Esperance Tonnes to Port

Project: Esperance Tonnes to Port

Location: Esperance, WA
Duration: 2 Years

The Tonnes to Port initiative by CBH Group aims to improve the grain handling efficiency of their site. McDowall Affleck were engaged to inspect and assess the site to provide recommendations based on identified current infrastructure constraints. The aim was to enable the rail grid to be used exclusively for rail in peak periods and enhancing the road only grid to a net tonne capacity. Concept solutions incorporated upgrades to the existing conveyors, elevators and covering grids while focusing on improving current time for load-in for road and rail to achieve capacity initiative targets.

Scope of Work included assess existing site configuration and operations, propose concept solutions maintaining existing footprint, estimate budget for proposed changes, report on solutions with recommendations.

Project Challenges included space constraints inside the elevator/conveyor complex, dual grid 3 restricted by safety concerns for space and elevator/conveyor capacities, dual grid 5 restricted by wet weather, load-in limited by existing conveyor and elevator speeds.

McDowall Affleck recommended changes to accommodate these challenges through upgrades to the existing elevator and conveyor structures to increase their capacity including covering the dual grid network to allow for operations in all weather conditions for improved load-in efficiency.

Value Engineering – McDowall Affleck provided several concepts to be assessed and selected by the CBH Group with the focus on improving operational efficiency across all sections of the site.