HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS
was limited with rising demand also meant our delivery times were getting longer so we had to take this major step . We designed and built a 10,000 sq . m facility in in the southeast part of Melbourne , in Pakenham . This was a huge investment for us of A $ 15 million ($ 9.9 million ), in fact the biggest international investment we have made since the original purchase .” The location made sense in several ways . First of all , with it still being in the Melbourne urban area , most of the Duratray experienced people didn ’ t need to move . Medel says Duratray did look in Queensland as a lot of its major customers are there , such as the Bowen Basin and Galilee Basin coal mines , which includes the bodies on the Caterpillar 796 AC fleet at Bravus Mining ’ s Carmichael operation .
But support from the Victoria Government , including financial assistance from INVEST Victoria , made a big difference .
The new factory has an all-new autoclave , a core part of the SDB production process . Medel commented : “ Our process is fully patented and that is one of the reasons why we are the only company globally to offer SDBs . Only we can make a rubber mat of this kind that measures in excess of 10 m by 10 m and 150 mm thickness from handrail to handrail . We put the rubber on top of huge frames and after a few of these layers we wrap them up and then put the mat into the autoclave – which is one of only two this size in the Southern Hemisphere , the other being the original Conymet autoclave in Chile .”
To make the complete SDB , the final mat is suspended on top of suspended elastomeric ropes that are anchored to the steel frame of the truck ’ s body .
The Australian market demands unique levels of quality and Duratray has been able to take advantage of all of its learnings from the Bayswater plant over the years in the new facility and production line , it says . The size of the new plant also means there is added space for its new projects like the mentioned Carbon Fibre branch – where Duratray is developing carbon fibre mining truck bodies – which it is working with Deakin University on .
Medel said on the project : “ There have been challenges , such as developing the right resin to be able to paste steel lines to the carbon fibre structure but we are working through those and we are expecting to trial a prototype body in Sweden by mid-2024 .”
Metso ’ s truck body milestone
Another company investing in its truck body production is Metso .
In August last year , the company acquired Häggblom , a privately-owned Finnish engineering and manufacturing company , in a move that , Jukka Karhula , Director , Head of the Loading and
Hauling product line , says represents a “ remarkable step ” in the company ’ s load and haul developments .
Häggblom ’ s service portfolio includes wear parts , truck body and bucket refurbishments , as well as related field services . It had previously partnered with Metso for several years in the manufacturing of truck bodies .
The acquisition was expected to broaden Metso ’ s offering in bodies and buckets by providing complete end-to-end loading and hauling solutions , while strengthening the company ’ s position in the aftermarket . The aim is to leverage Häggblom ’ s strong engineering and manufacturing expertise in collaboration with existing partners on a regional and global basis .
“ We now have a holistic offering for our customers ,” Karhula recently told IM . “ This newly incorporated expertise allows us to provide a broader , site-specific solution that can help customers achieve their productivity , sustainability and safety targets .”
These site-specific solutions range from truck bodies with the likes of its Metso Truck Body ( MTB ) to excavator buckets , to refurbishments of existing products . Each of these are suitable for different operations and business objectives , ground engaging tools ( GET ), as well as longlasting rubber and metallic truck bed liners , highresistant wear parts , services and repairs .
Karhula said product evolution on the MTB – Metso ’ s unique , one-piece , lightweight hybrid haul truck tray , which combines the best of highstrength steel and rubber – continues .
“ We are continually optimising the whole solutions – looking at the rubber lining , developing new rubber components , etc ,” he said .
Specifically , the MTB differs from a standard steel body by its lighter , but resistant , rounded shaped design in ultra high-strength steel combined with a Trellex™ rubber lining . This makes it possible to obtain a 20 % to 30 % lighter body without sacrificing rigidity , according to the company . Lighter weight also means more sustainable , in keeping with Metso ’ s Planet Positive approach – with a lighter body weight and increased payload equalling lower fuel consumption per hauled tonne .
This expanded product offering is also coming into Metso ’ s wider Life Cycle Services ( LCS ) and payload management framework , allowing a much broader support network for clients . This will initially be rolled out to Nordic and European customers before expanding globally , Karhula said .
The company also celebrated a milestone delivery of its 100th truck body recently , with the body in question delivered to Boliden ’ s Kevitsa mine in the Sodankylä region of Finland .
Karhula said : “ The delivery of the 100th truck body is a significant milestone and shows that our customers trust us for their loading and hauling needs . As Metso is now able to provide complete solutions for all site conditions , we look forward to taking the next step as a value provider in payload management .”
Austin signs OEM truck tray pact
In a market update earlier this year , Austin Engineering confirmed its Chile-based operation had been awarded the first tranche of purchase orders for “ OEM-style ” truck trays worth circa- A $ 7 million to be delivered in the remainder of its financial year to June 30 , 2024 .
This is the initial order in a program discussed with the customer to last for up to nine years and was first announced to the market in February 2024 with the award of a test tray .
This test tray was approved by a major OEM , acting as an important step before the OEM placed further orders , Austin said back in February . It added : “ Our discussions with the OEM are encouraging , and there is potential for it to place significant multi-year orders , commencing the second half of our 2024 financial year , dependent on a favourable decision by the OEM .”
In this update , Austin said the program was expected to be the first in a series of ongoing orders from the customer in several of Austin ’ s jurisdictions , with manufacturing to occur in Chile and Indonesia .
“ The Chile trays subject to these purchase orders will be manufactured and delivered as part of the ‘ first fit ’ of trays for a global truck OEM ,” it clarified .
Austin will source the required steel through its bulk procurement program , AustBuy , which is now supplying its operations in Chile , in addition to Australia and Indonesia .
Even more recently , Austin ’ s Chile business unit won an order for a full Cat 7495 dipper bucket for a local customer .
The customised dipper bucket , valued at over A $ 2.5 million , will be manufactured at Austin ’ s La Negra manufacturing facility , near Antofagasta , with delivery scheduled for the March quarter of 2025 . Designed by Austin ’ s engineering team , the 86-t dipper will be able to move approximately 100 t of material per pass .
Austin said : “ Dipper buckets are high value products , for both new units and annual rebuilds , particularly for the larger sized dipper buckets Austin builds .”
It is Austin ’ s fourth dipper bucket order following the acquisition of Mainetec in 2022 . Two dipper buckets have already been delivered in Australia , while a high-performance Armadillo electric rope shovel dipper bucket is due for delivery to a US-based copper mine by the end of this year . IM
14 International Mining | JUNE 2024