by Nick Drew | Fri 07 Jun 2013
Twenty Terex TR100 trucks for largest quarry in Middle East
Terex Construction has supplied 10 TR100 rigid dump trucks to work at the Ras Al Khaimah quarry, in the United Arab Emirates. The site, the largest limestone quarry in the Middle East, had already added 10 of the 91-tonne capacity trucks to its fleet late last year, which are working at its sister quarry, Stevin Rock.
Formed in 1975, the Government-owned company runs more than 250 machines at the Ras Al Khaimah site. This includes 38 Terex TR100 rigid trucks, plus 20 of the previous 3311 and 33100 models. “We’ve got a big fleet of Terex trucks and that was a major factor in the decision to buy the new TR100s,” said Technical and Operations Manager Simon Turner.“The equipment was partly fleet expansion, along with an element of fleet renewal. We work 24/7, 365 days a year here and working hours on a machine can easily reach 7,000 hours per year.”
The quarry reaches 800m into the mountains behind Ras Al Khaimah, with more than 20 active digging benches and up to 30km of quarry face. The lowest working area is 40m above sea level and the highest up to 450m above that. Using computer-aided design, geophysical drilling and laser profiling, the experienced quarry team carries out blasting six days a week, with more than 120,000 tonnes of material being excavated each day.
A mix of wheel loaders and crawler excavators load the limestone into a fleet of 110 rigid dump trucks, that carry the material to a range of crushers, screens and finally to Stevin’s own nine-berth all-weather harbour. Up to 70% of the material is exported throughout the Middle East and to the Indian steel industry.
Mr Turner took over running of the site last summer and has completely overhauled the working operation, with impressive results. The company has seen a 15% rise in efficiency and an even more impressive 30% rise in productivity, with hardly any additional machinery or personnel. Equally importantly, health and safety at the quarry has improved significantly.
“It is a continuous course of improvement. We’ve seen some big wins in terms of productivity, now the smaller things need to be assessed. This site is primarily about logistics, it’s a load and haul site. We have put the plan in place, now we need to prove it.”
The new Terex trucks are certainly playing a part in the improved efficiency and productivity that is being achieved. “We’ve done a lot of time cycle analysis to see where improvements can be made. We’re also looking at excessive truck idling and correct positioning for better efficiency. We look at everything from an efficiency point of view now,” says Mr Turner. “Having the new trucks has certainly helped in our understanding of maintenance of the new systems too.”
The TR100 is the largest rigid dump truck in the five-model Terex line-up. With a heaped capacity of 57m3, the 91 tonne (100 ton) payload truck is powered by a 1,050hp (783kW) Cummins KTA38-C engine. This drives through an efficient Allison six-speed automatic, electronically-controlled transmission, featuring the CEC 2 Management Program. Automatic lock-up is available in all speed ranges, improving fuel efficiency and aiding productivity on site.
The TR100 truck features rugged construction and durable components that are designed for excellent service life. Dual-retardation systems allow the operator to use both oil-cooled disc brakes and a hydrodynamic retarder which contributes to fast, safe haul times. The Terex TR100 delivers class-leading rimpull for exceptional hauling capability in all operating conditions.
Look out for a full report on this in the next edition of Earthmovers Magazine.