Bretec breaker for Brazil’s Brennand Group

Brennand Cimentos S/A, Brazil, has made its first foray into the hydraulic hammer market with the purchase of a 1340 kg Bretec L20 unit. Mounted on an XCMG XE210 excavator, the new silenced breaker has been pressed into immediate action at the company’s facility at Sete Lagoas, which produces more than 1 million tpy of Portland cement.

Power and Portland

The Brennand Group began operations more than 100 years ago producing sugar and alcohol. In 1950 the group diversified and expanded its activities to encompass production of ceramics, glass, cement and steel. In 1999, when it sold its three cement plants, the group had a market share around 6% of Brazilian production, with plants located in the states of Goiás, Paraíba and Alagoas.

The Group Ricardo Brennand, which came about following on from the corporate restructuring of the old Brennand Group, began developing its own specific business model. In 2000, Brennand Energy was created resulting in the construction of its first hydroelectric plants. In 2005 the group returned to operations in the cement industry, with the first Brennand cement plant in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais. The second plant is now in its final implementation stages and is located in Paraíba.

Immediate impact

A significant problem the company has encountered since returning to producing cement has been dealing with a large number of boulders. These, when broken down, can be used in the production process, and their removal would also prove to be of benefit to the general operations at the plant. Mining coordinator, Paulo Pereira, explains the problem: “As part of the cement production process, we often have to deal with large boulders that are too large to be moved or crushed.”

“We trialed a competitive breaker but it simply could not break these boulders. In fact, when the Bretec L20 was delivered by Rock Brit, we already had a big square boulder that the previous hammer had failed to break. The Bretec breaker made an immediate impact. Since we installed the (Bretec) hydraulic hammer it has worked well. Productivity has been very good!”

Local support

Although very happy with the Bretec breaker, the actual performance was just one factor in the purchasing decision. Another key factor for Brennand is the support they would receive locally from Bretec’s distributor in the region, Rock Brit. “There is ease of logistics because we are in nearby cities (Rock Brit and Brennand), thereby allowing streamlined delivery. This also results in speedy maintenance, but this has not yet been required,” explains Paulo Pereira. “Rock Brit also provided technical support for both the delivery and in the aftermarket, which makes us feel that we are receiving excellent levels of support.”

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/17032015/bretec-l20-for-brennand-cimentos-531/