With a customer-first approach, Hastings Deering is helping its mining industry partners unlock the multiple lives designed into Cat machines.
Productivity is one of the key factors to success at any mine site globally. A key facilitator in production is having the right assets working to keep product consistently moving from mine to market.
Heavy mobile equipment is no exception. Operating for thousands of hours each year in extreme environments, the equipment and their components inevitably wear and need replacement to ensure machine uptime.
But what if there was a way to give these machines a new life?
This is the ethos behind Hastings Deering’s rebuild program.
“Cat machines, power trains and major components are not only built tough the first time but are also built to live multiple lives,” Hastings Deering executive manager site performance Matt Small told Australian Mining.
“We’re partnering with our customers to deliver tailored rebuilds, allowing customers to maximise asset life and performance in accordance with what they need from each machine.
“Rebuilding with Hastings Deering means building to your own scope, not ours.”
Image: Hastings Deering
As one of the largest certified Cat dealers, the Hastings Deering experts know how to maximise the life of these assets for their customers.
“We can provide expert advice on the operational performance of your machine better than anyone else, to design the best rebuild for your needs,” Small said.
“State-of-art tooling, workshops and proprietary know-how ensure your Cat components can be rebuilt again and again.
“Our expertise with critical component wear limits means replacing the right parts at the right time.”
Rebuilds also come with extensive as-new warranty coverage on both parts and service for peace of mind.
Beyond maximising asset life, Hastings Deering’s tailored approach to rebuilds is also making machinery more efficient.
“Productivity declines as a machine ages and its components experience wear and tear,” Small said.
“When you go through a rebuild program with Hastings Deering, you are going to restore the efficiency of that machine, returning it to an as-new state.
“A rebuild also provides the opportunity for engineering updates that further improve performance and reliability. This could include fuel burn optimisation and other enhancements that were made available since the machine rolled off the factory floor.”
Mining operations across Australia are already reaping the benefits of choosing Hastings Deering.
Such was the case in 2023 when Hastings Deering was contracted to rebuild eight Cat 793F off-highway trucks at Stanmore Resources’ Poitrel coal mine in Queensland.
“For this project, we worked closely with the customer to develop a scope and a tailored package that suited their requirements for those eight trucks at site,” Hastings Deering resource industries support representative Daniel Edge-Williams said.
“There was an individual scope required for each truck, not just a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Hastings Deering established a work group with Stanmore to plan, manage and execute the project, with open communication from start to finish.
“The project heavily leaned on the fact that we were able to be flexible, work with the customer, and tailor the package,” Edge-Williams said.
“We didn’t try to tell them what scope they had to use. They told us what scope they wanted, and we came back to them with the right solutions, which were unique to each asset.”
Image: Hastings Deering
Utilising its extensive facilities, highly trained staff, and genuine Cat parts, Hastings Deering swiftly delivered all eight rebuilds.
“We had a strict timeline, a strict budget and at the end of the project we wanted to achieve reliability,” Poitrel mine senior reliability engineer Ryan Shortis said. “The project was a success.”
Cat certified rebuild
Hastings Deering is also capable of providing Cat certified rebuilds, wherein the entire reconstruction process adheres strictly to Caterpillar’s specifications, not the customer’s.
The program includes disassembly and auto replacement of parts that don’t meet guidelines. For a machine rebuild, that amounts to approximately 7000 parts and 350 tests and inspections.
“The intention of the Cat certified rebuild program is to create a globalised standard,” Hastings Deering aftermarket solutions consultant Cody Welker said.
“It enables the dealer to almost take on the role of OEM because in that instance we are taking that machine or component back to an as-new state. We are rebuilding it back to zero hours.”
This type of rebuild means the machine comes out with a new product identification number and can be treated as a new asset for tax purposes. Machines can be returned to as-new performance and productivity for around 65 per cent of the cost of a new asset.
And Hastings Deering backs each Cat certified rebuild with a 24-month, 10,000-hour warranty.
Whether by a flexible rebuild tailored to a customer’s needs or a rigorous Cat certified rebuild, Hastings Deering is helping mine sites benefit from the multiple lives designed into Cat machines and major components.
“Hastings Deering understands the mining industry. We know what keeps it moving and our expert teams know everything about the equipment we sell,” Welker said. “Whether you are balancing cost versus downtime, looking to extend component life or wanting to keep your own iron, you can rely on us to go the extra mile.
“Nobody rebuilds better.”
This feature appeared in the May 2024 issue of Australian Mining.
