NEWS
PPC and its lenders have reached an agreement to reschedule debts from
the construction of a USD300-million cement plant in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), extending the repayment period by an
additional two years and changing the interest rate, according to Business
Day. The total capital requirements for the million-tonne per annum
DRC plant will now be limited to interest payments from January 2018
until January 2020. PPC owns 69% of the plant, built in partnership with
local company Barnet (21%) and the International Finance Corporation
(IFC, 10%). “The rescheduling of debt reduces the capital requirements
by PPC Barnet DRC from PPC,” says PPC chief financial officer Tryphosa
Ramano, in a statement. “It will also improve cash flows for the DRC
business which will allow the business additional liquidity during this
ramp up phase.”
Komatsu introduces excavator to SA mining
Komatsu has added a new
excavator to its South African
range – the PC700LC-8R
SE – following consultation
with operators in the mining
industry. To meet the
challenges of the tough local
mining industry, Komatsu has
developed a special version of
the PC700 which is designed
for the global market.
According to sales and
marketing manager, Toshi
Ohtsuka, discussions with
customers reveal the need for
this additional model to fill
a perceived gap between the
PC600 and the PC850. “We
have introduced the PC700LC-
8R SE in response to industry
calls for a 70-tonne excavator
that is seen as the ideal solution
for moving large volumes of
overburden,” he says, adding
that it has been positioned as
a super earthmover capable
of outperforming equivalent
products in its class.
The high-capacity 4.0m³
heavy duty bucket enables the
new excavator to fill a 40-tonne
articulated dump truck (ADT)
in just six passes, which not
only accelerates output but
generates significant cost
saving benefits to the operator.
All machines will be
supplied to heavy-duty
standards, and components like
boom arms are reinforced with
high tensile steel plates. Track
roller guards are supplied as
standard, along with front-
screen grilles, additional steel
cladding on the cab roof, and a
rear-view monitoring system in
the operator cab.
The PC700 also shares a great
deal of commonality of parts
with both the PC600 and the
PC850, meaning that there is
already comprehensive spares
coverage. “The upper structure
is very similar to the PC600
while the components used
in the lower undercarriage
are common to many related
products,” says Ohtsuka. He adds
that the power unit, the Komatsu
SAA6D140E-5, is widely used
in South Africa and so it is well
known to service staff.
The first two units to reach
South African shores are already
hard at work in locations around
Witbank, having been ordered
by the customer as soon as he
learned that a 70-tonne Komatsu
was available. Service meters
show that both products have
already exceeded 1 600 working
hours absolutely trouble free.
quarter is never particularly
good for construction because
of the annual summer holidays,
but several of the sub-indicators
that we use are already seasonally
adjusted, so it won’t have a
terrible effect. However, we
expect this to really improve
dramatically next year,” he says.
“If you look at the general trend
of the index over the past three
to four years, it’s been very
subdued, along with the rest of
the economy, because of a lack
of confidence and a lot of policy
uncertainty.”
The declining trend in overall
business confidence – arising
from factors including policy
uncertainty and the South
African Reserve Bank’s delay in
adopting a more accommodating
approach towards monetary
policy – has negatively impacted
the potential expansion of
construction activity.
The results of this study show
that construction is a sector
in which government spend
is still taking place and, given
economic constraints, it is
natural for the sector to come off
slightly. Andries van Heerden,
Afrimat CEO, says the activity
in the construction sector, as
indicated by the ACI, bodes well
for the economy and for players
able to adapt and embrace
circumstances.
“If companies position
themselves correctly on product
quality, price and service delivery,
they should be able to make a
decent return for shareholders,”
concludes Van Heerden.
Komatsu’s PC700LC-8R SE was introduced following consultation
with operators in the mining industry.
QUARRY SA | MARCH/APRIL 2018 _ 5