technology
A
The A60H and the EC950E are brand new
machines that are being seen by many regional
customers for the very first time.”
According to Roger O’Callaghan, CEO
of Babcock’s African operations, “While
the A60H was displayed at bauma, the
Middelburg event was the first launch
of an operation-ready machine that
customers can actually use. I’d like to
say that when the A60H was launched at
bauma, it was a worldwide visual launch,
but tonight is Volvo’s first operational
launch. Because of our opencast
operations, South Africa has also been
chosen as the site for the filming of the
worldwide marketing video.”
The first order for the A60H was placed
through Babcock last year at the bauma
exhibition, by South African company
Burgh Plant Hire, which ordered three
of the mammoth machines. Vaughan
confirms that prior to this launch, Babcock
had already received a second order, also
for three of the 60-tonners, from another
South African customer. “The interest in
the A60 has been phenomenal, and we can
see that from the number of customers
who have travelled incredibly far to be
here tonight.” First orders for the EC950E
crawler excavator have also been placed.
“The A60H and EC950E are eminently
suitable for local mining operations, as their
robust drivelines are designed specifically
for challenging applications such as those
found in the southern African mining
environment,” says Vaughan.
Superior digging power
With the significant increase in hauling
capacity offered by the A60H over Volvo’s
previous largest ADT, the A40G, the
company needed to design an excavator
that would complement the A60 and
provide efficient loading capability. Prior
to the launch of the EC950E, Volvo’s
largest excavator was the 75-tonne EC750,
which has a standard bucket of 4m 3 .
“The obvious step was then to design a
machine that would complement the A60,
and the 90-tonne EC950 is the result,” says
Vaughan.