Modern Mining February 2018

COVER STORY

New Volvo machines on the way to South Africa There is no shortage of good news these days at Babcock, the Southern African dealer for Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE). Not only will the company be introducing Volvo’s newly announced rigid

hauler range to the local market later this year but – and more immediately – it is anticipating the arrival in South Africa within the next few weeks of Volvo’s new flagship wheel loader, the L350H, a machine in the all-important 50-ton class.

V olvo CE’s decision to introduce a complete Volvo-branded range of rigid haulers represents the cul- mination of a process which be- gan in 2014 with its purchase of Terex Trucks, which allowed it to offer a rigid hauler option. Development of the new four- model range has relied heavily on Terex Trucks’ expertise – in combination with the strength of the Volvo Group – and the machines will be manufactured at the rebranded Volvo Mother- well production facility in Scotland. The flagship of the new range is the E-Series R100E, which is a 100-ton (95-tonne) class rigid hauler. “This is an entirely new machine incorporating new technologies and has a very striking new design,” says David Vaughan,

David Vaughan, MD of Babcock’s Equipment business.

Managing Director of Babcock’s Equipment business. “It has been designed for high per- formance and productivity, easy serviceability and a low total cost of ownership. The 100-ton rigid hauler market is very keenly contested but we expect the R100E to make rapid headway, bringing – as it does – all the characteristics for which Volvo is renowned to this important market segment.” With its high capacity and hauling speeds, new V-shaped body, efficient hydraulics, intelligent monitoring systems and operator environment, the R100E will allow customers in mining and large quarrying applications to move more material in less time. The other three machines in the new Volvo rigid hauler range are the D-Series R45D, the R60D and the R70D. These are based on the existing and well-proven Terex Trucks TR-Series and their development follows an in-depth engineering review, ensuring that the machines meet the standards expected from Volvo products in their target markets and segments. Improvements include greater visibility and safety systems, along with Volvo technical support and branding. The introduction of the Volvo range

The Volvo L350H wheel loader offers a maximum power output of 397 kW and is fitted with ‘next generation’ load-sensing hydraulics.

18  MODERN MINING  February 2018