WesTrac has worked hand-in-glove with leading coal miner Yancoal for more than a decade, delivering the latest and greatest Caterpillar machines and equipment. As the Tier 1 company recently celebrated 20 years of operating in Australia, WesTrac helped roll out a new fleet across Yancoal’s New South Wales sites, with sustainability and reliability front-of-mind.
With eight producing mines across Australia, Yancoal is well versed in the benefits of having a strong fleet of robust and reliable machines. This is why the producer and exporter has been working hand-in-glove with WesTrac for 15 years, as Yancoal’s national footprint has grown.
WesTrac has delivered fleets of Cat trucks, excavators, drills, and other ancillary equipment to Yancoal’s sites around the country, to the point where 65% of the company’s fleet across Australia is Caterpillar. Most recently, WesTrac has worked on delivering a vast range of machines to two of Yancoal’s sites in New South Wales – Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW) in the Hunter Valley and Moolarben near Mudgee.
As Yancoal Executive General Manager of Operations David Bennett explains, these two sites require reliable and robust machines for the open-cut operations. “We need equipment to be reliable, we need equipment to be cost effective, and we need to be able to source parts for our equipment, whether it’s service kits or breakdown parts,” he says. “All of our sites have strategic plans in place for our production profiles, the fleet and the asset mix that is required.”
He adds: “The machine we purchase, whether it’s an excavator or haul truck, a dozer, a piece of support equipment, needs to be fit for the tasks we’re purchasing it for. If you look at the Cat 789 Mining Trucks and also the Cat 795s, they’re a robust truck, they operate in all different conditions. We can operate those trucks in heavy wet weather conditions…[and] when things get challenging at the depths of the pit, those trucks will operate down there safely, reliably and deliver the product we need.”
At the MTW site, three Cat 789C Mining Trucks have achieved above and beyond their call of duty. The machines have worked for 24 years and clocked up more than 150,000 hours, among only 12 of these models around the world to do so. “That demonstrates the reliability and the robustness of the 789 model,” Bennett explains.
Yancoal has invested in a variety of Cat machines and equipment over the years to keep its fleet updated. This year, the company replaced its Cat 6050 Hydraulic Mining Shovel at Moolarben with the new Cat 6060 FS Hydraulic Mining Shovel. “When we looked at the Cat 6060 and went and looked at other sites across New South Wales who operate that machine…it was decided the 6060 was best fit for Moolarben,” says Yancoal Group Asset Manager Matt Staff. “The fuel burn reduction in that new generation 6060 was a benefit we looked at and made us go for the Cat product.”
Yancoal has also invested in a fleet of new Cat 794 Mining Trucks for its MTW site, becoming the first company to buy this model new in NSW. The Cat 794 is one of the largest mining trucks available, and has been designed to use less fuel, reducing engine emissions and ultimately, reducing the on-site carbon footprint.
With mounting pressure on industry to reduce carbon emissions and meet ESG goals, Bennett says investing in machines like the Cat 794 Mining Trucks and the Cat 6060 FS Hydraulic Mining Shovel makes sense. “It just makes good business sense to operate equipment that is reliable and also minimises fuel burn. We care for the communities we operate in so if we can get a machine much more sensitive to that, then it’s best business for us.”
Along with introducing new machines, Yancoal invested in Cat MineStar Fleet technology to ensure a holistic approach to fleet management. “We had a look at the MineStar product, with some of the automation we’re going towards, like with our drill fleet at Moolarben and MTW and obviously the Cat fleet that we have at that site,” Staff explains. “We thought the MineStar product, and having that partnership with Caterpillar at that site, would be a benefit instead of having another product.”
As WesTrac Mining Business Manager Craig Morris explains, the OEM had been working with Yancoal to find the best fleet management system for the Moolarben site. “The best solution we came up with as a group was the full [Cat MineStar] fleet management system, which is a production and maintenance tool that helps them make sure the site’s delivering what’s required. It gives you good reporting to be able to see what your assets are doing and how things are performing not only from an operation, but also a mechanical aspect. We’ll have a full implementation team on that site for a period of time to make sure everyone understands the package that’s been delivered and what it can do for them.”
The WesTrac team delivers more than just MineStar support to Yancoal. Both the MTW and Moolarben sites are close to WesTrac branches, providing accessible aftermarket support and service. “We’ve got field service that runs out of our Mount Thorley facility, which is directly across the road from Mount Thorley Warkworth operation,” Morris says. “We’ve got a branch in Mudgee, which is about 40 minutes from the Moolarben site where we support those guys. We also have a number of dedicated resources on both sites – from a site performance specialist to support reps right through to field service technicians.”
As Morris explains, the proximity of WesTrac staff has allowed the partnership with Yancoal flourish. “Our relationship strengthened through us being able to work with them and supply more equipment, get close to their business, understand their business and make sure what we’re supplying is what they need to deliver the outcomes they need.”
According to Bennett, having a strong working relationship with WesTrac is critical to both Yancoal and the broader mining industry. “Yancoal’s been here for 20 years in Australia, we invest locally, we employ locally, we do business with local businesses. Our partnership [with WesTrac] into the future will be really important to make sure both businesses are sustainable and ultimately, the industry succeeds long term.”
Yancoal is committed to integrating sustainable practices and principles across its operations, and to assist with this mission, the miner has joined Caterpillar’s Pathways to Sustainability program. The educational program provides holistic learning opportunities and energy transition advice to participants, using the latest tools and technology to explore emission reduction objectives can be achieved.
Staff says Yancoal is looking forward to taking part in the four-year program. “Being part of the Pathways program is exciting, to see how we implement new technologies and new equipment and reap the benefits of sustainability. We’re going to pick a site, which we think will be MTW, to be that trial site and do the Pathways program there, and any learnings we can then use across the group.”
As Morris explains, Pathways to Sustainability offers a collaborative approach to incrementally introduce sustainability solutions. “The more heads you get together, the more experts you put in a room, the more likely to come up with solutions. Everyone’s got the same end game and it’s about how we work together to get there successfully so everyone wins.”
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