Fleet study · total cost of ownership
How many machines, what size, and what each tonne costs you
The cheapest machine on the invoice is not the one that costs least per tonne. The study compares fleet alternatives against your real operation — your material, your haul routes, your shifts and your costs — and tells you which one meets your plan at the lowest cost per tonne.
Buying on sticker price is the most expensive way to buy
One machine too many
Idle capital and paid operators waiting in the loader queue.
One machine too few
The crusher waits for material and the production plan is missed.
The wrong combination
A small truck for a big excavator: more passes, more cycles and more fuel for every tonne.
What you get
A fleet sized with your numbers
- How many machines, and what size, you need to meet your plan: loading, hauling and support equipment.
- The output you can expect per hour and per shift, with your real cycle, waiting and stoppage times.
- The cost per hour and per tonne of each alternative: fuel, operators, tyres and maintenance.
- Two to four fleets compared side by side on what matters most to you: meeting the plan, producing the most or spending the least.
How it is done, in four steps
Step 1
You tell us about the operation
A short questionnaire, all optional: with the material, the output you want and the haul routes there is already a first calculation.
Step 2
We visit your operation
We walk the faces, the roads and the dump points, and measure whatever is missing: grades, distances, cycle times.
Step 3
We model the alternatives
Output, cycles and costs of every possible fleet. When the operation is complex — several faces, several routes, a crusher that sets the pace — the full cycle is simulated to see where queues form before you buy.
Step 4
We present the fleet
The recommended one, with its cost per tonne, and what would happen with the others. You decide with your own numbers, not a brochure.
What we need to know
Whatever you do not know today, we measure on the visit
With this we work out how many machines you need, what size, and what each tonne moved costs you. It takes a few taps and everything is optional: whatever you do not know today we gather on the visit to your operation. If you have a site plan or a production plan in Excel, say so in the message and we will ask for it by email.
The operation
- What kind of operation is it?Quarry or aggregates · Mine · Cement plant · Earthmoving · Sugar mill · Landfill · Port or yard
- What material do you move?Limestone · Hard rock (granite, basalt) · Sand and gravel · Soil and clay · Ore · Bagasse or biomass · Solid waste
- How much do you move today?Under 500 t/day · 500 to 2,000 t/day · 2,000 to 5,000 t/day · Over 5,000 t/day · Not producing yet
- What do you want to achieve?The same, at lower cost · Up to +25 % · +25 to +50 % · Double or more · It is a new project
- How far does the material travel?Under 500 m · 500 m to 2 km · 2 to 5 km · Over 5 km · Several routes
- Are there grades on the route?Flat · Gentle (up to 5 %) · Steep (over 5 %) · Not sure
The site
- At what altitude is it?Up to 500 m · 500 to 1,500 m · Over 1,500 m · Not sure
- What are the haul roads like?Firm and well kept · Fair, with potholes · Soft or muddy in the rainy season · Natural ground, no road
- Where does the material go?Crusher · Hopper or plant · Waste dump · Yard or stockpile · Customers' trucks
Your fleet today
- What equipment works there today?Excavators · Loaders · Dump trucks · Dozers · Motor graders · No fleet yet
- How many hours a day do you work?1 shift (8 h) · 2 shifts (16 h) · 24 hours · Seasonal (harvest)
- How many days a week?5 days · 6 days · 7 days
- How long does it stop each day?Under 1 h · 1 to 2 h · 2 to 3 h · Over 3 h · Not sure
- Do you track fleet availability?We measure it · We estimate it · We do not track it
Your costs
- What do you pay for diesel?Under US$ 1.00 per litre · US$ 1.00 to 1.25 · Over US$ 1.25 · Not sure
- How many operators per machine?1 per machine · 2 per machine · 3 per machine (24 h)
- How often do you change tyres?Everything is on tracks · Once a year or less · Every 6 to 12 months · More than twice a year · Not sure
- Who does the maintenance?In-house workshop · The dealer · Contracted out · Mixed
Fuel
Where cost per tonne leaks without anyone noticing
Fuel is usually the largest line in operating cost, and much of it depends on how the machine is worked, not on the machine. These figures come from Komatsu's tests and fuel-saving guides:
990 L/año
One hour of idling a day on a 20 t excavator, in auto-deceleration (3.3 L/h, 25 days a month). For a single machine.
−45 %
Less fuel when raising the truck body at 80 % engine speed instead of full throttle.
−5 a −15 %
Lower consumption with radial tyres than with bias tyres, thanks to lower rolling resistance.
+3 %
Higher consumption with a dirty air filter: the engine breathes less and loses power.
Where it pays off most
- Quarries and aggregates
- Mining
- Cement plants
- Earthmoving
- Sugar mills: cane and bagasse yards
- Landfills
- Ports and yards
What people always ask
Do I need all the data to ask for it?
No. With the type of material, the output you want and the haul routes a first calculation is already possible. The rest — grades, cycle times, stoppages — is gathered on the visit to your operation.
Is it useful if I work with another brand's machines today?
Yes. The study starts from your operation, not the brand you own. Your current fleet, whatever it is, is the starting point for measuring what each tonne costs you today and what it could cost.
Why does cost per tonne matter more than the machine's price?
Because the price is paid once and the operation is paid every hour for years. Cost per hour adds what it costs to own the machine — purchase, financing, insurance — to what it costs to run it: fuel, lubricants, tyres, maintenance, wear parts and the operator. Divided by the tonnes the fleet moves, that is what producing really costs you. Two fleets with the same price can have very different costs per tonne.
The first step takes five minutes
Tell us about the operation with whatever you have to hand. With that we build a first calculation and schedule the visit to measure the rest.
Request my fleet study