The Challenge
Our oil sands customer wanted to improve efficiency and productivity across its two locations. However, they did not have the workforce at either location to adequately maintain and repair their machines in a timely manner. There was also the magnitude of the operations to contend with. There are many moving parts from shovels and haul trucks to conveyor systems with a host of rotating equipment, and often this equipment comes from a variety of manufacturers. It can be difficult to find a single partner capable of supporting such a complex operation.
The Need
Our customer needed a local partner they could trust to provide a turn-key solution for their entire mining and processing operation. A partner that could mobilize quickly to keep their operations up and running while offering the same level of support for their mining and construction mobile equipment fleet. In finding such a partner, they could bring efficiency and productivity to a whole new level.
Our Solution
Wajax was well versed in this customer’s day-to-day operations. We had already performed repairs on their hydraulic mining shovels, rebuilt their crushers and apron feeders, replaced rotary breaker screens, and serviced their pulleys, gearboxes, and process pumps at our Fort McMurray facility. There were many critical components from a variety of manufacturers, but our teams could service each one seamlessly and without issue. As we worked together, we were called upon to provide more and more services.
Wajax soon became an indispensable resource. Not only did we supply conveyor servicing solutions, including conveyor repair, conveyor belt splicing, pulley alignment and gearbox repair, we also engineered a custom belt alignment system that would improve efficiency and productivity. First, we improved their adjustable idler frames to make them bigger and faster. Second, we designed and fabricated new frames for the conveyor system that allowed the conveyors to be manually adjusted on the fly without having to be taken down.
After demonstrating our capabilities, our customer approached us to see if we could supply their pit mine locations with mining and construction machinery. This was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how we could support their business from end-to-end. We delivered several front shovel and Hitachi EX8000 mining excavators, as well as an EX2500 excavator and several Hyster® forklift trucks and tire manipulators. In addition to beefing up their mining fleet, we also delivered a collection of construction class Hitachi excavators to be used in their daily operations – all of which would be serviced by our Fort McMurray team.
The Impact
The One Wajax solution enabled our customer to streamline their procurement, service and maintenance processes. Our ability to quickly mobilize and be on-site at a moment’s notice showed our customer that we are reliable. Our technical knowledge helped to speed up maintenance while increasing efficiency and productivity. We supported our customer’s business from end-to-end, giving them the turn-key solution they had been searching for.
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