Multiple washing spreads impress at McCloskey customer open day event

Washing equipment specialist McCloskey Washing Systems (MWS), along with their UK dealer MaxInnovate Ltd, held its first multi-spread demonstration event, at Monk Plant Hire (MPH) in Hockering, Norwich, UK on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March, highlighting the power of the washing equipment working together. The demonstrations were an integral part of events tailored to familiarize both new and established dealers and customers with the versatility and productivity of MWS latest products. 

The highly successful event attracted more than 200 attendees who enjoyed guided tours to inspect and view the equipment at work while taking the opportunity for questions and answers with McCloskey experts. The event highlighted new washing and classifying equipment for both quarrying and recycling applications. 

The Monk family have been involved in the recycling and demolition industry foralmost 20 years. MPH offer the supply of crushed concrete, brick rubble and road scalpings along with screened top soil to the local construction market. They are also able to offer site clearance services within a 60-mile radius of Norwich.

The McCloskey spread included a dual power R105 scalping screen which feeds a minus 40mm into the Aggstorm 150 log washer to produce a clean product which is split in to three aggregate fractions. The minus 5mm is processed through the Compact Sand Plant 120 creating two grades of sand.

The washing system at MPH has been in operation for 3 months and has already processed approximately 60,000 tons of material creating clean drainage aggregates & concrete sands. Prior to this the material would have been crushed and sold as a low cost sub-base material.

MPH are currently producing 6 sellable products; 3 aggregates, 2 sands and a clay from the filter press. This material was previously taking up valuable space on site prior to the new system being installed. In addition, the customer was missing out on a significant revenue opportunity that could be realized through the introduction of an effective washing system. The MWS products along with the water treatment plant installed at MPH has addressed both issues and resulted in the customer being able to maximize returns from their operation. 

There are many features of the Aggstorm 150 log washer that make it stand out from other similar products in the market. The variable speed drive for the shafts allows the retention time to be increased or decreased at the touch of a button. One particular feature that captured the attention of all at the recent open day was the MWS patented side door access system.

This advanced engineering breakthrough makes it the only log washer in the industry that has been designed with absolute focus on the machine operator for ease of maintenance.

"The system has been designed to allow the operator access to both sides of the hull from a standing platform when carrying out maintenance tasks such as the removal of rope, rags or wire from the shafts and blades which is a common occurrence within this sector. Previously operators would be required to lay on top of the hull face down to carry out this process, which posed safety issues, along with a much longer downtime for the operator," explains Ben Frettsome, MWS Sales & Applications Manager.

The unique and innovative AggStorm modular wash plant brings together rinsing, scrubbing & screening capabilities on a single transportable chassis. Primarily designed for the processing of construction & demolition waste, the AggStorm at Monk is producing three grades of aggregate, 40mm, 20mm and 10mm along with pre-screening a 0/2mm and 0/5mm sand product.

The wash plant also includes a full water management system incorporating a 9-meter diameter low level rake thickener along with a filter press, recycling more than 95% of the water used in the washing system.

For this application MPH are using a 1500mm x 1500mm x 130 plate filter press for the slurry dehydration which is produced from the rake thickener.

The filter press produces a dry solid ‘cake' with a residual moisture content of below 22% which allows for this to be transported immediately, in comparison to other methods such as centrifuges or traditional tailings ponds which require multiple handling & days to dry.

This also allows for a separate revenue stream to be created through the sale of this ‘byproduct' to several local industries "At a time when operators are focused more than ever on maximising efficiencies within their sand and aggregate processing operations, our plant at MPH provides evidence that there are significant opportunities to be taken advantage of with the processing of recycled waste," explains Mark Monk, Director at Monk Plant Hire.

"We are deeply appreciative for the opportunity MPH gave us to demonstrate our equipment at their site in March. The perfect weather, combined with this perfect venue, made the event a resounding success on every level. We extend our sincere thanks to them, as well as to all those who joined us, we were delighted with the turnout," said Sean Loughran, McCloskey Washing Systems Director.

MWS UK dealer Max Innovate is a leading provider of material processing & handling equipment, specializing in the waste and aggregates industries. They have proven expertise in delivering best-in-class products and solutions for these industries.

Fintan McKeever, Managing Director at Max Innovate, said, "The initial interest in the open day was phenomenal, and we quickly realized that we were going to have to spread the event over two days to accommodate all those who wanted to attend."

"The wash plant provides Monk Plant Hire with clean in-specification material that they could not achieve by dry screening alone; this will increase their sales and grow their customer base. The complete processing system received lots of positive feedback with many visitors impressed with maximum access to serviceable areas and the quality of the product produced".

Fintan added, "The tours impressed the visitors with the attention to detail and pride that everyone at McCloskey and Max Innovate takes in what we do, and it made me proud to be part of such a market-leading company. As I have come to expect from the team at MWS, the open day speaks volumes for the company's ethos, as well as to serve as an indicator for future growth plans."

Commenting on the success of the open day, Ben Frettsome, MWS Sales and Applications, Manager said, "We were delighted with the turnout and to have the chance to showcase our impressive product range in the UK once again. The Open Day proved to be another successful breakthrough for MWS, as we have now entered another industry with what I firmly believe to be the best product in the market place for the waste recycling sector.

Reaction to the plant was overwhelmingly positive and we received immediate orders as a result. To have the opportunity to show an international audience around our system and spend time reviewing critical areas of interest for them was fantastic."

Following the huge success of this event, McCloskey Washing Systems will be hosting another UK exclusive Open Day event in Sheffield in September 2019. Further details about the event will be revealed soon.