“A rubber lining that is suitable at the beginning of a particular pro- cess may not be suitable at the end of the process. It is for this reason that Truco has developed a rubber lining for each specific application,” Truco GM Mike Stuart tells Engineering News.

The rubber liners range from cut-resistant rubber, to abrasion resistant, as well as a liner that is both cut and abrasion resistant for a mine’s particular application. “Sand is abrasive, so a certain type of liner is used on dredging hoses, while big rocks and other large particles will cut the hose lining,” Stuart explains.

However, abrasive-resistant linings are not cut resistant, and Truco has developed a liner that can be used in both these applications, says Stuart. “This type of hose lining can handle the dredging process, and will also be able to resist the sharp corners of a large rock or piece of metal,” he states.

Stuart adds that Truco has also developed two wear indicators that will indicate when a rubber lining has only 20% of its life cycle left.

“These wear indicators prevent down time, as well as preventing a hose from being taken out of service prematurely, which has cost savings for the end-user,” says Stuart.

Stuart says that a dredging hose should typically last between five years and seven years, depending on its application. However, many engineers take hoses out of service before this time, to avoid the possibility of a catastrophic failure which could result in unwanted down time. “This has significant cost implications, since a potentially good hose is being prematurely pulled out of service. With the Truco flute valve or the electronic Truco wear indi- cator, this can be prevented,” explains Stuart.

He adds that Truco has also developed a patented flange design for use on its rubber hoses. This flange configuration is stronger than those used previously.
“In the length of a hose, the weakest point is where the flange is built into the hose. Truco has developed a double flange design, which is a stronger construction between the hose and the flange,” says Stuart.

He states that this design is being used extensively on many of the projects that Truco is involved in and claims that this design offers an integral bond between the hose and the flange, making this point stronger than before.

Meanwhile, Truco is currently involved in about 59 of the 551 new mining projects that have been identified on the African continent.

Some of these projects include R8-million worth of hoses for Moma Sands, where Truco has supplied all the hoses, from dredging hoses to those in the process plant.

The company will also supply most of the hoses for Rio Tinto’s Mandina mine, in Madagascar, worth R3,5-million. Stuart says that production of these hoses has already started.

Truco has also supplied all the hoses for First Quantum Mineral’s Kanshanshi copper mine, in Zambia, as well as all the hoses for the mine expansion. The project was worth some R4-million. All the hoses for First Quantum’s Frontier mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo have also been supplied by Truco.

Stuart notes that the company has completed a project for the Finch mine upgrade, as well as being the preferred supplier for all the dredging hoses at Namdeb, Elizabeth Bay, and Namaqua Sands mines.

“Besides all these projects, Truco has a standing contract to supply hoses to De Beers South Africa, a large portion of the hose contract for BHP Billiton, as well as a contract with Impala Platinum,” says Stuart. He notes, too, that the company has been awarded a contract to supply hoses to the Palabora Mining Company.

However, Stuart says that the company is experiencing a capacity challenge related to the amount of projects that the company is involved in.

To compensate for this, Stuart says that the company has plans to increase capacity by building an additional 1 200-m2 building on the current site of Truco’s second factory, in Chamdor.

Further, additional equipment and head cranes have been installed to handle the increase in production, as well as a larger autoclave. “Truco has increased capacity from a single shift on only eight hose machines, to 15 hose machines working 24 hours a day,” he says.

Meanwhile, skills pose a further challenge, especially owing to the growth in capacity. Stuart says that the company is involved significantly in in-house training, as well as focusing on growing its long-term employee skills base.

“Truco has grown significantly in the past few years, and about 50% of the hose division’s business is outside South Africa. It is important that we grow the skills base to handle the growing export lead capacity,” he comments.

Stuart says this growth phase has increased through the company’s working alongside the project houses and at the coalface. “Truco does not only rely on distributors to sell hoses – we meet the mine and plant engineers one-on-one and design customer-specific, cost-effective hose,” Stuart remarks.

He explains that the company will also meet with project engineers of the new mine pro- jects and design a hose for the mine’s specific application.

“This concept has resulted in Truco acquiring a good track record for problem solving and advice. We work with the client from the design phase through to instillation and we then follow up with the end-user when the project is complete and the plant operational.”

Further, the company is focused on becoming a one-stop shop for any new mine or project. “We want to be able to offer hoses in every size and type, up to 1 000 mm in diameter, as well as split-flange reusable couplings and the additional range of PVC and rubber mining hoses, conveyor belting and rubber sheeting,” Stuart concludes.