Engineering & Mining Journal

DEC 2012

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

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O P E R AT I N G S T R AT E G I E S Hidden Haulers The various types of mining-class haul trucks are familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in the surface mining sector. Depending on regional and local custom, rigid-body haulers, multi-trailer road trains, ruggedized construction-type offroad dump trucks or articulated carriers are generally the most noticeable types of production equipment in a pit as they move ore and waste along their assigned routes. However, the trip from bench face to mill is, for ore, sometimes only half the haulage journey. The thousands of tons of concentrate produced by a large processing plant often have to be transported significant distances to a shipping point. Depending on available infrastructure, that trip can be measured in hundreds of meters—or in hundreds of kilometers— and it's usually handled by truck types that aren't as familiar to the mining community. For mines to extract the full measure of operational efficiency that they strive for, the anonymous trucks that carry out this back-end segment of the haulage chain must be as efficient and reliable as their pit-bound fleet mates. Recently, examples of how two mines that are somewhat geographically adjacent handle this haulage requirement on very different routes came to E&MJ;'s attention. The Long Run Scania's Swedish subsidiary has entered into a long-term agreement, commencing in late 2012 and extending to 2021, for over-the-road transportation of iron ore concentrate from Northland Resources' mining operation near Kaunisvaara in far northern Sweden. The order, valued at SEK 1.5 billion, calls for Scania to deliver a large fleet of truck-and-trailer combinations and service-related products tailored to the client's strict demands pertaining to load capacity, uptime and delivery precision. The order was placed by the mining company's general contractor, Swerock, which is a subsidiary of Swedish construction and civil engineering company Peab. The Scania model R730 trucks will perform round-the-clock service with annual driving distances of 400,000 km for haulage of the concentrates to a railway depot for reloading to trains. The rigs, said The four-axle Scania R730 trucks transporting iron ore concentrate from Northland Resources' mine in northern Sweden are powered by a 730-hp V8 engine. The fleet will haul about 5 million mt of concentrates per year. 82 E&MJ; • DECEMBER 2012 Scania, are optimized for gross weights of up to 90 mt. When the mining operations are fully developed by 2015, some 80 trucks and 400 drivers will be responsible for ensuring road transport of the almost 5 million mt of iron ore concentrate. Scania's overall effort for Swerock covers delivery of truck combinations with specially built trailers, driver training and coaching, vehicle monitoring, maintenance and repairs of trucks and trailers, including tires, supplies and service. "This is the most comprehensive deal we have concluded to date with the Swedish mining industry. We have used the overall competency of the Scania organization to cater for the various parameters, which aside from the trucks and trailers themselves, are crucial for our customers' profitability. For instance, Scania has also been involved in planning the transportation arrangements and road transport infrastructure," said Sandro Grimpe, service marketing director at Scania-Bilar Sverige AB. Scania said it will endeavor to meet the mining company's requirement for seeking continual reductions in the cost per ton transported over a nine-year period based on performance indicators for expenditures on fuel, tires, repairs and maintenance. To ensure vehicle uptime, Scania's Skelleftea Bil AB dealership in northern ̊ Sweden will expand operations at its service workshop in Kiruna. In the future, it may be necessary to establish a service business in the Kaunisvaara area (near Pajala) as well. Another element in Scania's effort is that both trailers and the 'dolly' used to connect the truck and trailer will be equipped with axles made by Scania. "This means that our workshops can maintain just as high [a level of] service competency and accessibility to parts for trailer axles as for Scania's own vehicles," said Grimpe. Cold Comfort in the Arctic The Aitik copper mine, also located in Sweden's Arctic region, is the largest openpit mine in Europe. More than 18 million mt of ore are mined annually, and mine owner Boliden's intention is to double production to 36 million mt by 2014. Along with increased production, the expansion activity at Aitik has brought a new, more efficient and cost-effective method for transporting copper concentrate at the www.e-mj.com

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