JR Richards & Sons Improve Cycle Rates with TRM516

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Launched in 2012, rich earth suppliers JR Richards & Sons has gone from strength to strength with the establishment of two organic processing facilities across New South Wales. JR Richards operate a number of organic domestic kerbside collection services with the company growing from the development of the Grafton Organics Recycling Facility (ORF) on the NSW Mid-North Coast, established as part of Clarence Valley Council’s kerbside organics collection service contract. After the successful tender of the Orange City Council’s organics processing contract, a further site was established; Molong ORF near Orange in Central West NSW. Between the two sites; JR Richards & Sons produce in access, of 30,000 tonnes of high quality rich earth compost per annum.

The Challenge

JR Richards & Sons wanted to increase their production capacity at their sites. The challenge they needed to overcome was; how would they increase production whilst utilising the same production area? Compost stockpiles can only be stored on licenced saturation pads, so how did JR Richards & Sons increase production capacity without investing and licencing new storage pads?

The Solution

Consulting with specialised equipment supplier FOCUS enviro, JR Richards & Sons came up with the solution. They needed to improved storage pad cycle rates. To achieve this, JR Richards needed to increase their screening capacity.  By being able to screen their compost windrows for finish fines quicker than they did in the past and improving just one stage of their process; JR Richards & Sons were able to improve production by becoming more efficient at what they do. With the EDGE TRM516 trommel’s superior screening capacity; production improved from 50m³ to 105m³ per hour. In reality this equated to processing two windrows in the same time it took JR Richards & Sons old screen unit to process just one. The TRM516 effectively increased their screening production by 50%. By opting for a wheel mounted trommel, JR Richards & Sons not only benefitted from the TRM516 superior screening capacity in one site but across multiple sites.

Mobility a key acquisition criterion

The importance of a wheel mounted trommel that is quickly and easily transportable was a key factor in JR Richards & Sons purchase decision.  With hydraulic folding discharge conveyors; the TRM516 can transition from operational to transport mode in minutes. By opting for a mobile trommel, they were able to boost the production capacity not just in one site but, in a number of locations without investing large capital; which undoubtedly it would have taken to purchase separate units for each of their sites.

Additional Features

One of many benefits of the EDGE TRM516 mobile trommel is its overload protection system. The screen drum and feeder conveyor are in constant communication. If the screen barrel is under pressure, the feeder conveyor will back off. Most importantly once the pressure from the drum is no longer recorded, the feeder conveyor will return to its set speed. Effectively this prevents material bridging, drum overload and most importantly ensures for efficient separation process of fines. With smart control features as standard; the EDGE TRM516 can be operated and supervised by one person. This makes the TRM516 the ideal screening solution when moving from one site to another with minimum site operation disruption.

Other key design features noted by JR Richards & Sons includes the TRM516’s discharge conveyors; in particular the 180° radial fines conveyor which provides a discharge height of 5.3m (17’6”) and creates a stockpile volume of 1310m³ (1714yds³). This allows JR Richards & Sons loader drivers to concentrate on feeding the trommel screen with minimum time spent stockpiling screened material. A knock on effect of this, is the noticeable reduction on loader movement and site traffic with material being handled much less.