Modern Mining October 2018

COVER STORY

productive team,” says Vaughan. He adds that several sales of the EC950E have already been notched up. The EC950E boasts over 424 kN of breakout force and 408 kN of tearout force. It features a wide track gauge, a long track length, a retractable undercarriage and an optimised counterweight, resulting in a well-balanced machine. All machine interfaces – includ- ing joysticks, keypad and LCD monitor – are ergonomically positioned and designed for optimum control and efficiency. Although Volvo’s new introductions are selling well, Vaughan makes the point that the A40G articulated hauler, which offers a payload of 39 tonnes, remains the best-selling Volvo CE machine in the Southern African region. “The A40 series has been a huge success for us over the years and its popularity con- tinues unabated – in fact, I can only describe current demand as unprecedented. With the A60H and our smaller articulated trucks, the A30G and A35G, also in demand, we are now unquestionably a market leader when it comes to articulated haulers.” According to Vaughan, a major reason for the popularity of the Volvo CE machines – apart from their acknowledged quality – is the aftermarket care provided by Babcock. “We’ve built our business on the high standard of after- market support we offer, which we believe is a major drawcard,” he states. “Customers in mining and quarrying simply can’t afford unplanned downtime and we do our best to ensure that we keep their machines run- ning, under all conditions and no matter how remote their sites. We have well-equipped,

well-staffed branches and workshops through- out the Southern African region and we also have an excellent parts service, which we’ve recently restructured to make it even more responsive to customers’ needs.” Looking ahead, Vaughan strikes an optimis- tic tone. “Many of our customers, especially those in coal, are clearly very busy and in the market for new machines, so we’re very posi- tive about prospects for the remainder of this year and for 2019. We’re particularly keen, of course, to notch up further sales of the high- end machines we’ve recently introduced. We’re already doing well with them and believe we will do even better if the revival in mining we’re already seeing proves to be sustainable over the longer term,” he concludes. Photos of Schutsekama operation by Arthur Tassell

The EC950E crawler excava- tor boasts over 424 kN of breakout force.

October 2018  MODERN MINING  21