Rexx put to the test in WA

Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia has requisitioned the mine haul truck, Rexx, for a challenging assignment, according to mining services company, Bis.

The Gold Fields mine near Laverton identified the dual powered 20-wheel dump truck as being suitable for the task of helping shift thousands of tonnes of material out of the Wallaby Pit to a stockpile 15 kilometres away, Bis said in a statement.

Bis CEO, Brad Rogers, said the campaign not only capitalised on Rexx’s strengths including its versatility and range but also provided a challenging environment to further test the truck in different conditions.

“Rexx is performing extremely well at the mine, proving its ability to come out of the Wallaby pit with a 160-tonne payload,” he said. “As part of the testing during the trial, Rexx has also completed numerous hill starts fully loaded, on the incline.”

Rogers said the work at Granny Smith was providing a perfect demonstration of the range capability of the new Bis workhorse, with Rexx required to complete round trips of 30 kilometres from the pit to the stockpile location.

He added that Rexx has more than four times the distance capability of competing dump trucks and an on-demand power system that lowers fuel consumption. The vehicle also has the capacity to carry enough fuel for at least two 12-hour shifts, eliminating downtime needed for refuelling.

“We are embracing innovation and technology across our mining operations and this is a great example of how we can work with our business partners to create advances in the industry,” said Granny Smith General Manager, Andrew Bywater. “We see this as a real opportunity to explore potential improvements in trucking efficiency, and are encouraged by what we have seen to date.”

The ‘grunt work’ at Granny Smith follows extensive testing at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin mine where Rexx proved its capability to deliver up to a 30 per cent reduction in operating costs, compared with conventional dump trucks, according to Bis. The truck has also operated fully loaded in pits below the water table and handled the sticky and boggy conditions with ease.

Rogers said the versatility of Rexx, including interchangeable bins, had sparked interest not only in the resources industry – internationally and in Australia - but with potential customers across a range of sectors including construction and civil.

“Rexx is the latest example of how Bis finds the best and inventive ways to haul, transport, handle, process and deliver our customers’ critical commodities,” he said.

Last year, Rexx was recognised for innovation in mining.