmover retreads in Europe. The Italian company says that it is now offering a response to the need for efficiency and cost savings expressed in the OTR market.
