Capital Equipment News October 2016

MINING NEWS

DCD builds colossal base for a Caterpillar dragline

Mining contractor expands Terex Trucks fleet

Local contract miner Atlantis Mining has expanded its Terex Trucks fleet with the recent purchase of three TR60 rigid dump trucks. The new acquisitions will complement its existing fleet of 16 Terex Trucks units, some of which have clocked up over 25 000 working hours and are said to be still performing well. The new TR60s have been deployed at the Vaalbult Colliery in Mpumalanga, South Africa where they are being used primarily for the removal of blasted rock and hard overburden. The large size of the TR60’s bins and the high payload make them ideally suited for this application. Mark Johnstone, managing director of Atlantis Mining, says the company’s asso- ciation with Terex Trucks dates back to the mid-1980s when it bought its first Terex 2366 and 2566 dump trucks. The good performance of the haulers, coupled with Atlantis Mining’s longstanding relationship with Babcock since 2000 when the company was appointed as sole distributor for Volvo Construction Equipment in southern Africa, has ensured that Atlantis Mining continues to expand its fleet of Terex Trucks. Babcock was later appointed the official southern African distributor of Terex Trucks in October 2015 following the acquisition of Terex Trucks by Volvo Construction Equipment in June 2014. “Currently we have 16 TR60s in operation and they are all going strong,” says John- In a strategic initiative to restructure and optimise its manufacturing footprint, Caterpillar has decided to place its soft rock room and pillar underground equipment production under review and will stop taking orders for this equipment. The original equipment manufacturer has announced its intention to pursue strategic alternatives, including possible divestiture of its underground mining room and pillar prod- ucts. Caterpillar is to also discontinue the manufacture of track drills. However, Cat remains committed to underground mining, which it sees as an attractive and growing long-term industry. It is seeking to concentrate its underground mining product portfolio on those areas with the highest support requirements and greatest future opportunities. Barloworld Equipment (BWE), Cat dealer for southern Africa, has since assured its southern African customers that it is business as usual and that the company will continue to offer full service and support for all Cat products already in the field.

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Atlantis Mining has just purchased three more Terex Trucks TR60 units.

stone. The trucks each run two 9,5-hour shifts in a 24-hour period, five days a week, while on Saturdays they are deployed to work at quarries for two eight-hour shifts. “The TR60s have a comfortable cab that helps reduce driver fatigue. This is complemented by air-conditioning, radio and all the modern features that assist with operator comfort. In addition, Terex Trucks keeps things simple so the trucks are easy to maintain and can be repaired by a mechanic rather than an expert electrician and a laptop,” adds Johnstone. He adds that the simplicity of the trucks means that minor problems and breakdowns can be dealt with in-house and without the need for in-depth training. Meanwhile, serious cases that may arise are addressed quickly by a trained Babcock technician who is readily available on site. b Emmy Leeka, BWE CEO Designate, says Barloworld Equipment and Caterpillar remain committed and will continue to support all its customers. He adds that the southern African operation will not be significantly affected by the Caterpillar product review. “The two mechanised mining methods used for underground coal extraction in Africa are Room and Pillar, and Longwall mining methods. Barloworld Equipment has less than 5%market share of the underground soft rock room and pillar segment. Therefore, this decision will not significantly affect existing business plans. We remain committed to supporting our customers and the existing fleet in operation.” Barloworld Equipment’s soft rock Longwall market share in southern Africa stands at 50%. Leeka says the strategy is to continue to support and grow this segment. He adds that Barloworld Equipment will be looking at alternative competitive products to com- plement the extensive drill and underground range provided by Caterpillar. b

At 18 m in diameter the dragline base comprises 16 individual sections.

DCD Heavy Engineering is nearing completion of a 380 t base for a Caterpillar dragline excavator to work at a coal project in Mpumalanga, South Africa. At 18 m in diameter, and comprising 16 individual sections, the contract to manufac- ture the base locally was awarded in April 2015. “This substantial project has been carried out with real team commitment, extensive planning and regular engagement with the customer and employees,” says Kenneth Kok, project manager at DCD Heavy Engineering. “High efficiencies of over 100% in boiler- making and welding, and a low weld- repair rate, confirm the capacity of local manufacturing to tackle large, demanding projects.” Kok says the pre-planning, the pre-testing of welders, and the overall project manage- ment resulted in the contract being delivered on time, with a very high safety standard maintained throughout the manufacturing process. “The project’s success began with an ex- pert think-tank on manufacturing method op- tions, leading to an innovative approach be- ing applied to the construction of the base,” he says. “Mock-up test structures were built to simulate the confined spaces that welders and grinders would encounter in the work environment and steel templates were sup- plied to ensure that we conform to drawing requirements.” He highlights the importance of good com- munication and effective training. In this project, regular meetings were held to check planning instructions before issuing to the works, and workshops with welders, boil- ermakers and grinders reinforced the exact tolerances and specifications required. The health of employees working in welding and grinding areas was also monitored at regular intervals. b

Barloworld continues full support of Cat products under review

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS OCTOBER 2016 6