A new R 9350 excavator is an impressive sight. At 8.5 metres tall, gleaming a pristine Liebherr white and weighing over 300 tonnes, the machine cuts a striking figure. But for the team at Karo Platinum Project in Zimbabwe, the February 2026 delivery of this behemoth meant a whole lot more than a powerful machine joining their fleet.

That first R 9350 arrived at Karo Platinum Project in early 2026, right at the beginning of the mine’s operational life, as part of EPSA Group’s fleet – the international earthmoving services company that secured the contract for this greenfield operation. As soon as it hit dirt, the excavator began helping to shape the mine for its future success, moving buckets and buckets of material as part of the site’s initial development phase.

‘EPSA is preparing for the first ore at Karo to be milled in the second half of 2027, and we’re proud that Liebherr machines will play a role in reaching this critical point,’ says Claus Dieter Homberg, regional sales manager, Liebherr-Mining Equipment Colmar SAS.

Big plans need big machines

Karo Platinum Project is an impressive first home for the R 9350 in Zimbabwe. The mine is a landmark greenfield project that spans the eastern and western flanks of Zimbabwe’s Great Dyke – the longest igneous complex in the world and home to the second-largest deposit of platinum-group minerals. For the mine’s first 10 years, it’ll be an open-pit operation before the work moves underground. So, because of that, EPSA Group needs machines in its fleet powerful enough to move the dense material on site and durable enough to withstand the considerable wear they’ll face every day. And with a reputation for reliability and productivity, EPSA Group decided that the R 9350 was its perfect match.

Teams, assemble!

Liebherr also has another reason to be proud of the R 9350 at Karo Platinum Project and the teams that delivered it: it’s the first mining class machine that has been delivered within Zimbabwe.

Bringing the machine into the southern African country was very much a team effort. Liebherr’s excavator production facility in Colmar (France) worked with EPSA Group to bring the R 9350 itself into Zimbabwe. Once on site, a product support representative from Colmar led the assembly crew, which was predominantly from Liebherr-Africa (Pty) Ltd – the closest Liebherr sales and service company to Zimbabwe – but also included personnel from Liebherr’s Zimbabwean dealer, R&S DieselPro Services. The representative from Colmar remained in Zimbabwe for a further seven weeks to provide additional product support as well as on-the-job training for the teams that would be working with the machine on a regular basis.

Trust earned over time

EPSA Group has worked with Liebherr in mine sites all over the world for the past 15 years and has developed genuine confidence and trust in Liebherr’s ability to supply reliable machines and on-the-ground support across a wide range of applications. Liebherr’s closest sales and service company to Karo Platinum Project is Liebherr-Africa. However, it is still more than 800 kilometres away from the site. So R&S DieselPro Services will be the one to handle day-to-day maintenance, technical support and parts supply to make sure EPSA Group and its Liebherr fleet has the support they need.

‘Being associated with the commissioning and support of this flagship machine is a testament to our commitment to delivering world-class equipment, technical expertise and after-sales support to Zimbabwe's growing mining sector,’ says Kevin Wilson, general manager, technical, R&S DieselPro Services.

Liebherr-Africa has worked with R&S DieselPro Services since 2017, first with Liebherr’s range of earthmoving equipment before expanding the partnership to include mining machines in 2025. As such, the Zimbabwean service company has extensive experience with Liebherr products. But should anything arise on site that requires more specialised Liebherr knowledge, the team at Liebherr-Africa is only a phone call and a plane ride away.

Looking forward

A second R 9350 arrived at Karo Platinum Project in July of the same year, with another set to arrive by the end of 2026. All of these machines will support the lead-up to the mine processing its first ore in 2027.

‘Behind every Liebherr machine is a team committed to keeping it performing at its best,’ says Homberg. ‘We’re looking forward to supporting EPSA Group as operations at Karo continue to grow and evolve over the coming years.’

Published October 2026