Battery electric SS5 Shotcrete Sprayer to be featured at MacLean booth – part of company’s product development pipeline in support of electrified, automated, and digitalized mining in Australia and around the globe.

The prestigious Underground Operators Conference 2023 (UGOPS), taking place in Brisbane from March 27 through March 29, will be an opportunity for the Australian mining industry to get a first-hand look at a MacLean battery electric mining vehicle (BEV). One of the company’s EV SeriesTM product line models, the SS5 BEV Shotcrete Sprayer, will be on display at the MacLean booth (#59).

2023 is a milestone year for MacLean as it marks the company’s 50th year of operations. It is also a landmark year for MacLean Australia, with multiple MacLean BEVs starting to arrive in-country from MacLean factories in Ontario, Canada, to be introduced to Australian mining companies and mining contractors. MacLean has had a full-service parts and technical support branch in Perth, Western Australia, for over a decade and, in 2021, the company opened a second service and support branch in Orange, New South Wales, to support a growing fleet of MacLean mining vehicles in underground mining hubs in the eastern region of the country. 2

Since the purchase of an underground test facility in Sudbury in 2018 (The MacLean Research & Training Facility) the company has ramped up its electrification, automation, and digitalization product development efforts. Building on last year’s launch of the GR5 Underground Grader and the addition of QuickScan instant imaging and ChemSave accelerant savings technology on the SS5 Shotcrete Sprayer, 2023 will see three additional launches of MacLean 5 Series, next generation mining vehicles – the ML5 BEV Multi-Lift (designed specifically for the Australian market), the MC5 BEV Explosives Charger, and the BT5 BEV Boom Truck. (MacLean ML5 Multi-Lift)

“We are really looking forward to the UGOPS event and showing, not just telling, the Australian mining industry exactly what the value proposition of MacLean EV Series product line is,” notes Jari Tuorila, MacLean GM for Australasia. “When we say, ‘EV-proven, EV-ready,’, we mean it. It’s not just a slogan. Over 50 MacLean BEVs have been commissioned around the mining world since the MacLean Fleet Electrification program was launched in 2015, with a quarter million operating hours logged, and we’re only at the starting line for Australia. Our message to our industry colleagues is simple – we have a diesel-free production support fleet option for you, right now. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to our booth to see the BEV shotcrete sprayer in person and speak with our team of technical experts, which will include product management and engineering colleagues from Canada.”

“The UGOPS showcase is just the kick-off to a multi-stage introduction of MacLean EV Series technology to Australia across 2023,” adds Patrick Marshall, MacLean’s Brisbane-based Vice President of Technology. “The minute the show closes on March 29th, the MacLean Australia team will be turning their attention to shipping the BEV SS5 unit to Barminco at Sunrise Dam, where it will be trialed by the contractor throughout the summer. We are committed to seeing this real-world trial succeed and then build on that success to more broadly introduce MacLean fleet electrification to the Australian industry.”