30 / 44
CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015
28
SCANIA MINING BUS
enhances safety values
S
cania prides itself with being able to
provide a variety of solutions to its
customers whether it is mining, trans-
port and logistics, marine or environment.
Their product development system covers
a period of more than 70 years, catering
for customers with special needs in all cor-
ners of the globe. The concept has been
to develop existing facilities and by adding
tailored solutions, increase productivity and
achieve better returns.
During the past 15 years, mining has be-
come a key area in Scania’s portfolio of
smarter solutions, especially where trans-
portation takes between 30% and 60% of
total operating costs.
The outward expansion of some mines of-
ten leads to longer transport stretches ei-
ther from the mine to the processing plant
or from the main buildings to the excava-
tion areas.
Keeping the flow of equipment and person-
nel moving is a key element in the produc-
tivity of a mine so having a comprehensive
service truck fleet is indispensible to any
mining operation. One of the areas of min-
ing that requires continuous evolution is
the safety element and the introduction of
a dedicated personnel carrier as part of the
service truck fleet has become a necessity
as part of the safety element of an active
mine. No longer is it safe to convey equip-
ment operators and mining personnel to
their work area in smaller vehicles or even
buses that are built for normal urban pas-
senger transport. The congestion caused
by a large number of these vehicles on
mine roads can sometimes be detrimental
to the safety record of a mine.
For mines where personnel transport is a
major issue, Scania has developed a bus lo-
cally that meets all the safety requirements
for the conveyance of mine personnel.
Because of the Scania modular production
system, chassis, axle, engine and power-
train, parts on buses are identical to those
of trucks. For this unit a 4x4 chassis is used
which provides an additional advantage in
an off-road mining operation.
The cab configuration used for this partic-
ular development is the P360 which has
immense strength, built from high-quality
materials with comprehensive corrosion
By Pierre Sanson
Chris Swanepoel, Manager,
Mining Division at Scania,