SOUTH AFRICAN SUPPLIERS
At 7.9 m in length , 2.27 m in width and 1.4 m in height , the vehicle has great manoeuvrability in low-profile conditions , according to the company . Both axles are steerable , allowing the vehicle to navigate the most constrained areas of a mine .
Three businesses under one roof
Another OEM looking to gain further market share in southern Africa is Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , which recently celebrated the opening of its new head office facility , workshop and manufacturing complex in Kempton Park , Johannesburg .
The Khomanani facility , which accommodates approximately 500 Sandvik employees , consolidates the operations previously undertaken at five separate sites . This means for the first time ever the company now has its soft rock , hard rock and surface businesses all under one roof .
Representing an investment of R350 million , Khomanani occupies a 62,000 sq . m site , making it one of Sandvik ’ s biggest and most advanced facilities globally . It can produce underground loaders with over 60 % local content , allowing them to be designated as “ proudly South African ”, the company said .
Developed in conjunction with Equites Property Fund , Khomanani is a bespoke facility comprising an office building and three workshops . Two of the workshops are dedicated to the refurbishment and rebuilding of Sandvik machines – to OEM standards – from throughout the southern African region , while the third is designed to assemble equipment locally .
The workshops are equipped with 23 docking bays and a combination of cranes of up to 30 t capacity to facilitate the handling of equipment . The floors can support very high loads , including continuous miners weighing over 100 t . The site has a road layout to allow heavy transport vehicles to move in and out of the property without the need for time-consuming manoeuvring , according to the company .
The machines being assembled at Khomanani are the 12-t capacity LS312 flameproof loader for underground coal operations , as well as the LH115 and LH208 loaders , respectively of 5.5 t and 7.7 t capacity , for underground hard-rock mining .
Not only are these machines being supplied to the southern African market , but Sandvik also exports them .
“ They are produced to the exact same quality standards as Sandvik machines manufactured at our overseas factories , such as Tampere in Finland ,” the company said . “ Moreover , the company is able to produce them at a cost which is very competitive by global standards .”
Rham ’ s independence reaping rewards
In a rapidly consolidating sector for primary underground load and haul machines , Olifantsfontein-based Rham Equipment remains one of the few smaller , innovative and nimble players – which , it says , has enabled it to
One of Rham ’ s battery machines has recently been retrofitted for autonomous operation , which is thought to be a world first – an ultra-low profile 25HDB integrated with RCT ’ s ControlMaster automation technology that is already working in a platinum mine