New Middelburg Branch
Taking service to the next level
Babcock has had a presence in Middelburg for over a decade and the right time had arrived to build a modern facility capable of meeting current customer needs and to accommodate for future growth
Construction on the 30 000 square metre site began in August 2014, with final completion a year later. The primary workshop covers an area of nearly 2 000sqm under roof and includes 12 nine-metre wide work bays, all serviced by overhead gantry cranes. All bays have a ceiling of 9 m under hook. This allows us to service mega trucks like the rigid trucks from Terex Trucks, bucket up. The workshop bays can accommodate trucks with payloads of up to 150 tonnes and ample turning space is provided for.
Energy efficient and sustainable
The buildings feature sustainable and energy efficient design, while the ergonomics centre on the flow of equipment, parts and people to promote efficient operational and communication management. Use of natural light has been maximised to filter in indirect daylight thus reducing power requirements. The curved bullnose of the exterior overhang prevents direct sunlight from entering the building in the summer months but permits winter sunlight into the first few metres of the ground floor, allowing natural interior warmth in the cooler months
Workshop bays
All workshop bays, component workshop, spray booths, wash bays and boiler shop bays drain into a common settling tank and oil separation facility before being discharged into municipal waste. The 198 sqm component workshop is positively pressurised by an evaporative cooling system to reduce ambient temperatures while acting as a dust filtration system.
Floor-to-ceiling semi-transparent stacking doors serve as workshop doors instead of the standard industrial roller shutter doors to take advantage of natural light and facilitate heating in winter.
Other intelligent design features include motion-sensor lighting in bathroom cubicles, foot-operated faucets for ease of access for staff that handle oil. In the event of a water supply cut, the water tanks hold a reserve of five days’ supply. A 500 kVA backup generator allows for continued operation in the event of a power outage.
Larger parts area
The parts warehouse has increased from 280 sqm at the previous premises to 1 615 sqm. This accommodates for the increase in inventory and stock lines required, taking into consideration regional growth and the newly acquired Terex Truck range. The parts storage space can be extended upward by 5-6 m allowing for larger volumes of parts to be stored.
The inclusion of the railway tracks linking the wash bays to four workshop bays specifically for tracked excavators and chain link front-end loaders will help to prevent damage to the site hardstand.
“We are proud to have created an environment conducive to productivity from where we can continue building good relationships with our customers based on trust and excellent after sales support.” - David Vaughan, Sales Director - Equipment