OREANDA-NEWS.  On 1 February 2008 was announced, that at Bogatyr Mine the new point of technical maintenance of automobile machinery Pit-Stop was commissioned recently. It will allow taking the maintenance of large trucks, bulldozers, loaders and other machinery up to the new technical level. Currently at Bogatyr Mine there are 40 pieces of such equipment operating.

In 2007 alone the Company spent over 2 billion KZT for the purchase of mining machinery and equipment.

The conversion to the automobile technology of coal mining set up the task for the company’s employees to create the modern base for quick and qualitative technical maintenance of new machinery. By the order of BAK, LLP Imstalkon-Project, LLP developed the designs of technical maintenance points Pit-Stop for Bogatyr Mine. The first of them was built at Severny Mine in 2005, and since then it has proven the high efficiency of technical maintenance at the work place. And now such a point appeared at Bogatyr Mine. The Pit-Stop there, like at Severny complex, was built at one of the non-mining benches of the mine and is designed for the long operation period.

The area of Bogatyr Pit-Stop complex is over 1,5 ha, what is 2 times larger that the area of Severny Pit-Stop complex. There are some other differences. For example, the new Pit-Stop is two-storied. It allowed locating there not only production areas, but also offices. Also at Bogatyr Pit-Stop four vehicles can be maintained simultaneously, as for Severny Pit-Stop – only two.

There the maintenance equipment of the famous foreign firms, such as Ground Force, Hormann, Caterpillar, is installed. This equipment has already proven itself at Severny Pit-Stop. They are the devices on oil, grease, antifreeze replacement and air filters, compressors and other parts cleaning. The high level of automation of all production processes will allow maintaining the machinery just within a few minutes.

The large trucks have authoritative dimensions. For example, the height of the heavy truck BelAZ is over five meters. That is why, matching them are the gates for the machinery entry. At Severny Pit-Stop the system of roll gates manufactured by the German company Hormann was successfully tested. The system has a large advantage in comparison with the conventional one. The roll gates are equipped with the air-thermal curtains with the electric heating of Frico company, what allows keeping the heat in winter severe cold. The gates open quickly and are regulated to match the dimensions of any machinery.

The construction of Pit-Stop point required the efficient solution of various tasks set up for the collective of BAK, LLP and four subcontracting organizations. The subcontractors were Imstalkon-Temirtau, which made the assembly of all metal structures and the so-called “sandwiches”, Zhumys-Ui, LLP, which fulfilled the big volume of general construction and finishing works. Santekhnik plus, LLP worked on installation of sanitary engineering equipment and ventilation systems. Irtyshelectromontazh, LLP and also the Department on Power Supply and Repair/Construction Department of BAK, LLP made the assembly of the whole electrical part of the object. The collective of Major Construction Directorate of Bogatyr Access Komir, LLP was in charge for all organizational issues and coordination of works on construction and commissioning of the Pit-Stop point.

In 2007 at Bogatyr Mine the implementation of automobile technology of coal mining and transportation on the basis of the modern mining and transportation equipment of world-class manufacturers – Komatsu and BelAZ – was completed. The analogous technology has been operating at Severny Mine from 2005. That is why, currently BAK, LLP ships only blended coal in the planned volumes to the power plants of Kazakhstan and Russia. Last year the miners of the Company sold over 38 mm tons of coal to its customers.