With a heritage stretching back more than 65 years, Terex Trucks added another chapter to its history book in 2014 when it was acquired by Volvo Construction Equipment. Entering a brand new era, the Scottish manufacturer also welcomed new partnerships with renowned dealers across the globe to supply and support its robust rigid and articulated haulers. One such partnership came with the appointment of Babcock International as its official distributor in southern Africa. Established in October 2015, the agreement between Terex Trucks and Babcock has seen the two companies working in unison over the last two years “to offer the highest level of customer satisfaction and service in the region.”
Babcock is a longstanding equipment supplier in Africa “with an unwavering focus on safe and efficient delivery and an extensive support infrastructure. With proven expertise, lengthy experience, and well-established relationships with leading industrial brands, Babcock serves customers which are active in the construction, earthmoving, mining and various other industries. To this effect, the addition of Terex Trucks’ trusted machines enabled Babcock to expand its portfolio and increase its offering to clients in the region. Babcock’s new state-of-the-art branch in Middelburg facilitates the Terex Trucks product range and is fully equipped with purpose-built workshops for the manufacturer’s machines. Committed to ensuring customers are satisfied, Babcock not only purchased a number of trucks for its initial stock holding but it also invested heavily in stocking Terex Trucks’ parts.”
Erik Lundberg, Business Manager in sub-Saharan Africa for Terex Trucks, says: “Right from the start, we were convinced our partnership with Babcock would be a great one. The company’s commitment to keeping clients happy has aligned seamlessly with ours and they didn’t hold back on securing stock to safeguard the availability of components and parts in southern Africa.”
Through a series of investments, Terex Trucks has been working together with Babcock to strengthen the perception of its haulers. From keeping up to date on the latest developments through factory visits to the manufacturer’s headquarters in Motherwell, Scotland, to undertaking ongoing technical training to learn more about how to better support the machines, “the companies are moving in the right direction to increase Terex Trucks’ reputation in South Africa. This has proved especially true with the brand’s articulated dump trucks – the TA300 and TA400, which have favoured well with customers in the coal mining industry.”
South Africa is known for its abundant natural resources; from gold to zinc, platinum to diamonds, the nation’s land is plentiful in its richness. As the recovery of commodity prices continues, the demand for coal in South Africa, which has partially been driven locally by the creation of new power stations, has had a knock-on effect on the procurement of off-highway trucks. Lundberg adds: “The ADT market has been buoyant since the second half of last year and demand continues to be strong in the southern African market in 2017, particularly in the coal mining industry.”
Built to power through a variety of terrains, “Terex Trucks’ articulated haulers are masterfully crafted to work harder for longer. The compact and versatile machines provide excellent productivity and low cost of operation while ensuring material is moved as quickly as possible in all conditions thanks to their leading tractive effort and effective power-to-weight ratios. With a fully independent front suspension as standard on the TA300, tyre/ground contact is maintained regardless of the terrain, increasing tractive effort and reducing cycle times while also providing operators with a comfortable haul.”
With confidence in not only the build of its trucks but also the parts that make up the machines, Terex Trucks launched its extended two years warranty on Factory-Approved parts in March 2017. “Fortifying the company’s aftermarket offering, the new two-year or 6,000-hour warranty is a yet another example of Terex Trucks being proactive to cater to the needs of clients, and it’s a confidence that Babcock applauds. Designed with precision engineering, Terex Trucks’ parts guarantee uptime and ensure maximum return on investment for customers. Unlike non-genuine parts, which are manufactured by other suppliers in isolation from the rest of the truck and its components, Terex Trucks’ genuine parts are designed specifically by the same engineers that make the machines meaning that they are fit for first-class functionality, feature optimal durability, and enhance performance and life expectancy. The two-year warranty is available on genuine Terex Trucks parts purchased through our dealer network, irrespective of the machine or the model.”
“Being able to offer the extended parts warranty in southern Africa is a part of Terex Trucks’ investment into the territory,” says Lundberg. “An industry first, this is us standing behind our products while helping our dealer to go into the marketplace with competitive packages to support our products and to ensure customers benefit from a low total cost of ownership.”
Three years on from its acquisition by Volvo Construction Equipment, Terex Trucks says it is in a stronger position than ever before as a brand with its recipe for producing simple robust quality haulers standing the test of time and continuing to win favour amongst old and new customers. “With a joint goal to continue to serve the best interest of customers, Terex Trucks’ partnership with Babcock is built on firm foundations.”
As one of the world’s leading mining areas, southern Africa is a key segment for the longstanding off-highway manufacturer and its solid progression in the market is in no small part down to the partnership that has been built with Babcock. While there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the region in order to become a premier equipment choice for customers, there’s plenty assurance that the perception of the brand is turning in the right direction.
Lundberg says: “Alongside Babcock, we’re certain that we have a bright future in the region as we have what it takes to distribute and look after the ADTs going into the construction, earth moving and mining markets. Babcock’s extensive branch network throughout southern Africa, including the state-of-the-art Middelburg branch which is located in the central most point of the South African coal fields, plus their skilled and well-trained technicians should give customers all the confidence they need to support our brand. We’re not the face of Terex Trucks in South Africa when it comes to our clients – it’s Babcock, and we’ll continue to support them whenever and wherever they need us.”
