A growing Dressta fleet powering the fertilizer mine in Belarus

Dressta dozers are making perfect team work at potassium mine construction in Salihorsk.

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INCREASING NEEDS FOR POTASH FERTILIZER

With the ever growing world population, the demand for fertilizers for the food supply is also increasing year after year. Potassium, often called “potash”, is the third major plant and crop nutrient after nitrogen and phosphorus. Ninety-five percent of the world's production of potash is used on farms to fertilize the food supply. It's a critical ingredient that helps to improve crop yields, increase resistance to plant diseases, heighten water retention with a positive effect on taste and texture.

BELARUS, A GLOBAL SUPPLIER

The sources for potash are finite and they are mainly concentrated in Canada, Russia, Belarus and China. Belarus has historically been a major player in the global potash market. In 2015, the country took 3rd position in  the world on supplying this crucial nutrient. It puts out a total of 6.5 million MT of potash for the period. Potash is really essential to Belarus economy, accounting for over 6% of exports and bringing in foreign currency.

 Its production is concentrated in Salihorsk, also known as Soligorsk (literally Salt Mountain Town) in Russian, one of Belarus’ youngest cities, situated in the south of Minsk Region near Slutsk, around 130 km (75 mi) from  Minsk. The construction of the city was initiated in 1958 simultaneously with the start of the Starobin potash deposit development. Potash production capacity continues to expand, and a huge new facility is currently built to feed the global growing demand. But increase in production means also more waste from enrichment.

DRESSTA EXPERTISE

In order to support the activity, huge investments have been put into place, and special equipment were needed to manage this challenging task. In late 2015, 5 Dressta crawler dozers were appointed at OAO Trest Szachtospecstroy to handle the job: 3xTD-15M Extra, 1xTD-25M Extra and 1xTD-10R.

There is more than one reason why the company made the Dressta choice. OAO Trest Szachtospecstroy needed a group of equipment with versatility to work on various applications. Dressta experts provided professional advice on building the right fleet of dozers from 10 to 25 tons, taking into account the jobsite needs and working environment. Secondly, the company was also looking for machinery with a total cost of ownership that would give them a peace of mind on their bottom line. Dressta`s dozers that are built for the toughest of the environments with their optimal maintenance and servicing through their lifetime had it all for this expert organization.

During the purchasing process, the general director of OAO Trest Szachtospecstroy, Denis Diulin, visited the Dressta factory based in Stalowa Wola, Poland. During his visit, he took the chance to test the Dressta dozers, and was also impressed both by the production line along with the machines` capabilities.

The first steps of the machines into the job site were taken under hard winter conditions. Dozers are currently working on the opening of a new potassium mine, a 3-year project, making 300 hours each per month.

When it comes to the equipment range supplied, each dozer has specific features dedicated to certain kind of tasks:
- the largest dozer of the fleet, the TD-25M Extra, is used primarily to collect and buttress humus. It is also used to spread the sand and in reinforcement and construction of safety banks.
- the medium TD-15M Extra is spreading the sand transported by trucks and is levelling the land on which special geomembranes are stretched out.
- the smaller TD-10R has 2 tasks: accurate levelling of the sand before installing geomembranes, and then, spreading layer of sand on the geomembranes. This dozer has been chosen based on its lighter weight that makes it highly manoeuvrable along with its 6-way blade.

DRESSTA ENGINEERED FOR ANY BUSINESS WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF SPECIAL FEATURE REQUESTS

In 2016, OAO Trest Szachtospecstroy requested special attachment for the TD-15M Extra, a rake blade, needed for specific forestry application. For this special request, Dressta is working on a dedicated machine for the job that is currently being tested, and will perfectly match to customer needs.

RIGHT SUPPORT FROM THE DRESSTA AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES

Today, after 6 months of exploitation and 1,500 hours of work, Dressta equipment received very positive feedback both from operators and company representatives who are impressed by the high productivity, the easy steering and the reliability of Dressta dozers.

In order to make this cooperation successful, the upstream role of Dressta and its dealer was crucial, being there whenever there was the need. A special training was provided by Dressta technical specialists to the operators.  Thanks to this training, operators could get both theoretical and practical knowledge about Dressta dozers, allowing them to master the Dressta machine controls and take full benefits of their operating features. During the challenging 6 months, requested periodic technical inspections and maintenance were executed by Bel-Pol-Kontakt, regional service providers.

OAO Trest Szachtospecstroy general director, Mr. Diulin, has further mentioned that they will certainly continue their partnership with Dressta brand and it`s representative, Bel-Pol-Kontakt, as they feel that everything from the machines` productivity to service standards are second to none.