Testimonials from our customers
Read real stories from the field.
The sales and support team have bent over backwards to accommodate whatever I need.
The service has been extraordinary.
The PumpEng people we deal with have been excellent. They’ve been very responsive with everything we’ve needed
I’ve been dealing with the PumpEng people here and their service has been great.
Read Full Testimonials
Choose from a topic, mine type or pump type.
What Maintenance Teams Say About ScatPump
The Cosmic Boy Concentrator treats raw nickel ore, using a three stage crushing circuit. These comments came from directly from Troy Boyles, the Maintenance Superintendent for the Cosmic Boy Concentrator.
Here’s what Troy had to say;
“We trialled a ScatPump 5.5 submersible pump in our harshest floor sump environment, under our crushing circuit. Not only did the pump last 100% longer, but it greatly increased the ease of replacement due to its smaller size compared to the previous vertical cantilever pump. We are now in the process of installing these ScatPump 5.5 pumps all around our plant, with positive feedback from maintenance and operations.”
This type of feedback is so valuable to the design team who worked on the ScatPump. The design team were particularly keen to take on board feedback from maintenance crews about what was needed. They are particularly pleased that our efforts to ensure a longer pump life are achieving the objective – 100% longer pump life is a great result.
We are also pleased that this smaller pump size means that when a pump does eventually need to be replaced this can happen with greater ease for the maintenance team.
Sumatra Copper & Gold Rapt With Raptors
Dan Pember and Stan Oliver, the Underground Mine Operations Superintendents, have this to say:
“Working in the middle of Sumatran jungle has its challenges! PumpEng has been very professional and helpful and their Raptor pumps have proven themselves time and again!”
PumpEng continues to supply a high level of customer service to its customers which they can rely on, wherever they are in the world. PumpEng looks forward to continuing their support to Sumatra Copper & Gold in years to come.
ScatPump Performance Reviewed In Gold Mining Trial
Q. How do you describe your operation?
We’re just a standard gold plant. We crush the rocks to pour in gold.
Q. What were the problems you were having with your old pumps?
They weren’t lasting because of the conditions and the applications. They just weren’t lasting very long.
Q. Why did you decide to go with ScatPumps and PumpEng?
We searched online and considered a few options. PumpEng were prepared to give us a trial. That trial has been successful.
Q. How many pumps do you currently have?
Four.
Q. Where do you use them?
We use them in the mill discharge sump and in the gravity sump. We’ve also got a Scatpump for our main feed conveyor, and also one in our belt room.
Q. How would you describe their performance?
Oh, they’ve been magic. That’s why we’ve just trialled one in the gold room. We’ve only just put this one in. They’ve been great.
Q. How do you find the exchange program?
We had a 22-kilowatt pump the other day that we exchanged and it was back within a week. It was magic. It’s definitely a better option for us.
Q. What are the main benefits for you?
Well, lead time. The pumps performance is magic, it’s good. Exchange turnaround is quick.
Q. How would you describe the PumpEng customer service?
I found your people in Perth very easy to get on with. We’ve just had one of your reps here the other day and they’ve been great.
Q. What sort of feedback are you getting from your crew?
It’s been good. Costs are down, pumps are easy to instal, and the life we’re getting from the pumps is great. We nearly doubled the life we were getting from the one in the gravity sump.
The performance we were getting from the ScatPump that we are using in our mill sump has actually let us lower the kilowatt rating on one of the pumps and allowed us to put in a smaller pump. This works out better for handing which is a safety factor.
Q. What would you say to someone who’s thinking about engaging PumpEng and putting in their pump range?
I’d say you’re mad if you don’t. What’ve you got to lose? They offer a free trial, why would you not do it? There’s no hidden costs, and there’s no Catch 22, there’s no contract so why wouldn’t you do it?
I think PumpEng have got a winning product and I congratulate them. They’ve done well. The service exchange is the way to go. The whole company is very easy to deal with. I’m glad we found PumpEng. We appreciate their services.
Reducing Dewatering Pump Failure In Underground Gold Mines
How do you describe your operation?
We are an underground gold mine. We’ve got some water to manage. We use PumpEng to supply us with underground de-watering pumps to help us stay on top of de-watering underground.
What were the problems you were having with your old pumps?
We were having issues with the poor standard of the old pumps. The repair invoicing was ridiculous. We were paying for pump repairs which weren’t issues when we sent them off-site. The pumps that we were sending off-site weren’t the same pumps that we were getting back. The pumps we were getting back were a combination of several pump parts put together with each having different serial numbers. We discovered this when we pulled some apart on-site. That led us to go down the path to finding a new supplier.
Why did you decide to go with PumpEng?
The key factor was the price. I called a few different suppliers and told them what I was trying to do. We invited three companies up on-site. We met with them and arranged pump demos. Our final decision was a combination of how we felt about the face-to-face interaction as well as how well the product performed. PumpEng came out on top.
How many pumps have you got working on-site at the moment?
I’ve got just under twenty. Eighteen are on contract. I’ve also got a few extras which I can increase and decrease when peak periods demand.
Where do you use them?
In the sumps underground as well as at the face. These are pretty disgusting, dirty places. We’ve got lots of muck, fines and shotcrete fibres underground. All the bad stuff winds up in the sumps. It is a hard environment, so you need a tough pump to keep on top of things.
How would you describe the performance of the PumpEng pumps?
Sensational. In a typical week with our last supplier, we’d be sending off two or three pumps for maintenance. These days we’d be lucky to send out two or three in a whole month. That in itself speaks volumes.
How would you describe the customer service from PumpEng?
Great. I am in constant contact with them. They’re always very open and honest. There’s no secrets or anything like that. It’s straight down the line and what you see is what you get.
They pride themselves on delivering a good product. If there are any issues or questions, they’re more than happy to listen and take things onboard. They’ll work with you if you want to do something a little bit different or if you’ve got a special problem to solve. If I say, ” I need this pump to do this” they’re more than happy to work with me and get that outcome.
What sort of feedback are you getting from your crew?
The crew themselves don’t access the pump, but the electricians and pump fitters usually had to handle issues with the pumps from the previous suppliers. Those electricians don’t even put a tool on these new pumps. The contract we have in place with them is a full-service agreement. Feedback from the site says it frees up many man hours for us because we don’t have to worry about the pumps.
50% More Life from PumpEng MetalVest™ High Head Pump
What were the problems you were having with your old pumps?
We were having a supply problem with the 37-kilowatt pumps. We just couldn’t get a hold of them quick enough. That is why we switched over to PumpEng and their pumps.
How many pumps do you currently have?
We are using PumpEng pumps over the four sites. I’d estimate that would be a total of about forty pumps, all used underground.
You are using a 37-kilowatt MetalVest™High Head Pump. What’s been your experience with them?
You do get a longer life out of them. That is particularly the case in underground mines where there’s a lot of sediment.
You’ve also used some of the PumpEng Raptor® pumps. What’s your experience with them?
We’ve had a good experience with them. The original pumps of this style were the Flygt pumps. In my opinion, these are every bit as good as the original product.
How would you describe the PumpEng customer service?
Excellent. PumpEng are very good to deal with. The local office always answers the phone, which is great.
What sort of feedback do you get from your crew about this sort of equipment?
All positive. They don’t really get to knock the PumpEng gear, which is good.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about switching to PumpEng for their dewatering pumps?
I’d say yes, do it. PumpEng pumps will be equally as good if not better than what you are using. You’ll definitely get a longer life out of the standard 37-kilowatt pumps. If I had to put a figure on it I’d say we’ve seen an extra 50% more life.
Mining Dewatering Pumps For Salty Water & Harsh Conditions
Large Water Volume
How do you describe your operation?
Ours is a small underground operation with a lot of water issues. There are huge volumes of water we have to pump out from underground.
Old Pumps Not Coping with Capacity
What were the problems you were having with your old pumps?
They couldn’t handle the capacity of the water coming in. Due to the nature of the water, we were always having maintenance issues with them. Since changing over to PumpEng, we get good service.
Extraordinary Service From PumpEng
Why did you decide to try PumpEng pumps?
The contractor we were using was using them. We could see that they were getting a really good service from PumpEng. That is the reason we changed. We actually took over the contract and the service has been extraordinary. If we strike a large volume of water unexpectedly we can ring them and get pumps hot-shotted out on to the site in a matter of hours. They offer a really good service.
Better Price and Backup
How does PumpEng compare to other service offerings?
We’ve always used them because anytime we’ve gone out to get a quote from competitors they haven’t come within a bulls roar of what these guys can do. They can all give you a pump but they can’t provide the backup service.
How many pumps do you currently have?
I think it about 18, a combination of Raptor and MetalVest. These are all used underground for dewatering.
Quick Turnaround
How would you describe PumpEng customer service?
They offer a great service, in particular the turnaround. Due to the nature of the water here, it’s very harsh. It’s a couple of hundred times saltier than seawater. It is extremely tough on any pumping equipment. For that reason, we need someone who can repair these pumps and turn them around quickly. That fast turn around is exactly the service that we get from PumpEng.
Reliable Pumps
What sort of feedback are you getting from your crew?
The only feedback I hear is about the reliability of the pumps. Very occasionally we might have to use another supplier if PumpEng doesn’t have something available but due to the nature of the conditions and the water we’re pumping, those other pumps just don’t last. That just reinforces that the PumpEng pumps do a good job.
Value For Money
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about switching to PumpEng for their dewatering pumps?
I’d say compare your prices and compare apples with apples. Make sure what you are comparing is a similar offering, especially with the service side of things. The proof is in the pudding. I think we are getting pretty good value for money.
Lithium Processing Plant Uses ScatPumps to Reduce Pump Maintenance
Stewart Bailey is the Area Manager – Process Infrastructure for Altura. The company is on track for the commissioning of its lithium processing plant in the Pilbara. In this interview, Stewart discusses deploying the ScatPump slurry submersible pumps to replace existing pumps that were struggling to handle the operating conditions.
Can you describe your operation?
We’re a junior mining company with a brand new process plant which we are commissioning and ramping up to nameplate completion.
What were the problems that you were having with your old pumps?
The original equipment selection was based on trying to standardise our pumps across the site. The pumps we’d chosen, are generally regarded as the industry best but there are very few spodumene process plants currently in operation to take the experience from and under our particular conditions, the originally chosen pumps were not performing as expected.
Because they weren’t performing both in terms of efficiency and wear life, they became an ongoing maintenance and operational burden on the team. Thus, the project team, which I head up, was tasked with finding an alternative pump type which would perform better and reduce the amount of labour required to keep the pumps operational.
Why did you decide to try PumpEng?
PumpEng were recommended by another supplier as being the most suitable for our application which led me to make an enquiry.
PumpEng gave me a brief run through of their products over the phone and quickly followed up with issuing all of their pump data and stock availability. They had pumps available immediately off the shelf and this was one of the deciding factors in going with PumpEng initially as a short term solution.
Official quotes were quickly received showing very competitive pricing, much lower than the current pumps that we were using. An order was placed for a trial pump and within days, the pump arrived on site.
How many pumps do you have there now?
Our initial order was for one trial pump which was used to replace our hardest working and most problematic sump pump. That pump was received very well by the guys on site because of the ease of installation, especially as it was compatible with all of our existing control set-up. Then as soon as it was put into use it started performing well and the Projects team quickly received requests to commence with ordering further pumps for some of the other problem areas. It was decided that these pumps were more than a short term solution and because of their suitability and value, they should be used site wide. Another three were immediately ordered taking us to four with three in use and one spare. We ordered a spare as part of PumpEng exchange program, which was also part of the deciding factors.
Since then we’ve received a request for a further three which are now on site with further requests coming in each time one of the original pumps has a problem.
Which of the pumps do you have there?
We try to standardise them by having all 9kW Scatpumps. There was a bit of lead time with a later order of 9kW pumps due to stock availability so we went ahead and purchased two 7.5kW and one 15kW from the ScatPump range. This wasn’t a problem for us as the different sized pumps are interchangeable in our setup and it allowed us to trial the smaller pumps to reduce our power consumption.
Can you describe where you are using them?
In our sumps under the fixed plant. There’s slurry, wash down and also ferro silicate product from our dense media separation units. Recovering the water from the sumps is essential for our water balance, therefore, its essential that the sump pumps perform well so no water is wasted. Making the sump pumps an essential part of the process.
How do you describe their performance?
They are performing excellently in carrying out their duty and doing exactly as we require them to do. The previous pumps had a two-stage operation where the first stage they agitated the material in the liquid and the second stage, they pumped. The ScatPump doesn’t need agitation prior to pumping. They just agitate as they pump resulting in continuous pumping. This means that the pumps are able to keep up with high demand, maintain lower levels of liquid in the sumps, which means the faster recovery of the water into that water circuit.
There is also a safety factor to add in there. The ScatPump maintains a lower level in the sump that means the operators aren’t working around higher water levels.
Is it too early to tell how much more performance you’re getting out of these than the others?
It is early days but we haven’t had an issue with any one of them. Two have been on site for four months so that is a big improvement. Previously the old pumps were a constant, almost daily, maintenance issue for us.
To date, I have not received any negative reports. The only feedback that I’ve received is the requests that come in to purchase more of them.
How would you describe PumpEng’s customer service?
The PumpEng people we deal with have been excellent. They’ve been very responsive with everything we’ve needed. They are quick with quotes and making the pumps available.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about switching to PumpEng for their dewatering pumps?
I’d say, there’s no reason not to use them because they’re available in WA, serviced in WA and their performance, reliability and price is right. They don’t come with a big brand name reputation that you end up paying for. In this case, you get the pump you want at the cost you want and it performs.
The PumpEng pumps save us time in pump maintenance. They save plant operator time in cleaning up around the areas because the pump is maintaining a lower level of liquid in the sumps. They increase the water recovery which we need from the sumps.
We are a brand new process plant so there are lots of issues we need to tackle. Having these success stories allows our time to be spent focussing on other issues. You want to find a solution and implement it, you don’t want your solution to end up being one of the problems. So, finding PumpEng ScatPumps was a success which took one of our problems away.
How A WA Gold Miner Selected Its Dewatering Pumps
How do you describe your operation?
We run an underground gold mine here. We use submersible pumps in all our sumps.
Why did you want to change suppliers?
We were experiencing very high levels of pump failure which was putting our costs up. I decided to run a trial of alternative Vendors
Did you try anyone else before choosing PumpEng?
Yes, I went through two different vendors. PumpEng was the third vendor we used for a three month trial period. After the trial was over we looked at who had ticked the boxes according to our criteria and that was PumpEng.
We were assessing whether a pump does what it says it’s going to. We also had our own company criteria. We evaluated engagements, feedback, discussion on how we can do things better. Pricing is obviously one of those components but our decision making wasn’t limited to that.
What was the most important issue?
Pump failure was the biggest issue for me. It wasn’t so much the turnaround time, but the pump failure. The pumps weren’t lasting as long as I thought they should be.
What has been your experience with PumpEng?
PumpEng met the criteria in terms of communication, feedback and ideas. We could learn as a company from them. Importantly I’ve had a higher usage rate from the pumps which meant less downtime.
How many pumps do you currently have?
We’re currently using about 52 underground pumps. They’re all used in underground sumps for dewatering. Some piggy back from sump to sump, some direct to mono’s.
How would you describe their performance?
Performance is consistent. They’re doing their job and the turnaround is a lot less these days. It’s been a decision that puts money back into the company because I haven’t had such a high turnaround of the assets.
How would you describe PumpEng customer service?
This was one of our trial criteria that ticked a box for us. I’ve been dealing with the PumpEng people here and their service has been great.
What sort of feedback are you getting from your crew?
Well, I can’t say I’ve been getting a lot of feedback but no feedback is sometimes a good thing. There’s certainly no negative comments.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about switching to PumpEng for their dewatering pumps?
I’ll definitely say go with these guys. They’ve got a lot of good ideas. They have been around for a while. They’re open to looking at new ways. They told me that the product speaks for itself and that has been my experience.
Submersible Pump Life Doubled at Nickel Concentrator
This is an interview with the Maintenance Superintendent at a Nickel Concentrator.
Problem with Pump Failure
PumpEng Trial of ScatPump
Trials in Different Areas
ScatPump Performance
Double Pump Life
PumpEng Service