Our Products

Skips

WJ designs and manufactures skip systems in accordance with client specifications and operational requirements to ensure the efficient and reliable hoisting of mined ore to surface.

Our skip conveyances can be engineered as lightweight, low-maintenance solutions with reduced moving components to improve reliability and simplify maintenance requirements. Skips can be manufactured from either steel or aluminium, depending on shaft conditions, production requirements, and hoisting parameters.

WJ also offers the conversion of existing steel skips to aluminium configurations, allowing for increased payload capacity where winder and rope system capabilities permit.

A wide range of skip configurations is available to suit varying operational applications, including:

• Skips with Job’s bridles
• Skips with fixed bridles
• Skips with flexible bridles
• Bridles with interchangeable skip bodies and cages
• Flexi skips

WJ works closely with clients to develop innovative and fit-for-purpose skip solutions tailored to their operational and production requirements.

Man and Material Cages

WJ designs and manufactures man and material cages for the safe, reliable, and efficient transportation of personnel, equipment, and materials within mining shaft operations. Our cage systems have been successfully implemented across various shaft environments and are engineered to meet demanding operational and safety requirements.

Inspection and maintenance decks can be incorporated into the cage design and configured with fold-out or retractable access platforms to accommodate equipment required for shaft inspections, maintenance, and repair work.

Lightweight cage designs are available in one- to four-deck configurations and can be manufactured from steel or aluminium. Various door arrangements and custom features can be incorporated to suit specific shaft conditions and client requirements.

Emergency Cages and Capsules

Rescue capsules can be configured from compact single-person units for coal mining operations to larger multi-person capsules accommodating up to six occupants for vertical shaft rescue scenarios.

Manufactured from robust steel, the capsules are engineered to withstand demanding shaft conditions, impact forces, and high-pressure environments.

Designs incorporate enclosed safety structures, secure access hatches, ventilation systems, stability control features, and safety harness points to ensure safe personnel transport during emergency operations.

Rescue capsules are compatible with conventional shaft winder systems, allowing rapid deployment using existing hoisting infrastructure during time-sensitive rescue situations or alternative mobile winder unit. All systems are designed in accordance with applicable mining safety and rescue requirements.

Counterweights

WJ designs and manufactures counterweights used to balance conveyance loads over the winder system. Counterweights can be configured with integrated platforms and crawl spaces to facilitate shaft inspections, pipe installation, and maintenance activities, providing a multifunctional solution for improved operational efficiency and accessibility.

Loading and Measuring Flasks

WJ Conveyances Loading flasks can be designed and manufactured to fit in the skip bridle for easy transport in the shaft and installation underground. Measuring flasks are delivered with a load cell installed to assist that the skip is not overloaded during operations. Mined ore weight is monitored, and diversion chutes divert ore once the required ore weight in the flask is reached.

Visit Levelok Engineering

Installation Skeletons and Maintenance Rigs

WJ designs and manufactures fit-for-purpose installation skeletons and maintenance rigs to support a variety of shaft installation and refurbishment applications. Systems can be equipped to handle cable drums for electrical cable installations, as well as equipment required for the installation of pneumatic and water reticulation systems within the shaft environment.

Guide rigs are engineered with fold-down and retractable platform arrangements to improve accessibility, safety, and efficiency during shaft steelwork maintenance and refurbishment operations.

Inspection Baskets and Canopies

WJ designs and manufactures inspection baskets and canopies for shaft inspection, maintenance and repair work.

They can be designed and manufactured to be fitted either below or on top of the conveyance. These baskets and canopies can be equipped to accommodate the necessary equipment to do shaft inspections and maintenance or repairs in the shaft.

Chutes

WJ designs and manufactures chute systems engineered to improve ore flow efficiency and optimise shaft loading operations. Our chute designs can incorporate safety doors for controlled ore discharge into flasks, while wear-resistant configurations help reduce maintenance requirements and improve operational reliability.

Designed for demanding mining environments, WJ chute systems assist in minimising downtime, optimising shaft performance, and supporting increased production through reduced repair frequency and improved ore handling efficiency.

Vibrator Chutes

WJ vibrator chutes are designed to prevent ore blockages and maintain consistent ore flow during loading operations. Depending on shaft and ore handling requirements, chutes can be fitted with mechanical vibration systems or redesigned with optimised slope geometries to improve flow characteristics and operational efficiency.

All chute systems are engineered to suit the specific requirements and operating conditions of each shaft installation.

Skip Tipping Mechanism

Installed in the headgear at the tipping area, WJ has implemented skip tipping mechanisms throughout the mining industry in both gold and platinum mines with great success.

By improving the efficiency of the tipping mechanism, skip loading and discharge cycles can be optimised to increase daily hoisting capacity and overall shaft productivity.

WJ skip tipping mechanisms are engineered to suit individual client requirements and operational conditions, ensuring reliable and efficient performance within demanding mining environments.

Visit Levelok Engineering

Sinking Equipment

WJ manufactures fit-for-purpose sinking equipment tailored to client and project requirements. Our product range includes:

• Temporary headframes
• Sinking stages
• Cactus grabs
• Kibbles
• Shutter rings, and

Associated equipment used in shaft sinking operations.

Shaft Steelwork

WJ has extensive experience in the manufacturing of shaft steelwork for mining applications.

Our capabilities include

• Buntons
• Guides
• Wall brackets
• Pipe brackets
• Station steelwork
• Loading stations
• Farm gates
• Monorail systems

all manufactured to meet operational and safety requirements within demanding shaft environments.

Surface Structures

WJ has extensive experience in the fabrication of surface structures for mining operations.

Our project capabilities include

• Headgears
• Winder houses
• Winder and headgear platforms
• Tipping arrangements
• Double-deck systems
• Headgear bins
• Conveyor structures
• Swing guides
• Headgear screens
• Escape platforms
• Crash steelwork

Emulsion tanks for plant applications.

Design and Consultation

WJ Engineering has the in-house capability to design in accordance with both national and international standards, supported by comprehensive Finite Element Analysis (FEA), fabrication shop general arrangements, and detailed manufacturing drawings tailored to client specifications and operational requirements.

By integrating design, FEA, and detailing internally, WJ is able to execute turnkey projects efficiently and with reduced lead times. All engineering and detailing processes are developed to support fast, accurate, and cost-effective production through our CNC manufacturing capabilities, enabling us to deliver reliable solutions with consistent quality and optimised project execution.

Ore Flow Analysis

At WJ, we believe that successful shaft conveyance design begins with understanding the actual ore flow conditions within a mining operation. Every mine is unique, and factors such as loading arrangements, ore characteristics, tipping methods, shaft configuration, and production targets all influence the performance of a conveyance system.

To ensure that our solutions are not only mechanically sound but also operationally optimised, WJ incorporates detailed Ore Flow Analysis into the design and evaluation of shaft conveyances and associated systems.

Ore Flow Analysis is the process of evaluating how ore moves through the complete hoisting cycle, from loading arrangements underground, through shaft hoisting, to discharge at surface or intermediate tipping points. The analysis considers:

• Ore and waste material characteristics
• Rock size distribution and fragmentation
• Loading and discharge rates
• Flow restrictions and bottlenecks
• Spillage and carryback risks
• Wear patterns on conveyance components
• Shaft cycle times and production requirements
• Interaction between conveyance design and ore handling infrastructure

Using engineering calculations, operational data, and simulation-based evaluations, WJ can assess how effectively a system performs under both current and future operating conditions.

By integrating Ore Flow Analysis into the design process, clients benefit from improved operational efficiency, reduced downtime, and increased confidence in system performance.

In addition to incorporating Ore Flow Analysis into our own conveyance designs, WJ also offers this service independently to mining clients who require evaluation, optimisation, or review of existing systems.

By combining practical mining experience with advanced engineering analysis, WJ delivers solutions that improve reliability, efficiency, and operational performance throughout the hoisting system lifecycle.

Consultation

WJ offers consultation and feasibility studies to assess the potential for upgrading and optimising shaft conveyance systems. Our evaluations focus on improving operational efficiency, production capability, safety, and long-term system performance.

Crash Simulations

Crash simulations and shaft layout analyses can be performed to enhance operational safety and reliability. Using advanced computer modelling and simulation software, WJ can digitally replicate collision scenarios affecting shaft conveyances and occupants. This enables detailed evaluation of an overwind condition within a virtual environment, minimising the need for physical testing while improving development efficiency and reducing project costs.

This simulation is done to ensure the component dimensions relative to each other are within allowable tolerances to ensure a safe detachment operation.