Modern Mining June 2020

COVER STORY

LiuGong loaders for chrome handling

The LiuGong wheel loaders have been deployed in a chrome handling application.

In a major breakthrough for the LiuGong brand in the African mining sector, a mining contracting JV, MKO, has taken delivery of eight CLG856H wheel loaders from Burgers Equipment & Spares to execute a taxing materials handling project at Samancor Western Chrome Mines in the North West Province of South Africa. By Munesu Shoko .

T hat the LiuGong wheel loader, especially the 856H model, has made its mark in the local mining sector, is no overstatement. However, it is in the coal handling sector where it has largely established itself. In a major development for the brand in its quest to further grow its footprint in the hard rock mining sector in Africa, South African and Namibian LiuGong dealer, Burgers Equipment & Spares, has delivered eight 856H wheel loaders to

the MKO JV, a contract mining joint venture between M Civils and MKO Pallet Services, for use in a chrome handling application. Tiaan Burger, MD of Burgers Equipment & Spares, agrees that chrome handling, which is known to be an unforgiving mining application, will push any piece of equipment to its limits, but is adamant that the LiuGong wheel loader has ‘paid its school fees’ and is ready for the task at hand. He also believes that this is a major breakthrough for the brand in its quest to prove its capabilities in the local mining sector. Project scope Reino de Kock, operations manager at M Civils, tells Modern Mining that the scope of the project is a materials handling operation for Samancor’s Western Chrome Mines. The five-year project, with an estimated 1,5 million tonnes per annum of vari- ous types of material to be handled, commenced on June 1 2020. It is a 24-hour operation which will see the contractor deploying seven LiuGong wheel load- ers round-the-clock, with the eighth loader being a backup machine. The LiuGong wheel loaders are being used to load chrome ore onto eight 18 m³ FAW tippers acquired at the same time with the LiuGong loaders, as well as two Bell dumpers. The machines, delivered

Reino de Kock, operations manager at M Civils (left), with Tiaan Burger, MD of Burgers Equipment & Spares, during the handover of the machines.

10  MODERN MINING  June 2020