Volvo Penta and Wajax are supporting MacLean Engineering’s integration of Volvo Penta off-road engines into its underground mining equipment range, with the first Volvo Penta-powered machine already delivered to a customer site in Quebec.
The work combines Volvo Penta’s industrial engine platform with Wajax’s Canadian distribution, service, parts, and integration capability. MacLean, a Canadian manufacturer of underground mining equipment, is using the arrangement to support a wider rollout of Volvo Penta power across its machine line-up.
Volvo Penta and Wajax began their distribution partnership in 1988 and have worked together across heavy-duty industrial equipment and commercial marine applications. On the MacLean programme, the relationship covers testing, validation, implementation, and aftermarket support, rather than engine supply alone.
Wajax’s national service base gives the programme a local support structure, with more than 100 branches across Canada providing sales, parts, repair, and industrial service capability. The company serves sectors including mining, construction, forestry, transportation, energy, and oil and gas.
“What keeps us here is the customer experience and delivering solutions for our customers,” said Joe Di Pede, vice president Powertrain, Wajax. “We cover key components of engineering and OEM distribution to provide the solutions our customers demand.”
MacLean is integrating Volvo Penta’s mining engines into its full equipment line-up, including D5 Tier 3 and Stage V engine options. Underground mining machinery places heavy demands on power systems, with long duty cycles, confined operating conditions, and high expectations for uptime, service access, and emissions performance.
“Volvo Penta and Wajax have enjoyed a partnership that spans decades,” said Joel Contreras, regional sales manager, Volvo Penta. “They are very experienced with our product. Distributors like Wajax are vital to Volvo Penta because they apply local expertise and talent, while we bring global knowledge and resources to support that.”
MacLean’s equipment portfolio includes roof bolters, utility vehicles, secondary reduction equipment, shotcrete and concrete transport, explosive charging systems, attachments, and custom machines. Matching the right powertrain to those platforms affects productivity, ventilation requirements, maintenance access, and whole-life operating cost.
“Mining equipment demands a certain level of safety, productivity and emissions performance, and we find that Volvo Penta and Wajax bring that with their product,” said John Botelho, product manager, MacLean Engineering. “They’ve proven to be strong technical partners. Their product fits well, and we’ve had great success with it.”
Wajax’s role extends into propulsion system fit, application engineering, and long-term service support, while Volvo Penta brings a global industrial engine platform and technical training. That combination gives MacLean a standardised power option backed by in-country support.
“We’re able to provide a solution that MacLean trusts will work, and that’s achieved through close engineering collaboration between Wajax and Volvo Penta,” said Duncan Finlayson, technical sales representative, Wajax. “Working with MacLean, we can ensure that what we’re proposing as a propulsion solution is going to fit for their end user.”
