Vehicles in Scania’s construction range are rugged, robust and reliable. Known for their excellent manoeuvrability and handling, they are well suited for hard work in the most challenging conditions. Key benefits include reliable back up, increased payload and impressive fuel savings – all of which was confirmed by Modern Quarrying’s recent visit to Haw & Inglis (H&I) in Durbanville, Cape Town.
Chris Tait heads up the plant and equipment side of associate company Great Karoo Crushing (GKC), which was established in 1999 as a joint venture between H&I and the then Worcester-based Prima Klipbrekers (now Afrimat), primarily to fulfil the material requirements of H&I road construction projects. In 2002, GKC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of H&I. Starting off with two crushing plants, it has expanded to six semi-mobile multi-stage crushing plants, two mobile crushing plants and two screening plants.
One of the Scania twinsteers hard at work at Great Karoo Crushing’s Jeppe’s Reef site.
Added to this is the huge fleet Tait is responsible for, which is in the region of about 200 pieces of equipment. Fifteen of these are Scania twinsteers and conemixers, which he says are working very well indeed. He adds that Scania is a supplier of reputable trucks well able to handle the capacity and loads he requires.
“We tendered on a project in Kalbaskraal shortly after we had completed the Melkbos intersection, and were looking at various methods of getting the asphalt and aggregates to site more economically,” he tells MQ. “And when one looks at pricing, one tends to look at what other contractors are utilising. At that stage we were crushing at Ventersburg which had several contractors on site.
“We noticed that one of our competitors on site was using some Scania machines and realised that they would be adequate for the carrying capacity we required. We did our homework and found that some of our competitors in the Free State were also using Scania machines. We subsequently started negotiations with Scania’s sales representative Dippenaar Smith in Cape Town and ordered our first four Scania units.
“I must say that due to the excellent fuel consumption on these machines and that fact that we were fortunate to obtain further work on Birah on the R27 between Port Alfred and East London, we purchased our second batch of four units,” he says adding that the decision to buy the mixers with a TFM mixer combination was purely a decision to compare fuel consumption with the rest of the fleet. “And the results were very favourable indeed,” Tait says.
The P310 Scania tipper is designed specifically to maximise the payload. With a lighter frame it is ideal for the transportation of sand (Dale Kelly).
At that time, MQ spoke to Scania’s key accounts manager for construction Theuns Naude, who says he was blown away by the fact that Tait was saving some R15 000 a month on fuel with the two conemixers. “Scania has always been known for its positive fuel consumption and it is fantastic to have our customers coming back to us with positive feedback.”
Tait is more than happy with Scania’s back up and maintenance support. “The fact that the units are low on fuel consumption is why we also bought some water trucks from them. Fuel is the main concern at the stage, and if one gets a good saving on fuel, then using Scania is a no brainer.
“We will see what the full return on our investment is in about ten years’ time when we sell off the first unit but at this stage we are very happy with our Scania machines.”
Tait says that it is very fortunate that GKC is a privately-owned company. “I have a five-year running programme for replacing our plant and when we need something specific for an upcoming project, we are able to buy it. We have a flexible budget depending on the time frame for using our equipment, what it is for, and where it is utilised.
“We don’t make a decision based on the lowest price. Our civils side gets the kickback on the fuel savings, but I look at the mechanical aspect. If one pays a good price at the start, you will have a 10 000 to 20 000-hour service before the unit is sold for a decent selling price. And that is what works for me,” he says.
Scania’s range of truck offerings has received high regard in the industry, allowing the company to continue rolling out its broad transport solutions. Its comprehensive infrastructure around the country and in Africa, allows customers to rest assured that parts are readily at hand, ensuring high uptime, longer vehicle life and lower total cost of ownership. Its modular design and component philosophy means interchangeability of components and a 95% immediate parts availability.
According to Ruben Govender, key account manager for mining at Scania, the value that the Scania range brings to a quarry or mine extends across all operational functions, “from site preparation, blasting and off-road hauling, to on-road haulage and staff transportation.”
Scania’s close contact with customers ensures that its designs are based on what the customer needs. This is done by carrying out an extensive assessment of an operation to arrive at an optimal solution. Transport solutions in the construction industry are complex and by using this knowledge, Scania is able to tailor its offerings by partnering with customers to ensure the best solution possible.
Report by Dale Kelly and photographs unless otherwise accredited, courtesy GKC and Scania.
