SA company wins prestigious award for dump trucks

South African company Van Reenen Steel has taken home this year’s international Swedish Steel Prize for developing a lighter and more durable body for dump trucks in the mining industry. The purpose of prize is to provide inspiration and to disseminate knowledge about high strength steel and the potential for developing lighter, safer, and more environmentally sound products – all qualities of the prizewinning solution. Dump trucks used in mining operations are exposed to extremely tough conditions. Van Reenen uses high strength abrasion-resistant steel in an innovative truck body design to create a lighter and more sustainable structure. For users, the vehicle weight is reduced by eight tons, or 19 percent. Operating and maintenance costs are lower, as is environmental impact due to lower emissions. Runners-up were Blupoint from Australia, Ruthmann from Germany and Wranne Fåhraeus Design AB from Sweden.