Location: Cornwall, England.

IMERYS Minerals Ltd are extracting and processing rocks that are rich in kaolinite also known as kaolin or China clay. The name “kaolin” is derived from Gaoling (Chinese for “High Ridge”), a Chinese village near Jingdezhen in south eastern China’s Jiangxi Province.

IMERYS Cornwall are the world’s 3rd largest producer and exporter of kaolin after IMERYS Brazil and IMERYS USA. They produce approximately 1 million tonnes of kaolin per year, or 2,750 tons per day. With around 1,000 employees and operations in over 20 active quarries and industrial facilities, they also are a key component of the global research and development organisation. 
The FOWEY docks handle bulk carriers that has the capacity to load up to 7,000 tonnes. IMERYS load 4 to 6 bulk carriers per week.

IMERYS’ products are utilised in a wide variety of markets including:

• Paints, Sealants and Adhesives
• Plastics, Rubbers and Breathable Film
• Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics
• Ceramic materials for Sanitary ware, Tableware and Tiles
• Paper and Cardboard
• Casting, high precision components for e.g. car industry
• Furnaces, insulating safety barriers (industry and household use)

IMERYS trusted AMTAB with a pivotal function in their logistical and commercial chain. AMTAB seamlessly integrated the Deutsche Bahn’s (cargo company’s) proprietary wagon ID-system with AMTAB’s weighing system and IMERYS’ logistic systems.

AMTAB installed and commissioned a ‘Trade Approved’ precision weighing system. These kind of installations must involve the customer/operator. AMTAB wants to acknowledge all levels of IMERYS’ staff at for their outstanding professionalism.

Thank you IMERYS, management and co-workers! Thank you for the vital contribution you make to the rest of the world.

Argentina is a country with rich natural resources, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. The Agricultural sector produces, maize, soybeans, wheat, sugar cane, barley and sunflower seed. Overproduction is exported from the ports of Argentina. The most important of the ports is on the Paraná River 300 km north of Buenos Aires, where trains and trucks ferry goods. 

Every day 70,000 tons of agricultural products are shipped out of this harbour. 40% is transported by train and 60% by trucks. The bottleneck is the logistics where the weighing the wagons on static scales on both the way in and the way out is the limiting factor. Eight (8) train sets with approx. 80 wagons with a payload of 40-45 tons correspond to the 40%. Imagine if two more train set could be squeezed in to the 24 hour schema. This would change the balance to 50% vs. 50%. If a truck with a trailer can take 40 tons (which is probably its absolute upper limit), the two extra train set equals to a minimum of 175 trucks, per day. So this is definitely what T6 is aiming for. 

With the introduction of the AMTAB WIM dynamic railway scale, this relationship is slowly change in favor of rail transport. It is more cost-effective, less labour intensive and environmentally cleaner than transporting by trucks.

T6’s own investigation has shown that the accuracy of the AMTAB system is more than sufficient to replace the six static scales used.  Instead of splitting the train set into six separate weighing lines, weighing each wagon by stopping and waiting for the dynamic forces to subside, registering the weight data, repeat this 12 – 14 times per weighing line, and then repeat once again after delivering the load. They only have to roll over the AMTAB WIM weighing site on their way in and out and the weighing is done.

T6 are so satisfied that they have ordered one more system for a parallel track running into the facility. The system is so successful that other companies close by have ordered several systems for a new installation.

Testimonial from Rodrigo Diaz, Supervisor de infrastructura:

“After only a few months of operations, AMTAB’s Weighing in Motion system has exceeded expectations with regard reliability, durability and precision/accuracy. In fact, it turns out that the system is so capable that we plan to increase the transport by rail, a positive development for the environment as well as the terminal.

AMTAB’s systems have contributed in a very positive and tangible way to the capacity of Terminal 6 S.A. – Argentina’s largest land-to-sea transshipment terminal.”

With the right sensing system, rail operators can learn a great deal of data about the trains that roll on their tracks. AMTAB’s system for monitoring weight and wheel damage of railway cars continues to develop new functions based on sophisticated analysis of the data its sensors collect.

“Our engineers are continuously innovating to deliver more value to customers via software solutions,” says AMTAB CEO Björn Liszka. “We are constantly working with customers to learn and meet their needs.”

Projects under way in several European countries include:

• An ongoing study involving neural networks that makes the system “learn” to improve its detection capabilities each time a train passes over the system’s sensors.
• A function to conduct high-speed weighing of trains traveling 200+ kph, with accuracy at up to 140 kph confirmed so far. Tests show that the system is so accurate it can show the number of passengers per carriage in a commuter rail train (based on an average passenger weight of 75 kg).
• A way to detect increased risk of derailment. AMTAB’s system can now identify the three main causes of derailment generated by the train itself.
• A material fatigue study combining AMTAB’s sensors with its deep learning capabilities.

“We will be making a series of announcements detailing the results as soon as the implementations are finalized,” Mr. Liszka says. “So stay tuned!”

AMTAB’s strategic keywords for both the system and our business are:

ACCURATE RELIABLE DURABLE

AMTAB’s management sat down to discussed “How can we prove the system’s durability in a convincing way?” It didn’t take long before we all agreed on that the “Iran case is the story”.

In 2008, AMTAB sold 15 systems to the Iranian Railways (IRW). They were installed throughout the country – in both very cold and very hot climate zones. Since 2008 IRW’s 15 systems have been operational, with no support incidents. Having found that the AMTAB system has met and exceeded their expectations, IRW had started to discuss increasing the number of scales in their railway network by repeat ordering from AMTAB. We expect that discussions will resume after the Iran trade embargo has been lifted.

We feel that our customer relationship with IRW is the strongest testimony for the durability of our system thus far.