500TPH Primary Crushing Plant & Secondary Crushing and Screening Plant for Iron Ore Mining in Mexico

Project Background

Hierro del Norte SA de CV, a Mexican iron ore mining company operating a large open-pit iron ore mine in Durango State, required a complete crushing and screening plant upgrade to increase ore processing capacity from 350TPH to 500TPH and improve product size consistency for the downstream pelletising circuit. The company's VP of Operations, Mr. Miguel Angel Torres, began evaluating equipment suppliers in early 2023. A business associate who had visited a mining industry conference recommended Xianglong Machinery, and Torres subsequently found XLM on Alibaba International Station, where the company's Gold Supplier profile and detailed product listings provided confidence in XLM's manufacturing capability. He also found XLM's LinkedIn company page and followed it before submitting a formal inquiry.

Channel Communication and Needs Assessment

Technical Solution and Engineering Alignment

XLM's senior application engineer, Mr. David Chen, designed a two-stage crushing system. The Primary Crushing Plant was configured with a PE-1500x1800 Jaw Crusher as the primary unit, with a ZSW-600x150 Vibrating Feeder with grizzly screen to bypass fines and protect the jaw from overloading. The Secondary Crushing and Screening Plant used an HP500 Multi-cylinder Hydraulic Cone Crusher in closed circuit with a 3YK2460 Circular Vibrating Screen, achieving the target minus 12 mm product. Both plants were designed as semi-mobile, skid-mounted units to allow future relocation as the mine pit developed.

Technical discussions proceeded over six weeks via WhatsApp video calls and email. David provided detailed equipment specifications, a plant layout drawing for the Durango site, foundation load calculations, and a comprehensive commissioning and operator training plan. Critical seismic adaptations were engineered for Mexico's high-risk seismic zone (Durango is in Seismic Zone D per Mexican CFE standards): both the Primary and Secondary Crushing Plants were designed as semi-mobile skid-mounted units with reinforced structural steel frames capable of 8-degree seismic fortification, equipment anchor bolts were specified with seismic-rated shear strength, and the plant layout incorporated seismic separation joints between major equipment modules to prevent collision damage during earthquake events. The modular steel structure design also enables future relocation via crane lifting as the mine pit develops. Spanish-language operation and maintenance manuals were provided for all equipment. The contract was signed in April 2023, with a delivery period of 100 days for the complete two-plant system. XLM also provided an extended warranty and a 12-month spare-parts package.

Delivery, Installation, and Commissioning

All equipment was shipped from Qingdao to Manzanillo port and transported by road to the Durango mine site. XLM dispatched a commissioning team of three engineers -- Mr. David Chen (lead), Mr. Zhang Wei (mechanical), and Mr. Li Fang (electrical) -- to Mexico for a 25-day on-site installation and commissioning programme. Working alongside Hierro del Norte's technical crew, the XLM team completed mechanical assembly, electrical integration, and trial production within the planned timeframe. The combined crushing system achieved 515TPH at minus 12 mm during the final acceptance test, 3% above the guaranteed capacity.

Results and Client Feedback

Within two months of full commercial operation, Hierro del Norte confirmed that the new crushing system was delivering consistent minus 12 mm product to the pelletising circuit, enabling the pellet plant to increase its production rate by 38% compared to the previous crushing system's output. The improved product size consistency also reduced pellet plant energy consumption per tonne of pellets produced. By month four, the project had met its internal ROI target, with the additional pellet production revenue more than covering the equipment investment and commissioning costs.

Mr. Miguel Angel Torres stated: "This has been the most successful capital investment our company has made in the past decade. XLM's engineering team's expertise in iron ore crushing applications, their meticulous project management, and their outstanding on-site commissioning support have set a new benchmark for equipment supplier performance. We are planning a further expansion of our Durango operation and have already engaged XLM in preliminary discussions about supplying ball mills and classification equipment for the expanded grinding circuit. Xianglong Machinery is our trusted long-term partner for mining equipment."