CEN SEP
15
A BETTERWAY
PRODUCT
PROFILE
USED LARGELY, UT NOT
exclusively, within the mining sector, Scania’s trucks are evident in
open-cast mines throughout the continent, hauling every mineral type, from iron ore to coal.
Chris Swanepoel, responsible for Scania’s Mining Sales, southern Africa, is upbeat about the
company’s latest out-of-the-box innovation.
He is quick to point out that the product, while related to mining, is moving a different
commodity, namely people. “Moving people on a mine has never been viewed as a core
function of any mine, it is simply a necessity to enable the mine to do its job,” he says.
With input from various major players in the mining industry, it was clear that shift-change
was a fore runner in effecting the operating efficiency of any large scale mining operation, as
current systems used in the mining industry are inefficient, compounded by safety regulations
on the mines and the regulations around moving people. A clear-cut solution was needed.
Currently, mines operate fleets of small vehicles to transport shift-change workers to and from
the mine. These vehicles, apart from LDVs fitted with roll over protection, prescribe to the
SANS 1563 regulation used to govern safety in all on-road transporters. The knock-on effect
on productivity using this equipment was, and is, inevitable, as these systems are not designed
to run in 100% off-road conditions.
Chris explains, “Hypothetically, in a 4x4 bakkie, carrying a driver and three passengers per trip,
from pick-up to drop-off, in the pit, is a laborious and inefficient task. Multiply that process
by the number of people per shift, and the logistics become absurd. The vehicles designed for
transporting a larger volume of staff are often plagued with breakdowns because they are
being used in an application they were not designed for.
Scania is well known and recognised for the emphasis it places on safety issues, so it was to
be expected that the Swedish OEM took a long, hard look at the challenges around moving
people within the open-cast environment – and the solution they came up with was ingenious.
The road forward
“Eighteen months ago, Scania investigated providing a solution to this people-moving
challenge,” Chris explains. “We met with Basil Read Mining, who were a driving force behind
the approach, explaining that they required a people-carrying solution for their mining
operations, with the proviso that the solution had to include adequate safety standards, that
complied with mining legislation.”
The research for the new vehicle had its inception in a questioning mining engineer who, in his
capacity, had to sign off the people-carrier. “He asked endless questions – basically covering
his bases – while ensuring that the end product was thoroughly compliant,” Chris says.
During this time, talks took place with a different mining house that also required a people
-mover; one that was approved by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) for transporting
people into the mine pit. It had to be four-wheel drive; each seat had to have a three-point
safety belt; it had to have emergency steering and braking and it had to comply with noise
and emission standards. But, most importantly, it had to be safe and specifically designed to
move people.
Scania consulted with an Australian mechanical engineering design house specialising
in ROPS/FOPS structures, and gained an in-depth understanding of the design issues and
challenges required within the mining sector. From this, the ‘Scania Staff Carrier’ was born.
There is
Recognised as one of
the top OEMs when it
comes to innovation and
design, Scania is setting
new standards with its
latest staff transport
innovation.
This vehicle, when in all-wheel drive, will
climb out of the pit, fully laden.
The vehicle bodies will be manufactured
in Durban, and once the volumes warrant
it, the chassis will be assembled at Scania,
Aeroton, as opposed to being brought in,
fully made up, from Sweden.
