The Power To Crush

Caterpillar engines power Metso Minerals crushers worldwide.

Customers all around the globe are relying on Metso Minerals for solutions, equipment and services to their rock and minerals processing needs. Tampere, Finland-based Metso Minerals is a key subsidiary of parent company Metso Corporation. You’ll find Metso Minerals’ customers crushing, feeding, screening and washing aggregate in more than 150 countries.

“Our contractor and quarry customers count on our crushers, every day,” explains Jussi Sjoblom, global source manager for Metso Minerals. “Our machines have to be reliable. They have to work.”

Sjoblom is currently located in Columbia,S.C., where the company has just completed a manufacturing facility for the LT200HP mobile crushing plant, powered by a Cat® C13 ACERT engine.

The Lokotrack LT200HP crusher operates on an intermittent rating of 310 bkW(415 bhp) at 1,800 to 2,100 rpm. The LT200HP mobile crushing plant is a rather new addition to the Lokotrack line and is designed for secondary and tertiary crushing.

The company plans to move part of production of the LT200HP from its Tampere, Finland, location to the new plant in Columbia, S.C.Columbia will manufacture the LT200HP mainly for the North and South American markets.Plans to move production of two additional track-mounted crushing plant models is also being discussed.

Rely on the Proven

The move to a United States production facility is a major undertaking and was carried out to bring the assembly closer to the growing U.S. market. It is also one that Metso Minerals carefully planned. Metso Minerals operates additional business lines in Sweden, Germany and the United States.

The company also took careful consideration to rely on proven suppliers to assist in making a smooth transition for the LT200HP.Caterpillar, and its network of Cat dealers both in the United States and Europe, was one of those key suppliers.

“We have an excellent partnership with Metso Minerals, which includes trust and a strong working relationship,” notes Markus Leppanen, segment manager power systems for Finland Cat dealer Wihuri Oy Witraktor.

Leppanen explains that instead of sending its own service staff all over the world to service Metso customers’ Cat engines, Wihuri Oy Witraktor relies on dealers within the worldwide Cat dealer network for such service. This leaves Wihuri Oy Witraktor free to focus on the necessary logistics to supply Metso Minerals with the engines they need when they need them.

“We also focus on design, application and service support for our customers,” says Leppanen.

Metso Minerals and its worldwide customers have a large Cat dealer network to access — and one very close to the company’s new South Carolina home. Blanchard Power Systems in Columbia, S.C., has stepped in to help the OEM with its needs in the United States.

“We rely heavily on our Cat dealers, first in Finland and now in the United States,” stresses Sjoblom. “The communication between Cat dealers and us as a customer has been a part of allowing us to successfully transfer our production of the LT200HP to South Carolina.”

The Whole Picture

Metso Minerals’ expertise covers the production of aggregates; the processing of ores
and industrial minerals; construction; and metal and waste recycling.

The company’s mobile crushing line, comprising of about 30 different models, is powered almost exclusively by Caterpillar industrial engines. Utilized in a variety of quarrying and in-pit crushing applications, these track- and wheel-mounted crushing plants are available in jaw, cone or impact crushing configurations.

Metso Minerals manufactures a wide range of crushing equipment and therefore requires a wide range of diesel power. To date, the company is utilizing Cat 3056E, C6.6 ACERT, C9 ACERT, C13 ACERT, C15 ACERT and C18 ACERT engine platforms. They have also built a few crushers with Cat 3412 gensets.

Metso Minerals’ mobile crushing plant crushers are mostly hydraulically driven, and the Cat engines power everything from the hydraulic pump drives to the tracks to the conveyor to the crusher. The combination of Metso’s advanced intelligent control (IC) crusher automation systems, Cat engines with ACERT Technology and Metso crushing technology are designed to maximize production with optimized fuel consumption.

The engines are currently shipped from the Finnish Cat dealer Witraktor to the Finland plant, where Metso Minerals packages them into a power pack. The dealer equips the engine with necessary auxiliary equipment and modifications, programs the engine’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) according to Metso’s specific machine requirements and stores the engine to wait for just-in-time delivery to Metso. Metso’s own packing includes the engine, gearbox, two to three hydraulic pumps, piping, hydraulic oil tank, control box, side-by-side air coolers, engine bed and engine cover.

“The power pack we supply is a plug-and-play package for our manufacturing facility,” says Sjoblom. “And our machines are a one-touch operation for our operators,” he adds.

Automation for Efficiency

Unique to a Metso Minerals’ mobile crushing plant is the intelligent control system that ensures the feeding of the crusher is a steady and constant process at all times.

The IC system interfaces with the Cat ECU (which stores engine diagnostic data, eliminates speed variation and adjusts for cold starts, rapid acceleration and smoke reduction) to keep the engine running at a constant rpm (around2,100 rpm). This continuous rating allows the machine to crush all types of aggregate efficiently and evenly.

Online information from the engine’s ECU and the crusher’s IC system is available to the operator for control and monitoring of the crushing process, which can be started and stopped with a single button.

“The crusher incorporates an easy-to-operate crusher automation system that optimizes the crushing process control while allowing maximum workload and reduced crusher maintenance costs,” concludes Sjoblom.

Caterpillar® Truck Engine Earns J. D. Power and Associates Award for Sixth Time

10-18-06 - Harrisburg, PA

For an unprecedented sixth time, a heavy-duty truck engine from Caterpillar Inc. has received a prestigious award for customer satisfaction in the 2006 Heavy Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Survey.

International marketing information firm J.D. Power and Associates awarded Caterpillar's C-12 clean power engine its highest levels of customer satisfaction, saying that Caterpillar in particular has done an excellent job in meeting the challenge of the new emission standards by creating its own innovative emission technology and that their success is clearly evident in how satisfied customers are with their engines.

Caterpillar's C-12 engine won the award in the "Vocational" category, which includes trucks used in demanding applications such as construction, refuse hauling and utility services. This year's study was based on interviews with 2,529 customers who own two-year-old Class 8 trucks (weighing 33,000 pounds or more). It measures customer satisfaction in four areas of engine performance: engine quality, engine performance, engine cost of ownership and engine warranty.

"The credibility of the J.D. Power and Associates Award is that it is customer-driven, reflecting the feedback and voices of the end-users who rely on Caterpillar's engines," said Jim Parker, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the company's Power Systems Marketing Division. "Team Caterpillar's ongoing focus is on delivering enhanced customer value while at the same time meeting the more stringent EPA emissions standards. We are pleased that customers are experiencing the value of this tireless work."

The C-12 utilizes the building blocks of Caterpillar ACERT Technology, which is a long-term solution that reduces emissions at the point of combustion without sacrificing engine performance and reliability. A systems approach to emissions reduction, it relies on advanced technologies in four key areas: improved air management, precision combustion technology, advanced engine electronics and a simple after-treatment process.

"This is an exciting time for Caterpillar as we continue to see strong customer acceptance for our engines powered by ACERT Technology," said Parker. "ACERT Technology remains the solution for future engines. We currently have 100 engines meeting the even tougher 2007 emission regulations in customer hands today. Caterpillar's extensive and industry leading testing will achieve more than 12 million miles on these evaluation units by mid-October."

The Caterpillar C-15 follows the C-12 in the rankings with strong scores across all customer satisfaction factors. The study examined engines in 2004 model year trucks, the second model year impacted by EPA emissions standards enacted in 2002. Caterpillar has submitted certification documents for all 2007-compliant engines and is fully prepared to begin production. Caterpillar is the leading manufacturer and supplier of truck and bus engines in the combined medium- and heavy-duty categories in North America, holding the leading position in engine shipments to vehicle manufacturers since 1999.

To learn more about Caterpillar On-Highway Engines, please visit: http://www.cattruckengines.com/.

Cleveland Brothers Announces New Lancaster Branch Manager

01-26-06 - Harrisburg, PA

Cleveland Brothers is pleased to announce the addition of Pete Quinn. Pete will be the branch manager for a new full-service facility being constructed in Brownstown, PA just off of Rt. 222 at 4326 Oregon Pike. The branch is expected to be open early in the new year and will be home to Caterpillar machine sales and service, on-highway Caterpillar engine service, equipment rentals, and an expanded parts department with hose-making capabilities for Lancaster County.

Mr. Quinn comes to us from Giles and Ransome, a Caterpillar dealer in Eastern Pennsylvania with locations also in Delaware and New Jersey. At Giles and Ransome, Pete spent three years as a rental store manager. Prior to joining the Caterpillar family, Pete has had eight years of experience managing several different Hertz Equipment rental locations throughout the Northeast.

Cleveland Brothers Engine Division Reaches Platinum Status

Cleveland Brothers, the Caterpillar dealer for central and northeastern Pennsylvania, has been awarded Platinum Status in Caterpillar's Power Excellence Program. On presenting the award to Jay Cleveland Jr.,President, J S McReynolds, General Manager of Caterpillar Power Systems North America, said, "Congratulations to you and your Power Systems Team on achieving Platinum status in the Power Excellence Program. The Platinum Award is new this year, recognizing dealerships that have achieved Gold Level for the last three years. In other words, it is a recognition of consistent outstanding performance.... This award truly does represent your commitment to all areas of the power systems business"

Jay Cleveland Jr. commented "Over the last several years we have invested significantly in people, training and facilities to increase our abilities to service the important power systems segment of our business. It is gratifying to have Caterpillar recognize the Cleveland Brothers' team with this important award"

Caterpillar further showed their confidence in Cleveland Brothers by promoting them from an Engine Dealer to a Power Systems Distributor.There are 19 Caterpillar Engine Dealers and 40 Caterpillar Power Distributors in North America.Jeff Lauver, Engine Division General Manager at Cleveland Brothers said,"As a Power Systems Distributor Cleveland Brothers can further expand its support for industrial OEM accounts which can utilize not only Cat engines but other Caterpillar components as well,We are proud of the confidence already shown by companies such as JLG Inc. in Cleveland Brothers' capabilities to provide them customized Caterpillar products which enhance the value of their products."

On July 27th, Cleveland Brothers' Engine Division employees celebrated the award with a buffet lunch and praise from management. At the celebration, engine division's General Manager, Jeff Lauver, accepted a plaque from Caterpillar District Manager Steve Schoening denoting the new Platinum status.

Cleveland Brothers' Power Systems Division provides permanent and temporary power solutions for industrial, health care, tourist and agricultural facilities. They also have a large rental fleet of HVAC units to satisfy climate control needs. In addition to Caterpillar, Cleveland Brothers is also a full service dealer for Sullair's industrial and portable line of air compressors.