Lower total cost of ownership is behind an undertaking by South African ADT manufacturer and specialist Bell Equipment that it believes will strike a chord with underground mining operations in the market for underground ADTs. Bell Equipment Marketing Manager for ADTs, Tristan du Pisanie, says the company has been building underground ADTs since the late 1980s and he is confident that the company’s improvements with its latest generation of underground ADTs will positively differentiate Bell from other underground haulage brands in the marketplace.
“The industry may be going through a tough period but mining continues. The biggest change is that the environment is much more competitive than it was a few years ago. We believe that this will result in greater emphasis on efficiency in all areas of mining operations, and our ongoing research and development puts us in an ideal position to offer solutions to assist with this. Our trucks, being locally manufactured, have a lower capital cost and spare parts pricing while still burning less fuel for the same productivity. Combined these factors have the potential to offer a significant reduction in the running cost of an underground ADT,” says du Pisanie.
With a rated payload of 33,000 kg the B33L is currently the largest low profile ADT in the Bell range generating gross power of 290 kW and gross torque of 2,000 Nm. In addition to the benefits already mentioned, Bell states that the B33L “is fast establishing itself as a preferred production tool due to its powerful drivetrain and suitability to heavy duty mining.” Du Pisanie says the latest B33L has been designed to be based on the company’s popular and proven B40D ADT in a number of key areas, most notably the engine, transmission transfer case and electrical system.
“The benefits of this design approach are that we have a lot of experience with these components and a high level of confidence that they will meet the expectations of our customers. Our spare parts and logistics systems are also already set up to support a growing population of these trucks.” Understanding the cost of downtime on mining production, Bell has also taken the strategic decision to stock increased levels of spare parts for underground ADTs in its Global Logistics Centre in Johannesburg and, most importantly, at customer service centres closest to the machines to ensure the fastest possible response time in the unlikely event of a failure.
Elsewhere the truck is specifically designed with underground mining in mind. “We use Kessler axles, which have spring applied hydraulic release (SAHR) brake systems, which is a requirement of most underground mines. The main structure is designed to keep height to a minimum and due to the harsh operating environment it is also much more robust than the standard ADTs through the use of thicker steel plate.”
Du Pisanie, says: “With our latest underground ADTs we took a conscious decision to place emphasis on developing a machine that our customers are asking for. Our development programme included visits by our engineers and sales team to a number of underground mining customers to discuss their requirements for underground ADTs. These discussions gave us a clear picture of what truck would meet the industry’s needs and expectations. In addition this aligned very well with what we would be able to engineer, manufacture and support.”
Future developments under consideration to enhance the company’s underground product offering include developing a side-mount cab option so Bell can offer both a side-mount cab and a centre-mount cab solution. “We’re also looking at the possibility of developing a larger underground truck, which should deliver a lower cost per tonne,” says du Pisanie. “However there are challenges with regards to cooling and extraction in an underground mine. Larger trucks will generate more heat, which would need to be balanced by the productivity gains. The bottom line is that each mine needs to understand its own optimum equipment configuration” he says.
In addition Bell plans to develop a Wi-Fi solution to further enhance its Fleetm@tic fleet management system. “Currently our system is based on satellite and cell phone tower communication but with Wi-Fi we would be able to link to an underground mine’s network and communicate fleet management information in that way.” Bell Equipment currently sells underground ADTs into Southern Africa and is also pursuing opportunities further afield.