Modern Mining February 2015

COVER STORY

Babcock takes the mining downturn in its stride The Volvo EC700 excavator is well matched to the Volvo A40 articulated hauler.

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.

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.”

16  MODERN MINING  February 2015