Ben Willcox is Sales Manager for Terex Washing Systems, an award-winning provider of advanced wet processing solutions for material and mineral washing, separation and recovery. He speaks with Quarry on what is ticking the boxes for quarries’ washing needs.
What were some milestones for Terex Washing Systems in 2022?
Terex Washing Systems (TWS) celebrated 62 years of serving the industry in 2022. We also launched two new products. One was the FM Pentium washing plant, and the other was the introduction of our VacRecover product. The FM Pentium is a patented product by TWS. Its design goes against the traditional screening process in the way that you’d normally take off size fractions from smallest to largest by feeding all the material on the top and the smaller size fractions coming out from underneath. With the FM Pentium, we feed the larger material from the bottom and then pump up and take off the sand from the top deck. It’s a unique product that can deliver several configurations in a smaller footprint. Globally the product has been well received by the industry and our customers. The VacRecover is a recovery unit that best suits the recycling industry, specifically the processing of what would be otherwise considered ‘waste’ material from hydro-excavation/vacuum trucks. The principal is that a vacuum truck vacuums up wet slurried material, be it sand, soil, or rocks, and the VacRecover unit helps in the recovery of sand and aggregate through separation and dewatering, while also helping recover water.
What services does Terex Washing Systems provide to customers apart from product supply?
We are a one-stop-shop for customers looking for washing solutions. We supply, install, maintain everything from feed to filter presses and as well as smaller standalone solutions. We work with our customers to provide bespoke solutions for their specific needs. Right from the start we have our dedicated, in factory, applications teamwork with the customer to define their needs, laboratory testing is carried out, and then our engineering team design the plant and full solutions to their needs. We also provide a full project management service to deliver, install and commission the plant and it doesn’t stop there, we provide aftercare support 24/7 through our regional support networks to ensure maximum uptime and efficiency of your plant. TWS can also provide a range of finance options through Terex Financial Solutions to help the customer pay for their solution.
What are the key aspects that quarries look for in their wash plants? Have you noticed any trend changes in recent years?
Of course, everybody is keen to manage resources these days and eliminate waste, we have seen a large increase in the demand for our wash recycling products often from quarries that would have been traditionally processing only natural materials. Capital equipment costs can sometimes be a barrier to quarries changing their business model and producing more of their product from recycled sources, and we think increasingly government incentives will also assist with driving forward that adoption, which can only be a good thing from a circular-economy standpoint. Additionally, I do see more interest in water conservation and the awareness that water in these operations is a critical resource also to be managed.
What do you foresee to be key challenges facing the Australian quarrying industry in the next few years?
We are currently facing a massive shortage of sand, particularly in those states where there has been flooding. From our end, we help the customers as much as we can. Additionally, speeding up sign offs and licensing would help quarries release more sand reserves to the market.
What are some areas where TWS can help the industry overcome their existing and/or inherent challenges?
Because of all the labour shortages and the increases in demand, everybody is so busy these days. Being able to provide turnkey solutions to our customers means TWS customers can take advantage of the increased workload and build new plants with minimal hassle. Whether TWS is building the plant, or the customer is building it themselves, we can help them bring all the pieces of the puzzle together. We have the widest in-house product portfolio of any equipment manufacturer in our space. We can also help quarry managers with optimisation through their plant to get the most out of their crushing, screening and washing plants.
What will be Terex Washing Systems’ goals in 2023?
We want to continue to provide innovative and bespoke solutions tailored to our customers’ needs. We’ll continue to invest in our products and team to be able to provide a first-class service to our customers. We will also make continued investment in our headquarters to enhance our lead times, where we have managed to maintain industry leading lead-times despite all the headwinds of the past two years.
For more information about Terex Washing Systems’ washing products and services, visit the website here.