Modern Quarrying Q3 2018

Babcock ready to roll out Volvo rigid haulers in southern Africa

Following Volvo Construction Equipment’s recent international launch of its Volvo CE-branded range of rigid haulers in April this year, Babcock has largely completed the necessary legwork for the rollout of the new rigid dump trucks into southern Africa’s min- ing and quarrying sectors. David Vaughan, MD – Equipment at Babcock, says the first units are expected to arrive in South Africa during the last quarter of this year. “Ahead of the launch, we have com- pleted the three legs of preparation – comprising investments into facilities to cater for the big-sized range, stocking of the necessary parts and components, as well as the technical training,” says Vaughan. The first leg of Babcock’s prepa- ration to become a rigid hauler distributor dates as far back as 2015 following the commissioning of its purpose-built sales, parts and service dealership facility in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, which was officially unveiled in February 2016. The design of the facility allows for handling of space-hungry items such as larger rigid trucks and the relevant componentry. “The flagship facility in Middelburg was conceptualised with handling of large pieces of earthmoving gear such as the 100-tonne rigid hauler in

Volvo CE recently chose South Africa as a testing site for the new R100E.

mind. The size of the workshop bays, the cranage in the workshop and the entrances into these facilities, among other things, were all designed to handle large pieces of equipment with ease,” says Vaughan. The estimated R100 million facil- ity covers 30 000 m 2 . The primary workshop covers an area of nearly 2 000 m 2 under roof and includes 12 x 9 m-wide work bays with two adjoin- ing rows of six bays, all serviced by overhead gantry cranes. All bays have a ceiling of 9 m under hook, making it

possible to service mega trucks, such as the 100 tonne rigid, bucket up. Ben Buys, technical director – Equipment at Babcock, says the width and height of the workshop can handle a dump truck of up to 300 tonnes and a crawler excavator of up to 250 tonnes. The new Volvo rigid hauler range – which will initially be available with an EPA Tier 2 / EU Stage 2 emission regulated engine – comprises four models, the 45-t R45D, 60-t R60D, 72-t R70D and the flagship, all-new 105-ton R100E. l

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QUARTER 3 - 2018 MODERN QUARRYING