ContiTech becomes the preferred high-abuse belt supplier to Botswana’s largest diamond producer

• ContiTech proves its high-abuse belts and impact-resistant covers last longer than competitors in critical diamond processing applications
• ContiTech services Botswana mining with dedicated branch in Francistown

Johannesburg, June 2017. Using advanced innovations in rubber compounding and reinforcement technology, ContiTech conveyor belts with high-impact resistant conveyor covers provide extended belt life in in real-field applications for Botswana’s largest diamond producer. This technology and innovation, paired with ContiTech’s local manufacturing capabilities and its Botswanan-based service branch, has resulted in ContiTech becoming the customer’s preferred critical and high-abuse conveyor belt supplier.

“In two comparative side-by-side tests that we conducted at the mining company’s southern Botswanan mine, we proved our abuse-resistant FortressXP conveyor belt and MonsterHide impact- and puncture-resistant conveyor cover greatly outlasted competitor belts and covers,” says Ben-Piet Terblanche, Branch Manager, ContiTech Botswana.

In the first comparison, ContiTech tested its premium textile reinforced conveyor belt, FortressXP, with the mining company’s existing textile belt. The belts carry sharp-edged 300 mm diamond-bearing ore in short cycles and high speeds, and are considered a critical belting operation for the mine. FortressXP is able to withstand these everyday diamond mining abuses with its patented twill weave fabric design which provides the best cut and gouge resistance on the market. After a lengthily side-by-side test, ContiTech’s FortressXP conveyor belt outlasted the existing textile belt by 18 months to three.

The second test compared cover compound wear rates between ContiTech’s new MonsterHide conveyor cover to a competitor standard M-Grade cover. The two covers were placed on textile reinforced belts that are used to convey ore from the primary crusher to stock piles, another critical belting operation that is prone to cutting and gouging. “The standard M-Grade cover lasted one year while our premium MonsterHide cover, with its higher Shore A hardness, elongation and gouge impact resistance, continues to operate two years on,” adds Terblanche. The outcomes of these tests, paired with the company’s at-the-mine services, have resulted in ContiTech becoming the preferred critical and high-abuse conveyor belt solutions supplier to the diamond producer.

In addition, ContiTech has the largest conveyor belt service branch in Botswana and conducts majority of the mine’s splicing and repairs. Upholding its commitment to uplifting local communities, ContiTech employs and trains local technicians to conduct all belt installations and services, from pulley lagging to vulcanising maintenance repairs.

“In this time of cost-saving efforts in the mining industry, having conveyor belts that last longer gives companies the competitive edge. And through our holistic service agreements, our belts are set to increase the customer’s productivity and reduce downtime for years to come,” concludes Terblanche.

The ContiTech Botswana branch is based in Francistown and all ContiTech conveyor belts are manufactured at its manufacturing facility at Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, South Africa.