Big Hitachi Kit Heads for Terrafame in Sotkamo

Finnish mining business Terrafame has entered into an agreement with equipment dealer Rotator Oy to renew the existing Hitachi mining equipment at their Sotkamo mine in Northern Finland during 2022–2025.

The agreement between the two companies includes the delivery of two 370-tonne Hitachi EX3600-7 excavators and seven EH3500AC-3 dump trucks with a payload of 200 tonnes. In addition, the agreement includes an option to replace all older equipment.

The oldest EX3600-6 excavator and EH3500AC-II dump trucks have reached more than 60,000 operating hours in harsh conditions, especially during the Finnish winter. Rotator Oy has taken care of their maintenance at the mine from the beginning. The new machines will be assembled and delivered to Terrafame ready for use at the mine. 

Some of the used equipment will be left to be used as spare machines for the mine, but it is believed that some units will be scrapped.

The first MTU Euro V-level engines (1 + 2) will be completed in Japan during May-June 2022. Rotator Oy and Terrafame have also entered into an extension agreement for the maintenance of Terrafame's existing equipment for the next three years. This agreement also includes an option for a two-year extension.

Hitachi EX3600-7

The Hitachi EX3600-7 is a next-generation excavator that utilizes environmentally friendly technologies. According to Rotator, the excavator's electronic pump output control, as well as more efficient hydraulics and cooling, reduce fuel consumption and reduce emissions. Numerous improvements have also been made to the service life and serviceability of machine components.

Attention has also been paid to the operator environment on the EX3600-7, and with in-cab modifications, comfort and safety have been taken to a whole new level, according to the manufacturer.

The Hitachi EH3500AC-3 is a long-established electric drive truck that carries a larger payload than its predecessor. Compared to traditional transmission methods and the previous model series, the impact on the environment is said to be considerably lower.

Particular attention has also been paid to the service life of the components. Hitachi Construction Machinery uses, among other things, electrical components manufactured in-house by Hitachi in its equipment. 

“We are pleased with the agreement with Rotator to renew the mining equipment. Multi-year co-operation and the competitive life cycle cost of the equipment were the decisive factors behind the decision. In addition, the “future proof” concept used by Hitachi supports the long-life cycle of the equipment and helps to manage the carbon footprint of production in the future. We believe that the long-lasting co-operation will make it easier to renew the equipment over several years”, says Seppo Voutilainen, Director of Mining at Terrafame Oy.

“Continued cooperation with the Terrafame mine is very important to us. The agreement is a great sign of confidence in Rotator Oy's services and Hitachi products. Co-operation with Terrafame strengthens our position in the mining sector and helps us to develop our iron know-how even better”, says Jari Valtanen, CEO of Rotator Oy .

The purpose of Terrafame's operations is to reduce the carbon footprint of traffic with responsibly produced battery chemicals. Terrafame's integrated production from its own mine to battery chemicals, located in one industrial area, forms a unique and energy-efficient production chain that produces customers with battery chemicals with a clearly lower carbon footprint than the industry average.

Terrafame Oy was founded in 2015. In 2020, its turnover was 338 MEUR and the company's industrial area employed about 2,000 people, of whom contractors and subcontractors accounted for just over half.

The family company Rotator, founded in 1954, is one of the most experienced and well-established machinery importer and after-sales service companies in Finland. Rotator Oy has long-term built its services to cover all customer needs, from machines to after-sales services. The turnover in 2020 was 82 MEUR and the number of employees was about 160. There are eight offices in Finland.

Big thanks go to my friend and industry colleague Olli Paivo of Koneporssi for sharing this interesting news feature with us here on the Digger Man Blog. Fingers crossed, when we can get travelling again, a trip to this mine will be on the cards when the machines start arriving!