REBUILDS & REFURBS
Edson Martins , Category Manager - Rebuild Solutions , Sandvik Mining
input / control machines from 10 or 15 years ago it is much more complicated , so again the issue is whether the cost and complexity would make it worth retrofitting autonomy . “ Of course the vast majority of Automine-equipped machines are new deliveries but
interest in retrofit packages is increasing as customers want to maximise the benefits of autonomy on existing fleets .” Sandvik has been installing Automine systems on its loaders and trucks now for over 15 years so this retrofit market is just a natural progression .
Back to “ standard ” rebuilds , Sandvik ’ s offer still includes its Custom Rebuild , Life Extension , Reborn and Reborn + offerings , with Reborn + at the top end being a full scope rebuild with the option to add additional safety and productivity upgrades to the standard scope . Martins says there has been a definite increase in demand for the more premium rebuilds . These effectively mean that the rebuilt machine has the same specifications and the same latest components as a new machine leaving the factory .
Martins says that Sandvik offers companies a way to maintain their machines ’ reliability and productivity over their full lifecycles : “ We work closely with customers to proactively identify the right moment for an intervention , and to find the right solution and scope according to their needs , goals and circumstances . This forward-thinking approach of can reduce your equipment ’ s total cost of ownership , and increase the return on your investment in a smart and sustainable way .”
Third parties and variations on the rebuild theme
Lastly a note on the market for rebuilds which is getting very competitive . OEMs are not the only game in town – there are numerous independent companies out there doing this where it is normally referred to as a remanufacture – Aramine in France ( also an Epiroc dealer ), QME in Ireland , and McDowell in Sudbury , Canada are good examples – but there are many important players . They do this as customer projects but also buy old machines and rebuild them for open market sale or rental . So they are competing with the OEMs but often need to buy OEM parts to do it . But they also sometimes use non-OEM parts – which is where the OEMs themselves say their rebuilds offer a premium not only for genuine parts but also for the OEM expertise , documentation and warranty . Lastly , mining customers themselves sometimes opt to do their own rebuilds , again requiring parts . Epiroc offers Midlife kits as an example and often mines with large fleets have Epiroc technicians permanently onsite so they can help as part of these projects .
Dealers for Epiroc , Caterpillar and Sandvik also offer rebuilds in certain parts of the world both in their own right or on behalf of the OEM as a certified rebuild . Epiroc and Sandvik carry out rebuilds and minor interventions at their own specialised rebuild workshops – eg for Sandvik important ones include Jet Park , South Africa ; Sudbury , Canada , Guadalajara in Mexico and Luoyang in China . Cat of course only operates through dealers . Australia , Chile and Peru are other important rebuild markets for all the major underground OEMs as an example . Sandvik ’ s Edson Martins added : “ Sandvik Rental Services nowadays offers customers the opportunity to rent our equipment as well . The rental product is currently available in Europe , but the offering will be expanded to the global market in the future . The offering consists of load and haul , underground drills and tunnelling equipment as well as boom surface drills .”
The rebuilds , both minor and major interventions , discussion tends to happen during the new fleet sale . Rebuilds are increasingly factored in as part of the TCO early on – typically one or two are allowed for . The warranty on a rebuilt machine tends to be back to as new or slightly less depending on the country and market . There are also situations where a mine might have an old machine that was parked due to a failure or major issue that they later decide to look at for a rebuild , but of course the potential for rebuild success depends to some extent on the state of that machine especially the frame , and it is easier for some models than others . The rebuild scope is based around how well the machine was maintained and looked after as this will relate to how many of the existing parts can be reused eg overhaul of the existing axles instead of supplying new .
Also , on very old machines it depends on whether the parts are still available – though here again some independent reman players try to compete having built up stocks of old parts often from scrapped machines . At some point , however , it is no longer economically worth doing for anyone .
Contractors are also customers for rebuilds . The likes of Barminco and Byrnecut have some of the largest underground fleets in the world – much larger than most owner operators . In some cases contractors turn to the OEM for rebuilds , in some cases they do it themselves , again there are many routes and many possibilities .
At the end of the day , Epiroc and Sandvik , plus Cat and others are competing in the rebuild market – the OEMs have to show that their rebuild solutions are the premium option in terms of outcome based on OEM parts and the fact they know their machines better than anyone else . But the customer whether miner or contractor will make their own choice .
IM
Before and after shots of a Sandvik DD321 jumbo rebuild project in Mexico
56 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2021