Two first time events are set to frame Metso’s appearance at the forthcoming Hillhead 2024 exhibition – one being the presence as an exhibitor of their new UK distributor, McHale Plant Sales, and the second being the appearance in a public exhibition of their new Lokotrack EC diesel-electric crusher range.

Another featured item of interest to those producing fine aggregates will be a Metso Nordwheeler NW8HRC unit, a high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) machine much talked-about in aggregates production circles where finely ground output is required in road surfacing, waste processing, and concrete products production. Exhibited also will be conventionally-powered equipment from the Lokotrack series.

Especially interesting for the majority of visitors to see will be the first unit in the all-new electric powered Lokotrack EC range: a LT400J 68-ton mobile jaw crusher designed for primary crushing of hard rock and recycled aggregates. Second model choice in the new EC range is a 50-ton mobile LT350C cone crusher for use in secondary and tertiary crushing applications.

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To reach high capacity, the LT400J is equipped with a proven Nordberg C120 jaw. According to Metso, this unit can be seamlessly combined with conventional Lokotrack mobile crushers and screens to produce high quality aggregates.

In their announcement, Metso said that "when external electricity is available, the new electric power transmission provides high capacity with minimised operational cost and CO2 emissions’. “When not available, onboard diesel gensets allow maximum independent operation time, with power to drive auxiliary units such as mobile screens and stackers, thereby reducing the needed power to run the complete plant".

"Designed and tested to perform in demanding conditions and deliver maximum uptime for the customers, both EC units were developed using new, modular architecture. with reduced component numbers that provide scalable solutions adaptable for different applications and capacities," the Metso launch statement added.

On the sales side, the appointment of McHale Plant Sales as Metso distributors in the UK – with depots in Tamworth and Edinburgh – is one that the company said "builds on work they have been doing as their distributor in Ireland and Northern Ireland markets. There, their customer base includes such notable names as CRH, Breedon, and numerous other top-flight quarry owners, aggregates, and concrete products producers."