As production of the next generation 139 t payload Cat 785 truck starts, some of the last 785D units are being delivered to customers from the factory in Decatur, USA. Three of these are now on their way to the Tharisa Minerals PGM and chrome mine in South Africa having been supplied and assembled by Cat dealer Barloworld Equipment in Isando, Johannesburg.
The mechanical drive 785D is one of the most popular trucks Cat has ever produced, known for its durability in high production mines as well as ease of maintenance but still equipped with some of the latest technology including a fully Integrated Object Detection System, using both radar and camera, providing both audible and visual indications of detected objects.
Ilja Graulich, Head of Investor Relations and Communications at Tharisa told IM the three new units are part of its ongoing fleet renewal program, updating its existing fleet of 785C machines: “We have been and will renew the fleet on a consistent basis, as a rule of thumb, a complete renewal takes place between 5 and 7 years, so given an open pit life of 14 years, we will replace the fleet at least once, and it happens in stages, so sometimes there is more focus on hauling units, and at other times on digging units. Fleet capacity is not changing, it is more about efficiency and renewal and standardisation. For hauling ore, Caterpillar is the equipment of choice.”
He adds: “We are one of Caterpillar’s biggest clients in the local market, the majority of our equipment is Cat, and amongst the pride of the equipment fleet are two 6050 shovels, as well a host of other mining equipment that we have on site.”
Tharisa Minerals is 74% owned by Tharisa and is uniquely positioned as the world’s only co-producer of both PGM and chrome concentrates. Tharisa Minerals’ core asset is the Tharisa Mine, which is situated on South Africa’s Western Limb of the Bushveld Complex – home to more than 70% of the world’s platinum and chrome resources.
Tharisa Minerals mines and processes five MG Chromitite Layers from the mining operation, which is divided into the east and west pits. The mobile fleet investment has been consistent since the company switched from contractor to owner operator mining in FY2018.
Through innovative engineering, the mined reef is processed at two independent integrated plants extracting both PGMs and chrome concentrates, thereby reducing unit costs and positioning Tharisa Minerals in the lowest cost quartile of operating costs in South Africa for both PGMs and chrome.
Despite COVID-19, production rates for both are increasing, and the company continues to invest – most recently in its new Vulcan chrome plant, which is set for completion in late 2021/early 2022 and will facilitate additional recovery of fine chrome from tailings streams. This follows the addition of a new crusher circuit at the Genesis chrome plant increasing throughput by 15%, as well as staged addition of flotation capacity at the Voyager PGM plant.
