The Joy range of surface crushing equipment is now merged into the Komatsu portfolio, bringing together all surface products offered by Komatsu under the one banner.
A new rebranding drive has been announced by Komatsu this year, with Joy’s surface crushing equipment, reclaim feeders, sizers and feeder breakers now being rolled out under the Komatsu branding as a part of an on-going process of integrating the brands into one Komatsu, while the underground mining equipment will continue with the Joy brand name.
The direction that the company is taking with bringing all Komatsu products under one banner is one that Matt Langbridge, Komatsu’s director of mining and crushing systems in the Australasia region, described as “creating value together”.
“A commitment to offering full product lines of high quality and high productivity equipment with consistent customer experience for quarries and surface mining operations is of key importance to Komatsu. The rebranding is going to take away any confusion people may have about our products,” Langbridge said.
Difference in crushing
In line with what is currently offered from existing Joy equipment, the Komatsu line of surface crushing products will persist with the unique crushing approach that prioritises energy optimisation and reduces the double handling of material.
Placing a focus on the company’s brand reputation, Langbridge spoke on how the product line will perform as effectively as expected from any Komatsu branded equipment.
“The crushing approach used in the Komatsu product line is different to traditional methods of crushing,” he said.
Using tension instead of compression to crush aggregates, Komatsu crushers avoid generating high levels of fines or other waste material in the process.
The tension-based crushing allows appropriately sized material to pass through the crusher without further processing, which helps save energy by up to a 90 per cent when the machine is active.
“This ability to avoid re-handling the material and the time savings that result from the crushing materials being of the specified particle size are great examples of how we want to help businesses achieve their sustainability goals.”
Additionally, the crushers have a broad use in processing highly variable materials, which factors into the use of the machines in parts of Australia with high levels of seasonal variability.
“Being able to use the crushers through wet seasons, where the aggregates might not be in the ideal state to crush, is an important consideration for us as a business,” Langbridge said.
“We’re invested in not just the sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets for our customers, but also in sustainability from a business point of view.
“We want to ensure that people are able to operate year-round and our tension-based approach to crushing emphasises that.”
Mobility
High levels of mobility and flexibility with which the machines can be used is another important consideration for quarrying operators when investing in equipment.
The Komatsu range continues to support the variable nature of the surface quarrying industry by providing a range of mobile options, with track mounted, wheel mounted or skid mounted options available.
“The options for our surface crushing equipment are designed with our diverse range of customers in mind,” Langbridge said, “to really drive home our purpose in creating value together.”
“What it means is that for a smaller quarry, you don’t need civil engineering work to install these crushers, screens and feeders. Once the equipment is on site, you can move pieces of equipment around with minimal effort.”
The surface feeder breakers and reclaim feeders from the product line also work directly with other Komatsu products, including wheel loaders, trucks and dozers. Integrating the line with pre-existing mobile fleet allows for ease of use of different equipment.
Compact profile size
According to Langbridge, in line with what Komatsu already provides, the surface crushing equipment is designed with the quarrying space of Australia in mind.
As such, the crushers on offer are compact and feature a small size envelope that Langbridge describes as being “atypical” in the industry.
“By integrating high capacity with small size envelopes, our crushers provide greater output, with a compact machine,” Langbridge said.
“The designs which we have put in place for the crushers allow them to have their own feed hoppers without the need for additional steel infrastructure around them.”
The compact nature of the crushers, feeds into the mobile and accessibility element of the product line, as the crushers do not require a specialised team to be on site to move the equipment.
Value added customer service
Whilst changes are happening to the Komatsu surface product line, the Joy brand will continue to operate in the underground mining operations.
However, these changes extend to beyond the colour of the machines and branding on the equipment.
Bringing the build quality of both equipment lines together is setting the framework for the future of the equipment that is to be offered to the quarrying industry.
Listening to the needs of customers, understanding issues and problems that present themselves and responding with a solution are all what Langbridge listed as “integral values Komatsu holds with regards to customers,” which have persisted through his 25 years at the company.
“We’re looking to ways in which through our equipment, businesses can support a sustainable environment and contribute to communities,” Langbridge said.
“Optimising and creating value together with our customers and stakeholders is the philosophy that Komatsu wants to bring to the industry and the crushing product line is a true representation of that. “