In an industry where over 30 000 technicians are required per year to maintain, service and repair growing fleets of heavy equipment and power systems, Caterpillar’s Technicians for Africa bridges the skills gap on the continent. Caterpillar’s Toby Kirgan tells Quarrying Africa that the programme, initially launched in 2015 in Nigeria, Mozambique and the DRC, has over the years, expanded to cover 33 countries. Munesu Shoko reports.
Demand for dual-powered crushing and screening solutions is rising quickly in the developed world. With their ability to have both electricity and diesel as power sources, hybrid solutions provide aggregate producers with the best of both worlds – compliance in urban operating environments and flexibility in the middle of nowhere. Yet, according to Pilot Crushtec’s Francois Marais, their uptake in Africa remains slow. By Munesu Shoko.
The current global supply chain disruptions have had adverse effects on OEMs and equipment users alike. To prevail against such a whimsical supply chain environment, SANY Southern Africa has beefed up its stock levels for new machines and parts. With over 100 machines on the floor, the company has one of the largest inventories of new mining excavators in the local market. By Munesu Shoko.
In the quest for increased cost efficiency and productivity, there is a deliberate migration from traditional dump trucks to construction-type mining trucks at some of the local quarrying and surface mining operations. With the arrival of its new Volvo FMX – which sets a new payload benchmark, thanks to its ground-breaking 38-tonne (t) bogie which allows for a gross combination weight of up to 150 t – Volvo Trucks South Africa has the right tool to further entrench the trend, writes Munesu Shoko.