• Austin leads industry in design and manufacturing

    October 6th, 2023 | by
    06Oct
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    Austin Engineering is a leading designer and manufacturer of customised dump truck trays, buckets, and water tanks used in the global mining industry. 

    With manufacturing operations across four continents, Austin is also a complete service provider, offering on and off-site repair and maintenance and heavy equipment lifting services to customers including miners, mining contractors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

    Austin’s 2022 acquisition of Australian-based specialist bucket manufacturer, Mainetec, added an extensive range of high-quality, industry-leading mining buckets to Austin’s existing suite.

    The acquisition gave Austin access to Mainetec’s Hulk range of high-performance mining buckets. The Hulk buckets complement Austin’s JEC bucket range and the dual-product offering will increase Austin’s bucket market share in Australia, especially on the East Coast where Mainetec has a well-established presence.

    Austin is now offering Mainetec’s high-value dipper buckets into its global markets, particularly North and South America, where there is high demand and a large dipper bucket market. Austin sold its first Mainetec-designed dipper bucket into the US market in 2023. The Armadillo electric rope shovel dipper bucket is due for delivery by mid-2024. 

    Austin’s CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton said: “We identified Mainetec as an innovative and entrepreneurial business that fitted our strategy to become a leading designer and manufacturer of customised mining buckets. Mainetec has allowed us to grow our bucket market offering domestically and internationally, particularly in the Americas, where a large dipper bucket market exists.

    “The Armadillo bucket ordered from the US will be designed in Australia, manufactured in our facility in Batam, Indonesia, and will be supported by our US business in Casper, Wyoming. This process demonstrates Austin’s global reach and capabilities.”

    Austin has established specialist bucket ‘centre of excellence’ in Perth, Western Australia, where it is able to produce the entire Austin and Mainetec range of buckets.

    Austin’s purchase of Mainetec also came with its state-of-the-art condition monitoring software which Austin is able to fit to all of its buckets. 

    The condition monitoring software provides a precise, fleetwide overview of buckets and trays to improve annual product replacement planning. This approach helps to maximise product life, and thereby reduce costs and greenhouse emissions by ensuring buckets and trays are not withdrawn before required.

  • Maximising fleet productivity with Austin’s condition monitoring software

    October 6th, 2023 | by
    06Oct
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    Austin customers are able to access the most precise information on the condition of their truck trays and buckets through the Company’s industry-leading software, Mainetrack.

    Mainetrack accurately detects the condition of equipment to determine wear and timing around replacement. 

    The cutting-edge software was acquired by Austin through the Company’s purchase of Australian bucket specialist, Mainetec in 2022. Designed originally for Mainetec’s excavator and dipper buckets, the Austin team configured it for deployment on its truck tray range.

    The Mainetrack device fits to Austin’s buckets and trays, allowing clients to instantly gain precise data and statistics around the equipment’s usage and wear. This data provides an accurate and vital understanding of when a bucket needs to be rebuilt, replaced or if it is running at its optimal ability. 

    The software gives the most accurate picture of the health of Austin’s equipment, enabling customers to avoid a premature equipment replacement cycle. For example, the software may show that replacement is not required at a scheduled point and, instead of adhering to a scheduled replacement program, customers can defer the need for new equipment and capital spend.

    The Mainetrack software provides Austin customers with a comprehensive overview of key asset information through an easy-to-use management app. 

    Through the app, Mainetrack shows its users asset maintenance history and trends, captures wear rates, tracking and recording of asset information, tracking of the condition of assets and recorded damage, and provides downloadable reports for analysis and presentations.

    The software also provides monthly wear measurement reports to predict when buckets will require a rebuild or replacement, and the app rapidly identifies buckets that need mid-life onsite repairs.

    Austin’s CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton said: “This full-service reporting allows Austin’s customers to have a comprehensive understanding of their buckets and trays usage and history with the ability to set wear limits and maintenance forecasts. 

     “We are pleased to provide this extra service for our customers to assist with improved fleet and operational management, and to better utilise their equipment.”

  • Austin’s High-Performance Truck Tray (HPT) at cutting-edge of design and engineering

    September 15th, 2023 | by
    15Sep
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    Austin Engineering’s High-Performance Truck Tray (HPT) represents the next generation in truck tray design and engineering and positions Austin as a leader in the manufacture of customised lightweight truck trays for enhanced operational efficiency. 

    Austin’s HPT is its lightest tray ever manufactured and offers a broad range of improved efficiencies and features to the mining industry. 

    Austin is the world leader in customised design, build and sustainment of mine site haul truck trays, delivering trays to mining clients from its bases across Asia-Pacific, North and South America. Austin currently delivers around 600 truck bodies annually with capabilities and functions to suit multiple commodities and terrains.

    The HPT’s payload advantage is one of its key features. Compared to Austin’s ULTIMA product, HPT delivers on average an extra 45,000 tonnes of ore carried per tray annually, with 7.3 tonnes more payload. The HPT also utilises less steel in its manufacture and sees a decline in overall fuel and tyre usage and reduces carbon emissions per tonne of ore delivered. 

    The HPT features a state-of-the-art “V” floor configuration that provides multiple benefits over traditional tray options. The HPT enhances the flow by funnelling loads towards its centre during dumping. This unique feature reduces wear, improves stability, and ultimately reduces dump cycle times through three-quarter tipping. 

    The HPT’s unique design also increases the structural integrity of the tray and provides superior impact and wear resistance which results in a lower maintenance cost for users. The simplified structure of the HPT designs means that manufacturing and in-field serviceability is also significantly improved relative to conventional truck trays.

    Austin’s HPT is designed to improve function in every aspect for customers, with the  tray providing a 10-15 percent mass saving over comparable designs with real-world modelling techniques having been utilised to ensure the highest level of productivity and savings for users.

    The tray has not only been designed against real-world payload modelling techniques but has also been tested against advanced 3D modelling software to ensure that the HPT performs at its required level. Austin has tested every aspect of the HPT, from load simulations to optimal fatigue life testing with the latest software. 

    Austin utilises a process of continuous improvement to ensure all its tray designs are structurally fit for purpose.

    “Austin is known and recognised for its lightweight truck trays, but this is our lightest tray yet, and we’re extremely proud of our engineering and manufacturing teams on this design to meet the requirements of our customers. One of the biggest advantages is the HPT’s extra payload capabilities. A major customer calculated that it could carry $2.8 million dollars of ore per truck tray, per year, which is a significant impact efficiency and dollars-wise for mining companies.”

    Fully Customisable

    Austin’s HPT provides a fully customisable option for customers, with Austin’s TX-1 body design allowing adaptable solutions for mine-specific applications. 

    The HPT is designed to comply with all OEM machine limitations and is interchangeable with OEM componentry and machine attachments, this provides a flexible and convenient solution for users.

    Proven Performance

    Austin’s HPT has already been tried and tested by customers with the first trays having been fitted to Komatsu trucks before being delivered to customer mine sites. 

  • Austin’s Lightest-Ever Truck Tray Launched

    June 29th, 2023 | by
    29Jun
    hpt mining truck tray read more

    Global mining products business Austin Engineering Ltd has just launched its High Performance Truck Tray (HPT) range to the market.

    The HPT is the Company’s lightest tray ever produced and promises a suite of improved efficiencies and advantages for Austin’s mining customers.

    Perth-based Austin partners with mining companies, contractors and equipment manufacturers to create engineering solutions such as truck bodies, buckets and water tanks for multi-commodity underground and open cut operations.

    It is the world leader in customised design, build and sustainment of mine site haul trucks trays, delivering trays to mining clients from its bases across Asia-Pacific, North and South America. It currently delivers around 600 truck bodies annually with capabilities and functions to suit multiple commodities and terrains.

    Austin has made considerable investment in new products in the last 12 months, with its engineering teams using the latest innovation and technology to improve safety, productivity and reduce environmental footprint. The investment has led to the creation of the HPT and the light weight and linerless JEC High Performance (HP Series) bucket range.

    The key features of Austin’s HPT design have improved the overall strength of the tray, weight, stability, and efficiency of the product with more payload and less carryback. These have been achieved through adjustments and reconfigurations to the floor styling, load height, ground clearance, side support, and tray side and front walls.

    On payload advantage, Austin estimates 10 – 15 per cent mass savings over comparable Austin designs, significantly improving productivity, and potentially fuel usage, for the end user.

    All of Austin’s products are design-flexible, fully customisable and compliant. The HPT can be adapted to suit any mine-specific application and OEM make or model. Interchangeability also exists in regard to standard OEM componentry and machine attachment.

    “Austin is known and recognised for its lightweight truck trays, but this is our lightest tray yet, and we’re extremely proud of our engineering and manufacturing teams on this design to meet the requirements of our customers. One of the biggest advantages is the HPT’s extra payload capabilities.

    One of our major customers reported 7.3 tonnes more payload per journey. The customer calculated that it could carry $2.8 million dollars of ore per truck tray, per year, which is a significant impact efficiency and dollars-wise for mining companies,” said Austin Managing Director and CEO, David Singleton.

    While Austin reported a lift in both tray and bucket sales in full year 2022, the new product ranges are expected to boost sales globally. Austin’s customer base will be broadened through the recent acquisition of private Australian mining equipment manufacturer, Mainetec Pty Ltd, which has added the Hulk range of high performance mining buckets to complement its JEC HP range.

    First HPT trays in operation by end of month

    The first production run of HPTs is now commencing manufacturing in Austin’s major Kewdale facility in Perth.

    The first trays will be being fitted to Komatsu trucks before delivery to customer mine sites and into operation by the end of November 2022.

    Maximising fleet capabilities

    For more than half a century, Austin has been designing and manufacturing loading and hauling solutions for the mining industry. Its major manufacturing sites in Australia, Indonesia, North America and South America produce Austin’s major haul truck body brands including Westech, Westech PREMIER, JEC, JEC-LD and the popular ULTIMA tray range.

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