Although Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is probably best-known for its world-leading articulated haulers, these form just one part of what is a formidable line-up of Volvo equipment which also includes a highly regarded range of wheel loaders. According to Dave Vaughan, Managing Director of Babcock’s Equipment business, the wheel loaders have established themselves as firm favourites in the southern African market with some customers having as many as 20 units in their fleets.
Babcock has sold 388 units of the L150 range.
“Since we became Volvo CE’s dealer in 2000, we’ve sold just over 1 000 of Volvo’s heavier wheel loaders locally, mainly to customers in mining, and most of them are still in service today, which bears testimony to their high quality and durability” says Vaughan. He adds that the wheel loaders, in combination with Volvo’s articulated and rigid trucks and excavators, have given Babcock the ability to meet virtually all the equipment needs of its mining customers. “Just several years ago, we had some gaps in our line-up but new machine introductions – such as the EC950E crawler excavator and the R100E rigid truck – mean that customers can now have all-Volvo mining fleets.”
Although Volvo CE’s wheel loader range starts with the small L20 compact machine, the models sold into the mining industry range from the L120, a 20-tonne (t) machine, up to the flagship L350, which is in the 50-t class. The L350H is the latest ‘edition’ of the L350 and ranks as the biggest wheel loader ever built by Volvo. With an operating weight varying from 50 to 56 t (depending on the configuration), it is equipped with a Volvo D16E engine developing 397 kW.
A new load sensing hydraulic system works in greater harmony with the drivetrain, increasing response times and allowing the L350H to achieve cycle times which are up to 5% faster than those attained by its predecessor, the L350F. In addition, it is equipped with the latest technology dedicated to reducing fuel consumption, including Volvo’s Fully Automatic Power Shift (FAPS) system. This allows for machine operation in the optimal, fuel-efficient gear, according to speed, kick-down and engine braking.
Although the market for machines in the L350 class is very limited, Babcock has sold ten L350s (including one L350H) locally, which is a very creditable achievement. The biggest seller in the Volvo wheel loader range, however, is the versatile L150, a 25-t machine, which is the market leader in its class. “The L150 has been an absolute winner for us,” says Vaughan. “We’ve sold 388 units in all and they’re a ubiquitous sight at opencast mines around southern Africa, particularly the opencast coal mines of the highveld coalfields. They’re also used in slag operations and one of our customers has a unit operating in Mpumalanga that is fully remote controlled.”
The L120 is almost as popular as the L150 with 318 units having been sold while the L180, a 27-t machine, and the L220, a 31-t machine, have also made impressive inroads into the market, with total sales being 189 and 155 units respectively.
Most of Volvo’s heavier wheel loaders are equipped with its patented Torque Parallel (TP) linkage which combines the benefits of Z-bar and parallel linkages in one system, delivering good parallel movement and high breakout force, even in the highest lift positions. They are also equipped with Volvo’s unique OptiShift technology, which combines the company’s patented Reverse by Braking (RBB) technology with a lockup torque converter to boost productivity and efficiency in all applications and reduce fuel consumption by up to 18%.
Vaughan stresses that the Volvo wheel loader range is complemented by an array of buckets and other attachments. “We can supply the machines with rock buckets, slag buckets, coal buckets, woodchip buckets, in fact buckets for every application,” he says. “We also have a full range of specialised attachments, including a tyre handler, forks, grapples, sweepers and materials handling arms.”
He also points out that Volvo’s wheel loaders (and excavators) now benefit from an all-new premium tooth system that not only increases productivity and fuel efficiency but is also more wear resistant and much easier to fit, thanks to its hammerless pin design. The low profile design offers greater penetration capability and higher bucket fills, offering quicker cycle times and as much as an extra 20% more penetration over the life of the tooth.
Vaughan says that Volvo’s wheel loader range is ‘complete’ for the time being with no new introductions anticipated in the short term. He does point out, however, that Volvo CE unveiled two zero-emission electric machines – the L25 wheel loader and the ECR25 excavator – at last year’s Bauma show. “These are the first machines in the new Volvo-branded range of compact electric excavators and wheel loaders. They are too small to have any real applicability in mining but they do indicate just how innovative Volvo CE is and its commitment to future technology.”
Looking at some of the key selling points of Volvo’s wheel loaders, Vaughan’s colleague, Lance Mannix, who is GM Sales for Babcock’s Equipment business, says that the machines score highly on everything that matters to owners. “Customers want high productivity, reliability, easy maintenance, durability, safety and, of course, fuel efficiency and Volvo’s loaders tick all these boxes,” he says. “They are also equipped with a number of high-tech features, some of them standard, some offered as options, such as Volvo Co-pilot, which is a cutting-edge on-board touchscreen controlling many ‘intelligent’ machine functions, such as Load Assist and Dig Assist.”
Mannix also notes that Babcock can assist customers with a range of innovative financing options through Volvo Financial Services (VFS), which was officially launched in South Africa in November 2017 and which is backed by Volvo’s global financing arm.
“Essentially, VFS represents a one-stop service for customers wanting to purchase our Volvo machines,” he states. “It is able to offer tailored, customised financing solutions that address the unique requirements of each customer and which are designed to make an investment in Volvo equipment affordable. These solutions include accelerated payments, fixed and floating interest rates for enhanced finance control and step payments for customers who want to build equity faster, all tailored to a client’s business cycle.”
Looking to the future, Vaughan says that Volvo CE has identified the wheel loader and excavator markets as holding particular potential for growth. “Volvo’s articulated loaders are our biggest sellers and likely to remain so but we agree with Volvo CE that there is huge scope to ‘grow’ sales of the wheel loaders and excavators and this will definitely be a focus for us in 2020,” he says. “We are already doing exceptionally well with both these ranges in southern Africa but our ambition is to reach the point where they emulate the dominance of Volvo’s articulated haulers in their respective fields. We believe this is very achievable given the sheer quality of the machines and the world-class aftermarket service that Babcock provides here in the southern African market.”
