BUSINESS
a rebuild, or an exchange part. Customers can even buy the kit separately if they want to.”
Komatsu Mining also offers oils and lubricants specifically designed to improve the operation of its equipment.“ These are synthetic oils that we’ ve developed in collaboration with the oil companies and that are designed for specific applications and conditions,” explains Kesztler.“ So, for example, we have general mechanical oils, mine-duty grease, and oils for extreme pressure and for extreme temperature. And if our customers use the oils recommended for their specific machines and applications, we can even extend their warranties.”
Barloworld Equipment & Caterpillar
Barloworld Equipment is another large OEM that has a specialised maintenance and refurbishing centre for Caterpillar equipment. The Barloworld Rebuild Centre( BRC) opened its doors in Boksburg in 2012 to offer customers off-the-shelf remanufactured components for Cat mining and other key machines. Specialising in the Big 5 components— engine, torque converter, transmission, differential, and wheel station— the BRC can also rebuild all Cat hydraulic cylinders and pumps, including most of the EMPR product range.
Located in Boksburg, the BRC is the largest of its kind in Barloworld’ s global dealer network. Willie Coetzee, who was appointed general manager of the BRC in May 2015, recognised the potentially significant opportunities in this area of Barloworld Equipment’ s business, with remanufactured components providing fast, cost-effective solutions to maintain mining machines and their productivity. By focusing on improving quality of service and remanufactured components, the BRC’ s turnaround times were reduced by almost 20 % by the end of 2015.
“ We started by looking at everything that needed attention, then we prioritised and fixed the top 10 problems by the end of 2015,” explains Coetzee. In 2016, focus switched to maintaining improvements and implementing smarter, more cost-effective solutions to satisfy customers.
One such solution is a robotic system that has modernised the refurbishment of track shoes for Caterpillar bulldozers, effectively replacing the monotonous, manually driven process with an automated, end-to-end mechanism requiring little human involvement. The system, nicknamed‘ Tokolosie’, was developed by Zurich-based ABB Robotics, and significantly reduces refurbishment costs while improving product quality and cutting turnaround time. The development of the endto-end re-grousing system started in October 2014 and the robot was delivered to Barloworld Equipment’ s Middelburg facility in May 2016 for installation and commissioning.“ Before the robot was introduced, it took five days for two people to manually refurbish the tracks for a D11 bulldozer. The robot does the same
Robyn Grimsley Robyn Grimsley
Komatsu Mining showcased its service products, upgrades, and consumables at its recent Technology and Consumables Show, held at the eMalahleni JoySmart Services Centre.
Komatsu Mining engineers or selects each product and consumable to ensure the best system performance.
work in 20 hours, with one operator,” says Schalk Burger, service manager at Barloworld Equipment.“ Our people now do 5 % of what they used to do manually, reducing exposure to heat and potential injuries. This also allows the operators to use their skills more optimally.”
“ The reduction of human involvement in the refurbishment process will go a long way towards helping us achieve our safety objectives. The endto-end re-grousing process will reduce human involvement in material handling and reduce the exposure of humans to heat and accidents,” said Samantha Swanepoel, divisional executive director for Marketing and Communications at Barloworld Equipment.
Barloworld Equipment’ s Middelburg facility also offers Cat Certified Rebuilds, during which 7 000 Cat parts are replaced and more than 350 tests and inspections are carried out. Customers can also buy remanufactured parts for engines, transmissions, torque converters, differentials, wheel stations, and hydraulic components at competitive rates, allowing them to stay operational, extend machine life, and reduce repair costs. In addition, the Cat Connect( for construction equipment) and Cat MineStar( for
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