cover story
19
06.13
A Belaz-75302 is loaded by an excavator at Sishen.
a mining contractor based in Kathu in the Northern
Cape, put several units into service on a long-term
contract it has at the Sishen mine – five Belaz-75302
machines with 220-t payload capacity and two Belaz-
75137s with 136-t capacity.
Says Venchik: “The machines have now been oper-
ating very successfully with Tau for two years in what
is a very tough and challenging mining environment.
Tau has been impressed by their performance and
has now ordered a further six Belaz trucks, mostly
the 220-t model, and these have been delivered to
site and are currently being commissioned. We be-
lieve the machines have now proved themselves in
South African conditions and we are now focusing
on signing up new customers. In fact, we’re expect-
ing to get another order from a second Northern Cape
contractor shortly.”
Detailing the advantages of buying Belaz, Venchik
– who worked at Belaz before coming to South Afri-
ca over 10 years ago – says the machines are typical-
ly 20 to 30 % cheaper than those of competitors and
yet are comparable or even better in performance.
“We believe that the Belaz trucks, for example, of-
fer superior fuel efficiency to competitor machines,
with fuel consumption being between 10 and 15 %
lower,” he says. “The trucks have also been proven
in some of the harshest mining conditions in the
world – they have operated equally well in the cold
of Siberia and the heat and dust of Sishen. They are
designed to be easy to maintain and to operate, as
has been proven at Sishen, and they have less de-
pendence on electronic systems than their competi-
tors, which we see as a distinct advantage. They are
manufactured in accordance with all the appropri-
ate international standards and codes and the Belar-
us factory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities
to ensure an advanced, high-quality product.”
The Belaz range can be tailored to the specific re-
quirements of a customer and indeed in the case of
the machines acquired by Tau several modifications
were made to suit them to the operating conditions
in the Sishen area. These included modifications to
engine cooling systems and enhancements to the cabs
to ensure increased comfort and safety.
In terms of backup, Venchik says that Mynbou
Rigs Afrika – while being a small company by in-
dustry standards – is well equipped to maintain its
machines. “We maintain a very generous stockhold-
ing of parts in South Africa which is sufficient to
meet all normal demands,” he explains. “On the rare
occasions when a part is not available, we will air-
freight it in from the factory in Belarus. We have our
own technicians on site – 10 at Sishen – backing up
machines and we also use sub-contractors for spe-
cific tasks. For example, MTU South Africa looks af-
ter the engines on the trucks being used at Sishen in
terms of a maintenance and repair contract we have
with them. We also work with Transvaal Electric and
Traction Motors.”
Mynbou Rigs Afrika is currently based in rented
premises in Jet Park, Johannesburg but will shortly
be moving into its own building in the same area. As
Venchik notes, “We are starting to grow fast and now
need our own facility.”
As part of its drive to increase its customer base,
Mynbou Rigs will be exhibiting at this year’s inaugu-
ral bauma Africa exhibition, to be held in September
at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Says
Venchik: “We will have our new 90-t truck with AC/
AC drive on display and visitors will be impressed by
what they see. We have established a strong foothold
with the Belaz brand and our intention now is to in-
crease market share and expand our footprint in South
Africa – and its neighbouring states – significantly.”
