EXCLUSIVE: Sandvik unveils 'Basic' breakers

The Sandvik name is associated with premium products, so the decision to launch a cheaper, no-frills 'Basic' range of products seems a little odd at first. But as Thomas Schulz, president of the construction division of Sandvik Mining and Construction explained, durability has not been compromised.

"Our name is associated with quality, and the basic line has the same quality as our premium products. This range was developed for customers who wanted quality but not all our other features," he said.

Anders Kjellberg, vice president for business development and product offering added, "These are a lot easier to service, and that is also a distinguishing feature."

In technical terms, the key difference is that the Basic models feature a piston-type accumulator, rather than the membrane accumulator found in Sandvik's premium products. It is a simpler design, but one that provides a little less productivity.

As Sandvik's breaker specialist, Raghavan Ramaswamy told iC, "It is made for a market that is interested in cost per hour rather than productivity."

Mr Kjellberg added, "We have done some testing and the productivity of the premium models are noticeably better. If you're working 24 hours a day that's important, but if you're a contractor that just has to break a rock every now and again, the Basic would be better."

The Basic range was unveiled to a group of 300 Sandvik customers from more than two dozen countries at the company's second international customer event, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It currently comprises three models; the BA505 for 4 to 7 tonne carries the BA707 for 6 to 9 tonne machines and the BA2323 for 18 to 26 tonne excavators.

As far as options go there is a choice between a side-plate body and a silenced box-type housing, and that's about it. There is none of the complexity or range of choices such as automatic lube, blank firing protection or remote monitoring that are available with the premium BR models.

According to Håkan Karlsson, vice president of construction products for West Asia, the new range will open up new possibilities for the company. "With this breaker we get customer interfaces we didn't have before. It is complementary and opens up new avenues for us."

Basic principles

It is clear this idea of simper, high-quality products is something Sandvik will develop further in the future. The company has already applied this to its crawler drill range with the DH150 down-the-hole (DTH) rig.

This is purely hydraulic machine, with none of the advanced electronic systems found on Sandvik's other machines. It can drill holes from 89 to 127 mm in diameter for straight-forward quarrying and civil engineering work. The hydraulic drill steel carousel holds six 10 foot (3 m) rods, so with one in the feeder too, the maximum hole depth is 70 feet (21 m).

Asked about taking the 'Basic' concept further, with bigger ranges, or applying it to other products such as crushers, vice president for equipment, Duncan McGregor said, "Yes - why not?

"we have to recognise the realities of servicing products in remote locations. In those situations, the basic range would be better."

Mr Schulz concluded, ""It is important to recognise that these are customer needs in say Asia or the Middle East."