Under the stewardship of JMH Equipment since 2007, the SOOSAN Cebotics range of hydraulic crawler drills has gained a strong foothold in the southern African market, with a continuously growing installed base in South Africa, Namibia, Angola and Botswana.
Having initially made its mark in the mainstream mining sector, the range has steadily seen a growing uptake in the quarrying sector in recent years, while the installed base continues to multiply significantly in the mainstream mining sector, confirms Maurits Holtzhausen, MD of JMH Equipment.
Simple gains favour
The growth of the SOOSAN Cebotics range, says Holtzhausen, is in line with the growing trend towards simple, straightforward production machines in the quarrying sector. “Despite the apparent move towards high-tech machinery in mining, we see a significant and enduring need for simple drills in quarrying. Simple, mechanical production machines remain crucial for reliability, ease of maintenance and cost control,” says Holtzhausen.
The SOOSAN Cebotics range maintains a simple, straightforward and durable design, which reduces the likelihood of failures in demanding environments. The ‘simplicity approach’ makes it easier and faster to maintain, which is key to reducing downtime and costs.
“There is a growing demand for machinery that is less complex and costs less to operate, especially when specialised, premium machines are not necessary for the job. The quarrying environment is often demanding, requiring machines that are rugged and reliable which, in the SOOSAN Cebotics case, is best achieved through straightforward engineering,” says Holtzhausen.
The SOOSAN Cebotics hydraulic crawler drills, he adds, are easy to maintain and cost-effective to run. With the absence of computers, the mechanical layout of the drills ensures minimum downtime for quarries and mines.
Formidable three
JMH Equipment offers three hydraulic crawler rig models – the JD-800E, JD-1300E and JD-1400E. The JD-800E, the smallest in the range, comes with a hole range of 64 mm to 102 mm. The mid-size JD-1300E offers a hole range of 76 mm to 115 mm.
The JD-1400E, with a hole range of 89 to127 mm, is the best-selling model in the range, confirms Holtzhausen. At the time of writing in early April, the company had just delivered four units to three customers in one week, signalling the growing demand for the JD-1400E.
One of the reasons behind the growth of this particular model – which made its debut in 2014 and has since benefitted from slight upgrades over the years – is its versatility, which allows it to be deployed across applications, including construction, quarrying and mining.
The drill comes with common components such as the Yamamoto YH135 drifter, a Cummins CTAA8.3 or QSL9 engine, which is warranteed by Cummins Southern Africa, as well as Kawasaki hydraulic pumps. These are components well known to the industry and can be serviced by existing technicians. By eliminating the need for specialised, expensive, or off-site Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service, businesses can achieve faster repairs and keep production running smoothly.
“This is complemented by the high availability of parts. JMH Equipment keeps a large stockholding of all the parts, ensuring high machine uptime for our customers. In addition, we offer complementary aftermarket drifter spare parts for any make and model of both underground and top-hammer drill rigs, offering cost-sensitive customers a cost-effective, yet quality alternative. Over the years, we have supplied these parts to some of the largest contract miners operating in the region,” says Holtzhausen.
Improving business conditions
Ahead of this year’s Institute of Quarrying Southern Africa (IQSA) Conference and Exhibition, which takes place from 16-17 April in Durban, Holtzhausen is excited to see the improving business conditions in the quarrying environment. He believes that quarry operators’ fortunes have improved significantly in the past year or two as significant infrastructure projects have come to market.
Holtzhausen’s views are corroborated by the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI), a composite index of activity levels in the building and construction sectors which is compiled every quarter by economist Dr Roelof Botha on behalf of Afrimat. The findings of the ACI for the fourth quarter of 2025 show a marginal year-on-year increase, boosted by a solid 5,4% increase in the volume of building materials produced and a 2,2% real increase in the sales value of building materials.
Although the activity levels in South Africa’s construction sector remain subdued, the ACI’s seasonally adjusted reading has increased for the second consecutive quarter – the first time this has occurred since the brief recession of 2020. The most impressive aspect of the latest ACI is the positive growth trend for the indicators that carry the largest weighting, namely the sales values and volume of production of building materials.
“This year’s IQSA Conference comes at a time when quarries are seemingly enjoying growth in demand for their aggregates and related products. At this year’s show, we will showcase how our SOOSAN Cebotics range of hydraulic crawler drills combines cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Known for their robust construction and simple, computer-free design, these machines are highly regarded for reducing maintenance downtime and related costs,” concludes Holtzhausen.
