Technology advancement is a forerunner for any sector to grow, and the same is true for mining too.

– Hemant Mathur

AVP Sales and Marketing, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Company

Mining is one of the key sectors which contributes immensely for infrastructure and helps develop economies. What do you think is the current market for mining equipment in India?

The mining sector, for both fuel minerals and non-fuel minerals, continued to perform well even during the pandemic. Coal which contributes to over 50% of the overall mineral production, and also accounts for a large percentage of equipment sold, has grown steadily at 7-8 % on a Y-o-Y basis. Reduction in the import of coal also fuelled growth in coal sector. Metal minerals, like iron ore, also registered growth, along with non-metallic minerals like limestone. However, minor minerals, especially granite, faced some challenges as exports for these minerals faced several issues, which are now gradually getting resolved.

In addition, the new reforms which are being rolled out by the current govt, viz commercial mining, FDI in mining, long term lease of mines etc, will accelerate the growth of mineral production in India in an efficient and eco-friendly manner, and therefore drive the demand for mining equipment. Further, MDOs which have longer duration contracts for private sector will also call for new technology in mining where machines of larger capacities can be used in a more cost-efficient manner.

Goa mining also looks set to resume activity. Goa has been a key area for mining activity for the country and we see this market also offering significant potential for mining equipment.

Which equipment do you think are the demand drivers in the mining sector and how geared up are you to meet this demand surge?

We are primarily dealing in hydraulic excavators, the utilisation of which is one of the ways to determine the level of overall mining activity in India.

Given the earlier mentioned drivers of mining activity in India, Tata Hitachi is well equipped to meet the growing demands of the mining sector for a range of equipment – across capacities and applications. For open cast mines we offer excavators, dumpers and wheel loaders. Here, for machines made in India for mining, the bucket sizes range from 3.1 CuM, up to the largest excavator we make with a 6.5 Cum bucket. We also manufacture 35-tonne dumpers, and wheel loaders of capacities up to 3 tonnes in India.

Being a JV company of Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM), Japan, we can also have access to products manufactured by HCM in Japan and elsewhere, which includes excavators of up to 45 CuM bucket capacity, and several models of wheel loaders and dumpers of higher sizes.

Together for India-made and imported machines for mining, our portfolio ranges from excavators of 45T capacity to 800T capacity. Many of these are also offered with option of electric drive which leads to significant fuel savings for customers, apart from being environment friendly. There is an increasing demand of high-capacity excavators, dumpers, and wheel loaders for minerals like coal, iron ore, limestone, bauxite, and manganese, to name a few.

We also sell mini excavators of below 7-Tonne class, small excavators with capacities of 7-Tonne to 40-Tonne for minor minerals and non-metallic minerals as well.

Technologies are changing mining industry’s future. What are the latest technological trends in your range of mining equipment?

Technology advancement is a forerunner for any sector to grow, and the same is true for mining too. The government’s initiatives discussed above will encourage the development of bigger mines for increased output as well as better efficiencies. This will result in the deployment of more advanced and larger classes of mining equipment. This then allows us the prospect to introduce automation, integrated IT systems, and monitoring and control systems, in addition to features like on-line health monitoring systems. This also offers an opportunity to expand the Indian market for electrical excavators and electric drive high-capacity dumpers. There is also talk of bringing in advanced geo spatial 3-D models through GPS, and use of AI for skill development etc.  We don’t have to follow the same pattern as followed in other countries but can actually leapfrog to advanced levels in technology to stay globally relevant.

In this direction, mining companies have been working on adopting new technology in HEMM, which will result in improving the efficiency of the mining operations. Features like higher capacity AC driven dumpers, electric hydraulic shovels, among others, are being considered. These machines come equipped with VHMS (Vehicle Health Monitoring System) which can monitor vital parameters of machines ensuring better reliability of equipment.

We at Tata Hitachi have been at the vanguard of developing latest technologies, ascertaining customer needs, and working on incorporating the same in our equipment. The hydraulics used in our machines are industry-leading and best in class. Our latest machines come equipped with advanced telematics that provide customers with a snapshot of the performance of their machines on their computers or smart phones. This ensures an advantage to customers through better machine utilization, uptime, and lower operating costs.

Introduction of electric excavators and trolley assist dump trucks have also helped to improve operating costs. Our EX-Series consist of the latest excavators from HCM Japan, which come equipped with Fuel Consumption Optimization (FCO) technology, which offers better fuel efficiencies. In addition, our AC drive dumpers offer the latest cutting-edge technology with the promise of high productivity and improved fuel economy. HCM has also announced the introduction of battery-operated trucks in mining operations, which in future would result in better fuel efficiencies as well as zero emissions.

HCM manufactures higher capacity dumpers- capacity s from 190-Tonnes of payload and above, featuring advanced AC drive technology with inbuilt IGBT, which makes the machines smart and efficient.  We look forward to bringing this technology into India. These dumpers also have a provision for running with trolley options where AC drive motors are directly linked with overhead AC power lines. In addition, HCM have also commissioned dumpers with Autonomous Haulage systems, which is currently a global requirement.

What are the key maintenance practices to be followed for the upkeep of mining equipment?

Tata Hitachi’s equipment is recognised for its durability, longer service intervals and oil drainage intervals. In addition, mining equipment is standardised for higher life compared to other types of equipment and are designed to work on different duty cycles and long working hours per day. Periodic maintenance, preventive maintenance is essential.

We at Tata Hitachi undertake Full Maintenance Contracts and Annual Maintenance Contracts. Mining sites are in remote areas and support for mining equipment must be made available at the site. Movement of parts sometimes takes time. Towards this end, we have established mini warehouses for storage of spares, which helps us significantly reduce downtime. Our service teams are stationed at site for 24×7 support. With these institutionalised mechanisms, we are capable of maintaining equipment for a lifespan, ensuring 90% plus availability.

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