Two Hitachi EX8000-6s supplied to Africa
Two EX8000-6s have recently been added to the fleet of Hitachi mining machines at Vale’s Moatize coal mine in Tete/Mozambique. The EX8000-6 is the largest excavator made by Hitachi (Fig.). The two excavators are the first of their type to be operated outside North America and Australasia. The coal reserves in Moatize hold 954 mill. t and are to be worked over the next 35 years. The coal is mined in an open-cast operation, strata for strata from top to the bottom, with the help of excavators, wheel loaders and rigid dump trucks. The fleet now includes the two EX8000-6 s (with 43 m3 coal buckets) and three EX5500-6s (34 m3). The machines are exposed to one of Africa’s harshest environments, where temperatures exceed 50 °C. The excavators come with a bespoke after-sales support package to meet Vale’s requirements. Hitachi is supplying the parts and service for the excavators.
