Joy is globally recognized as a leading manufacturer of complete longwall systems. Joy provides its customers with a single, accountable source for shearers, roof supports, face conveyors, stageloaders, crushers and mobile belt tail pieces.
Joy designs and manufactures the major elements of modern, high production longwall systems and provides the integrated approach necessary for the productivity gains required for success in underground mining.
The major elements of a Joy longwall system are a shearing machine, an armored face conveyor (AFC), roof supports, stageloader, crusher and mobile belt tailpiece. Joy manufactures these individual elements and provides professional project management capability to incorporate them into an integrated system and deliver that system on time, to specification and on budget.
Previously, each part of the system was designed and manufactured by different suppliers. Working independently, these companies improved the availability of individual elements of the system to the upper 90% level. Manufacturers optimized the performance of their products with limited concern of the effect that these isolated improvements might have on the total system. The approach led to mismatched systems and did not always provide the industry with the best solution.
The design and supply of a complete Joy longwall system under a single engineering and manufacturing control provides several benefits to the operator:
- Individual product design improvements are made with system implications already considered, balanced and optimized
- Complete electronic systems are based on the same protocols and architecture, and eliminate problems in communicating control, diagnostic and monitoring signals between elements of the system
- Operators reduce procurement and management costs
- System optimization is the responsibility of a single supplier
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