Headquar-tered in Brisbane, Australia, Ludowici is a leading provider of vibrating screens, coal centrifuges, and complementary wear resistant products and services for the minerals industries.
During January 2012, FLSmidth surprised many in the mining business when it announced it had entered into an agreement with Ludowici offering $7.20/share. Under that agreement, Ludowici’s board had granted FLSmidth access to perform a confidential due diligence. At the time, Ludowici Investments Pty Ltd. and Julian Ludowici and the other Ludowici directors, who together control approximately 22% of the outstanding shares of Ludowici, said that, in the absence of a superior proposal, they would support the deal. In the meantime, they received a competitive, non-binding bid of A$7.92/share from Weir Group plc. They are saying the same thing again. FLSmidth’s original offer was also subject to due diligence, but that is no longer the case.
“Ludowici is a well-known and respected brand in the coal processing sector,” said Keith Cochrane, chief executive, Weir Group plc. “The potential acquisition would extend Weir’s offering in minerals processing and expand our exposure to the attractive and fast growing coal sector where Weir is relatively unrepresented. As a part of the global Weir Minerals business, we would look to accelerate the growth of Ludowici, consistent with Weir’s 2010 acquisition of Linatex.”
Acquiring Ludowici would allow both companies to add to their respective processing flowsheets. Weir would gain more access to coal and FLSmidth would improve its copper and iron ore offerings. With 450 employees and approximately 65% of its turnover in Australia, the acquisition of Ludowici would significantly expand both companies’ presence in an important mining region. Another important aspect of the transaction would be customer service. Approximately 60% of Ludowici’s turnover relates to customer services activities, including spare parts and consumables.
Vendors Form Global Screening Alliance
Germany’s Haver & Boecker, owner of Ontario-based W.S. Tyler Canada Ltd., and Quebec-based Major Wire Industries Ltd., have reached an agreement to establish a global screening alliance. Bringing together their collective experience of more than 250 years in screening and a broad product line involving vibrating screens, washing and pelletizing equipment and screen media, the alliance seeks to expand growth opportunities while further strengthening their current capabilities with customers throughout North America and globally.
Representing its parent company Haver & Boecker, W.S. Tyler acquired a 40% share of Major Wire Industries January 1, 2012, and will purchase the remaining 60% in 2016.
In North America, W.S. Tyler has Canadian facilities in St. Catharines, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, and a U.S. facility in Salisbury, N.C., while Major Wire has operations in the Montreal area, and a U.S. facility in Puyallup, Wash.
W.S. Tyler management has asked Major Wire to manage its Salisbury woven wire facility with the intent to serve Major Wire’s extensive dealer network throughout the U.S. and in Latin America. All remaining operations for both companies within North America and globally will continue to operate independently. W.S. Tyler and Major Wire dealers and representatives throughout the world will also continue serving their respective customers and prospects as they do today.
“Our alliance with Major Wire will prove to be a unique opportunity for two family-owned manufacturers to effectively employ their combined strengths and expertise to the benefit of the North American and global mining, mineral and aggregate markets,” said Walter Haver, joint owner of Haver & Boecker. “It is clearly a win-win for all personnel, sales channels, vendors and most of all, the customers we serve.”
“A few years ago, I began developing a succession plan that would ensure that Major Wire would continue to expand and provide a long-term opportunity for our employees after I retire,” said Jean Leblond, president and owner, Major Wire Industries. He added that he has found a partner that shares the same values, desire to invest in the future, and focuses on the customer first.
W.S. Tyler pioneered many of the standards the mining, industrial mineral and aggregate industries operate under. The company has specialized in designing, manufacturing and servicing custom screening technology for more than a century. It also has an Architecture & Design division that creates unique design solutions made out of woven wire. Since being purchased by Haver & Boecker in 1997, W.S. Tyler has introduced a new wave of innovation in screening technology while also branching out into environmentally friendly technologies, including washing and pelletizing. Major Wire is a leading manufacturer of innovative screen media, including Flex-Mat 3 Tensioned and Modular and OptimumWire Woven Wire.
Major Wire recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of Flex-Mat independently vibrating wire technology, now in its third generation with Flex-Mat 3 Tensioned and Modular versions. Since its introduction in 1996, Flex-Mat technology has revolutionized the screening industry, providing solutions to common screening challenges and a way to increase product value and return on investment. Previously, self-cleaning screen media was mostly available through European manufacturers, resulting in long lead times and high costs for North American screening operations. Leblond solved this problem when he began locally manufacturing tensioned self-cleaning screen media produced without cross wires that lasts up to three times longer than traditional woven wire. Since then, Major Wire has been able to manufacture the product cost effectively with competitive lead times for screening operations throughout the world.
Unique in design, Flex-Mat technology is made of crimped wires assembled side-by-side and held together by distinctive lime-green polyurethane strips. Because each wire vibrates independently, it increases material screening action and in-spec material throughput, virtually eliminates blinding, pegging and clogging and reduces downtime spent cleaning or replacing screen media. Major Wire further advanced Flex-Mat technology by introducing 1-foot x 1-foot (305 mm x 305 mm) panels for modular screen decks in 2007 and 1-foot x 2-foot (305 mm x 610 mm) modular panels in 2011. To date, Flex-Mat vibrating wire technology has been proven in more than 20,000 aggregate, mining and recycle applications worldwide.
Initially available in Series D and T tensioned panels, Flex-Mat technology was offered in Series S in 1999 and LFM Harp Wire in 2001. Introduced in 2005, its third generation, Flex-Mat 3 Tensioned, provides more open area and screening capacity than woven wire. Now available in Flex-Mat 3 Modular, it also provides more open area and screening capacity than traditional polyurethane and rubber panels. In both versions, the technology increases product throughput by up to 40%. Flex-Mat 3 provides benefits on every screen box deck: eliminating near-size pegging on top decks, producing cleaner retained product through the middle decks and preventing fine material blinding on bottom decks.
For tensioned screen decks, Flex-Mat 3’s signature lime-green polyurethane strips align to the screen box’s crown bars and hold individual wires in place as they run from hook to hook. It is available in the industry’s broadest range of opening sizes—30 mesh to 4 inches—and with the widest range of application-specific wire diameters.
On modular screen decks, Flex-Mat 3 is available in 1-foot x 1-foot (305 mm x 305 mm) and 1-foot x 2-foot (305 mm x 610 mm) panels to replace existing polyurethane and rubber panels on each deck wherever throughput is compromised or the entire deck for maximum production. Flex-Mat 3 Modular is available in a variety of attachment systems to fit virtually any flat-surface deck.
Double Force Rotary Electric Vibrators
For heavy-duty mining and industrial screener applications, Cleveland Vibrator Co. coupled rotary electric drives deliver consistent, reliable force outputs up to 80,000+ lb. These double force rotary electric vibrators are ideally suited for applications where more force is needed than one vibrating motor can generate, and where division of vibrating force is essential for the maintenance of equipment intensity.
Coupled Cleveland Vibrator RE-54-8 units have 900 rpm rotary electric vibrator motors that are available in 230, 460, 380 or 575 Volt 3-phase versions. All of the 900 rpm rotary electric vibrator motors are rated for continuous duty at the maximum force setting.
The 10-hp coupled rotary electric RE-54-8 460V vibrators exert a maximum force of 10,800 lb with an unbalanced moment of 1,220 inch-lb. The units draw 29.2 amps at 230 volts and 17.2 amps at 460 volts. The mechanism weighs 1,505 lb, including connecting gear. For specialized equipment needs, coupled rotary electric heavy-duty industrial vibrators can be customized.
In addition to double force rotary electric vibrators, Cleveland Vibrator also offers a large stock of more than 50 models including four frequency ranges, 3,600, 1,800, 1,200 and 900 rpm, and force outputs from 30 to 40,000+ lb. The durable rotary electric line offers the lowest noise level of any type of vibratory device—an average of 58bdbA at 4 ft. Permanently greased bearings require no maintenance.
Continuous duty design allows operation at maximum force setting in the worst environments, and without aggravation of periodic shut down. A simple mechanical adjustment on the eccentric weights allow adjustable force outputs. Rotary electric vibrators from Cleveland Vibrator permit the eccentrics to be set at any point from 0% to 100% of full force output. The units are pre-set from the factory at 40%.
The terminal box and cabling have been designed to withstand vibration, dust and humidity. The terminal box itself is packed with a specially developed compound which is non-hardening and has high adhesion to protect the motor leads. The lead cable is an anti-vibration, butyl rubber insulated, chloroprene cabtire cable which guarantees long life.
