Troy Mokawem, National Operations Manager at Hawk Pumps, says that a bit of inspiration and lateral thinking has resulted in effective solutions for mining and construction clients. He discusses two cases.
“Sometimes, we need to go beyond our everyday boundaries in order to stay ahead in business,” says Troy. “As a supplier of a number of high-pressure spraying and pumping products, customer requests are not always cut and dried. We have to adapt and invent to keep them happy”.
This was very much the case when Hawk received a brief from a returning customer – a well-known manufacturer of heavy-duty construction and mining equipment, who had an unusual project for the team to tackle.
“They needed a heavy-duty pressure system that had to be trailer mounted,” explains Troy. “The purpose of this unit was not only for cleaning the chassis after production, it also had to be able to remove the burrs created by the automated welding robots.
“Our solution was a 380v, 1 000bar electric system. When cleaning the chassis, a dump gun and rotating nozzle was used. When removing the burrs, a 15° nozzle, rated at 1 000bar, sprayed at an angle and easily sliced off the burrs”.
The second case
When Troy received an email from an engineer in Australia who had seen Hawk’s Stope Washer units, as used in the gold mines in South Africa, the client indicated that he wanted Hawk to adapt the unit to suit Australian requirements for the purpose of cleaning the massive dump trucks used in open cast mines. Troy continues, “The challenge here was that they required a 1 000-volt machine, which we don’t use in South Africa.
“Aside from having to source the motor and electrical components, we had no way of testing the unit once it was completed. But the customer was so confident in our ability, he was willing to take the risk. The washer was successfully completed and shipped to Western Australia where it arrived safely and is reportedly working well.
“We recognise that many customers have unique situations and conditions that they need to operate under, and an-off-the-shelf option is just not going to work for them. As such, we are driven to develop customised solutions to suit those customers’ unique circumstance,” Troy concludes.
