AFRICAN PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT DIGEST:
Moving the earth for millions of prawns
In the scorching heat of the Saudi Arabian desert, more than 100 Cat ® machines are moving 20,000 cubic meters of sand every day to build the world’s largest fully-integrated Aquaculture project. The prawn farm run by Saudi Arabia’s National Prawn Company (NPC) produces 50 tons of prawns daily in a remarkably environmental-friendly way.
A self-sufficient, sustainable business
The huge prawn farm uses desert land unsuitable for agriculture or housing, and water from the Red Sea. It does not destroy mangroves which are the traditional locations for prawn farms. It relies on its own energy with a desalination installation and a 21megawatt power plant as well as 4 mobile Cat generator sets. The prawn species farmed at NPC are indigenous to the Red Sea and are grown naturally, without antibiotics or hormones.
It has also become one of the foremost Research & Development centres for Aquaculture. “In building this prawn farm we’ve had to research and develop our own hydro dynamic concepts, our own mechanical harvesting methods, and our own high-saline feed formulas,” says Ahmad Al-Balla, general manager NPC. “What’s more we’ve developed our own, highly-rigorous bio-security regimes – as you can imagine the health and hygiene of our product is our main concern. We are proud that we have never had a single prawn rejected.”
“In addition to Cat’s proven reputation for quality and reliability, the expert service and support from the local Cat dealer made it an obvious business decision to go 100 percent Cat,” says Rao Ganeswara, earthworks manager at NPC. Zahid Tractor was present right from start, conducting a site survey and providing free-of-charge a complete case study of earthmoving needs with machine recommendations and benefit analysis. “Of course, NPC has its own team of highly skilled service technicians, but for the articulated dump trucks, Zahid Tractor sends its own engineers to check the advanced electronics in these machines,” says Rao. “They also offer the parts delivery service, the weekly visit of a dedicated aplication engineer to check our machine overall health and performance. Besides, Zahid Tractor gives a full day-training to all our new machine operators.”
As a result of all this expertise, NPC intends to extend its activities into in-land fish farming – which also promises to be totally self-sufficient and 100 percent sustainable.
First Cat ® PM102 Cold Planer Sails into Guadeloupe
The Cat ® dealer Medibam recently completed delivery of the first Cat PM102 Cold Planer to the eastern Caribbean Sea archipelago of Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe, a handful of islands and one of many French overseas regions, is best known for its warm subtropical climate and beautiful beaches and is, therefore, a popular European tourist destination. It is also known for its abundant sugar cane and banana exports.
Infrastructure keeps Guadeloupe’s economy moving…literally! The new Cat PM102 was recently delivered to Guadeloupe paving contractor FPRB (Fabrication et Pose de Revêtement Bitumineux) for a critical road rehabilitation project commissioned by the Regional Counsel of Guadeloupe. The project entailed the resurfacing of a well-travelled stretch of highway linking industrial areas of Jarry to the Pointe à Pitre International airport (terminal Pôle Caraïbe). The entire project required removal of 84,850 square meters of material prior to asphalt resurfacing.
Logistics of the project were complicated by the fact that traffic could not be shut down during the construction. Therefore, from the minute it hit the pavement, the PM102 needed to perform as expected and without machine downtime. Throughout the project, the machine milled non-stop for periods of six hours or more at a time, and easily met performance expectations.
FPRB had previous experience with the performance and reliability of Caterpillar ® machines, including a Cat PS300C Pneumatic Compactor and three 236B Skid Steer Loaders. According to Roland Ramakasson, Technical engineer for Medibam, the PM102 was selected because of its immediate availability, the quality of the Caterpillar brand, and the exceptional product support and service provided by Medibam.
FPRB’s newly hired operator climbed atop the PM102, and with no prior milling experience, completed the project within the allotted timeframe and at the required levels of performance. Medibam says that the customer is quite happy with the milling machine, as it matches their high expectations. Ramakasson, who completed PM102 technical and operations training at the Minerbio Training Center last June, remained on site for two consecutive days to guarantee customer satisfaction and ensure project specifications were met or exceeded.
Cat PM102 Cuts a Quick Path to Project Success
The compact-sized PM102 has an operating weight of 17,600 km, with a maximum rotor width of 1,000 mm and a maximum rotor depth of 305 mm. Its high-production rotor design provides maximum breakout force, and employs 97 carbide-tipped tools with quick-release conical tool holders for fast and effortless tool removal. A Cat C7 engine with ACERT ™ Technology provides clean-burning power; 168 kW/228 hp (gross power) rated at 2200 rpm. It meets European EU Stage IIIA emission regulations for off-road applications, and is designed to ensure maximum performance even in the most demanding job specifications. Automatic grade and slope controls, a hydraulically controlled flush cutting feature, enhanced operator visibility, ease-of-operation, and comfort, round out its host of world-class features.
