Babcock’s new Branch in Middelburg officially opens

As a customer-focused company that continuously invests in improving service delivery, Babcock has completed an ultramodern, bespoke sales, parts and service dealership in Middelburg to offer responsive regional support and service across Babcock’s entire construction equipment product range. 

Peter Rogers (CBE), Chief Executive, Babcock International Group and Dame Judith Macgregor (DCMG, LVO), British High Commissioner to South Africa

Babcock is the exclusive regional distributor for leading international brands and equipment including Volvo and SDLG construction equipment, Tadano mobile cranes and Winget concrete handling machinery. Babcock was also appointed the official distributor of Terex Trucks in October 2015 following the truck company’s acquisition by Volvo earlier last year.

With an extensive history in sales and servicing of construction equipment to the mining and construction sectors in South Africa, Babcock has had a presence in the Middelburg region for the last 16 years and has outgrown two previous premises in this period. The new Middelburg facility was purpose-built to assist and support customers in the region and is expected to service the coal mining fields of Middelburg and surrounds for at least the next 20 years.

The estimated R100-million yellow-metal facility covers 30 000 square metres and features highly specialised and unique design elements as well as modern, high-end finishes.

Babcock’s Project Manager Michael de Weijer, who was instrumental in managing the construction of the new facility, says that the ergonomic design was conceptualised around the flow of equipment, parts and people to ensure efficient operational and communication management.

Accordingly, the administrative open-plan offices are located across two floors. The workshop offices on the first floor overlook the 12 work bays and service facilities area comprising the component workshop, spray booths, wash bays and boiler workshops. All heavy equipment operation and parts are on a single level enhancing safety when handling these machines and heavy parts.

The primary workshop covers an area of nearly 2 000 m² under roof and includes 12 nine-metre wide work bays in two adjoining rows of six bays, all serviced by overhead gantry cranes. All bays have a ceiling of 9 m under hook, making it possible to service mega trucks, such as the rigid and articulated dump trucks from Terex Trucks, bucket up.

All the workshop bays, component workshop, spray booths, wash bays and boiler shop bays drain into a common settling tank and oil separation facility before being discharged into municipal waste.

A further custom feature in the workshop is the railway tracks linking the wash bays to four workshop bays, specifically for tracked excavators and chain link front end loaders so that this equipment with high point loads does not damage the site hardstand. 

The workshop parts requirements are served by the parts warehouse, connected by a three metre-wide east/west passage that runs along the entire length of the workshops and warehouse. The warehouse has increased from 280 m2 at the previous premises to 1 615 m2 to accommodate an increase in inventory and stock lines required. This increase is largely attributed to regional growth and parts for the new Terex Truck range. With extra stacking space of up to 5-6 m, larger volumes of each part number can be stored and there is also ample capacity for future expansion. The workshop offers easy access to counter sales for smaller parts, while on the other side goods receiving and dispatch are serviced by a continuous loading ramp. The use of natural light has been maximised with the northern side illuminated by a light box which filters in indirect daylight without the heat load of direct north facing polycarbonate sheeting, reducing the power requirements to achieve the Lux levels required in a warehouse.

A component workshop of 198 m2, situated adjacent to the workshop and sharing a common tool store, is serviced by a 10 tonne overhead gantry equipped for engine, transmission and axle overhauls. The room is positively pressurised by an evaporative cooling system to reduce ambient temperatures while acting as a dust filtration system.

The architectural design also incorporates energy efficient and modern design philosophies. The exterior overhang has a curved bullnose proportioned to prevent direct sunlight entering the building in the summer months, while permitting winter sunlight into the first few metres of the ground floor, and assisting with natural interior warmth via convection up the glass façade in the cooler winter months.

Floor-to-ceiling semi-transparent stacking doors serve as workshop doors instead of the standard industrial roller shutter doors, to take advantage of natural light and to facilitate heating in winter, as well as bringing organic elements into the work space for a more efficient and productive work environment.  Even when the workshop doors are closed and no electrical lighting is used, the Lux levels in the workshop bays are over 1 000 Lux.

Other intelligent design features include motion-sensor lighting in bathroom cubicles, foot-operated faucets for ease of access for staff that handle oil, water tanks with a reserve of five days’ water in the event of a water supply cut, and a 500 kVA generator to allow work to continue during power outages.

“From this new flagship branch we can deliver improved service to our customers in the Middelburg region and achieve a faster turnaround time,” says Babcock’s Sales Director for Equipment, David Vaughan. “We are proud to have created an environment conducive to productivity from where we can continue building good relationships with our customers based on trust and excellent after sales support.”

“Customers are always looking for the most cost-effective way to move material,” continues Vaughan. “Babcock is renowned and respected for delivering high production machinery that is also fuel efficient, and works in collaboration with its customers to engineer material handling solutions that meet specific requirements and achieve the lowest cost per tonne of material moved.”

“When we increased our product line to include the Terex Truck range with a payload of up to 100 tonnes, we knew we had the facilities to bring these trucks to our customers. In fact, at 9 metres wide, the workshop bays were purpose-built for trucks with payloads of up to 150 tonnes,” explains Vaughan.  “Furthermore, the facility has been designed with ample turning space for these mega trucks.”

Practical completion of the new premises was reached at the end of July 2015 and the branch is already fully staffed and functioning. The official opening took place on 4 February and was attended by a number of VIPs, among them the British High Commissioner to South Africa Dame Judith Macgregor and Chief Executive of Babcock International Group Peter Rogers.  Following introductory talks, guests were taken on a tour of the impressive premises and had the opportunity to view Babcock’s extensive range of construction equipment on display, including an original, refurbished 1960s wheel loader.

Babcock’s equipment business currently has 25 branches and 4 independent dealers in southern Africa and operates in various market sectors, the largest of these being the mining and construction industries.  “Our customers trust us to deliver and we are very proud of our aftermarket base that we have built up throughout the country,” concludes Vaughan. 

Press Release Issued by: Serendipity Events, Promotions & Exhibitions on behalf of Babcock

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