Atlantis Mining
Local mining contractor is sticking with Terex Trucks
While a shared Scottish heritage may have initially piqued Atlantis Mining’s interest in Terex Trucks, the simplicity of these powerful machines, and the unwavering customer service and support from Babcock has kept the mining company loyal to the Terex Trucks brand. Babcock was appointed the official southern African distributor of Terex Trucks in October 2015, following the acquisition of Terex Trucks by Volvo Construction Equipment in June 2014.
Managing director of Atlantis Mining, Mark Johnstone has always been partial to the Scotland-based Terex Trucks. The company’s association with Terex Trucks dates back to the mid-1980s when they bought their first Terex dump trucks. Atlantis Mining continue to expand their fleet of Terex Trucks. They recently purchased three TR60 rigid dump trucks, which will complement their existing fleet of 16 Terex Trucks, some of which have clocked up over 25,000 working hours and are still performing well. The new TR60s are currently in operation at the Vaalbult Colliery in Mpumalanga where they are being used primarily for the removal of blasted rock and hard overburden. Johnstone says that the TR60’s large bins and high payload make them ideally suited to this type of work.
“Currently we have 16 TR60s in operation and they are all going strong,” says Johnstone. The trucks each run two 9.5-hour shifts in a 24-hour period, five days a week, while Saturdays see these powerful rigid dump trucks hitting the quarries for two eight-hour shifts.
“The TR60s have a comfortable cab that helps reduce driver fatigue, air-conditioning, radio and all the modern features that assist with operator ease. In addition, Terex Trucks keeps things simple so the trucks are easy to maintain, this means that minor problems and breakdowns can be dealt with in-house, while more serious cases that may arise can be addressed quickly by a trained Babcock technician who is readily available on site.
Babcock’s new Middelburg branch is a major benefit for Atlantis Mining. “The facility is world-class and well-stocked with stock lines required for the Terex Trucks range, so we very seldom have to wait for parts. The sales team is always willing to assist us at the drop of a hat,” enthuses Johnstone.
Atlantis Mining was founded by father-and-son team Jimmy and Mark Johnstone and operates primarily as an opencast coal mining subcontracting company providing full turnkey operations including bulk earth moving, drilling and blasting, coal removal and mine rehabilitation. The company is now in its fourth generation of Terex Trucks TR60 machines and is looking forward to continuing its partnership with Babcock.