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 News Release
March 27, 2009
Grove GMK7450 sold to mining company BHP Billiton
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| A Grove GMK7450 all-terrain crane belonging to BHP Billiton Iron Ore performs maintenance work on an iron ore crusher at the he Mt. Whaleback Mine, in Newman, Western Australia. |
High Resolution Photograph
WATM, Manitowoc dealer for Western Australia, has delivered a Grove GMK7450 all-terrain crane to mining giant BHP Billiton Iron Ore. BHP put the crane to work immediately, with its first job the dismantling of the primary iron ore crusher at its main mining facility, the Mt. Whaleback Mine, in Newman, Western Australia.
Stephen Lazenby, sales manager for WATM, said that BHP purchased the crane for its mobility and high lift capacity.
“BHP already owns several Grove all-terrain cranes, but the company needs more lift capacity for the maintenance work on the main iron ore crusher,” he said. “Until recently, it was renting high capacity cranes from Perth, more than 1,200 km away. Therefore it made perfect financial sense to purchase a crane the company can keep at the mine.”
The job for the GMK7450 on the Allis Chalmers primary crusher was to lift out two of the central components. The crusher has been in service since 1969 and the GMK7450 was responsible for removing the 68 t ‘spider’ and the 62 t mantle from the equipment. This process will be repeated approximately three times a year. This first job completed without incident and the crane then moved to other remote sites to perform routine bi-monthly maintenance on other BHP mining equipment.
Lazenby said the crane’s new owners were very impressed with how efficiently it performed and how smoothly the repairs went. “The crew that were running the GMK7450 were very pleased with how well it performed,” he said. “It completely exceeded expectations, both in terms of lift capacity and overall operation.”
The GMK7450 all-terrain crane is the largest mobile crane from Manitowoc’s Grove brand. It has a 450 t maximum capacity and a 60 m main boom featuring Grove’s TWIN-LOCK pinning system. With jib extensions, reach can extend to 130 m. The seven-axle carrier includes a fully automatic Allison transmission and Grove’s unique MEGATRAK independent suspension system for optimal performance both on- and off- road.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore is one of the world’s largest suppliers of iron ore. The company has a fleet of Grove mobile cranes including all-terrain cranes, rough-terrain cranes and truck cranes, all supported through the Manitowoc Crane Care facility at WATM. Based in the Pilbara region, the company has an integrated system of seven mines, more than 1,000 km of rail track and two port facilities to support its operations.
WATM is a family-owned company with more than 30 years experience in the crane business. Established in 1974, the company is the exclusive distributor for Grove mobile cranes, Manitowoc crawler cranes and National boom trucks in Western Australia.
About The Manitowoc Company
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. is a multi-industry, capital goods manufacturer with over 100 manufacturing and service facilities in 27 countries. It is recognized as one of the world's largest providers of lifting equipment for the global construction industry, including lattice-boom cranes, tower cranes, mobile telescopic cranes, and boom trucks. Manitowoc also is one of the world's leading innovators and manufacturers of commercial foodservice equipment serving the ice, beverage, refrigeration,food prep, and cooking needs of restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, healthcare, and institutional applications.
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