A fleet of Volvo Construction Equipment (
Situated within the Arctic Circle where temperatures fall to -30°C, the work at Kiruna Mine in Lapland, northern Sweden, is said to be putting Volvo CE’s innovative new V-ACT Tier4i/Stage IIIB engine to the test.
The wheeled loaders are deployed pretty much round the clock to transport their huge daily haul of iron ore up two kilometres from below ground each day. LTH Traktor – a sub-contractor of one of the world’s leading iron ore processors, Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) – is said by Volvo CE to ensure that its machinery is as powerful, fuel efficient and emission-friendly as possible to keep the site operating at peak performance.
“Fuel is a huge part of our budget – and with diesel prices continuously rising, it’s vital for us to reduce our fuel consumption for the economics of our business,” says Martin Fredrikson, site manager for LTH Traktor. “But another consideration for us when we purchase construction equipment is that we are contracted to meet LKAB’s stringent emissions regulations – and therefore our construction machinery must too.”
LTH Traktor operates 177 Volvo CE machines at the Kiruna Mine site to transport and load raw ore and grey rock – including 19 excavators, 15 articulated haulers and 43 wheeled loaders. Its fleet includes eight wheeled loaders from the newly-launched G-Series (one L60G, two L120Gs, one L180G, three L220Gs and one L250G) that are in operation for between 20-24 hours per day.
Volvo CE says its new G-Series wheeled loaders are lean, clean machines that offer a more efficient, low emissions engine. The V-ACT Tier 4i/Stage IIIB offers high torque performance to work more efficiently at low engine speeds and is combined with perfectly-matched electronic fuel injection for optimal power and low fuel consumption.
“Since purchasing the latest Volvo CE G-Series machines, our operators have commented that they are considerably more fuel efficient – and of course the engine and transmission play a big role in that,” says Fredrikson.
Many markets now demand that construction machinery features a Tier 4i/Stage IIIB classified engine that can remove NOx and particulate matter from the emissions. Volvo CE’s G-Series wheeled loaders’ regeneration system is said by the firm to work effectively in the background to remove these emissions, without having to stop the machine – or even lose any power. By combining the new regeneration system with better fuel consumption and enhanced machine performance, operators are said to be able to carry out regeneration while the machine is still in operation.
Fredrikson adds: “The regeneration function works well and we’ve noticed a big decrease in particle emissions. This has been extremely positive for our underground work environment. Volvo’s engines are a lot further ahead in terms of technology – this manufacturer has really listened to the customers and worked hard to meet their needs.”
LTH Traktor works with its local construction equipment dealer –
Using industry-leading diagnostic technology and only Volvo CE genuine parts, Swecon technicians are said by Volvo CE to know how to help customers maximise machine uptime, productivity and residual value through routine wear inspections, comprehensive maintenance and repair agreements.
Every G-Series wheeled loader comes fitted with CareTrack, Volvo CE’s telematics system, as standard. It provides information for better planning and smarter working – including fuel consumption reports, location reports, fault alerts and service reminders.
