Engineering consumables and components distributor Bearing Man Group (BMG) has extended its range of power management solutions provider Eaton’s hydraulic components to include Eaton’s advanced conveyor solutions, which are designed for safe and efficient electrical power management and control.

BMG MD Gavin Pelser explains that under the terms of the new distribution agreement – which is valued at R6-million in the first year and was signed in Johannesburg on July 18 – BMG will now distribute Eaton’s complete conveyor protection and safety solutions across sub- Saharan Africa.

“The addition of Eaton’s electrical power management solutions – which include conveyor safety switches and accessories – completes the conveyor systems solutions supplied by BMG,” he says.

The extension of the range fits with BMG’s Bolt-on strategy to offer customers the full basket of products and solutions, which is in line with BMG’s commitment of adding value and “being part of every process” in engineering and manufacturing.

Eaton’s range of conveyor solutions encompasses safety switches that include double- and single-ended conveyor trip switches, conveyor rip/torn switches and double-end slack rope switches, as well as belt alignment and belt trip switches.

“The conveyor belt trip switch facilitates stopping the conveyor in an emergency from any point along the entire length of the conveyor,” BMG business unit manager Donovan Scott says.

The conveyor belt ripped/torn trip switch provides a fail-safe stop mechanism for torn or ripped conveyor belts. The rip switches are typically installed just after loading points, where belts are more likely to develop tears or rips and at 30 m intervals on longer conveyors.

“Once activated, these switches isolate the control circuits of the motors driving the conveyors and other process equipment,” says Scott.

The alignment switches, which are mounted on both sides of conveyor systems, provide a fail-safe stop mechanism for conveyor belts that have been misaligned to the left or right.

Alignment switches, Scott explains, are typically mounted on either side of the header and tail pulleys on all conveyors and after every 30 m, as well as at every tripper drive on longer conveyor belts.

“Once activated, these switches interrupt the control circuits of motors driving the conveyors and other process equipment,” Scott notes.

These components are used extensively in the mining industry, as well as other sectors, including aggregates, sugar, and pulp and paper.

Scott notes that the official partnership enables the market to have “greater accessibility” to Eaton’s brand of hose, hose fittings and complete conveyor solutions.

The Eaton product range is available from BMG’s distribution network comprising more than 130 branches located in South Africa, as well as other African countries such as Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

BMG provides a 24-hour customer process support service for production efficiency and reliability centred maintenance.