Cummins is dedicated to helping mining companies eliminate costly recurrent pump engine problems from their operations. As a multinational company with a rich product portfolio, Cummins is sufficiently equipped to meet dewatering pump engine needs for end-users in the mining and construction industry, as well as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in Africa and Middle East.
For uninterrupted mining activity, dewatering pumps have to perform optimally at all times to remove groundwater. Product failure and support challenges of dewatering pumps can cause downtime to mining operations, resulting in low or loss of productivity and, inevitably, irretrievable loss of potential revenue.
Reliability of pump engine suppliers
Cognisant of the impact of pump downtime on productivity, Industrial & Fire Pump Engine Segment Leader, Mohammed Othman & Bo Fu, Sales Manager for Southern and East Africa, advises mine operators in Africa to consider the importance of the reliability of pump engine suppliers should they need pump repowering services.
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This is based on data gathered from Cummins’ extensive experience in the supply of pump engines throughout the continent and in the Middle East. Lack of consideration in engine supplier selection may result in ill-advised product selection, which results in engine not having enough power, and lack of technical support.
Dedicated to eliminating costly pump problems
Cummins is dedicated to helping mining companies eliminate costly recurrent pump engine problems from their operations.
As a multinational company with a rich product portfolio, Cummins is sufficiently equipped to meet dewatering pump engine needs for end users in the mining, construction and pumps industry, as well as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
In Middle East and Africa, the company covers 68 countries with over 1,500 employees and has an estimated 120 sales and service locations.
Diverse engine range
Fu comments on Cummins diverse engine range for various applications and end-user needs: “We supply both mechanical and electronic engines for pump application. As part of our value proposition, we can supply customers with not just the engine, but a power unit comprising of air intake system, exhaust system, cooling system, fuel system and control panels.
The engines are designed to give on-site operators the ease to trouble shoot and control. The scope of supply also extends to ancillary equipment such as radiators, variable or fixed speed drives, various emission standards and different pump certifications such as ULFM approved and NFPA 20, as well as diverse engine ratings.”
“To ensure right engine selection for our customers, our application engineers work with customers on the pump curves to ensure that we provide suitable engine horsepower that caters to the pump shaft power and taking the fuel economy, engine size, weight, and torque into consideration,” says Othman.
- NTA855 mechanical engine range
Cummins flagship NTA855 mechanical engine is well suited to operate in harsh mining environments, instead of electronic engines, due to their robustness, consistent power for pumping water, user-friendliness, fuel efficiency, ease of maintenance, and improved uptime.
The NTA855 is a fully-packaged ’plug-and-play’ power unit, consisting of the engine, cooling pack, control panel, exhaust muffler, and base frame. In a word, the mechanical engine gives the on-site operator leverage in operating the engines much more efficiently.
Over and above serving the needs of mining companies, Cummins NTA855 mechanical engine powers a wide range of equipment such as: dewatering pumps for construction applications, firefighting pumps for commercial buildings, industrial facilities and oil & gas applications, and irrigation pumps for agricultural applications.
- Variable speed engines
Variable Speed engines are the right solution for energy savings needs, as they vary the speed to give the desired fuel consumption. Cummins variable speed engines are designed to cater for variable loads and speeds in pumps.
Region wide presence
Cummins has regional distribution centres in South Africa and Ghana and can offer full after-market support for pump engines to customers anywhere in the region.
With inventory to support customers, together with shorter factory production lead time, the company can provide essential support needed during downtime.
With less downtime and fast engine delivery, customers can be assured of dependable operations.
Cummins warranty and aftermarket capability consisting of trained technicians and parts inventory gives the customers peace of mind that Cummins is the best partner in the pump industry.
Installation Quality Assurance (IQA)
While other suppliers leave customers to their own devices after delivery, going all out the Cummins team helps mine operators with Installation Quality Assurance IQA) after engine selection.
“Installation Quality Assurance (IQA) ensures that end-user customers have rewarding experiences with their equipment. The IQA process is necessary to evaluate the quality of pump installations, validate performance of engine system after being coupled with the pump, and ensure all parameters are recorded and documented,” says Fu, who adds that Cummins’s product is backed by Cummins Parts & Service Network, Factory-Trained Technicians and Genuine Cummins Parts.
Othman says Cummins extends the supply of accessories like coolants to clients using non-Cummins engines on their pumps.
Product knowledge and engineering strength
Cummins has demonstrated its product knowledge and engineering strength through helping a mine solve product failures and support challenges in in Africa.
Recently, the Cummins team combined their expertise to successfully carry out the repowering of five dewatering pump engines at a Goldfields site in Tarkwa, Ghana. The dewatering pumps are used for pumping water in a 24-hour dewatering mine pit.
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To carry out the task effectively, the NTA855 mechanical engine was preferred instead of an electronic engine. It was deemed the former would ensure product reliability and equipment uptime. Since Cummins’s mechanical engines were installed on the pumps at the mine in Ghana, pump uptime has improved, driving productivity up.
In West Africa, replicating its success in Ghana in other countries, Cummins is establishing itself as a reliable pump engine solution provider, Othman confirms, revealing, “There is interest in not only repowers, but also complete pump/engine options.”
From the foregoing, Cummins’ premium engine quality, ready availability of inventory of engines, engineering support, contracts and service agreements, which ensure optimal pump performance, guarantee customers with dependable operations.
