A certified rebuild requires the machine or component rebuild to meet strict criteria, ensuring a full service life and value.
Specific parts must be replaced with new, genuine parts, and parts that are reused must meet strict guidelines to qualify for reuse. Critically, the latest technological and engineering improvements are incorporated into the machine or component, ensuring the rebuilt machine or component is as good as new.
Wayne Tyson, the quarry customer support manager for WesTrac – the approved dealer for Caterpillar Certified Rebuilds for the New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Western Australian markets – says Cat machines, power trains and major components are all “built to be rebuilt”.
“You invested in Cat quality when you bought your machine,” Tyson said.
“With a Cat Certified Rebuild from WesTrac, you can recover all the performance and productivity of your original machine – plus take advantage of all the benefits from the latest engineering updates.
“And because it’s a certified rebuild from WesTrac, customers receive a warranty they can count on.” Dean Beltrame, the site manager at Boral’s Marulan South Limestone Mine, worked closely with WesTrac on a Cat Certified Rebuild strategy.
He said the rebuild strategy they developed resulted in a notable improvement in Boral’s heavy mobile equipment (HME) mining fleet availability.
“Boral has a zero harm strategy, and these rebuilds go towards ensuring ‘peace of mind’ for operators, that their HME is safe and all safety critical compartments of the machines have been rebuilt correctly,” Beltrame said.
Repair before failure
The target for the rebuild was to provide and install a certified power train and hydraulics rebuild for a large Caterpillar 993K wheel loader with about 18,000 hours on the clock. WesTrac has also carried out certified rebuilds for Boral’s 90-tonne off highway trucks.
Beltrame said Boral did plenty of homework when deciding whether to rebuild equipment rather than replace it.
“Basically the long term expectations of the rebuild process were that we would benefit from an increased capacity in mining operation and reduce significant maintenance costs for our HME fleet,” he said.
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“The decision came down to WesTrac’s experience, plus the access to Cat technical expertise and genuine parts, and this was all backed by warranty and service support.”
He said the rebuild strategy created a more optimal method for life cycle replacement and predictive care of the HME fleet. This included financial forecasting and budgeting.
Boral evaluated the value and benefit of the rebuild process compared with replacement by assessing machine/life cycle hours per annum and equipment criticality to mining operations.
Beltrame said not all equipment warranted the rebuild approach.
“The key requirements of the rebuild strategy and the targets set for the strategy included maintenance cost reductions across the entire life cycle of the equipment – across 60,000 hours in this instance – plus improved machine availability. This meant reduced mean time to repair and increased mean time between failure.”
This was achieved by reviewing unscheduled downtime events and scheduled repairs and maintenance before failure. By adopting a repair before failure approach, the complications of an unscheduled shutdown are avoided and costs kept to a minimum.
WesTrac’s Cat-certified facilities can provide a 24/7 rebuild service, ensuring the customer’s machine is out of operation for the absolute minimum time. It also means replacement parts are quick and simple to source and readily available on demand during routine maintenance periods.
Teams of Cat dealer-certified technicians working around the clock ensure the rebuild is completed in the shortest possible time. For example, a 100-hour rebuild would take WesTrac four days, whereas it would take a smaller operation, with parts availability, working eight hours a day, five days a week, more than two and a half weeks to complete.
Beltrame said there were specific benefits for his operators. “Not only did the operators support the rebuild strategy but they enjoyed taking ownership of a rebuilt machine and getting their old machine back. The machines ended up as new, but to the operators they remained very familiar.
“Our experience of working with WesTrac and the Cat Certified Rebuild teams was very positive. They were very experienced on the job and they delivered quality work and quality after rebuild service and technical support. “Compared with other possible rebuild options, WesTrac’s close relationship with Caterpillar and its expertise with qualified Cat technicians and its vast parts inventory figured strongly in the rebuild decision.
“The decision required a level of trust with WesTrac and they met our expectations, both in terms of level of trust and the excellent quality of the work.”
Caterpillar product assistance is available in other states and territories through William Adams (Victoria and Tasmania), Hastings Deering (Queensland and the Northern Territory) and Cavpower (South Australia).
Source: WesTrac