H
O W C A N the m a n u fa c tu re r o f m ining equipm ent best co -o p era te w ith th e coal o p e r a to r to im p ro v e th e technical p ro c esses and th e financial p o sitio n o f th e coal in d u stry in 1 9 2 8 ? T h is w as th e questio n p u t to a sm all g ro u p o f m a n u fa c tu re rs o f m inin g m ach in ery and allied lines by C oal A g e . I he replies received to this question fro m th e executives o f th ese com pan ies a re su m m a riz e d below .S ev eral o f th e m a n u fa c tu re rs a d d re sse d believe t h a t th e g re a te s t co -o p era tio n which they can offer is th ro u g h th e ir highly sp ecialized sales-engineer- in g staffs. T hese sales-engineers, th ey p o in t out, a re in a p o sitio n to advise in tellig e n tly w ith th e
o p e r a to r on ho w to red u ce p ro d u c tio n co sts a n d im p ro v e m a n a g e m e n t. H e r e an d th e re a signifi
c a n t n o te o f d isse n t is so u n d ed because, in th e o p in io n o f som e executives, th e coal o p e r a to r h a s n o t been w illin g to m eet th e m a n u fa c tu re r h a lf w ay.
G o in g a ste p f a r th e r , th e re a re som e m a n u fa c tu re rs w h o em p h a siz e t h a t w ays m u s t b e fo u n d to m ak e th e sale o f coal m o re p ro fita b le to th e p r o d u ce r since th e p ro s p e rity o f th e m a n u fa c tu re r o f eq u ip m en t m u st re s t u p o n p ro s p e rity in th e in
d u strie s to w hich h e sells. T h e p a r t new equ ip m e n t m ay p lay in th is m o v em en t is th e su b ject o f in te re stin g co m m en t in th is sy m p osiu m .
M u s t F u r t h e r E l e c t r i f ic a ti o n I n M i n i n g O p e r a ti o n s
A
n s w e r i n g the question of . how the electrical m anufacturer can best co-operate with the coal operator to improve the technical proces
ses and financial position of the mining industry during the coming year, E. M . Herr, president, W est- inghouse Electric & M anufacturing Co. says:
“In the past twenty-five years American industry as a whole has greatly increased its productiveness and the returns to both management and worker by doubling the amount of power used per worker. The fundamental principles involved in this process are now quite generally accepted as sound for certain indus
tries by industrialists and economists, and experience indicates that they also apply in the coal-mining field.
“ It is, therefore, I believe, the feel
ing of all m anufacturers of electrical mining equipment that they can best serve the coal-mining industry by ex
tending the use of power-operated mining machinery and by developing new applications so that still further increases in the use of power will be made possible.
“The peculiar nature of coal min
ing makes it essential that that indus
try and the electrical industry co
operate wholeheartedly in this work, and the assurance of this co-operation 30
on their part is, in my opinion, the m anufacturers’ most effective con
tribution to the welfare of the mining industry.”
C lo s e r F i e l d C o n t a c ts N e e d e d A s A i d to I m p r o v e m e n t
T T IS the belief of William H . A Woodin, president, American Car
& Foundry Co., that “the m anufac
turer of coal-mining equipment can best help to improve technical proces
ses by going to the mine and working with the engineers, with a view of providing them with equipment best suited to their individual require
ments. It follows that if the m anu
facturer by this method can produce equipment that will improve the tech
nical processes of mining, it will re
flect a financial benefit to the coal operator.
“I f mine operators will call on equipment engineers, who are always willing to work out with coal-min- ing engineers the problem of equip
ment, it will insure greatest economy of operation. Experience has proved that the operator cannot produce ade
quate and economical equipment either so inexpensively or so well as the equipment builders, who always stand prepared to ascertain the re
quirements and to furnish equipment that will attain better and m ore'satis
factory financial results for the operator.”
P r o f i t a b l e O p e r a t i o n D e m a n d s C o m p l e t e M e c h a n i z a t i o n
R
e - e s t a b l i s h m e n t of the coal-mining industry upon a profitable basis depends prim arily upon the sale of coal at a commensurate m argin of profit, in the opinion of C. C. A ustin, general manager, Mancha Storage B attery Locomotive Co. “T hat statem ent,” he continues,
“seems trite, yet it sometimes helps to get a clear vision of a problem if that problem can be stripped of all non-essentials.
1 he price of coal is the mining cost of the marginal producer and is a figure over which mining companies have no control. Their only recourse, then, is to reduce the cost of mining the coal, and in our opinion this can be accomplished only by the complete mechanization of t h e ’ mines. This means the application of the proper blasting methods to get the best re
sults, substitution of machine drilling for hand drilling in most cases, instal
lation of cutting machines to displace any hand mining which may persist today in a few mines, installation of proper loading machines wherever practicable and the substitution of mechanical haulage for all animal haulage wherever the animal haulage is unprofitable, together with the in
stallation of proper preparation equip
ment on the surface, to prepare the coal properly for sale. H and labor
C G A L A G E —- Vol.33, N o .l
and animal labor m ust be minimized to the last degree.
“ M anufacturers can be of the greatest service to the industry only when they employ as representatives technically trained men competent to pass judgm ent upon these technical problems from an engineering stand
point, we think that the main body of present conditions wherein the very valuable byproducts are lost.’’ asserts Col, H. D. Savage, vice-president. In ternational Combustion Engineering Corporation, “but that we must look upon coal as a raw product to be treated, and its several constituents conserved for their most efficient and best low-temperature processes yield about 70 per cent processed fuel.
“While, under such treatment, the miner would produce more coal for a specific purpose, this is not an eco
nomic waste, as the value of the by
products recovered from the total ton
nage. is many times the value of the and the co-operation by thebitum inous interests in this endeavor opens up
land, president, Sullivan Machinery Co., is more co-operation from the financial position of the industry?]
you have the cart before the horse, equipment approaches a coal oper
ator he is liable to be looked upon semi-hostile superintendent or pit boss, and the apparatus is placed in the mine, not to make a showing u n der average conditions, but where the conditions are the very worst possible.
I am not accusing all coal operators underground management becomes a determining factor. This same con
dition affects to a greater or less de- o-ree all apparatus used underground for the extraction of coal.
“Another point which I think is frequently overlooked by the oper
ator is if a new piece of apparatus is a success, the operator receives a much greater pecuniary return than the ¡manufacturer of the machine, and
if it is not a success, the years of effort, expenditure for drawings, pat
terns, engineering and supervision have been lost to the m anufacturer. willing to co-operate generously with the operators. make the experiment mutually profit
able.”
S a l e s - E n g i n e e r s C a n S e r v e A s A d v i s e r s to I n d u s t r y
i t r Ï ' H E R E are two distinct and im--L portant services engineers and m anufacturers of coal-mining equip
ment can render coal operators,”
proved equipment w herever replace
ment of old equipment works decided economy in operation; (2 ) also to purchase equipment to enable them to m arket a much better product and at the same time handle and prepare this product more economically. Both these suggestions are entirely prac
tical, as is evidenced by operators who have already made such improve
ments.”
S h a r e E n g i n e e r i n g D a t a W i t h C o a l O p e r a t o r s
A
c c o r d i n g to / . a . Donaldson, .president, Joy M anufacturing Co.. the m anufacturers of mining equipment can best co-operate with the coal producer in promoting the financial stability of the industry “by gaining and retaining the confidence of the coal operator through the dissemination of engineering and eco
nomic facts pertaining to specific mining phases constantly being gath
ered and studied by the trained and 31
highly specialized m anufacturer's staff, which point the way toward more efficient and lower cost produc
tion; and by correctly analyzing and reporting upon the solution to par
ticular mining problems coming with
in the scope of the m anufacturer’s product.”
E l e c t r i c a l E n g i n e e r s S t u d y i n g C o a l - M i n e P r o b l e m s
CONTRIBUTION in the form of sound engineering and the proper application of electrical appa
ratus has tended a great deal toward reducing the cost of producing coal,”
says / . G. Barry, vice-president, Gen
eral Electric Co. “Automatic under
ground substations, automatic starting and stopping of pumps equipped with electric motors and other devices used underground mean, a saving of labor and more efficient operation. Elec
trical engineers are giving much thought and attention to this impor
tant problem.”
Sees P r o f i t in C o n v e r s io n O f S la c k S u r p lu s
D
e v e l o p m e n t of machinery for the low-temperature carbonization of screenings to reduce the volume of slack coal is offered by Otto H . Falk, president, Allis- Chalmers M anufacturing Co., as one way in which the m anufacturer can aid in stabilizing the coal industry.
“ Screenings which are produced in the bituminous coal mining industry are an attendant burden which to many operators presents a loss, due solely to the fact that the volume of such coal is in constant surplus, far beyond the consuming ability of the utility and industrial plants that are equipped to use it. In consequence such operators are faced with the problem of selling the prepared sizes at a figure sufficiently high to carry the burden of loss on the screenings and earn a net return on the whole operations.
“Conversion of this grade of coal to a higher form value by means of low-temperature carbonization pre
sents an opportunity to the operators for realizing a just return for the fuel value of the screenings.
“The products of such processing include a smokeless and easily igni- table fuel very' desirable for the do
mestic market, when produced in solid, dense form.
“The products being in such a form as to be easily transported to the m ar
ket makes it preferable to locate the
processing plant 011 the mine property adjacent to the screening plant. The economies realized from such a loca
tion of a low-temperature plant make this industry especially inviting for the bituminous coal mine operator.
“Allis-Chalmers, in conjunction with others, has for some time been devoting its attention to this prob
lem in an effort to develop apparatus which will bring commercial results.
In view of the present widespread interest in the subject it is not unrea
sonable to expect developments and improvements along this line in the near future.”
M a n u f a c t u r e r s R e a d y to G i v e S o u n d E n g i n e e r i n g C o u n s e l
“ H P H E B E S T W A Y in which -I m anufacturers of coal-mining equipment can co-operate with coal operators,” writes W illiam Lawrence Saunders, chairman of the board.
Ingersoll-Rand Co., “is by' the use of engineering and scientific meth
ods in salesmanship. A salesman whose chief object is to get an order is a pretty' poor specimen to go be
fore the operator of a coal mine.
“ 1 have endeavored all my life to put engineering and efficiency first in business with mining men. Through the large experience which salesmen of this company have among mines of various kinds and under varied con
ditions they' are equipped to advise . the operator what is best for his par
ticular case, how he may save them money in the operation of the mines and what improvements.he can sug
gest as to processes and machinery to achieve this result.”
C o - o p e r a t io n W i l l D e v e l o p B e t te r E q u i p m e n t
H E problems of the coal opera
tor and the m anufacturer of mining equipment are mutual and each is necessarily dependent on the other for success,” says / . C. Wilson, manager of the mining sales division, Ohio Brass Co. “The m anufacturer has no excuse for existence unless he can contribute to the solution of the operating problems of the industries which they serve.
“The m anufacturers who serve the coal industry must accept the respon
sibility for seeing that the equipment that they' develop, m anufacture, and offer for sale is a sound investment and is a real contribution to the more economical production of coal.
“ Intelligent development by the m anufacturers of mining equipment
depends largely on the co-operation of the operators in submitting their problems with definite information covering the results to be accom
plished. W ith this information, the technically trained staff maintained by all up-to-date m anufacturers can de
velop more efficient equipment which will result in increased production and more economical handling which will in turn lower the cost of coal at the tipple.
“ In short, the operators and manu
facturers must w ork together on these problems if satisfactory results are to be accomplished. Close co-operation will result in better equipment and more economical operation and in the final analysis, will be beneficial to both.”
K n o w i n g F u e l P e r f o r m a n c e W i l l W i d e n Sales
T
H E advantages of knowing fuel perform ance by actual experience are stressed by R . B. McClave, general manager, McClave-Brooks Co.
“It would seem the better part of wis
dom for the operators to equip their own power plants with the most effi
cient ty'pe of fuel-burning equipment and thus place themselves in a posi
tion to demonstrate how their particu
lar fuel can be burned most efficiently and economically.
“I f this is accomplished they will then be in a position to go into the open m arket with actual test data with regard to the burning of their particular fuel and in this m anner sell their coal to the public and not as
sume the attitude that the public will come to them to purchase their fuel, merely because they' are engaged in mining it.
“It would seem that much closer co-operation between the coal pro
ducers and the m anufacturers of coal
mining and coal-burning equipment would result in greatly improved con
ditions for all concerned.”
C o a l O p e r a t o r M u s t T a k e L e a d in C o - o p e r a t i o n
T
H E Q U E S T IO N asked by Coal A ge should be addressed to the coal operators, says Thomas Robbins, president, Robins Conveying Belt Co..because “all opportunities fo r co
operation with the m anufacturer of coal-mine equipment m ust be initiated by the operator. The m anufacturer has generally been found willing to co-operate to the fullest extent, but the problems are the operator’s, and should be stated by him.”
32 C O A L A G E — Vol.33, N o .l