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After decades spent maintaining, refurbishing and optimising apron feeders across Australia’s mining sector, Minprovise has achieved a significant milestone by delivering the first sale and supply of its very own apron feeder series to a major mining company.
The path for many mining service providers to original equipment manufacturing starts in the design office, but for Minprovise, it started in the field.
The company’s apron feeder journey was built on years of hands-on experience working alongside operations teams in some of Australia’s toughest mining environments.
From the Pilbara to regional processing plants, Minprovise said its personnel have spent countless hours inspecting, refurbishing, retrofitting and maintaining apron feeders, gaining first-hand insight into the challenges operators and maintenance crews face every day.
That practical knowledge became the foundation for a new idea.
What if an apron feeder was designed by the people responsible for maintaining them?
In 2020, Minprovise apron feeder technical specialist Louw Scholtz and his team began developing a concept that would bring together the strongest design features from across the market while placing greater emphasis on safety, reliability and maintainability.
Minprovise said the vision was simple but ambitious. Rather than reinventing the apron feeder, the goal was to create a machine that addressed common maintenance challenges and incorporated lessons learned from decades of field experience.
“The objective was clear: to combine the industry’s best design features into a single machine with a strong focus on safe maintenance,” Minprovise managing director Graham Townsend said.
The result is the Minprovise Apron Feeder Series, an apron feeder developed from an operator and maintainer perspective rather than a purely engineering one.
Designed for the Realities of Maintenance
According to Minprovise, what sets the Minprovise Apron Feeder Series apart is its practical approach to maintenance and safety.
The design incorporates features intended to make inspections, servicing and component replacement safer and more efficient, while maintaining the reliability expected in demanding mining applications.
Segmented sprockets, accessible adjustment systems and maintenance-focused safety improvements are among the design elements shaped by real-world operational experience.
“The experience and knowledge gained from decades of working with apron feeders, as part of our ongoing specialist fixed plant maintenance services, has enabled us to blend and optimise the best features from all the brands into our unique apron feeder design,” Scholtz said.
The successful first order provides strong validation of the concept and reflects growing market interest in equipment designed with maintainability and whole-of-life performance in mind.
Proudly Designed and Manufactured in Western Australia
The Minprovise Apron Feeder Series is designed and manufactured at Minprovise’s Welshpool facility in Western Australia, supporting local suppliers and manufacturing capability wherever possible.
Each unit is built to relevant Australian and New Zealand standards while retaining flexibility for site-specific requirements.
The project has also showcased the depth of capability within the business, drawing on expertise across engineering, fabrication, procurement, project delivery, maintenance and operational support teams.
Adding to the achievement, the inaugural machine will become the first apron feeder in Australia to operate with a Hägglunds Fusion Drive, currently being assembled in Sweden.
The drive technology is recognised for delivering high torque, reliability and efficiency, aligning closely with the design philosophy behind the MAF Series.
A New Chapter for Minprovise
Delivering the first Minprovise Apron Feeder represents more than a single equipment order. It marks Minprovise’s transition from a company known primarily for specialist maintenance and engineering services into a manufacturer of proprietary fixed-plant equipment.
More importantly, it demonstrates how operational experience can drive innovation. By leveraging decades of direct maintenance knowledge, Minprovise said it has developed an apron feeder designed not just to perform, but to be maintained safely and efficiently throughout its operating life.
As the first unit heads toward installation at a Western Australian gold operation, it signals the beginning of a new chapter for both Minprovise and the evolution of apron feeder design in Australia.
For more information, visit www.minprovise.com.au