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COVER STORY
October 2016
MODERN MINING
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Middelburg facility, the trucks received new
serial numbers and full Caterpillar ‘like-new’
machine warranties.
They were maintained throughout their
first lives by Caterpillar trained technicians
at Barloworld Equipment. It was decided that
Cat Certified Rebuilds would provide the mine
with a workable, long-term solution while also
securing significant cost savings.
Global leader
This breakthrough marked the first of many
successful Cat machine rebuilds carried out by
Barloworld Equipment for its mining custom-
ers between 2005 and 2010. During this period
Barloworld Equipment became the global leader
among Cat dealers inmining rebuilds completed.
Since the successful Cat 777B rebuilds,
Barloworld Equipment has rebuilt 777 and 785
off highway trucks, D10 and D11 track type
tractors, 992 and 994 wheel loaders and 834
wheel dozers for several mining customers.
The accelerated growth in the mining sec-
tor following the 2009 economic slump drove
a return to new earthmoving equipment sales.
But the current mining sector downturn has
been more protracted, with machine rebuilds
once again becoming a more viable option as
customers struggle to secure capex funding.
double their productive lives
Above:
Some 7 000 Cat
parts are replaced in Cat
Certified Rebuilds and
more than 350 tests and
inspections are carried out
prior to, during and after the
rebuilds.
Centre:
Barloworld Equip-
ment’s Middelburg facility
achieved an eight-week
turnaround on the Cat Certi-
fied Rebuild of each of four
Cat 777B trucks, which went
on to more than double
their productive lives.
What is a Cat Certified Rebuild?
A Cat Certified Rebuild is a complete machine
rebuild developed and monitored by Caterpillar
and can only be carried out by Cat authorised
dealers such as Barloworld Equipment to Cat
specifications. Cat Certified Rebuilds involve
more than 350 tests and inspections, replace-
ment of about 7 000 Cat parts, and are delivered
with ‘like-new’ machine warranties.
“Typically the cost to rebuild an off-highway
truck (OHT) is about 60 % of the new machine
price provided that the rebuild candidate
meets certain criteria,” explains Senior Product
Manager Wally Parsons. “The warranty elimi-
nates any risk of inflated maintenance costs.”
Fixed upfront prices are provided for each
rebuild based on condition monitoring and the
history of the machines. Ultrasonic testing of
the 777B truck frames ensured no structural
damage, a critical factor in making the decision
to rebuild. The Cat Certified Rebuilds took eight
weeks per machine, including upgrades avail-
able on newer models.
Productivity levels and uptime on the rebuilt