Mining Magazine > Panorama > 50 new Hitachi trucks with Siemens AC drives for Kaltim Prima Coal

Siemens Industry recently announced it has received its biggest mobile mining order from Hitachi Construction Truck Machinery (HCTM) to provide 50 additional EH4500 trucks equipped with Siemens’ unique AC-drive technology to Indonesia-based Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), who already has a fleet of 79 EH4500 trucks operating in its mine.

“Siemens is thrilled with this large order,” said Clive DeSouza, mining trucks business manager, Siemens Industry Solutions division. “With this win, KPC will now have the largest fleet of mining trucks with Siemens drives operating in the world. Our reliable, innovative mining truck drive technology, together with a strong service team on the ground, exceeded the machine availability targets. This was critical to the customer placing a repeat order with Siemens.”

Unlike conventional DC drive technology, AC drives require virtually no maintenance because of its brushless operation. Siemens AC drives also provide higher top speeds and better gradeability.

In addition, the Siemens drive technology incorporates several patented safety features such as anti-rollback, which prevents trucks from rolling back on inclines, and slip-slide control, which helps control skidding in wet weather conditions. Another key attribute is the cruise control feature.

Siemens will also provide a permanent on-site service team to assist with the initial operation and long-term reliability of the machines. The trucks are expected to be fully operational by December 2012. When completed, KPC’s fleet will include 129 Hitachi EH4500 trucks.

KPC is one of the world’s largest thermal producers and exporters of thermal coal, and operates six to 12 individual pits at any time. Its coal production volume was 40.3 million tons in 2009. It is owned by Bumi Resources.