It’s only natural to want to start getting the benefits of new equipment as soon as you’ve made the decision to invest.  But if the delivery of essential parts is delayed, it can create an opportunity for some very creative solutions.

When an American miner changed suppliers for ground engaging tools (GET) for their DA3 dipper buckets, it faced up to 18 months wait for the new lips vital for attaching them.

Given GET wears out faster than the machines that use them, this generated an operational risk.  The dipper buckets are used on the mine’s primary loading shovels for ore extraction and the loss of even one could impact production capacity.

The challenge became how to modify the existing dipper buckets to use the new GET and not lose time in gaining the benefits.

The mine team called on Schlam’s specialised experience in overhauling buckets to develop a solution.

The design solution was highly complex.  The lip needed to fit the existing buckets and new GET precisely while also being designed to manage impact absorption and abrasion, weight distribution, bucket wear and machinery performance.

Each factor was important for ensuring the modified buckets would be safe and effective within the mine’s operating conditions. 

The whole process involved close collaboration with both the customer and their supplier to manage quality assurance at each step.

The DA3 is obviously not a Schlam product.  But leveraging both product knowledge and experience, the Schlam team offered the flexibility and expertise to ensure a seamless result.

Read the full case study to see how Schlam helped deliver a safe, practical solution under tight operational constraints.