Iron ore miner and steel major Metalloinvest and Russia’s leading supplier of mining shovels, UZTM-KARTEX (comprising Uralmashzavod and IZ-KARTEX named after P.G. Korobkov) are launching joint development of the EKG-30R, a new type of excavator for ore excavation. Nazim Efendiev, CEO of Management Company Metalloinvest, and Yan Tsenter, CEO of UZTM-KARTEX, signed a cooperation agreement on the development, production and testing of the new EKG-30R excavator.
The parties will jointly develop the technical requirements for the excavator, which will then enter into pilot operation at Metalloinvest’s production sites, namely in the open-pit mines of Lebedinsky GOK and Andrey Varichev Mikhailovsky GOK. Efendiev commented: “Today, we are launching a project that will be a breakthrough for Russia’s heavy industry and for the mining industry in particular. Currently, the largest excavators operating in our mines, with 25 m3 buckets, are foreign-made. Increasing the volume of rock mass loads will make mining production more efficient, and we are certain that domestic manufacturers will supply us with advanced equipment.” These foreign-made ultraclass shovels include WK models from China’s TYHI, Komatsu’s P&H range and the Caterpillar 7495.
The EKG-30R will be designed specifically for mining industry operations. Given that an excavator’s open-pit mine operations are characterised by high dynamic loads, the vehicle will feature radically new and unique design solutions aimed at increasing the excavator’s reliability and ensuring its stable operation. All the main components of the EKG-30R will be tested already during the modelling stage, using digital twin technology.
Yan Tsenter, CEO of UZTM- KARTEX, said: “The model we are developing has no equal in Russia currently. The professionalism and experience of Metalloinvest’s specialists and the close partnership between our companies will play a huge role in the successful implementation of this project.” The pilot operation of the ECG-30R prototype is expected to commence as early as in the first quarter of 2022.
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