Liebherr R 9150 mining excavator early performance ‘very encouraging’ at Mt Magnet, says Watpac

Watpac continues to embrace some of the mining industry’s latest technologies by adding Australia’s first Liebherr R 9150 mining excavator carrying out load and haul duties to their mining fleet.

The 100 tonne class digger provides superb cab positioning for the operator to carefully dig ore blocks without sacrificing ability to efficiently dig the frequently much larger blocks of waste; with operators saying the machine is “fast in the swing and is less noisy” than the competition.

Brendan Vaughan, Watpac Mining Manager, says that “the early performance of the Liebherr R 9150 at Watpac’s Mt Magnet Operations confirmed fuel savings in line with the specifications, performing at a lower fuel burn to the current popular 100 tonne class models in Watpac’s fleet.

The bucket is larger than the current standard used on Watpac’s 100 tonne class machines, with early indications showing the benefit of less “dead time” for the truck whilst being loaded.

“An important consideration for Watpac is the robust configuration of the R 9150 excavator’s undercarriage, designed for deep-pit conditions, where fresh rock poses a real threat in damaging the machine.”

Watpac’s bottom line is efficiency which means maximising uptime and minimising unscheduled downtime. As Mt Magnet mine is midway between Liebherr-Australia’s Perth and Newman branches, Liebherr support is always available and, in the words of Liebherr-Australia’s Director of Mining, Trent Wehr: “it is all about providing availability”.

Though it’s early days, Watpac confirms that the R 9150 is promising on a number of fronts and Liebherr-Australia is pleased to be partnering with Watpac for the first R 9150 mining excavator in the Western Australian gold fields. Both companies look forward to promoting the early successes and charting the progress of the R 9150 in the coming months.