PRESS RELEASE: To keep production moving at the Roşia Poieni copper mine, CupruMin has purchased two Terex Trucks TR100 rigid haulers. 

The Roşia Poieni mine is located north of Romania’s capital, Bucharest, and is hidden within the Apuseni Mountains. With an estimated 1.5 billion tonnes of reserves, the large open-pit mine is the second largest copper mine in Europe. Discovered in the 1960s and owned by CupruMin, Roşia Poieni produces more than 10,000t of copper annually. To keep production moving at the site, CupruMin has purchased two Terex Trucks TR100 rigid haulers.

The 91t capacity dump trucks were acquired by CupruMin through an open tender, which saw Terex Trucks’ units selected ahead of other top brands. The Scottish manufacturer was officially awarded the business in January following an intense process. Terex Trucks’ bidding at the proceeding was supported by leading equipment dealer RET Utilaje.

Razvan Popandron, area sales manager for West Romania at RET Utilaje, commented: “This contract was nothing like an ordinary sale because it was made up of so many elements. Aside from going up against other brands, RET and Terex Trucks had to work together to build a competitive offer, and in the end what won it was the technical advantages of the TR100s, as the trucks proved to be more efficient in comparison to the competitors’ machines.”

Popandron added: “CupruMin required efficiency because fuel consumption has a big impact on the price of copper – it’s not an easy material to sell and the competition is strong. Therefore, fuel consumption was at the very top of the list, and the TR100s demonstrated that they were lighter in comparison to the competitors’ machines, and require less energy to move with or without material, which ultimately amounts to less fuel consumption.”

The trucks, which were delivered in April, are being used to haul overburden and transport raw material to the crusher. 

Well suited to the Roşia Poieni mine – which has a diameter the size of eight football pitches, and descends to more than 300m below the surface – the TR100’s resilient drivetrain and rear axle configuration provides good pulling and powerful rimpull to ensure the hauler can travel up steep inclines and through uneven ground conditions.

Set to work a minimum of 12-hour shifts six days a week, CupruMin’s TR100s are fitted with the Cummins V12 37.8L engine that reaches 783kW (1,050hp) and maximum torque of 4,631Nm (3,515lbf-ft). Furthermore, the front hydraulic disc brakes and rear multi-disc forced cooled brakes deliver better operator control, while the transmission retarder decreases brake wear, reducing ownership costs and increasing machine availability.