Metso keeping trucks moving at Brazilian quarry

Julio and Julio to reduce operating costs with Finnish firm’s rubber truck lining solution

JULIO and Julio Group have chosen Metso’s haul truck solution to minimize operating costs and improve the performance of their truck fleet at São Domingos Quarry, in Sorocaba, Brazil. This investment is estimated to reduce operational costs by 30% over the long term.

São Domingos Quarry has a capacity of around 1.2 million tonnes of crushed stone per year, and Julio and Julio were looking for a hauling solution that would meet current market specifications, utilize the latest technology and adhere to environmental legislation.

The company opted for Metso’s rubber lining for its truck bodies to improve the performance of its earthmoving fleet and reduce maintenance downtime.

Ricardo Bonadia, industrial manager for Julio and Julio Group, said: ‘The high-performance rubber truck lining solution will give the quarry greater maintenance flexibility, reduce fleet downtime and increase productivity. We are looking for a reduction in our operating costs and the Metso solution meets our needs and is an industry benchmark.’

The lining installed on trucks maximizes fleet availability and productivity, reduces noise during loading and unloading, improves driver comfort and maintains truck suspension. Metso say another advantage of the rubber truck lining is its modular composition. When replacement is required, only the worn modules have to be changed.

The wear life of the truck lining has also made an impression at Julio and Julio. According to Metso, the rubber linings have been designed to last four times longer than steel linings.

Mr Bonadia commented: ‘Before, we used steel plates that had a wear life of around 2,000 hours and our trucks required a two- or three-day maintenance stoppage due to the number of welds. Avoiding this was one of the key factors in choosing Metso’s haul truck solution.’

André Misael, national sales manager for Metso, added: ‘Metso rubber truck lining makes a big difference in this sense, and Julio and Julio have realized the benefits, not only for the truck body, but also for the whole truck. In the aggregates segment, we have several applications with our truck lining and customers are showing great satisfaction with the product.’