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COVER STORY
16
MODERN MINING
February 2015
F
ar from tightening in the face of
the downturn, Babcock’s Equip-
ment business is positioning itself
to better service its customer base,
with a major development being its
investment in a new custom-designed, state-
of-the-art sales and service complex in Mid-
delburg in Mpumalanga in the very heart of
coal-mining country.
“This is a key region for us, with a signifi-
cant population of Volvo machines working at
coal mines in the area,” says Vaughan. “We’ve
outgrown our existing premises and the new
facility – which represents an investment of
close on R100 million – will ensure that we
can continue to deliver the high levels of ser-
vice and support which are our trademark.
Babcock
takes the mining
downturn in its stride
The Volvo EC700 excavator is well matched to the Volvo A40 articulated hauler.
Notwithstanding the tough conditions in the mining
market, Babcock – the Southern African dealer for Volvo
Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) – ended calendar 2014
with a flourish, securing two substantial orders for Volvo
machines, one of them from a cement manufacturer for the
replacement of the entire fleet of Volvo equipment at one
of its major operations and the other from a civils/mining
contractor for 12 top-of-the-range 40-t Volvo articulated
dump trucks (ADTs). Says Sales Director – Equipment, David
Vaughan, “There’s no question that mining – which is one
of our primary markets – is in a severe downturn but there
is nevertheless business to be had and we’re very positive
about the medium to long-term prospects for the industry.”