“Hardfacing Australia” meets the SELL principle according to BMA Coal Pty Ltd

In the following ways:-

SAFE:- Maintenance crews aren’t required to change out the teeth on Shovel 31 as often. This allows the project to offer improved health and safety aspects of the process because it is a physical and manual handling orientated task. No other major changes the process have been realized and this therefore has witnessed no negative impact on operators.

EFFICIENT:- The time savings have allowed for a significant increase in efficiency. The amount of downtime required for shovel teeth change out has been greatly reduced which allows for more operating hours for the shovel and an ability to reallocate the valuable resource of labour in other areas. Previously the amount of time to change out the teeth on a shovel bucket, approximately 1.5 hours, was required on average every 7 days. Since improving the tooth life via hard facing methods, this amount of time is only required on average, every 90 days.

LEGAL:- No legal concerns or issues have become apparent throughout the development of this project .

LOGICAL:- Since the results of the trialling became quantifiable in August of 2005, implementation of the alternative hard facing method and continuing to employ its methods became the next logical step in the process. The measured success and results of the trialling of the hardfacing have proved overwhelming and have since deemed the previously required 7 day average change out cycle for teeth unacceptable.