Rebuilt mining equipment solutions from e-Qwip, a specialist entity within industrial equipment supplier Barloworld, offer small-scale or junior miners cost-effective equipment to get their operations ramped up, says e-Qwip GM Brandon Arnold.

The latest range on offer by the company includes rebuilt Caterpillar (CAT) 777 off-highway, rigid-frame dump trucks.

The CAT 777 boasts economical and durable properties and is a “staple vehicle” for the mining sector, with the ability to carry payloads of about 100 t.

“There has been a cultural shift in the industry. In mining, building and agriculture, there is now an understanding that [equipment manufacturing] waste is preventable. Fleet owners are thinking long-term and managing their assets proactively.”

Arnold adds that e-Qwip offers a trusted, original equipment manufacturer- (OEM-) compliant alternative that “is ideal for forward-thinking fleet operators”.

The company’s solutions – including a 24-month, 8 000-hour warranty – are particularly suitable for junior miners and emerging-market contractors with opencast mining operations in Africa, he points out.

The trucks undergo a focused rebuild of pre-owned equipment, following which certified remanufactured OEM CAT components are employed to refurbish the CAT 777 trucks.

Once vehicles are stripped down to their frames, they are tested to ensure structural integrity for the specific application in a mining operation or construction application.

“The CAT remanufactured components, imported from the US, come with 24-month warranties that are transferable across Africa. Frames retain their original serial numbers for complete OEM traceability,” adds Arnold.

The company’s CAT solutions can also result in lower operational costs and improve uptime for clients, as the high cost of new capital equipment and long factory lead times are significant pain points in the industry.

“They [clients] are looking for an affordable, quality solution that carries the respected Caterpillar OEM warranty. e-Qwip provides that,” he notes.

Arnold says e-Qwip’s solutions also deliver environmental benefits, as they extend machine life, reduce capital expenditure, and reduce or eradicate wasteful expenditure, with the company aligning its values, goals and overall business model with that of Barloworld Equipment.

As testament to the efficacy of e-Qwip solutions, he highlights that various key decision-makers from renowned mining businesses have been “impressed” to see a rebuilt dump truck with 30 000 hours of use, which had been rebuilt to look “as good as new”.

“Customers can drop off an old truck, get credit and drive a rebuilt e-Qwip vehicle out of our yard. We’re able to offer trucks at price points below that of new vehicles, with a similar warranty,” concludes Arnold.