Tag Archives: Liebherr-Australia

Australia’s first Liebherr R 9300 mining excavator starts work at Karlawinda gold mine

Liebherr-Australia has recently delivered an R 9300 mining excavator to long-term customer MACA at the Karlawinda gold project, in Western Australia, with the machine becoming the first such excavator commissioned in the country.

After a successful launch – with five of these excavators already sold in Indonesia – the commissioning of the first R 9300 in Australia further demonstrates the strength of the machine’s reputation, the OEM says.

The mining excavator was commissioned in late August at Karlawinda, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. MACA, a global contractor that works within the mining, construction and process engineering sectors and is owned by Thiess, is excited to welcome this machine to its growing Liebherr excavator fleet, it says.

It joins three Liebherr R 9200 excavators operating on the site, owned by Capricorn Metals, expanding MACA’s already extensive Liebherr fleet, totalling over 20 excavators.

The R 9300 was chosen not only for its capacity to assist in meeting the production targets of its client, but also for the excavator’s fuel efficiency; its state-of-the-art technology, such as Liebherr’s Assistance Systems; and its operational effectiveness, Liebherr says.

Liebherr-Australia completed the assembly, testing and commissioning of the R 9300 in a matter of four weeks. The company will continue to support the machine and MACA from both its Perth and Newman branches, as well as from the factory for Liebherr mining excavators in Colmar, France.

The R 9300 was launched to the global mining market in June of this year. It is the second Generation 8 excavator within the Liebherr Mining portfolio and comes with the most advanced Liebherr Mining innovations as standard. The R 9300 will replace the R 9250 as the 250-tonne mining excavator in Liebherr’s portfolio in 2024.

You can find out more about the R 9300 in this video interview here.

Liebherr-Australia prepares for zero emission tech developments with Perth facility expansion

Liebherr-Australia has expanded its Perth mining facility, adding 47,000 sq.m of workshop, office and build space to the complex, strengthening the company’s ability to deliver accelerated zero emission solutions to the wider market.

Perth is Liebherr-Australia’s second largest branch after the company’s head office in Adelaide, South Australia.

Liebherr says the company’s growing involvement in the development and implementation of zero emission technology with Australian customers illustrates the necessity for this investment in infrastructure, and signifies Liebherr’s commitment to these industry-leading projects.

The Redcliffe-based branch purchased the land and buildings adjacent to the current location, increasing the Liebherr complex from 34,000 sq.m to 81,000 sq.m. The new acquisition includes two workshops and a three-storey office building, adding to Liebherr’s existing 3,000 sq.m service workshop, 5,000 sq.m parts warehouse, along with an administration building and build area.

Liebherr-Australia Managing Director, Trent Wehr, said: “This is our largest investment in infrastructure here in Australia in many years, and this signifies how vital this facility is for our current and future business. Liebherr’s developments in zero emission technology, and the projects we are working on with industry partners and customers, are progressing every day and will deliver tangible solutions for the wider industry well before 2030.

“The team at Liebherr-Australia is making important contributions to the decarbonisation of the mining industry, and we’re committed to resourcing this momentous work for both our long-term success and the benefit of the whole industry.”

The newly acquired office and workshop buildings will form the central hub for Liebherr’s mining zero emission, autonomy and other technology development and implementation projects in Australia.

The workshop and additional hardstand areas will facilitate these development projects, as well as new equipment builds for the growing number of machine orders in Western Australia. The additional office space will house the growing teams working on these industry-leading projects.

One can expect some of the work associated with integrating the zero emission power system technologies being developed by Fortescue Future Industries and Williams Advanced Engineering into Liebherr’s 240-t-class T 264 haul truck as part of an agreement with Fortescue Metals Group to be carried out at these expanded facilities.

Liebherr-Australia’s Regional Manager WA, Paul Hyham, says the company’s decarbonisation and technology focus has ramped up quickly over the past year.

“We’re building a really critical team here in Perth to support new technology development, which will employ everyone from engineers to on-site technicians,” he said. “We’re excited to be bringing across some of our best international talent, as well as recruiting talent locally, and upskilling our own workforce over the next 12 months. We currently have around 200 permanent employees here in Perth and we forecast an increase steadily over the next few years.”

This expansion will have significant impact on the Liebherr Mining business both locally and globally.

Hyham continued: “It’s exciting to have the forefront of this technology development and deployment right here in our backyard. Across the business there’s a feeling of excitement that we’re making real progress. Announcements like this facility expansion really show our employees, customers and our wider network that we’re on the cusp of meaningful change.”

Alongside this expansion, the Perth complex will continue to be the main mining facility for all services in Western Australia, and support its satellite network of branches in the state’s regional mining hubs including Newman and the recently-established branch in Kalgoorlie.

Liebherr-Australia set for Kalgoorlie return in 2022

Liebherr-Australia is set to return to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, with a new branch set to open in the city in 2022.

The Kalgoorlie branch will provide support in the form of fast access to spare parts and customer service for the growing number of Liebherr mining equipment in the region and will be one of three mining branches in Western Australia, the company said.

The branch is set to be opened in the city on a 10,000 sq.m block, incorporating a 1,000 sq.m warehouse and 180 sq.m office space, with necessary parts and Liebherr tooling held in the facility. It will be supported by full time parts personnel, with customer support and service teams using the branch as a hub when travelling between sites.

In recent years, Liebherr’s footprint of mining equipment in the Goldfields-Esperance region has grown, now supporting more than 30 excavators and trucks, over 15 mine sites and nine customers, with more scheduled into 2022.

“Returning to Kalgoorlie marks the success we’ve had in recent years in growing our equipment fleet in the region,” Trent Wehr, Liebherr-Australia Managing Director, said.

The new opening marks a return to the region for Liebherr-Australia who was present in the region through an agent between 1986 and 1990, before taking over the official OEM dealership in the region from 1990 to 2006.

Wehr added: “We have always been committed to providing the best support to our customers and establishing the Kalgoorlie branch will only further enable us to provide these services.”

Liebherr-Australia’s mining customer support network includes branches in Mackay, Queensland; Mt Thorley, New South Wales; Perth, Western Australia; Newman, Western Australia; and soon-to-be Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. This comes alongside the head office, national distribution centre and production facility in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Kalgoorlie branch is scheduled to be operational in January 2022, with Liebherr-Australia to hold an official opening ceremony with key customers and partners in the March quarter of 2022 to celebrate the milestone.