Quarry Southern Africa March 2018 | Page 8

NEWS Marthinusen & Coutts, a division of ACTOM, recently executed the sub-assembly of six ABB gearless mill drives for Minera Panamá’s remotely situated Cobre Panamá project, handing the machine over well ahead of schedule. Minera Panamá is the Panamanian subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, and its Cobre Panamá project has an estimated life of mine of more than 30 years. Four of the mill drives will power ball mills and the other two will drive SAG mills. The machines were transported in quartered sections to site for assembly in-situ. According to divisional CEO Richard Botton, a team of six highly skilled technicians was responsible for the completion of the project within extremely tight time schedules, despite the challenges arising from the machines’ size and the adverse weather conditions. Gauteng-based Comar has designed a more compact and mobile plant for easier and more economical transportation, as well as quicker set-up time. Operations manager De Wet Dreyer says many mobile plants still require some components to be transported on low-bed trucks and erected using on-site cranes, contrary to customer need for greater mobility and ease of movement. “We now have a fully mobile design, which consists of two units,” says Dreyer. “The first chassis carries the feed bins and the other the drum, bag house and other components.” The plant can be set up within hours, either to discard directly into a truck for smaller projects, or to be parked and configured to feed into the standard Comar skip rail and 100-tonne hot storage facility for larger-scale projects. Volvo launches range of rigid haulers In-depth engineering review Based on the existing and well- proven Terex Trucks TR-Series, development of the D-Series R45D, R60D and R70D Volvo RDTs follows an in-depth engineering review, ensuring that the machines meet the standards expected from Volvo products in their target markets and segments. Improvements include greater visibility and safety systems, along with Volvo technical support and branding. 6 _ QUARRY SA | MARCH/APRIL 2018 “Our purchase of Terex Trucks in 2014 was a strategic decision that allowed Volvo to offer customers a rigid hauler option,” says Thomas Bitter, senior vice president of the Marketing and Product Portfolio (MaPP) function at Volvo CE. “Since then, we’ve been working to design a completely new rigid hauler that builds on Terex Trucks’ 84-year heritage, while also incorporating Volvo CE’s industry-leading technology and core values of quality, safety and environmental care. “Today we move to the next stage, and the new Volvo machines, especially the E-Series R100E, are the outcome of this work. We’re confident that they will impress customers working in the mining and quarrying segments.” New machines in focus The all-new flagship R100E has been designed to meet customer demands for an RDT that delivers high performance and productivity, low total cost of ownership, easy serviceability and good operator comfort. With its high capacity and hauling speeds, new V-shaped body, efficient hydraulics, intelligent monitoring systems and operator environment, the R100E will help customers move more material in less time. “Terex Trucks’ rigid haulers are known for performing well in tough conditions, while also being easy to maintain and delivering low cost of ownership,” says Paul Douglas, Volvo CE’s vice president of Rigid Haulers and Terex Trucks. “Our proven design has provided a strong DNA on which to help develop Volvo CE’s innovative entry into this product line. The new E-Series R100E is a completely new machine that delivers stability, a long service life, high profitability, durability and comfort. And moreover, it’s quick and simple to operate and maintain.” A bright future While the launch of the Volvo- branded RDTs will eventually result in the company ceasing production of Terex Trucks RDTs, it has no bearing on Volvo CE’s Terex Trucks-branded articulated dump truck (ADT) range. Terex Trucks-branded ADTs will continue to be designed, built and developed at the Motherwell facility in Scotland, and distributed using the pre-existing Terex Trucks independent dealer network. Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has announced that it will enter the rigid hauler market with its own Volvo brand of rigid dump trucks (RDTs) in the second quarter of 2018. The range, which will initially be launched in less regulated markets, consists of the 45-ton R45D, 60-ton R60D, 72-ton R70D and the flagship 100-ton R100E. Development of the new vehicles has relied heavily on the longstanding rigid hauler expertise of Volvo CE’s subsidiary Terex Trucks, combined with the technological strength of the Volvo Group. The E-Series R100E is a completely new Volvo CE 100- ton (95-tonne) rigid hauler that combines a wealth of market and customer knowledge with proven components, new technologies and a striking new design – all providing a cost-effective and productive solution to fulfil the needs of today’s mining and quarrying customers. The new Volvo-branded RDTs will be manufactured at the rebranded Volvo Motherwell production facility in Scotland and sold exclusively through the Volvo dealer network.