East Conveyor Replacement Project

The East Conveyor is critical piece of equipment used to unload bulk ships at Dominion Salt NZ Mount Maunganui site.

This conveyor system consists of a Dump Bin Conveyor, Main Incline Conveyor and the East Conveyor and the system is used 5-6 times per year to unload about 140,000 Tonnes of salt per year.

Due to the corrosive nature of salt and its 20 years of service life the East Conveyor had deteriorated to a stage that it was unsafe to operate. In mid-2019 a capital request was submitted to replace the East Conveyor. This project had to be split over 2 years due to the sheer size of the project and to ensure there was uninterrupted supply of to our customers.

Included in this project was the Main Incline Conveyor and East Conveyor west end support leg replacements. The original hardwood timber legs were still in place after over 40 years of supporting the conveyors and were well overdue for replacement.

Significant hours went into the project to design the new structure and gain the necessary structural approvals. Due to the size of the project work could only start directly after a shipment of salt was unloaded.  This compounded the situation as salt required removal around the west end leg so the old legs could be removed and new concrete base poured.

With lots of dedication and long hours from Dominion Salt, Jensen Steel Fabricators, Electrical NZ and Kiwi Conveyors we got the job done safely and on time.  A great achievement and team effort from all concerned