Australian mining group National Group, through its earthmoving equipment supplier subsidiary National Plant & Equipment, continues to be a key supplier to the mining industry, including its supplying the multinational equipment manufacturer Liebherr R 9200 Excavator to an opencut gold mine in western New South Wales.

The Liebherr R 9200 Excavator offers the biggest payload in its class with the 12.5 Nm3 bucket capacity enabling sustainable performance and peak fuel burn efficiency in the “most challenging conditions”.

It boasts Liebherr’s “outstanding” reliability and easy serviceability, which enables maximum uptime for mining operations, and leads to more sustainable and cost-effective operations.

Comprising the Cummins QSK38 engine, with a rating of 810 kW at 1 800 rpm, the R 9200 has both diesel and electric motor options available.

It can also be fitted with backhoe and face shovel attachments, giving it a bucket and shovel capacity of 12.5 Nm3 at 1.8 t/Nm3.

To date, both the National Group and Liebherr have received positive feedback on the R 9200 from users, who are impressed by its operator-friendly features, the company notes.

National Group MD Mark Ackroyd says the arrival of the Liebherr R 9200 further diversifies the company’s fleet of equipment.

“The feedback from the site is that the Liebherr R 9200 has been very well received,” says Ackroyd.

“Our customers have been impressed with the performance of the Liebherr R 9200, it’s a very good machine and is competitive with other machines of a similar size and type.”

National Group is known across Australia for its dry hire of heavy earthmoving equipment, helping mining companies improve on-site efficiencies without putting undue stress on their operating budgets, the company states.

It comments that this is particularly relevant now, because the Covid-19 pandemic has led to economic uncertainty around the globe, which has necessitated that companies be more mindful of how much capital they allocate to certain projects.

Ackroyd says: “Renting equipment enables a company to increase its efficiency, and improve the productivity of its mining operations in line with fluctuating commodity prices. Affording mining companies the option to rent means they can remain agile and nimble, regardless of the environment.”

With gold prices reaching all-time highs of more than $2 000/oz, iron-ore prices almost $110/t and copper prices rebounding to highs of $6 362/t in line with the recovery of Chinese demand, the Australian mining industry “continues to be as strong as ever”.

“The prices of metals such as iron-ore and gold are soaring at the moment,” Ackroyd says. “We have developed strong strategic partnerships with clients who operate across both commodities and it has been great to see them experiencing exponential growth.”

Regarding the partnership with Liebherr, National Group notes that it selected the R 9200 excavator for the site, having considered the work being completed at the mine and its previous success using Liebherr equipment.

“Liebherr’s relationship with National, and understanding of the gold mine site requirements allowed us to put forward the appropriate sized excavator and tailored bucket size to suit both National’s and the site’s requirements,” Liebherr-Australia major account manager Ben Kerr explains.

“The addition of this R 9200 to National’s fleet further expands [its] range of mining equipment, building on the strong relationship and ease of doing business between the two companies.”

National Plant & Equipment continues to be a key supplier of heavy earthmoving equipment to the mining industry, providing the industry with a reliable equipment solution, without overstretching its budget.