Shubarkol Komir expands Hitachi mining equipment fleet

One of Kazakhstan’s largest semi-coke and thermal coal producers, Shubarkol Komir, has expanded its fleet of Hitachi mining equipment to 14 rigid dump trucks and four mining excavators. All of the machines have been supplied by the authorised Hitachi dealer in Kazakhstan, Turkuaz Machinery, whose dedicated service team helps to keep the machines running 24 hours a day.

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The latest deliveries to the remote coal mining operation – four EH1100-5s and two EH3500ACIIs – in 2015 have joined forces with the existing line-up of six EH1100-3 and two EH3500ACII rigid dump trucks. The expanded fleet hauls the overburden and coal to either a conveyor, where they are transported for delivery to customers by rail, or a stockpile for temporary storage.

These materials are extracted by four Hitachi ultra-large mining excavators: an EX1900-6,EX3600-6 and two EX3600E-6s. Since 2012, these machines have been covered by a technical support agreement with Turkuaz Machinery, which has a team of 14 technicians and parts stock managers based at the site. The MMR (monitoring, maintenance and repair) contract covers all of the Hitachi EX-6 excavators on a 24/7 basis.

The main challenge faced by the Turkuaz Machinery team is to prepare the machines for the extreme weather conditions, which vary dramatically from -40 to +45°C. To prevent any unscheduled repairs in winter, it adheres to Hitachi’s recommended cold weather package, which for example heats the hydraulic oil and electrical systems. In summer, the hydraulic system runs at a much higher temperature and so the radiator is kept clean during the regular technical maintenance checks.

“Hitachi excavators are the ideal mining machines, with excellent levels of productivity and reliability,” says Shubarkol Komir’s Chief Mechanical Engineer Vladimir Kvyatkovskiy. “After evaluating them against the main competitors, we have come to the conclusion that they are the best on the market for us.

“We like the design of the excavators, and more importantly, the location of the parts and components leads to easier maintenance. Using Hitachi Parts is also effective in prolonging the life of our machines. The delivery time for Hitachi mining equipment is good. It is more flexible and open to the needs of the market with faster manufacturing, delivery and assembly times.

“Due to the success of the MMR excavator contract with Turkuaz, we are also considering a similar agreement for the dump trucks. This will only be required for the amount of time spent on maintenance rather than on a 24/7 basis. This is because we can be more flexible with the availability of the dump trucks.”

Shubarkol Komir commenced operations in 1985 and produced 10.3 million tonnes of coal in 2015, an increase of more than 70% since 2010. Its total measured and indicated resources are estimated at 1.5 billion tonnes, with the site having an estimated lifespan of up to 70 years.

There are 2,100 of the company’s 2,700 employees working on the site, which measures 6.5 x 3km at its longest and broadest points respectively. With large seams measuring at depths of between 30 and 100m, there is a low stripping ratio of 3m³ of overburden per tonne of coal.