Tag Archives: Finning

Elphinstone and Finning partner on range of UG mining support vehicles, including BEVs

Environmental, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Elphinstone says it has partnered with Caterpillar dealer, Finning, to provide a diverse range of underground mining support vehicles to suit the mining application.

With sustainability at the forefront of clients’ minds, Elphinstone has begun developing a suite of battery-electric support vehicles for underground hard-rock mining to address the increasing decarbonisation efforts and expectations of its global customer base.

This will allow Finning and Elphinstone to support their clients in achieving their ESG targets, Elphinstone said.

Elphinstone said earlier this year that it was working on delivering its first battery-powered underground support machine prototype by March 2024, thanks, in part, to a grant from the Australian Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative. The company confirmed the battery-electric solution would be for the WR810 underground service vehicle platform and “Next Gen” underground grader (graphic above).

Finning is an authorised dealer for the Elphinstone UG product line including the UG20M Grader and the WR810 Series comprising a Delivery with Crane, Water Cannon, Fuel & Lube, 6m3 Agitator and Scissor Lift.

The WR810 Series is optioned with a Tier 4 Final version of the Cat C7.1 engine to align with Canadian emission standards, Elphinstone says. The operator cabin is designed to seat three people in comfort with exceptional visibility, the company added. In the working environment a three-seater cabin allows for the complete crew to go collectively rather than deploying an additional light vehicle for personnel transport.

The partnership could see an exciting new line up from Elphinstone with the trusted service, warranty, parts and support from Finning, Elphinstone says.

Sandvik and Finning partner on HVO biodiesel use in crushing, screening equipment

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik’s Mobiles business unit and Cat dealer Finning say they have successfully tested hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) with C series Cat® engines without making any modifications to the engine or fuel tanks.

The test could pave the way for the renewable synthetic diesel powering large, mobile crushing and screening equipment from Sandvik, the OEM said.

Forming a part in both company’s journey towards a more sustainable future, the use of HVO reduces net carbon emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional diesel, the companies say, with the HVO used by the companies only made from renewable feedstocks certified by The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification.

Its performance is similar to regular diesel, so the power output and uptime are not compromised, according to the companies.

The companies explained: “Hydrotreating of vegetable oils is a modern way to produce very high-quality renewable diesel fuels without requiring any changes to fuel logistics, engines, or exhaust aftertreatment devices. Unlike other biodiesels, HVO is not sensitive to low or high temperatures, or indeed to exposure to sunlight, as all oxygen is removed during the production process. Also, due to the use of hydrogen in the production process, HVO has an impressive shelf life, compared to other biodiesels. Since no iron or system changes are required, it can be considered a drop-in replacement for diesel.”

Jesper Persson, Vice President Life Cycle Services at Sandvik Mobiles, said: “We are committed to using engineering and innovation through our products to make the shift towards more sustainable business. With a host of innovations in the pipeline, including electrification of our offering, we are excited to be pioneers in the industry and invest in renewable fuel sources sustainable rock processing solutions.

“Working alongside Finning to performance-engineer the feasibility of HVO means we can collect data and monitor any impact on the performance and output. It’s an exciting step in our contribution to sustainability and we will work together with our customers and suppliers for more productive, safer, and innovative solutions.”

Steffen Barrett, Sales Manager – Industrial Engines, Finning UK & Ireland, said: “As Sandvik strive to balance environmental and business sustainability, we are ready to provide the solutions they need to achieve their goals. Our customers’ priorities are evolving toward a carbon-reduced future and our products and services are evolving with them.

“We are actively supporting the use of plant-based and waste-derived fuels in our engines as alternatives to traditional fuels. Our engines are engineered for use with a range of renewable fuels, including up to B100 HVO (EN15940 or ASTM D975), that have a significantly lower net carbon footprint than conventional diesel.”

Finning captures large Cat equipment order from Codelco’s Andina, Chuquicamata mines

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Caterpillar’s relationship with Codelco in Chile continues to strengthen with the OEM, through its Finning dealer, set to deliver mining support equipment and underground loaders to two of the copper miners’ operations.

The orders, revealed in Finning’s June quarter 2021 results, contributed to a building equipment backlog in mining and construction registered during the three-month period in South America.

New equipment sales were up 48% year-on-year in the June quarter in South America and up 14% from the March quarter of this year, driven by improved market activity, mostly in construction, Finning noted.

Finning’s backlog in South America included the Codelco orders.

First was a recently awarded order for Caterpillar support equipment from Codelco’s Andina mine, valued at C$40 million ($32 million), for delivery in the first half of 2022. In addition, the company plans to provide 27 Caterpillar R3000H underground loaders to Codelco’s Chuquicamata mine, with 10 of these machines included in its June quarter backlog.

The 20 t class R3000H was launched in 2012 and remains Cat’s largest model. It replaced the R2900 XTRA, providing added value for hard rock mine operators with a significant increase in truck loading capacity, being able to three pass load 60 t class trucks, and having enhanced digging and breakout performance, faster speeds on grade, a strengthened front frame, and an available Ventilation Reduction Package. Since then there have been a number of deployments of the LHD but there are only a few underground mines in the world with a potential requirement for large numbers of loaders of this class at one operation. One of these is Codelco’s new Chuquicamata Underground blockcave copper mine. This is one of the largest single large LHD orders ever made and will help the mine achieve its intended production rate of 140,000 t/d which is a rate on a par with sister operation and the world’s largest existing underground copper mine, El Teniente. Chuqui Underground includes four levels of production; a 7.5 km main access tunnel, five clean air injection ramps and two air extraction shafts. It will produce 366,000 t of fine copper and more than 18,000 t of fine molybdenum per year & extending Chuqui’s minelife to 2060.

Overall, Finning registered June quarter revenue of C$1.8 billion and net revenue of C$1.7 billion, up 30% and 28%, respectively, from a year earlier when COVID-19-related reductions in market activity hit.

All regions delivered a strong quarter, demonstrating operating leverage in a recovering market, Finning noted. June quarter EBIT as a percentage of net revenue was 9.3% in Canada, 9.8% in South America and 5.3% in the UK & Ireland, representing a step-up in profitability levels for all regions, the company said.

The company’s consolidated equipment backlog at June 30, 2021, increased to C$1.4 billion, from C$1.2 billion at March 31, 2021, with order intake in Canada and South America outpacing deliveries in the quarter, Finning said.

“We are pleased with our strong execution and results in the second (June) quarter,” Scott Thomson, President and CEO of Finning International, said. “With a reduced cost base and more efficient operations and supply chain, we are confident in our improved earnings capacity, which puts us firmly on track to achieve the mid-cycle targets we set out during our Investor Day in June.”

 

Finning flags Cat truck fleet renewal, rebuild and autonomy potential in Western Canada

Automation, Base metals, Energy minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Finning is sensing the potential for future fleet renewals, rebuilds and autonomy conversions from its Caterpillar off-highway truck customers in Western Canada as the average age of its Cat truck population in this region increases.

Commenting on this during its September quarter results – which saw revenue and gross profit drop 21% and 15%, respectively – the company was able to provide some positive forecasts for its business in Canada and Chile.

Finning said it was gearing up for higher production out of Canada’s oil sands sector in 2021, explaining output had recovered from the lows seen during the onset of COVID-19 and the company was expecting an increase next year.

“Oil sands producers’ truck fleet utilisation returned to pre-COVID-19 levels at the end of September, and contractor fleets have begun to increase utilisation and should ramp up further in Q4 (December quarter) 2020 and into 2021,” the company said. “We expect product support activity in the oil sands to improve in Q4 2020 and into 2021, driven by catch up on major rebuild and maintenance work and an increase in oil production and non-production mining activities.”

Finning said while restricted capital spending and ongoing cost containment were impacting demand for new mining equipment, the company expected mining product support activity to improve as customers increase production output and resume full-scope maintenance activities.

Finning’s mining customers in Western Canada operate around 620 large and ultra-class Caterpillar off-highway trucks, of which 6% are autonomous (mostly in the oil sands). The average age of this Caterpillar truck population in Western Canada is about 11 years.

As mentioned, this large and ageing fleet is expected to drive opportunities for future fleet renewals, rebuilds and autonomy conversions, as well as continued demand for product support, the company said.

It added: “We are also seeing a notable resumption in request for proposal activity from Canadian mining customers.”

In the Chile mining sector, meanwhile, Finning said COVID-19-related operating restrictions were easing, with customers beginning to catch up on component exchange and major maintenance work.

“We expect mining product support revenue to recover significantly as we exit 2020 and begin 2021,” it said.

Finning was optimistic about mining recovery in Chile in 2021, driven by a strengthened copper price and expected increase in copper production, it said.

Over 570 large and ultra-class Caterpillar off-highway trucks with an average age of 11 years are currently operating in Chile’s copper mines and will continue to drive demand for product support, it added.

“We are also encouraged by the resumption of Teck’s QB2 project – the first deployment of autonomous trucks in Chile – and have started to deliver equipment to QB2 in Q4 (December quarter) 2020,” Finning said.

Finning said it has also seen a notable increase in request for proposal activity from mining customers in Chile.