Van der Ende Steel Protectors Group recently received the unique assignment to perform major maintenance on an ore excavator(Kombi 4) of EMO (European Mass Goods – Transshipment Company) Maasvlakte.
The Kombi is a giant ore excavator from 1991and has reached its 24th year of life. To increase the reliability and availability of the Kombi, the entire electrical system and controls will be replaced. This will be done during major maintenance on the machine. This project is an extra challenge for Van der Ende because we have limited time to carry it out. The ore excavator is an important production tool for EMO, so downtime costs money. After a thorough preliminary investigation, we knew: It is possible to complete the total maintenance process in an extremely short period of about six weeks.
We began maintenance in mid-August; the machine was scaffolded. This shielded it from the surroundings and ensured safe accessibility. Then pre-treatment with grit blasting began after which a new 4-layer paint system is applied. The project is progressing well. Implementation is running 7 days a week 12 hours a day.
There is excellent mutual cooperation, which is the basis for making a complex project like this successful. We are very proud of this project. Van der Ende once again shows that the impossible is possible, safely, well and on time.