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April 2016
MODERN MINING
45
EQUIPMENT
A 3 400 litre water tanker feeds the dust suppression system comprising water jets around the aggregate spouts, plus a pair of powerful jets located at the rear.
time between charge and blast to an almost
negligible period. The stemming unit, in
combination with Scania’s extra heavy vehi-
cle chassis, is built for the toughest mining
conditions.
Aggregate flow control and rear boom
manoeuvring can be carried out through a
joystick mounted in the cab or via a wireless
remote control from outside the vehicle. A
neatly integrated control screen fitted into the
dash allows the operator to keep a close eye
on the amount of aggregate delivered or that
remaining in the hopper, and another notes the
vehicle’s gross vehicle mass.
The trucks are available in two configura-
tions – with either a 13 m
3
hopper or a 16 m
3
hopper. Elements of the unit as well as the
interior of the cab can be customised to meet
client requirements. As the trucks are assem-
bled locally, clients benefit from local support
teams and spare parts availability.
Scania and Cobra Petro Projects are proving
that the incorporation of such game-chang-
ing stemming truck technology guarantees
increased blasting efficiencies across the open-
cast mining sector in Southern Africa which
can in turn increase production – ultimately
resulting in higher profit margins in an increas-
ingly challenging mining environment.
Scania South Africa was established in 1995
as a wholly owned subsidiary of Scania CV
AB in Sweden. It initially assembled vehicles
in Elandsfontein but – following increased
demand – opened a new purpose-built plant
in 2003 alongside the head office complex in
Aeroton. The South African assembly plant is
Scania’s largest knocked-down kit assembly
operation outside Brazil and is seen as a model
for all future facilities of this type within the
worldwide Scania organisation.
The trucks are manufactured to stringent standards.
All trucks are fitted with an 8 m boom conveyor.