Electro News Modern Mining Editorial

Sandvik Underground Hard Rock Mining Support: Lifetime Service Commitment

With underground hard rock mining equipment, the design and durability of the equipment itself is just one aspect of a client companys requirements. Given the unique challenges of deep level mining in South Africa, after-market service over the lifetime of the equipment is equally as important. And this is where Wain Chaplain, General Manager: Support for Sandvik Mining and Construction comes in. Our focus is on providing total support for Sandviks full range of underground hard rock mining equipment; on ensuring that the commissioning process runs smoothly, that the personnel who will be working with the equipment are appropriately trained, and that we provide both scheduled maintenance and crisis support from delivery right through to de-commissioning. Sandvik Underground Hard Rock Mining Support is a dedicated unit tasked with handling all aspects of after-market service, including maintenance contracts, field service agreements, rebuilds and the supply of OTC (over-the-counter) parts. Maintenance contracts provide for warranty fulfilment, routine on-site maintenance and crisis support, as well as for major services at one of Sandviks three service centres, says Chaplin. Field service agreements, on the other hand, provide for needs-based servicing and crisis support on site, and this is conducted under the supervision of three Field Service Area Managers stationed at Jet Park in Johannesburg, Rustenburg and Burgersfort. Both maintenance contracts and field-service agreements are backed by a professional team of highly-skilled support engineers and technicians, and a large fleet of fully-equipped support vehicles. This team provides services as diverse as experiental training during commissioning, operations consulting, warranty fulfilment, planned maintenance, crisis intervention, diagnostics, and the supply and installation of replacement equipment and parts.

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Sandvik also has the facilities to re-build equipment when this is viable, something which can mean significant savings to the cost of production. This is a huge benefit to our clients, says Chaplin, as our re-build bays can accommodate any equipment, right from drill rigs and reef dozers through to load haul dumpers (LHDs), multipurpose vehicles (MPVs) and dump trucks. Not only that, but Sandvik is deeply committed to skills development in order to provide the best after-market support available for its clients. The group sponsors twelve full university bursaries for study in such areas as engineering, geology, information technology and business management every year, and also accepts up to a hundred trade apprentices for in-service training as mechanics, millwrights, electricians, fitters and boilermakers. For us, supplying underground hard rock mining equipment is a lifetime commitment, a combination of technology, skill and support, concludes Chaplain. Not only does efficiency and productivity depend on it, but so do lives.

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