Glenn McGrath maintains line and length
Line and length were always vital elements of Glenn McGrath’s armoury now he is out to maintain the line and length of the industry’s conveyor belts.
While visiting an old mate during a family ski holiday to Canada, Australian cricket legend Glenn McGrath was introduced to a totally new playing field.
McGrath first met his new business partner Darren Maughan in 2003 when he provided security for the Australian cricket team.
When the two caught up in Canada recently Maughan showed McGrath his latest venture, a conveyor belt repair system called Beltfix 102.
Having retired from the world cricketing arena four years ago McGrath told The Roadhouse that he had been on the lookout for some new venture that he could really get his teeth into.
“Obviously getting everything back on track with my family and the McGrath Foundation and everything else, there has been plenty there to keep me busy,” he said.
“But there was something I really wanted to do with the same passion that I had when I played cricket and I looked at the things that held me in good stead when I was a cricketer and I tried to look for that in any business that I wanted to get into.”
Developed specifically with the conveyor belt system in mind Beltfix 102 caught the eye of McGrath, who is now company chief executive officer, due to its simplicity and ease of application.
The product is an environmentally friendly, one-component rubber repair material based on thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) technology.
Beltfix 102 claims to possess attributes that make it a reasonably attractive proposition for the resources industry.
It is a one part product that cures within 30 minutes, has an indefinite shelf life, is non-toxic and environmentally friendly and requires no specialized skills or tools for its application.
“The thing that really grabbed me about it straight away was the simplicity of it and then, after talking to Darren, recognising its versatility and reliability,” McGrath said.
“We have been trialling the product over in Canada for the last 12 months where it has been performing extremely well.”
A lot of down-time associated with any conveyor belt system is due to damage.
That down-time subsequently disturbs production, which ultimately influences a company’s profit margins.
Because Beltfix 102 cures completely within 30 minutes, it enables the belt to be fixed in-situ.
“That means you don’t have to move the belt to a convenient, flat area,” Beltfix managing director Darren Maughan chimed in.
“It can be fixed where the damage occurred, where the belt has stopped and immediately be put back into use after repair.
“This results in a massive reduction in overall down-time, which obviously is one of the biggest effects on a company’s bottom line.”
Traditionally the reparation of conveyor belts has been a time consuming and complex affair requiring the need for specialised tools, operated by tradesmen specifically trained for their use, and toxic chemicals.
“Our product requires none of these,” Maughan continued.
“It requires no extensive training, which means it can be applied by on-site employees. We offer training to our customers on-site and won’t leave until the employees are fully competent with how to use the Beltfix 102 product.
“Thirty minutes after the repair has been completed the belt is ready to start running again.”