News

Article by Noel Dyson courtesy of Australia’s Mining Monthly.

TYRE management specialist Kal Tire has won a five-year contract to provide mining tyre management and maintenance services to the Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara.

Kal Tire technicians will start mobilising to site on April 1.

Along with the nearly 30 team members Kal Tire will bring to Roy Hill it will also deploy its Tyre Operations Management System. The tyre maintenance planning system is designed to help customers achieve fleet use, tyre life and safety goals.

Through Kal Tire’s partnership with Pitcrew.ai, TOMS will receive findings from autonomous inspection stations that detect signs of potential tyre damage such as separations. That is expected to be particularly beneficial at Roy Hill where challenging conditions such as high temperatures and the general hazards of hard rock mining are the norm.

Kal Tire is also bringing several exclusive tyre management tools it developed at its innovation centre in Canad to improve safety and efficiency.

Tooling includes the Gravity Assist System, which supports the weight of 36kg torque guns; a Ram Mount Tool that securely holds the bead in place; and a Power Cart that lets technicians stand at a safe distance to operate multiple hydraulic rams and bead breakers using high energy to separate the tyre from the rim.

However, one of the most anticipated tools will likely be the Magnet Clamp, which takes technicians out of harm’s way during the installation and removal of tyre and wheel assemblies.

Then there is the Ultra Repair technology that Kal Tire says will get tyres with large injuries that would otherwise be scrapped, back into production. That helps improve fleet use and give tyres a second life.

With Kal Tire’s Maple Program Roy Hill will be able to quantify and report on the emissions savings of Ultra Repairs.

Because the Ultra Repair process uses fewer raw materials and less energy, compared to bringing in a new tyre, there are environmental, social and governance benefits too.

This is not the first time Kal Tire has been at Roy Hill. It provided services to the mine from 2014 to 2019.

Kal Tire Australia managing director Miles Rigney said he was happy to be re-establishing a collaborative partnership with Roy Hill.

The mine has a 62 million tonne per annum throughput and there are plans to grow production capacity in the next few years.

“We have a lot of enthusiasm about the opportunity to work together to support that growth and make an impact with next-level technology, innovation and tyre life solutions,” Rigney said.

“Operating in a way that puts ESG at the forefront is very much a priority for our customers in Australia, so we’re proud to offer solutions at Roy hill that enhance safe ty, sustainability and productivity.”

Kal Tire provides services to more than 20 Australian mine sites.