Westkalk repairs limestone processing plants
This winter, the Westkalk company is investing in the renewal of conveyor belts and the technical infrastructure in the local quarries. In total, the winter work this year has a volume of over € 340000. In the first quarter of each year, Westkalk is gradually replacing equipment that has been subject to wear and tear at its plants in Warstein and Kallenhardt. In 2020 there will be more than 50 such measures scheduled.
At over € 60000, the largest item this year is the washed goods conveyor belt at the Kallenhardt plant, of which a full 800 m must be completely replaced. Westkalk is investing in the entire technical infrastructure at the Warstein plant. Trains will in future run on 15 renewed metres of rails under the silo loading plant for transport. In addition, the low-shipment period in winter will be used to improve occupational safety. At the tipping hopper of the primary crushing plant, in future, quarry trucks will be able to move on a paved surface when tipping the load.
What makes this year’s cycle so special is explained by Dr. Guido Mausbach, Technical Manager at Westkalk: “Our belts for washing goods are exceptionally long for the natural stone industry, so this is already a technical challenge”.
In 2015, as part of the renewal of the primary crusher, a 450 m long double-deck belt with two conveyor belts with a total length of 1.6 km had been installed, one of which is now in service. Mausbach: “We cannot take any risks here. If there is an unscheduled failure of these conveyors during day-to-day operations, it will take days before they are up and running again”. The conveyor belt in question is a washing belt on which the so-called pre-screening, consisting of limestone and clay components, is transported to the stone washing plant. There the washed limestone is screened to form saleable concrete chippings.
The winter repair also includes an inspection of the numerous dust removal systems. In this way, Westkalk also helps to comply with statutory environmental regulations; in many respects, these environmental requirements are exceeded by Westkalk.
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