South East Sands and Terex Washing Systems patience rewarded in Lang Lang

South East Sands in Lang Lang is one of the biggest independent sand producers in Victoria.

South East Sands’ collaborative partnership with Terex Washing Systems and Terex Jaques has been rewarded after nearly a decade in the making.

Lang Lang is an unassuming place. Located 90 kilometres from Melbourne, it is partly known for being a halfway marker between the state’s capital and Phillip Island, the state’s penguin capital.

But within the town is South East Sands, one of the area’s newest opened businesses and, perhaps, one of its most successful.

By its own measure, South East Sands has become one of Victoria’s largest independent sand producers less than a year since it launched.

But behind that success was a nine-year period of planning and development to ensure the operation could be successful and compliant.

Peter Wilson, Business Director, from South East Sands’ and Terex Washing Systems sales manager for Australia and New Zealand Ben Willcox share their experience on the journey and the plans for the Victorian producer.

The investors identified Lang Lang, with its unique sand, as a critical area that could serve a Victorian market in desperate need of sand.

“In the industry, there has been a consolidation of ownership between the major players, and a lot of independent quarries have been acquired by larger, vertically integrated, building materials companies,” Wilson said.

“We came in as the market was consolidating, demand for the product was increasing, and despite the delays, we had patient investors who believed in this opportunity.

“This sand is unique, very white, but it remains consistent with its gradings and retains the colour.

“It certainly wasn’t for the faint-hearted. Only a certain type of investor would have embarked on something like this, and they backed us in.”

There were obstacles to overcome before South East Sands could think about moving sand or commissioning its Terex Washing Systems plant.

The company spent time reshaping the entrance road, sealing it, realigning an intersection, upgrading the power supply, and satisfying numerous local government planning preconditions

At the same time these works were being carried out, Lang Lang experienced its wettest winter in more than 40 years, which held up the construction and commissioning of the processing plant.

“There were times I thought it would never happen because we’d get close to starting, and then the finish line would move again,” Wilson said.

“We knew the customers would support us, but now, looking back, it is very satisfying that we got to this point.”

South East Sands

Terex Washing Systems and Terex Jaques have been key supporters of South East Sands.

PARTNERSHIP

As South East Sands got ready to launch in the early stages, it secured Terex Washing Systems as a manufacturer and supplier behind the scenes.

The Terex brand is well-known across the Australian quarrying and aggregates industry. Terex Washing Systems has been researching and developing its product portfolio across six decades to ensure its customers have up-to-date equipment solutions.

By working with Terex Jaques and Terex Washing Systems, customers gain access to one of Australia’s largest and longest-established engineering groups. The group can deliver specialist solutions for turn key plants, known for their reliability and durability.

Wilson recalled spending plenty of time speaking with Terex Washing Systems team of specialists and its engineering base to ensure its machines fit South East Sands’ purpose.

“We worked closely with Terex for about six months before we pulled the trigger on production because we were doing something that wasn’t straight out of the textbook.”

“There’s no one-size-fits-all plant that will do everything you want, but what Terex Washing Systems plant does is it gives you the flexibility to tweak it or bolt on other equipment to be flexible.

“Terex Washing Systems  equipment has allowed us the scope to fine-tune it to suit us to make the product that we want to make,” he said.

South East Sands started with concrete sand from its Terex Washing Systems plant. The modular plant includes an M2100 Tracked Rinser, FM200 Compact, deep cone thickener and flocculant dosing unit that allowed it to get underway with a small footprint.

The compact sand plant works on the principle that a raw dry feed is delivered to a rinsing screen where the material is sized and fluidised using the wash box equipped with a high-pressure spray. The sized sand is then pumped through a cyclone to remove the silts, where it is dewatered over a dewatering screen. The silts are then processed through a thickener, allowing 90 per cent of the plant’s water to be recovered for reuse.

Given the outlay for quarries in upfront costs, many often want to scale operations to make a return on investment. South East Sands was no different, and its partnership with Terex Washing Systems was vital.

After working collaboratively with Ben Willcox and the local Terex Jaques team, South East Sands bolted on an FM120 Compact plant to act as a fine sand recovery unit.

“We pride ourselves on working collaboratively with our customers to ensure that our equipment can help them achieve the business outcomes they’re looking for.”

“Most quarries will look to upscale their business, and by using the FM120 Compact, our solution for South East Sands allows them to achieve this and sets them up for the future.”

It provided two significant advantages to the Victorian producer: further quality control over its finished concrete sand production and the creation of fine sand.

The new machine’s fine sands opened new opportunities for South East Sands, ranging from garden centres in the retail sector to topdressing Melbourne’s golf courses.

“We always knew the original plant was the stepping stone to something bigger,” Wilson said.

“Part of the attraction to Terex Washing Systems products was that they were modular, and we could add pieces to flesh out the plant.

“The flexibility has allowed us to see where the market and our customers are going and meet their needs.

“We’ve been able to fill gaps in the market where supply has gone down, or the resources aren’t there anymore, and we’ve been able to pursue that largely thanks to Terex Washing Systems.”

FUTURE PLANS

The partnership between Terex Washing Systems and South East Sands has fuelled a rapid rise in production. The Lang Lang producer has gone from zero customers in May of last year to selling half a million tonnes of sand and a complete range of products 15 months later.

Terex Washing Systems and South East Sands continue working behind the scenes to grow the Lang Lang site’s production.

Terex Washing Systems is working with South East Sands on a solution to help stockpile more sand on-site.

“We value our relationship with South East Sands, and our team is excited to collaborate with them to ensure our equipment can help them take the next steps on this journey,” Willcox said.

“We’ve effectively been there since the beginning of the South East Sands business and hope to be there for many more years.”

South East Sands expects the solution will help improve product grading and efficiency on-site and for truck operators.

After the nearly decade-long wait to start production, Wilson said the company felt bullish about its future.

“It’s very satisfying, and it feels like a vindication of our belief in this project from the start,” Wilson said.

“Good things come to those who wait, and we couldn’t have got there without Terex Washing Systems.”