GHH going for gold in Bulgaria
07.03.2024The race for gold is on: German-based machine manufacturer GHH has significantly expanded its market share in Bulgaria.
Moving forward together: GHH CEO Dr Jan Petzold (3rd from left) shaking hands with Chenko Gerov, Managing Director of Breznik Minerals
© GHH
A double-digit number of machines were recently sold to Breznik Minerals Ltd., GHH announced. The Bulgarian company is part of the group of companies of Assarel-Medet JSC, which is the first, largest and leading Bulgarian mining company for open pit mining and copper ore processing. They claim to be the first in the industry to have implemented ISO 9001 quality standards.
The acquired machines will be operated in the Breznik gold mining project, which is the first underground greenfield mine in Bulgaria for more than 50 years. The mining site has an area of half a million square meters and is located 35 km west of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The deposit is said to have JORC (Joint Ore Reserves Committee) indicated resources of approximately 1 million t grading 2 g/t gold and inferred resources of approximately 700 000 t grading 1,8 g/t – plus even more silver resources.
Heavy loading action: An LF-7 LHD emptying its 7-tonne bucket into an MK-20 dump truck
© GHH
LHD and dumper combo
Breznik Minerals Ltd will take delivery of the first batch in the third quarter of 2024. The remainder is scheduled for the end of the second quarter of 2025. “We are looking forward to the delivery of their first GHH machines”, said Krum Hristov, one of the founders of Strotech Engineering JSC, a construction, industrial and mining equipment specialist based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The GHH dealer looks back on hundreds of heavy construction and mining machine deliveries. The company runs several fully equipped service centres throughout the country maintaining 2000 units per year. A large open area showroom is located in Sofia.
Best in class performance
The recent order consists of LF-7 diesel load haul dumpers (LHDs), MK-20 and MK-30 diesel dump trucks. The LHDs are designed for a payload of 7000 kg in bucket sizes up to 4 m3. GHH advertises the vehicle as having the best loading performance in its class at only 2200 mm total height fully laden. It is powered by a 164 kW Tier3/4/Stage5 engine, comes with an exceptionally robust design and offers extra safety and comfort for the driver.
The dumpers are designed with 20 and 30 tonnes of payload, up to 18 m3 dump box capacities and engines with up to 320 kW power ratings. GHH claims that the low operating costs are made possible by its unique frame and system design. All vehicles can also be monitored remotely to manage maintenance with the “GHH inSiTE” software, making it a big plus when it comes to machine availability and cost savings.
