Construction World November 2018

MARKETPLACE

A PARADIGM SHIFT

In civil engineering – just as in mining – moving payloads for less is directly linked to the effectiveness of a contractor’s equipment – and the bottom line. An example of a fleet that optimises payload, is the Scania mining tipper which is proving its worth for a Zimbabwean mining contractor: it is effective, has high availability, allows optimal utilisation, gives maximal productivity, has quick cycle times, and offers optimal fuel consumption.

A consequence of tailoring Even though these Scania vehicles are adapted for the mining industry, the basic principle remains: bodies are tailored to be bodied on – a well proven ingredient of Scania’s success. Scania vehicles are renowned for their optimal fuel consumption, but this is a consequence of tailoring. “When a vehicle is tailored to a specific type of transport, the fuel consumption will be optimised,” says Theuns Naude, Segment Manager Construction/Public and Special at Scania South Africa. As is the case in mining, transportation in a civils context accounts for up to 30% of total costs. It is therefore imperative that contractors regard the efficiency of their hauling gear as the most important consideration for profitability. However, conventional thinking gets in the way of identifying the most cost-effective ways for improvement. While civil contractors and mining companies are starting to understand that productivity carries a value, many still do not have the correct information to make informed choices on the rewards involved. Daniel Perlman, MD of Scanlink (left) and Mike Davis, MD of R. Davis and Co. Scanlink is Scania’s authorised distributor in Zimbabwe.

One contractor has made the shift There is an increased migration from conventional yellow metal haulers to on-road type of haulers, such as Scania’s mining tippers. While this solution has gained popularity in developed markets, local miners and civil contractors still need a complete paradigm shift when it comes to their selection of hauling gear. In general, industry still favours yellow metal solutions. However, it’s encouraging that local mines and civil contractors are starting to look for ways to reduce the gap between earnings and operating costs. Making the paradigm shift To minimise operating costs and maximise earnings, R. Davis and Co., a mining contractor operating in Zimbabwe, has chosen to deploy Scania mining tippers at its gold mining project at the Cam and Motor Gold Mine, operated by Rio Zim in Eiffel Flats, near Kadoma. Up to recently it operated yellow metal haulers. Then R. Davis and Co experienced the Scania mining tippers’ capabilities when it took two G380 8x4 first generation mining tippers on hire from another Zimbabwean contractor. This led to the decision to invest in its own first four G410 8x4 (single-cylinder) mining tippers in June 2017, before boosting the fleet with

Daniel Perlman, MD of Scanlink, Scania’s authorised distributor in Zimbabwe. According to Mike Davis, the MD of R. Davis and Do., the Scania tippers are currently deployed to haul run of mine material (ROM) from the pit to the processing plants at the Cam and Motor Gold Mine. “We are more than pleased with their performance. We have experienced greater fuel economy, good cycle times and minimal downtime with our Scania vehicles,” explains Davis. Tailoring the fleet R. Davis and Co. owns 18 articulated dump trucks and eight Scania mining tippers. Currently, only the eight Scania tippers and two 35 t ADTs are operating at the Cam and Motor Gold Mine project. Claudius Nhongonhema, mine manager at R. Davis and Co., explains that the Scania tippers are hauling ROM from the pit, at a pit depth of 50 m, to the processing plant, over distances of 1,6 km. The tippers are also deployed to haul waste material to the dump, at a haul distance of 1,4 km and a climb of 70 m. The first four G410 8x4s delivered last year are single-cylinder mining tippers. Theuns Naude says that the client struggled with cycle times in the first place. Experts from both Scania South Africa and Scanlink visited the site late last year to look at possible areas of improvement. “We managed to slightly improve the cycle times on the single-cylinder units by increasing the oil flow pump from 80 to 100 ℓ , as well as increasing the tipping speed,” explains Naude. To further improve the cycle times, R. Davis and Co. was this year introduced to Scania’s twin-cylinder mining tipper. It purchased four units which were delivered in August this year. “The new tippers with a dual cylinder achieve a 30-second tip and return cycle compared with 55 seconds on the first four single-cylinder tippers,” says Perlman. “They also offer 1,3 m³ more payload than the older tippers. We have also fitted them with rock ejectors to protect the rear tyres.” “The performance of the vehicles has been beyond our expectations. We are

another four G410 8x4 (dual-cylinder) tippers delivered at the start of August this year. What impressed the customer “The customer was impressed with the two Scania 8x4 first generation mining tippers on hire. We were then able to demonstrate that with extra payload (32 t) of the mining tipper range, their cost per tonne would be even better. To date, they are operating eight Scania G410 8x4 mining tippers of their own,” says

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2018