News, Sand Processing

Mental health wins in engine program milestone

Komatsu Australia and engine supplier Cummins have helped raise more than $19,000 for mental health after reaching a major milestone with Rio Tinto.

The three-way company partnership recently celebrated delivery of the 100th Cummins-manufactured MCRS engine module as part of a truck engine module renewal program for Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s (RTIO) fleet of Komatsu haul trucks in Western Australia.

Since the program commenced in mid-2017, the companies have been fundraising for mental health support service Beyond Blue through hosting a series of barbeques each time a new engine arrives on-site. Following the delivery of the 100th engine, a $19,400 cheque was gifted to the charity on 20 May at Komatsu’s Welshpool facility in Perth.

“We truly care about each other and the communities we work in, and we have a growing concern that anxiety and depression is on the increase, especially in our industry with [fly-in fly-out] workforces and remote regional communities,” Dean Visaggio, Cummins’ product support manager for RTIO, said.

As part of the project, Komatsu 830E and 930E haul trucks – including autonomous trucks – operating in Western Australia’s Pilbara region have been upgraded with Cummins QSK60 MCRS Advantage Plus engines, which are coincidentally painted blue.

Engine module renewal program

The technology is said to allow the engines to achieve higher horsepower with fewer turbochargers, while service life between repowers is predicted to be 36,000 to 40,000 hours, up from 28,000 to 36,000 hours, delivering lower life-cycle costs.

Andrew Hardy, Komatsu’s project support manager for Rio Tinto’s engine module program, said the milestone was significant for several reasons. “From the installation of the first MCRS engine module, Rio Tinto’s dump trucks have been in service with this new engine configuration for more than 26,500 days cumulatively across the fleet, with the first truck being in service for 555 days, as of May 27, 2019 – the day this 100th module is installed in the truck.”

Komatsu’s Western Australian general manager Glenn Swift added: “Working together, the three partner companies in this project are also facilitating additional resource requirements for the economy of WA – which in turn is helping generate additional jobs, along with enhanced job security for those already involved with the engine rebuild and install project.”

This year is also Cummins’ 100th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the 100th engine has serial number 9800100.

 

{{image2-a:c-w:640}}

 

More reading:
Partnership promises improved workflow efficiency
Heavy-duty dozer launched with machine control
Supplier marks 10th anniversary of driverless trucks
Local supplier turns pink for charity
IQA member takes to water for mental health

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend