"Longer, wider, faster." That is the challenge heavy-duty belting distributors are faced with this year. The mining industry that uses heavy conveyor belt is producing at full throttle and wants more capacity, faster production and longer conveyors to carry ore and coal out to waiting railroad cars.

In the world of rising fuel and electricity costs, mining takes on an increasingly important role. The mining industry is one of the nation's oldest yet has some of the fastest growing technological advances in production, inspection and transportation.

One growing mining industry is coal. It is the country's preferred source of fuel to run electrical generators. Prices and demand are up, according to U.S. Department of Energy reports, and coal producers are scrambling to get product out faster. Cleaner coal-burning equipment and the start of a Republican administration in Washington have helped boost the popularity of coal after being shunned for the last 20 years.

Mining and transportation of coal is therefore moving at an urgent pace this year. Distributors of heavy-duty industrial belting in mining regions are throwing their efforts into supplying and maintaining more coal belts throughout the country.

Mining customers expect emergency service seven days a week like any other critical-equipment customer. On-site vulcanizing and mechanical splicing repair is a big part of the added-value services of belting distributors. Mines, in particular, are often in remote locations, running 24 hours a day. Downtime creates huge costs.

Mines are running near capacity, according to Andy Lewis of Lewis-Goetz, Inc. in Pittsburgh. Heavy-duty industrial belting distributors must keep up with the trend of urgency and speed, and technological advances, he says.

Adding to the controlled but rapid pace of mining operations is the fact that better belting materials and splices mean faster production. New splicing materials, stronger belt layer materials, stronger joint construction and faster conveyor drive motors demand that distributors upgrade their warehouse equipment and invest in more inventory than ever before. Lewis notes that the new belting widths — up to 96 inches — take up more warehouse space and strain fabrication equipment.

"Wider, faster and stronger belting materials mean everything in mine production is done 'bigger' today. Very wide belts moving at high speed carry more coal to the surface. Rolls of belt we buy are heavier," he says.

"We're building a new belting warehouse in Pittsburgh. When we last built in 1972, we installed a 10-ton crane to lift belt rolls. We thought it was mammoth at the time, but it wouldn't be adequate today. In the new warehouse, we'll put in a 15- or even 20-ton crane to lift rolls of the new, heavy-weight belt material," he says.

Quarrying and ore mining purchasing is holding steady this year, Lewis says, and along with coal are keeping his belting business growing in an otherwise lackluster year. The industrial sector has not been good for medium-duty belting like that used in food service and industrial plants, so Lewis-Goetz is marketing heavily to mining customers and trying to consolidate heavy-belt purchasing to get the best margin.

The company's manager for belting products, John Veon, consolidates orders from branches in Virginia and North Carolina.

"We got an order for 290 feet of heavy belt and were able to combine another 710 feet to get a 1,000-foot price. That is the kind of order consolidation we're looking for in the tight market conditions we see now," Lewis says.

No matter what area of the country, coal mining is "looking better for the short term due to the electric power shortage," says Tom King of King Energy Services in Farmington, N.M. King Energy supplies heavy belting that is usually shipped direct from the manufacturer.

The full-time services his company provides are belt vulcanizing, conveyor maintenance and repair, and belt fabrication. They may be called at any time of day to repair or troubleshoot belting problems.

His customers too, want conveyors to be faster, wider and last longer. Like other belt distributors, King says his company is a problem solver.

"As a company we help customers solve problems. If they have a belt that is not giving them the best service life, we will look at their application and recommend a better belt construction for them," he says.

Heavy belts consist of a fabric carcass and steel cord construction. The strength in newer belts, according to King, is in the carcass design. Typical tensions, or the strength in pounds the belt can carry per inch of width, can run up to 6,000 piw, although they are typically 440 to 2,000 piw.

King Energy Services will specify a belt for the customer and then follow up with a cost/benefit analysis. When the customer places an order, belts ordered from the factory generally take four to 10 weeks to ship, according to King, so many customers in mining industries such as coal carry a spare belt. Down time is expensive and must be kept at a minimum.

Mining belts are so large and heavy that distributors like Lewis-Goetz and King Energy have them shipped directly to the customer. Distributors' service and problem solving begins when the belts arrive.

The challenges inherent in the "longer, wider, faster" mantra fall back ultimately on the manufacturers of heavy belting. Rick Tankersley, business development manager with GD-Enerka in Atlanta, Ga., says his company has been developing belts with specific traits in mind. Sales for GD-Enerka were up 11 percent last year and will be at least that high this year, Tankersley says, due mainly to the increased production of coal mines.

Heavy belting needs to be less stretchable, more abrasion and cut resistant, and hold more weight per pound of belt than ever before.

"Belts 10 years ago averaged 30 inches wide. Now they are at least 42 inches wide and the bulk are 48 or 60. It's not unusual for a long roll of heavy belt to weigh in excess of 20,000 pounds. Ten years ago a large roll was 6,000 pounds," he says.

Belts are running at higher speeds and the carcass, which is the sum of the layers of material inside the belt, and the cover are extremely durable. The materials are scientifically developed on a molecular scale, Tankersley says. There are ever tougher carcasses being developed to handle the demand for more and more speed.

Materials technology has increased the strength of belting threefold while carcass weight has actually decreased.

"A 48-inch, three-ply belt is one of the favorites out there now. It can carry 600 pounds per inch of width. There's even a 60-inch, 1,000-pounds-per-inch belt — they are made much differently than they were in the old days," he says. Many belt rolls are so large they are delivered on railroad cars, laid on their sides and unrolled into the mine.

They are longer and stronger, but there are limits. "Underground coal belts are typically 10,000 to 12,000 feet long, not much more. Coal and iron [deposits] are not cooperative. They don't go in straight lines. You have to bend to follow them," he says.

Along with the considerations of speed and weight, and toughness, every belt manufacturer must meet strict guidelines for safety [the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, oversees the safety of procedures and materials at mine operations].

Manufacturers are acutely aware of the dangers of machinery operation and fast belt movement underground. Conveyors are required to have emergency stop lines running the entire length of the conveyor. Conveyors must have fire suppression systems at the head and tail ends.

"Coal [mines] for decades have had some reserve, some reduced capacity. That's not the case right now. Opening new seams means whole new conveyors, not just replacement belts. Also, rock mining and crushing for road work has been very good this year. It hasn't seemed to slow down, like mining gold or iron ore or copper has slowed," Tankersley says.