Modern Mining July 2016

LOGISTICS

Platinum hauler keeps rolling

Transport contractor EC Blaauw has grown its fleet of Scania trucks in a demanding 24-7 contract with a platinum producer near Rustenburg in South Africa’s North- West province. Based in Kroondal, EC Blaauw provides short-haul transportation and plant hire to the mining sector, and recently added another six Scania P410 tipper trucks to the two already in its fleet.

the bins have been specially designed and man- ufactured for extra strength and durability. “While the tipper bin must be tough enough for this job, the added strength should not come with undue weight – as this would limit our payload capacity,” says Van Heerden. “Scania was able to manage this balance by providing bins which don’t hamper our ability to opti- mise loads.” The result is a smooth operation moving 120 000 to 200 000 tonnes of platinum ore each month between mine and plant, as well as providing on-site stockpile management and transportation of minus 20 mm waste product from the plant. “The P-series trucks at work on this contract are engineered for manoeuvrability, economy and speed,” comments Scania sales representa- tive Jean Groenewaldt. “While these qualities are enhanced by a lightweight design, the units are tough enough for mining, construction and various off-road applications.” Demo mining truck Scania’s demo model off-road truck is also being tested in the EC Blaauw transport fleet, where it has been taking on the role normally reserved for articulated dump trucks. “This is a larger unit with a higher capacity bin of some 32 tonnes,” notes Van Heerden. “It is very robust and we have been impressed by its performance. The technology in the truck – such as on-board weightometer and cam- era – allows us to monitor operational data

C ommenting on the contract, EC Blauuw’s General Manager, Wi- kus van Heerden, says it includes moving run-of-mine (ROM) ore from the mining operation over a distance of 32 km return trip to the processing plant and back. “The mine runs a continuous operation, so we structure the bulk transport on a three-shift cycle of eight hours per shift.” No room for stoppages In this challenging arrangement there is little room for breakdowns or stoppages. “It is there- fore imperative that we have our trucks on the move constantly, and that all our equipment is cost-efficient and reliable,” he emphasises. “I can’t afford any unplanned standing time – as this would affect the non-stop service we are contracted to provide.” The trucks are loaded from a chute under a mine ROM silo, where they receive the ore in generally minus 150 mm product – filling the 15 cubic metre bins to a weight of 25 tonnes. To withstand the trials of this mining application,

Hauling run-of-mine ore from silo to process plant is the role of these Scania P410 tippers, equipped with 25-t payload capacity.

46  MODERN MINING  July 2016