Crushing limestone in the UAE

Located in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fujairah is an emirate almost entirely surrounded by mountains. This rugged landscape is the product of an estimated 800 million years of geological activity and today provides a vast supply of quality limestone.

Bin Lahej Crushers, one of the UAE’s leading quarrying specialists, is currently using this wealth of stone to produce high quality aggregate for a variety of construction projects. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, close to Fujairah, the company is using a fleet of Volvo articulated haulers, excavators and wheel loaders to produce 850 tph of crushed limestone, 20 hours a day, six days a week.

“We are using two EC700C-Series excavators, three A40F-Series articulated haulers and two L150G-series wheel loaders,” explains Saad Kamel Efat, General Manager at Bin Lahej Crushers. “We ordered our first Volvo machine one year ago, and haven’t looked back since. Our Volvo fleet helps us to complete a number of important operations, working together to ensure the site efficiently produces a high quantity of outstanding graded material for our customers.”

High demand for high quality

Limestone is first drilled and blasted by a subcontractor in a nearby quarry. The Volvo EC700C excavators then load the extracted material onto the A40F haulers, which transport the rock 400 m to the crusher. The limestone first passes through a primary jaw crusher before going on to be further broken up by a secondary impactor. The Volvo machines work two 10 hour shifts a day, during which each hauler can make up to 50 trips between the rock face and the crusher.

Once crushed and screened to the exacting standards of the customer, the finished product is then transported to a variety of locations throughout the region. The crushed material is used mainly as aggregate and Bin Lahej is a supplier to Middle Eastern companies such as Unimix, and has provided aggregate to contractors working on projects as large as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the tallest man-made structure in the world.

“We have a high demand for our products,” says Kamel Efat. “In order to keep up, our machines need to be able to consistently produce large quantities of material every day. Our ISO rating means that we are also responsible for producing a reliable quality of aggregate. The robust, heavy-duty design of these Volvo machines allows us to reach these targets with minimum downtime for maintenance and service.”

Efficient operation

Bin Lahej works closely with local Volvo CE dealer FAMCO, who is providing onsite training and assistance to ensure that each operator is at home in their machines. The intensive nature of operations at the site – and the influence the operator has on efficiency – means that this is a very important aspect of working with Bin Lahej.

“Our operators are happy with these machines,” says Kamel Efat. “FAMCO provides all operators with training and general assistance, so our people feel confident working with Volvo equipment. We are also impressed with how CareTrack can improve performance onsite – the telematics system allows us to assess and adjust operator and machine behaviour to help us maximise our working day.”

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/12012015/a-crushing-victory-for-volvo-in-the-uae-145/