Over 72 design modifications turned a standard Manitou Telehandler into an underground workhorse for AngloGold Ashanti at Obuasi, Ghana. AngloGold Ashanti recently took delivery of seven Manitou Rough Terrain Telehandlers designed with, amongst other modifications, bespoke man basket attachments. The 6T machines will perform underground maintenance services in the underground drives, galleries and workshop areas working up to the current depth of 1 km and lower still as the gold mine develops.

AGA chose to incorporate safety features that would comply with stringent Australian and Ghanaian safety regulations and the standard build Manitous were redesigned with these requirements in mind. Paterson Simons facilitated the process from planning stages to delivery. Planning involved running the safety regulations through a risk assessment process to evaluate against the Ghana Mining regulations and actual conditions and practice on site. From this a major check list was generated which was applied to the standard model MHT-X 860L. A team from AGA and the specialised Manitou Mining team worked together to agree on a final specification which involved 72 engineered changes to the machine.

Manitou then produced a prototype which was rigorously tested and eventually approved by AGA in the factory before the remaining six machines were put into production.
All seven machines were delivered by Paterson Simons to the site in late 2013.

The machines will enable crews to work in a safer and more efficient manner in the confined spaces of the underground mine. For personnel, this will enable the work force to execute: concrete spraying, drilling roof support, installation of air and water pipes, hanging of cables to new working ends, installations of ventilation fans and vent ducting as well as general lifting duties around the mine.