Komatsu earthmoving fleet hits coal goals

A $90 million fleet of Komatsu mining equipment, delivered to Macarthur Coal’s Moorvale mine in central Queensland in late 2008, has helped the mine achieve record production levels as it bounces back from the effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The fleet consists of two PC5500 excavators, ten 830E dump trucks and three D475A-5 dozers, along with ancillary equipment such as graders and water carts. The equipment is owned by the Coppabella Moorvale Joint Venture, in which Macarthur Coal owns 73.3%, and is operated and maintained by Leighton Contractors.

Macarthur Coal is the world’s largest producer of low volatile pulverized injection coal (LV PCI) used for steel making – producing 30% of the world’s LV PCI coal. As a supplier to the world’s leading steel producers, it exports its entire product around the globe, with 40% of its output exported to Europe, 40% to Asia and 20% to South America. The company has been in operation for 10 years, and its ROM coal output is around 8.5 Mt/y.

It currently operates two mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin – the Moorvale mine and another at Coppabella – and plans to double its production capacity in the next five years through the development of the Middlemount mine and another project.

Coppabella is a dragline/electric shovel operation, along with excavators and dump trucks, while Moorvale operates using an all-Komatsu fleet, according to Macarthur Coal’s Chief Operating Officer, Peter Kane. “There has always been a Komatsu presence at Moorvale,” he said. “The previous trucks here were Komatsu 630Es, and we’ve upgraded all of them to 830Es.

“The machines were delivered late in 2008. However, due to the GFC, which reduced demand for our products during late 2008 and early 2009, it’s been difficult to fully evaluate performance over a full 12 months. The equipment landed just as the GFC started, which forced us to change our mine plan and adjust our tonnages.

“Production levels certainly were down for the first half of this year, but now we’re really hitting our straps. Over the past six months, we’ve been moving more product and regularly hitting record levels; you can’t get those high throughput levels unless you are moving your overburden efficiently – and that’s what the Komatsu gear does,” he said.

“The trucks especially are well-known and proven performers, and the operators really like them. The diggers are now starting to get the productivity we really want from them as demand for our product goes up with the recovering world economy.”

In the couple of years leading up to the purchasing decision for the new Moorvale fleet, Kane said Macarthur Coal carried out detailed analysis of what it required and what was available from suppliers.

“To be honest, the Komatsu equipment was available when we wanted it, at a time of world equipment shortages – pre-GFC – plus it stacked up very well in comparison with other OEMs. In terms of support and service, we have a unique situation, where we own the equipment, our contractor operates and maintains it, and Komatsu supplies and services it – as well as covering warranty.”

Meanwhile, Rio Tinto’s Mount Thorley Warkworth coal mine has taken delivery of 17 new haul trucks to replace the mine’s aging fleet of trucks. MTW manager – Mine Planning David Bennett explained that the mine has two new fleets of haul trucks to be used for waste stripping, made up of 12 Komatsu 830EAC 240-t haul trucks and nine Caterpillar 793D 240-t trucks.

“In line with our production schedules and additional capacity in our coal handling and preparation plant we are ramping up waste stripping on site to expose more coal, increasing from 65 million m3/y (bank) of prime overburden to 100 million m3 by 2012,” he said. “To achieve this plan we need to ensure we have a truck fleet which is reliable and able to meet this increased requirement. Our previous fleet of nine Liebherr trucks had acquired more than 60,000 hours each and were more than 13 years old. Their availability levels were hovering at around 80% due to the increased maintenance required.

“Trucks of this age experience more failure due to metal fatigue and parts reaching the end of their expected service life – which meant they were spending more time in the workshop than in the pits moving overburden.”

David said that MTW’s strategy to meet this increased demand did not just mean parking up the old fleet and bringing in new trucks to replace them. “The onsite rebuilding project on our existing Komatsu 830EDCs is continuing and will be fast-tracked this year to finish the final eight rebuilds required, with four completed in 2009. Our 10 CAT789C trucks have also undergone a rebuild program over the past two years,” he said.

“Already we are seeing significant improvements in truck availability from the combination of rebuilds and new trucks. “Across our entire truck fleet the level of availability is now between 88 and 90%, giving us greater confidence in meeting our production targets.  

“The remaining four Komatsu trucks will arrive on site in February and will join the rest of our new fleet on waste stripping duties.”