A Hitachi EX3600-6 ultra-large hydraulic excavator manufactured by Hitachi Construction Machinery, which has been in operation since 2012 at the Kumtor Gold Mine operated by mining company Kumtor Gold at the Kyrgyz Republic, has achieved a milestone of 100,000 hours of operation.
To commemorate this achievement, Eurasian Machinery — the Hitachi Construction Machinery affiliate responsible for sales and servicing in the Central Asian region — held a ceremony at the mine, attended by more than 70 people. They included Kumtor Gold Chairman of the Board of Directors Bolotbek Idirisov, Kumtor Gold Deputy Mine Director Tynchtyk Mokeev, Eurasian Machinery President M Kemal Cetinelli, and Hitachi Construction Machinery Vice President and Executive Officer Eiji Fukunishi.
Kumtor Gold has a total of five EX3600-6 ultra-large hydraulic excavators, and the excavator that achieved 100,000 hours of operation is a unit that was delivered in 2012.
The Kumtor Gold Mine is located at an altitude of over 4000 meters in an extremely harsh environment that can reach temperatures as low as minus 400 C during the winter.
Achieving 100,000 hours of operation under such conditions is an important demonstration of the high robustness, durability, and reliability of Hitachi Construction Machinery products as well as the superiority of their parts quality and service systems.
Over the 11-year period since delivery, Eurasian Machinery has continuously stationed service personnel on site and provided maintenance and services around the clock. As a result, Kumtor Gold has accumulated maintenance know-how and currently conducts its own maintenance while Eurasian Machinery service personnel provide prompt support when needed to ensure stable operation.
The countries of Central Asia are rich in resources such as oil, natural gas, iron ore, copper, uranium, and rare earth elements, making it a region with a thriving mining industry.
The mining industry plays a central economic role particularly in the Kyrgyz Republic, which has over 40 large-scale gold deposits. Among those deposits, the Kumtor Gold Mine, located in the southeastern part of Lake Issyk-Kul in the Kyrgyz Republic, is one of the world’s largest open-pit gold mines.
With the demand for mining machinery expected to grow, Hitachi Construction Machinery will continue to provide high-quality products and services going forward.