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Equipment manufacturer supplies products, expands African footprint

25th October 2013

By: Chantelle Kotze

  

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Manufacturer of compact equipment and light equipment Wacker Neuson reports that it has sup- plied skid steer loaders for general pit maintenance tasks, mini excavators with attachments for various applications, dirty-water dewatering pumps and light towers for illumination to various opencast coal mines in Mpumalanga, diamond mines in Limpopo, platinum mines in the North West and iron-ore and manganese mines in the Northern Cape.

Wacker Neuson MD Eugene Brown says that, while the company does not supply earthmoving machines for primary blasting or extraction operations, it does supply skid steer loaders, mini excavators with breakers for breaking oversize rocks, telescopic handlers for conveyor maintenance and the handling of drill steels, all-wheel steer loaders for blast-hole stemming, and many applications created by the attachment-carrier concept of the equipment.

Further, the company’s patented Vertical Digging System (VDS) feature on its mini excavators, which was launched at the inaugural bauma Africa trade show, in Johannesburg, last month, provides a solution for otherwise difficult and uncomfortable tasks on sloping ground.

The VDS feature on the mini excavators can save up to 25% in time and material collection and can compensate for terrain gradients of up to 15%, therefore keeping the cabin in a vertical position when working on slopes and enabling precise vertical digging and an upright, ergonomic sitting position for the operator.

For the preparation of roadways and work areas on mines or construction sites, Wacker Neuson also offers a range of rammers, plate compactors, pedestrian rollers and ride-on rollers.

Meanwhile, in response to environmental protection and economic efficiency concerns, the company recently developed the ECO seal – a label with which it brands its products and solutions that are particularly economical, environment friendly and designed and manufactured to comply with the ECO seal, says Brown.

“With the introduction of the ECO seal, which stands for ecology and economy, we want to show how economic efficiency and environmental protection can be combined in our products and that we bear special responsibility to protect our environment and resources.”

The Wacker Neuson ECO seal aims to identify products with particularly low exhaust emissions and products that use sustainable technologies.
In its pursuit of reduced emissions using alternative drive technologies, Wacker Neuson focused on alternatives to the diesel engine and was the first equipment manufacturer to develop an external electrohydraulic drive, the hydraulic power unit, in 2013, for use with its range of small excavators.

The electrohydraulic drive is activated by plugging a cable into the power grid through a plug-and-play system. “In this way, the mini excavator works completely emission-free,” says Brown.

Further, Wacker Neuson’s WM 80 engine, which is used to power its vibratory rammers and demolition breakers, also ensures environmental protection.

“With carbon dioxide emissions of 70 g/kWh and hydrocarbon emissions of 25 g/kWh, the two-cycle rammer is the petrol vibratory rammer with the lowest exhaust emission on the market,” he highlights.

Wacker Neuson’s EH 100 electric demolition breaker, remote-controlled DPU 130 vibratory plate and 3503 excavator have also been awarded the ECO seal for the products’ respec- tive low emissions and fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, Brown notes that the company aims to expand it footprint in sub-Saharan Africa by establishing partnerships with appli- cable dealers and distribution partners.

While already represented by distribution partners in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania, Wacker Neuson’s current focus areas on the continent include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.

South Africa plays an important role as the procurement and logistics hub for the rest of the subcontinent, with Nigeria aiming to become the hub for trade, industry, petrochemistry and logistics in West Africa and tapping into new business fields.

In the DRC, the focus is on the mining industry, while Zambia has a vast mineral resource and is also one of the African countries where large-scale agriculture is promoted.

“Our future success will primarily depend on how well we are able to better position ourselves in these countries,” Brown concludes.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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