Hitachi mining fleet meets the challenge of Kachar

The authorised Hitachi dealer in Kazakhstan, Turkuaz Machinery, has supplied a large fleet of Hitachi mining equipment to SSGPO’s (Sokolov-Sarbai Mining Production Association) Kachar iron ore mine.

The open pit in the north of the country, where temperatures vary from +40°C to -46°C, is home to 21 Hitachi EH3500ACII rigid dump trucks, and two EX5500E-6 and five EX3600E-6 ultra-large Hitachi excavators.

With 1.3 billion tonnes of reserves at Kachar, there is enough mining work estimated for at least another 60 years. The extraction process at the mine’s ore rock area is carried out by the excavators, which were delivered between 2008 and 2014, and now have between 5,000 and 45,000 working hours. They load the dump trucks – delivered from 2010 to 2014, and with working hours ranging from 6,500 to 32,500 – with overburden or iron ore.

The first machine, an EX5500-6, arrived in 2008 and made a huge impression on SSGPO. The mine had previously worked with rope shovels at an output of 100,000m³ per month. The new excavator was capable of delivering the same volume in one week!

Vladimir Podgaetsky, SSGPO’s Deputy Director of Production, says: “This was an excellent choice of machine and led to the purchase of the first EX3600-6. While both machines are very reliable, the smaller footprint of the EX3600-6 is better suited to the size of the benches at this mine. As a result, we use the EX5500-6s at the upper levels of the pit and the EX3600-6s further down.”

SSGPO then completed the Hitachi fleet with the EH3500ACII rigid dump trucks. “When the Hitachi excavators were fully operational, we realised that we could increase productivity with larger trucks,” continues Vladimir. “We selected the Hitachi truck, because of how well it matched the same brand of excavator in terms of capacity. It was necessary to transport the overburden faster and the new machines had the desired effect of accelerating this process.”

SSGPO Mine Director, Andrey Alexandrovich Safonov, adds: “We have been working with Hitachi machines for a long time, and have found them to be very reliable and of the highest quality. My biggest challenge is to increase the efficiency of the mine, by ensuring a safe working environment and decreasing costs. The Hitachi equipment certainly helps with this due to the fleet’s effectiveness and productivity. They are an ideal combination – faster and more productive than any other machines that we have on this site.”

SSGPO is an ERG (Eurasian Resources Group Sarl) subsidiary and a leader within the CIS for the extraction and processing of iron ore, with reserves of 1.5 billion tonnes. Based in Rudniy, the company is also the biggest iron ore producer in Kazakhstan, accounting for about 80% of the country’s output and employing more than 19,000 people.

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