There is a new entrant into the southern African ADT market. SANY Southern Africa used Electra Mining Africa 2024 – which took place from 2-6 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre – to introduce its first ever ADT to the local market.
In an exclusive interview with Quarrying Africa, Arno Franken, executive sales representative at SANY Southern Africa, the SAT40C ADT allows the company to plug an important gap in its mining product offering. Having already recorded significant successes with its rigid dump trucks, wide body trucks, excavators and wheel loaders in the local mining fraternity, Franken says the launch of the ADT now allows SANY customers to source all their mining equipment needs from one stable.
The ADT comes on the back of rigorous testing in Indonesia and selected southern African markets. Based on the feedback from this painstaking testing regime, Franken says the machine is ready to be deployed in the field. “The testing was quite extensive under some of the most challenging mining conditions. To date, we have already put over 120 units to work in the global market and we envisage a quick uptake in southern Africa as well,” says Franken.
Up for the challenge
Despite the competitive nature of the ADT market, Franken says SANY has done its homework and believes it has the right product and strategy to challenge for a share of the market. Firstly, he says, the company has chosen to debut in the 40-t class market, which is the biggest segment of the local ADT market to date.
To provide context, the 40-t class market constitutes about 750 unit sales per year, representing about 54% of the total ADT market in southern Africa. Key markets include coal, chrome, aggregates and the hard rock mining sector in general. On the back of increased demand, Franken says demand often surpasses available supply, leaving customers to endure long lead times. This is exacerbated by current global supply chain disruptions. In some cases, he says, customers have to wait for as long as 15-20 months to get their hands on new machines.
“Given the prevailing global production and shipping challenges, fleet owners looking to upgrade or replace their mission-critical equipment have to deal with record long lead times. Despite these challenges, customers can expect up to three-month lead times for their new SANY SAT40C ADT. This helps significantly with their planning,” says Franken.
In addition to short lead times, Franken believes SANY’s competitive pricing, without compromising on quality and efficiency, is another major advantage for local ADT customers. To provide context, SANY’s launch price of the SAT40C is about 37% less than some of the competitive offerings in this size class.
Machine in detail
Powered by a Weichai engine delivering 390 kW of rated power and maximum torque of 2 300 Nm, the SANY SAT40C offers 41 tonnes of payload. The machine has a 20 m³ SAE-rated operating capacity which, according to Franken, is higher than the 18 m³ on most of the competitive products in this size class. In addition, the truck’s heaped capacity is 25 m³, compared with 22 m³ on most other competitive products.
One of the key features on the SAT40C is its hydropneumatic suspension system, which reduces vibration loads for both the driver and the machine, increasing comfort. “Many conventional ADTs run standard suspension setups – comprising axles and oscillating frames. With hydropneumatics, the front and rear suspension of the truck operates with oil and gas (nitrogen), which offers good damping effect and maintainability, thus the impact of the rough underfoot conditions can be well absorbed and the driver can be comfortable during operation,” says Franken.
With uptime in mind, SANY placed a premium on easy access to all the service points when designing the SAT40C, which makes it quick and easy for technicians to conduct service and maintenance on the machine. Any error codes are displayed on the digital screens inside the cab, making it easy for customers to troubleshoot their machines.
Equipped with an integral four-pillar tipping protection design and adjustable cushioned seat, as well as a tiltable and telescopic steering wheel, the cab provides a comfortable operating space and conforms to the requirements of ISO 3471. The cab also provides sound levels of less than 78 dB, thus increasing operator safety and reducing fatigue.
“The frame of the machine is made of high strength steel plates of box-type construction, and features lightweight, good impact resistance, and high bending and torsional resistance. The cast structure reduces stress concentration and extends the machine’s service life,” concludes Franken.
