In support of its continuous investment in improving service delivery, engineering support services company Babcock has completed an estimated R100-million ultra-modern bespoke sales, parts and service dealer-ship in Middelburg to offer regional support and service across Babcock’s entire construction equipment product range.

Babcock is the exclusive regional distributor for leading international brands and equipment, including Volvo and SDLG construction equip-ment, Tadano mobile cranes and Winget concrete handling machinery, in Southern Africa. The company was also appointed the official distributor of Terex Trucks in October 2015, follow- ing the truck company’s acquisition by Volvo earlier last year.

The company has had a presence in the Middelburg region for the past 16 years and has outgrown two previous premises in this period.

The new Middelburg facility, which was officially opened this month, was purpose-built to assist customers in the region and is expected to service the coalfields of Middelburg and the surrounding areas for at least the next 20 years.

The facility covers 30 000 m2 and features specialised and unique design elements, as well as modern, high-end finishes.

Practical completion of the premises was achieved at the end of July 2015. The branch is operational with 52 permanent staff. Babcock expects to increase the staff complement by 30 to 45 in the next four years.

Speaking at the official opening this month, Babcock Africa CEO Roger O’Callaghan emphasised that the facility will increase the group’s substantial presence in the area and ensure efficiencies for the future.

The British High Commissioner to South Africa Dame Judith Macgregor, who also attended the event, agreed. She noted significant scope for further investment, following Babcock’s work in the mining and energy sectors in South Africa, as well as its expansions in the area.

Steve Tshwete municipality member of the executive mayoral committee Councillor Ernest Nkosi highlighted the municipality’s aim to work hand in hand with Babcock to further grow South Africa’s economy, including the local economy.

Babcock project manager Michael de Weijer says that the ergonomic design of the new facility was conceptualised around the flow of equipment, parts and people to ensure efficient operational and communication management.

Accordingly, the administrative open-plan offices are located across two floors. The workshop offices on the first floor overlook the 12 work bays and service facilities area, comprising the components workshops, spray booths, wash bays and boiler workshops.

The primary workshop covers an area of nearly 2 000 m2 under roof. It includes 12 9-m-wide work bays in two adjoining rows. These bays are all serviced by a 35 t, as well as a 22 t, overhead gantry crane. All bays have a ceiling of 9 m under hook, making it possible to service megatrucks, such as the rigid and articulated dump trucks from Terex Trucks.

The workshop bays were purpose-built for trucks with payloads of up to 150 t. The facility has also been designed with ample turning space for these megatrucks.
All the workshop bays, the components workshops, spray booths, wash bays and boiler shop bays drain into a common settling tank and oil separation facility before being discharged into municipal waste containers. The oils used for the machines are supplied and collected through a loop system.

Another custom feature in the workshop is the railway tracks linking the wash bays to four workshop bays. These have been specifically designed for tracked excavators and chain-link front-end loaders so that this equipment with high point loads does not damage the site hard standing, explains Babcock equipment sales director David Vaughan.

The workshop parts requirements are served by the parts warehouse. This warehouse has expanded from 280 m2 at the previous premises to 1 615 m2 to accommodate an increase in inventory and stock lines required. While the previous warehouse carried 3 600 lines, it now carries about 5 400 lines. Additional stacking space of 5 m to 6 m allows for larger volumes of parts to be stored, while also providing additional capacity for future expansion.

Vaughan explains that warehouse space increase is largely attributed to regional growth and parts for the new Terex truck range. Middel-burg’s facility will function as a parts distribution centre for the Terex brand, with the machines and parts to be distributed through the country as needed, Vaughan says, claiming that most of the machines are located in the Mpumalanga coalfields.

A components workshop of 198 m2, situated adjacent to the workshop and sharing a common tool store, is serviced by a 10 t overhead gantry equipped for engine, transmission and axle overhauls. A holder for hydraulic hammers during service is currently being designed.

The room is positively pressurised by an evaporative cooling system to reduce ambient temperatures, while acting as a dust filtration system.