Dt hiload · product popularity, particularly in tricky-to-man-age hard rock mining, Lang says that in a word, it’s all about innovation driven by productivity. “A lot of the

Dt hiloadwww.dthiload.com

2 COMPANY FOCUS � DT Hiload

Driving innovation anD cost effective project impactDT HiLoad Australia delivers major benefits for fleet haulage economics

02

3JULY 2011 � The International Resource Journal

Driving innovation anD cost effective project impactDT HiLoad Australia delivers major benefits for fleet haulage economics

companY focUs


IRJ last left DT HiLoad Australia (“DT HiLoad”) with a bursting order book, big plans for further consolidating sales of its praised Hercules truck-mounted bodies, and on the lookout for the right technology provider and product in search of new products to manufacture and sell. That was October, 2010, and Richard Lang, DT HiLoad’s chief executive, says that some eight months on, the Perth-headquartered haulage expert’s order book is fuller than ever.

“We’ve haD some results of a survey that show

our body is considered to out-last and have less

maintenance than some others and we’re very

pleased about that,” he says.

“Our customer base has expanded with

repeat orders from existing customers and also

we’ve had some further orders from other parts

of the market, namely contractors and miners

who are new customers as well.”

When asked about the company’s increasing

product popularity, particularly in tricky-to-man-

age hard rock mining, Lang says that in a word,

it’s all about innovation driven by productivity.

“A lot of the mines that were previously nega-

tive about innovation and change are now prepared

to consider a lightweight heavy duty body, like ours,

a high performance body. Quite a few players in the

market who previously weren’t interested by taking

the leap to innovation and getting the extra payload

are now doing so,” he explains.

“The reality is that you don’t need that many

extra tonnes on each load in order to get an ac-

ceptable payback on your investment. Often you

could throw a brand new tray away and put our

tray on and still get an acceptable return.”

In outlining the basic value-adding opportuni-

ties presented by DT HiLoad products, it becomes

clear quite how crucial this turn towards open in-

novation could prove to be in the wider mining cost

context. Luckily, this company is at hand to ensure

that the haulage portion is well-catered to.

Product and services adding valueIn his article, “Increasing Mine Productivity with

an Appropriate Mine Truck Body” (October 2010

©Lang, Richard), Lang identifies why it is impor-

tant for any mining or mining-related enterprise,

throughout its ranks; whatever its management

structure, to understand the massive cost-saving

implications and traps in operational challenges

dealt with by selecting the right truck body, with DT

HiLoad’s Hercules product as a prime example. He

identifies a typical open cut mining cost breakdown

with haulage making up 32 per cent of the picture.

“We’re finding that it is lasting well, as ex-

pected, even in difficult circumstances like hard



rock whereas in the coal area maintenance is

very minimal,” Lang says of the Hercules, which

is now in its ninth design incarnation.

“People select different options depending

on their requirements and the particular mine,

but the basic design is constant. We have some

other products we are working on but they’re not

for release yet.”

The company has seen Hercules products

reaching the 25,000-30,000 hour benchmark in

hard rock, then lasting well beyond it, which contin-

ues to entice previously sceptical groups to invest-

ing. The manufacturing plant established in Perth a

little over a year ago, still has some capacity surplus

to current demand, making DT HiLoad’s growing or-

der book manageable. The company has continued

to work with the recently purchased major manu-

facturing equipment, and as it does so, demand

from existing clients is also strong.

“We’ve just delivered some bodies to Aus-

drill Mining Services to operate in Africa and

some more bodies are scheduled to go to them

between now and Christmas,” Lang says of the

company’s longstanding client.

“We’ve made a number of sales into Africa

since we last spoke.”

While remaining very private and conserva-

tive about the names inside the order book and


ThyssenKrupp Steel EuropeThinking the future of steel

The solution to your wear problemsHarder and tougher than ever: XAR®.

These exceptional properties make the wear-resistant special structural steel XAR® an uncompromising material.Whether it’s in mining and handling of solid rock or in the rough climatic conditions of oil sands mining,XAR® masters every challenge. And despite its high hardness XAR® can easily be cold formed and welded.For dump bodies that last up to fi ve times longer and cope with everything that life throws at them.

For more information:Phone +49 (0)203 52-75604 · [email protected]://plate.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com


products under development, Lang says that

the company’s service arm has also been busy,

largely in doing installations in remote places.

“We have done some upgrades for custom-

ers of older body designs to the current design

too, and we’re expecting that in the new year

those trends will continue with the Service De-

partment growing significantly,” he says.

“We currently have containers with equip-

ment in key places like Africa, Western Australia,

Queensland and NSW in order to support our

product. We’ve also appointed Two Jays Engineer-

ing, in the Hunter Valley town called Branxton,

a central coal region, as an Authorised Service

Centre to support our product there.”

As the company’s Australian footprint and

global product application continues to emerge, so

do its admirers. This has been directly reflected by

the take-up of products by new clients, while exist-

ing clients continue to receive the same excellent

standards of quality product, services and cost-

effective options the group has become known for.

Inciting innovationWith all systems go at the Perth plant, sales soar-

ing and recognition of product value propositions

increasing in line with company expectations,

Lang says that DT HiLoad’s objectives remain

Through our collective knowledge and experience in the welding industry, we have enjoyed a steady growth and reputation as a quality supplier of goods and services. As an independent supplier we carry an extensive range of Welding Equipment and Consumables, Pipe Welding Clamps, Rotators, Positioners and Fume Extraction Equipment.

We also service and repair gas cutting equipment.

Western Australian Owned and Operatedwith Links to the World.

20A Hines Rd O’Connor, Western Australia 6163Phone: (08) 9331 2299 | Fax: (08) 9331 2600

[email protected] | www.burnback.com.au


geared towards those customers it knows best.

“We will continue looking after our customers

that we have, and through that we will increase our

business because those customers buy more and

they refer other people to us,” he says succinctly.

“We wish to expand our service work and

also to develop other products to add to our

range, building on the skills and customer base

we already have.”

An additional focus is attributed to internal

and external innovation, as Lang describes

how individuals within a business, and the

expectations of their clients, can be managed

and bettered by approaching new technology

and customer requirements effectively.

“Senior commercial people, I believe, should

be taking interest in innovation, in the haulage

area in particular because there are significant

returns to be made on investment. Even a small

number of tonnes on each load make an amaz-

ing difference to the payback period, and there

are two different circumstances senior managers

could find themselves in,” he explains.

“One is where they have an innovative person

at the superintendent level of the haulage fleet.

In that case, all they need to do is support that

person. If they don’t have that and innovation is

coming from the more senior level, they need to

Truck Operating Hours per annum

Cycle time

Loads per annum per truck

Extra Tonnes carried per load

Extra Tonnes per annum per truck

Number of trucks

Extra Tonnes per annum for the mine

5,500

40 mins

8,250

27 or say 20 to be conservative

165,000 - This is about 9% increase but potential is around 13%

30

4,950,000 OR park 3 trucks

Imagine the extra revenue associated with that! Or Imagine the cost and capital savings of parking up between 2 and 4 haul trucks!Increasing Mine Productivity with an Appropriate Mine Truck Body (October 2010 ©Lang, Richard)


Benefits at a glance

DT HiLoad Bodies deliver reliability, durability and drive efficiency. Here are

just some of the benefits in joining the many miners making these gains today:

• Improvedtruckcarryingcapacity10

percent-15percent

• Reducedfuelusepertonnesmoved6

percent-11percent

• Reducedtyrecostthroughaccurate

loadplacementandlessspillage

• Reducedtruckmaintenancedowntime

• Reduceddumpingtime10percent–20

percent

• Reduceddozerworkatthedump30

percent–50percent

• Singleloadingpositionyieldingless

contactdamage

• Reducedspillageduringhaulcycle

• Reducedwearmanagementcost

• Wearmanagementaimedatretaining

initialbodyweightthroughoutbodylife

• Bodyvolumesizedtomaterial

densityensuringoptimumfleet

performance

• MaintenanceServicesandproduct

support


help those people through the speed bumps of

conservatism.”

In a nutshell, the sort of advantage achiev-

able is depicted in the table below and the re-

sults are well worth the effort. Can you imagine

the financial implications if you carried 20 tonnes

more on every truck?

DT HiLoad embraces the role of senior em-

ployees in driving innovation, and Lang stress-

es the real need to these people to under-

stand what drives fleet haulage economics—or

at least to understand enough of the basics

to support innovative individuals alongside

them. The company’s products are selling

well: fact. Client services continue to deliver

and the division is tipped to expand. Whether

DT HiLoad has inspired others to open up to

innovation or been part of a wider change in

philosophy, the company’s promises to ever-

improve on productivity, cost effective options

and client commitments are being realised

with every move.

WWW.DthiloaD.com

as seen in the jUlY 2011 issUe of the international resoUrce joUrnal

Documents

Dt hiload · product popularity, particularly in tricky-to-man-age hard rock mining, Lang says that in a word, it’s all about innovation driven by productivity. “A lot of the