Capital Equipment News February 2015

Chris Swanepoel, Manager, Mining Division at Scania,

SCANIA MINING BUS enhances safety values S cania prides itself with being able to provide a variety of solutions to its customers whether it is mining, trans- port and logistics, marine or environment. ten leads to longer transport stretches ei- ther from the mine to the processing plant or from the main buildings to the excava- tion areas. By Pierre Sanson

by a large number of these vehicles on mine roads can sometimes be detrimental to the safety record of a mine. For mines where personnel transport is a major issue, Scania has developed a bus lo- cally that meets all the safety requirements for the conveyance of mine personnel. Because of the Scania modular production system, chassis, axle, engine and power- train, parts on buses are identical to those of trucks. For this unit a 4x4 chassis is used which provides an additional advantage in an off-road mining operation. The cab configuration used for this partic- ular development is the P360 which has immense strength, built from high-quality materials with comprehensive corrosion

Their product development system covers a period of more than 70 years, catering for customers with special needs in all cor- ners of the globe. The concept has been to develop existing facilities and by adding tailored solutions, increase productivity and achieve better returns. During the past 15 years, mining has be- come a key area in Scania’s portfolio of smarter solutions, especially where trans- portation takes between 30% and 60% of total operating costs.

Keeping the flow of equipment and person- nel moving is a key element in the produc- tivity of a mine so having a comprehensive service truck fleet is indispensible to any mining operation. One of the areas of min- ing that requires continuous evolution is the safety element and the introduction of a dedicated personnel carrier as part of the service truck fleet has become a necessity as part of the safety element of an active mine. No longer is it safe to convey equip- ment operators and mining personnel to their work area in smaller vehicles or even buses that are built for normal urban pas- senger transport. The congestion caused

The outward expansion of some mines of-

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