The latest L-series with a Stage V engine excels in performance and comfort, cementing Jetcrete’s role as a trendsetter in mining tech.
Contractor
Jetcrete
Location
Golden Grove, Southern Australia
Products
Utimec LF 700 AgitatorIn 2017, the first-ever Utimec LF 700 Agitator was delivered to Jetcrete, and since then, it has become the most popular machine model in Australia. Jetcrete has been a trendsetter in other initiatives as well: following their request back in 2012, we developed a front axle suspension system that is now a standard in Australia.
Continuing this path, the first new generation L-series machine with a Volvo Penta’s Stage V engine in Australia was again the Utimec LF 700 Agitator, delivered in 2022 to Jetcrete to operate at the Prominent Hill Mine in Southern Australia. To date, the machine has over 7500 operating hours. Altogether, Normet has delivered six new generation LF 700 Agitators to Jetcrete, with more on the way. A Normet team, including representatives from Australia and Finland, visited the Jetcrete team at Golden Grove mine in Western Australia to see one of the new LF 700s and to hear feedback from the Asset Manager and operating crew on this new platform compared to the previous generation machines.
About Jetcrete and Golden Grove operations
Jetcrete, part of the Byrnecut Group, has 40 years of experience providing ground support services for the mining and construction industries and operating in major projects in Australia, Indonesia, and North America. In Golden Grove, a copper, lead, silver, zinc, and gold mine owned by 29 Metals, Jetcrete owns and operates an on-site batch plant and handles the whole process from concrete mixing to transportation and spraying.
Feedback on the new L-series
Jetcrete’s agitator driver Ali Houssiani from the Golden Grove mine likes the previous generation LF 700s, as he knows them like the back of his hand. However, he admits that the new generation has its perks; according to him, the best features of the new LF 700 compared to the previous generation include the suspension and operator comfort, and the machine’s performance, including higher incline speed and more powerful retardation.
When it comes to reliability, Jetcrete’s Asset Manager Andrew Purchase is confident in the support from Volvo Penta, which he advises works well. Additionally, improvements in retardation control and the driveline have enhanced the service life of key components.
The Normet team left Golden Grove thankful for Jetcrete’s hospitality and with a positive feeling that the new L-series will succeed as well as or even better than its predecessor, along with some new ideas based on feedback to bring back to R&D in Finland.
Project Outcome
Going Forward
As the footprint of the new generation L-series expands globally, Normet will ramp down the previous generation L-series. The new generation offering has, on top of improved ergonomics and performance, many other enhanced features, such as a 75% bigger fuel tank and a new control system with top-notch safety and driver-assisting features. The new L-series machines are available with Volvo Penta’s Stage IIIA or Stage V low-emission engine technology.
