Ready for bigger challenges
On the cover: At time when the mining industry, especially the contract mining fraternity, is turning to 100-tonne (t) solutions to execute high production mining jobs, SANY Southern Africa has brought in its 100-t SY980H and the 125-t SY1250H. The new models come hard on the heels of the recent launch of the 70-t SKT105S wide-body dump truck, positioning SANY as a key player in the larger load and haul solutions market. Available data shows that the 100-t excavator and dump truck market has been buoyant in the past few years, largely driven by mining contractors. Given the short nature of mining contracts in recent years, which are generally limited to three to five years, the 100-t offerings provide contract miners with the mobility they require to move from site to site.
The two new excavators can be ideally paired with SANY’s mining haulers, the SKT105S wide-body dump truck and the 100-t SRT95 rigid dump truck. Samuel Zhang, GM SANY Southern Africa, is particularly excited about the SY1250H, which he says will further strengthen SANY’s competitiveness in the large excavator segment. Testimony to the early interest in this model, a large mining customer has already placed an order of six machines. The new SY1250H, says Zhang, has a special design focus on increased productivity, efficiency, reliability and lower total cost of ownership. One of the key selling points of the new SY1250H is its fuel efficiency. “In an environment where diesel prices continue to soar, customers will be glad to know that, owing to a range of features, they can substantially reduce their fuel consumption. Based on our field tests, the SY1250H consumes an average of 97,07 litres per hour in continuous loading operations,” says Zhang. At the centre of the machine’s fuel efficiency is the Cummins QSK23 heavyduty engine providing 557 kW of power. Its inline, six-cylinder configuration, unusual for this high-power output, offers a narrower, shorter installation, easier access and the benefit of fewer parts, which makes it inherently more dependable and lengthens the expected life cycle to 20 000 hours before the first overhaul.
Condition monitoring saves maintenance cost
Since 1976, WearCheck has specialised in tribology and the scientific analysis of used oil samples, expanding its service offering to include a host of additional predictive maintenance monitoring techniques to cover all the facets of asset care. Today, WearCheck is proud of its reputation as the leading all-in-one reliability solutions hub, backed by ISO accreditation. The company provides condition monitoring services throughout Africa, the Middle East and India via a comprehensive network of 14 laboratories that spans the continent and beyond.
As the market leader in several arenas - including testing and analysis, asset reliability care and lubricant-enabled reliability services - WearCheck ensures the health of key assets such as engines, turbines, and all industrial components. WearCheck’s team of scientists, technicians and diagnosticians is on a mission to assist customers in boosting productivity by avoiding major, unscheduled equipment failure. WearCheck scientifically analyses used oil from mechanical and electrical systems, transformer oil, water, fuel, greases and more, effectively processing over 800 000 samples per annum. Additionally, WearCheck offers comprehensive monitoring programmes for transformers and wind turbines, using dissolved gas analysis, furan analysis and other spectrographic methods.
New attachments galore
To be competitive in today’s challenging economic environment, equipment owners are moving beyond the basics. They are looking at how their fleets of excavators, skid steers, backhoe loaders, among other tool carriers, can squeeze more margins and volumes. Consequently, a strong attachment focus is gaining momentum. Attachments are key to equipment versatility and utilisation. Attachments by their nature help transform tool carriers from one-dimensional pieces of equipment into multipurpose and adaptable machines. Based on this understanding, there is a strong global attachment focus as fleet owners seek to get the best out of their equipment. To provide context, Fact.MR’s Construction Equipment Attachment Market report notes that the size of the construction equipment attachment market is poised to double its value between 2020 to 2030. To meet the growing demand, several manufacturers, including Caterpillar, Road Widener and Simex, have launched a range of new attachments that speak directly to the needs of the market.
Leading the way
A quiet revolution is taking place. Traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have laid out the field of new energy construction machinery – electric. As well as being better for the environment, electric construction gear is also opening up opportunities for new ways of working, allowing environments beyond traditional construction sites to get the job done with less noise, fewer vibrations and no exhaust fumes. However, the pace of the electric revolution remains apparent on the smaller end of the construction equipment scale.
“I still see electric drives in rather smaller power ranges of up to a maximum of 20 kW,” says Dr Marcus Geimer, head of the Mobile Machinery section of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. “For electric solutions to be successful, the load cycles and the tasks of the machines count.” The energy requirement – battery size – for a full day’s shift is easier and more cost-effective to package on a smaller machine, which is why electrification is gaining pace in compact excavators. Why compact excavators? More companies, especially utilities that use compact machines, are calling for environmentally friendly products. The market potential for this range of equipment is broad and includes indoor working (where the need for diesel fume extraction is avoided), quiet urban working, landscaping and farming, among others.
New high-tech African Facility for SEW-EURODRIVE
Built and equipped at a cost of R200 million and modelled on SEW-EURODRIVE’s showcase factory in Graben-Neudorf in Germany, the facility – which accommodates approximately 150 employees – makes extensive use of the latest technologies to network people effectively, processes, services and data. The investment reflects SEW-EURODRIVE’s confidence in the future of both
South Africa and the African continent. The company points out that Africa is the world’s next growth market. Home to 17% of the global population in 2019, it is expected to account for 26% by 2050 and an estimated US$16,2 trillion of combined consumer and business spending.
Continuing the investment, Raymond Obermeyer, Managing Director of SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa, says: “This is a bold step that demonstrates our commitmentto solving South Africa’s problems and developing the economies of countries across Africa”. SEW-EURODRIVE currently services 23 countries throughout the African continent from South Africa. “With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocol, which came into effect in early 2021, and a push to grow to manufacture on the continent, we are expecting African markets to account for around 50% of our turnover within the next few years,” says Obermeyer.
XCMG makes its mark in South Africa
Back in 2000 XCMG made its first entry into South Africa when 80 Wheel Loaders were made available to a client. Since then, the juggernaut Chinese Group has risen to the occasion, offering South African buyers a wide range of equipment. In terms of lifting, the XCMG range of truck and all-terrain cranes are well-received, and thanks to various options when purchasing a piece of equipment XCMG Truck Cranes offer a way to meet interdisciplinary needs.
According to Sun Zeyu from XCMG, the XCMG cranes are widely used for lifting operations in general engineering projects, construction sites, urban renewal projects, ports, bridges, oilfields and mines and complex working environments. As a result, there’s a variety of cranes available. This is a departure from the sole QY25K5 model released in South Africa in 2007. Parts for vehicles are also streamlined. XCMG Equipment operates from Spartan in Johannesburg, where the company has a professional technician from China and an after-sales team that ensure support for the local market. Over and above the added support, XCMG Equipment has a 1 500 m2 spare parts warehouse with over 3 million USD in stock. Zeyu believes that XCMG’s global rankings make the cranes suitable for the South African market.
Trailer sizing tips for earthmoving equipment
Researching, answering questions and working with knowledgeable dealers and manufacturers can help operators select the right trailer to move their earthmovers — one that will safely increase productivity for years to come. This is according to Troy Geisler, vice president of sales and marketing for Talbert Manufacturing. Talbert has been building world-class heavy-haul and specialised trailers to rigorous customer specifications since 1938. The company offers complete lines of heavy-haul trailers and specialised transportation equipment for the commercial, industrial, military and government sectors. Its trailers and equipment are used in applications as diverse as renewable energy, aerospace, heavy construction, inplant material handling, manufacturing and processing systems. In short, Talbert staff are experts in selecting the right trailer for the right equipment. Here are essential tips to keep in mind when sizing a trailer for earthmoving equipment.
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