The belts are 1400mm (54 inches) wide and operate at 4 m/sec (787 feet/minute). The underground conveyors are suspended by cables from the mine ceiling.

With the remote location of the mines, it is important to preserve belt life. But keeping the belts running in the center of the suspended conveyors is a continuous challenge.

In the past year SNSG has installed more than 14 Martin^® Trackers and placed orders for more than 140 additional units.

On the carrying side, the Martin^® Trackers are installed every 70 meters (230 feet); on the return side, every 50 meters (164 feet). These units are designed with a special suspension bracket to allow installation on the suspended conveyors. Units are built with bronze bearings to avoid problems with static electricity in the underground coal mine.

The belt-tracking units drew praise in a letter from Robert Hermansen, Managing Director of SNSG.

The units “have solved the complicated belt guiding problems in a simple and reasonable manner. The simplicity of the tracker coupled together with its small space requirement, has made this tracking system so successful. I am pleased to give my warm recommendations for a product that even performs very well in spite of our extreme climate.”