Caterpillar earthmoving equipment dealer Barloworld Equipment unveiled the 2014 range of Cat equipment for the mining, construction and infrastructure industries in Johannesburg last week.

The new products that were launched included the Cat 725C and Cat 730C articulated trucks, the Cat 320D2 L and 323D2 L Series II hydraulic excavators and the K-Series small wheel loader.

The new Cat C-Series articulated truck line-up features new, more powerful engines, advanced transmissions and automatic traction.

“Compared with its predecessor, the Cat 725C delivers a 4% gain in gross power and a 20% boost in gross torque, while the Cat 730C and Cat 730C EJ models have nearly 16% more gross power and 30% gross torque improvement,” Barloworld group product manager for Southern Africa Johan Venter said at the event.

He added that, compared with its predecessor, the new Cat C7.1, which replaced the Cat C6.4, was far more fuel efficient.

Compared with the 323D L, fuel consumption on the new Cat 323D2 L is reduced by 11%, owing to better hydraulic controls, a viscous clutch fan and new pumps, with similar energy savings achieved for the 320D2 L model.

“The new Cat 986H large wheel loader [achieves] the lowest cost-per-ton production in various sectors, ranging from opencast mining, underground loading, granite-block handling and steel mill applications to quarrying,” Venter said.

He noted that the K-Series small wheel loader line-up featured a new intelligent hydrostatic drive system that provided adjustable power on the ground and superb groundspeed control, combined with fuel efficiency.

“It has been completely redesigned and features a new improved Z-bar loader linkage and a refined operator’s station.”

Venter explained that the new machines were equipped with technology called ProductLink, a system that measured the vitals of the machine, including its fuel consumption and logistics.

The machines are also equipped with an easy- to-use interface called VisionLink, a Web-based program that can be specifically configured to each machine, allowing for virtual management that includes customised health and utilisation reports, as well as mapping and mixed-fleet capabilities.

“ProductLink transmits information through cellphone and satellite, providing accurate, timely and useful information about the location, utilisation and condition of new Cat equipment—the kind of information that can make a huge difference in the efficiency and costs of an entire operation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Venter noted, Caterpillar had spent nearly $2.3-billion of its global turnover in the last financial year on research and development, as it strived to remain ahead of the curve in innovation and best practice.