By Dylan Brown, courtesy of The Australian Mining
Liebherr-Australia and Roy Hill have announced the beginning of a new partnership, with the handover of a brand-new Liebherr R 9800 excavator.
Executives from both companies gathered at Roy Hill’s Perth offices to celebrate the occasion, which included a tour of the miner’s remote operations centre and a ceremonial handover of the 800-tonne machine.
To commemorate the milestone, Sophie Albrecht, a member of Liebherr Group’s administrative board, presented Roy Hill chief executive officer Gerhard Veldsman with a replica of the R 9800, complete with its distinctive pink counterweight and bucket.
“Liebherr is excited to partner with Roy Hill, a company that shares our dedication to innovation and operational excellence,” Liebherr-Australia managing director Trent Wehr said.
“We look forward to a long and prosperous future working together to unlock new efficiencies and growth opportunities for their mining operations.”
The R 9800 is the second of three initial Liebherr excavators to be delivered to Roy Hill’s Pilbara operations, following the arrival of an R 9400 at the end of 2024.
A third machine, another R 9800, is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2025, with Roy Hill selecting the machines for their reputation in durability, fuel efficiency, and operator comfort.
To maximise the uptime of Roy Hill’s fleet, Liebherr-Australia’s Perth team will provide a comprehensive mix of on-site and ad hoc machine support.
A group of skilled product support advisors and heavy-duty technicians will be based on-site to provide maintenance, repairs and advanced technical assistance.
“We’re eager to support Roy Hill as the company integrates Liebherr equipment into its operations for the first time,” Liebherr-Australia executive general manager of mining customer support Patrick Korman said.
“This marks the beginning of a strong partnership, and we look forward to working closely with the Roy Hill team to ensure they receive the highest level of service and support as the relationship develops.”
The new excavator joins Roy Hill’s existing fleet of pink mining equipment, an initiative led by the company’s executive chairman Gina Rinehart to raise awareness for breast cancer.
“Liebherr-Australia is proud to support efforts in raising awareness about the impacts of breast cancer because we believe in making a meaningful impact in the fight against this disease,” Wehr said.
“According to Australia’s National Breast Cancer Foundation, more than nine Australians lose their lives to breast cancer every day, which is a heartbreaking statistic and one that touches us all in some way.
“As a company, we are committed to helping raise awareness and support those battling this disease.”
