Komatsu Mining signs new shuttle deal with contractor TMC bringing total to over 50 in India
Komatsu Mining India has recently signed a new contract with Indian contract mining company TMC Mineral Resources Private Ltd (TMC Group) for the supply of two Joy Shuttle Cars – it says “reinforcing what matters most in underground mining: reliability, performance, and partnerships that deliver. We are pleased to collaborate with TMC, reflecting their confidence in equipment that consistently performs in India’s demanding underground mining conditions.”
TMC Group is based in Saddu, Raipur and has ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSMS 45001:2018 certification. Its cited experience includes over 172 km of mine development and 13.76 Mt of coal production plus over 7 km of incline driveage. It offers both surface and underground contract mining with clients having included Jindal Steel & Power, MOIL Ltd, HIRA Group, MONNET, LafargeHolcim, SAIL, SECL, Sarda, MP Birla Group, Hindalco, NECO and others.
Its underground projects include the NCPH R-6 coal mine (0.45 Mt/y), Bartarai coal mine (0.465 Mt/y) and Singhali coal mine (through paste filling technology) of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) and the Shahpur West coal mine of Sarda Energy and Minerals Ltd.
Komatsu is now seeing real underground coal momentum in India with over 50 Joy Shuttle Cars in operation of which 18 new units have been booked in the last 24 months alone with 17 new units added to mines in the last 24 months. It says: “Built for tough conditions, Joy Shuttle Cars deliver superior manoeuvrability with simple, operator-friendly controls, heavy-duty reliability and long service life and low cost-per-tonne haulage.”
Komatsu offers the 10SC32 series of Joy Shuttle Cars which have a heavy-duty, high-power drive train that enables them to haul loads in extremely arduous conditions. The permanent four-wheel drive system is powered by two 85kW VFD AC traction motors (50kW in lower seam models). Wheel units have been upgraded to be more robust and durable and the cast pivot axles are virtually indestructible. A four-wheel independent suspension system is also available to help maintain higher tram speeds and improve the operator’s comfort on uneven and/or broken roadways. The Optidrive AC Variable Frequency Drive System integrates electrical, software, electronic and mechanical systems to provide every Joy shuttle car with performance-enhancing features.
The OEM has also seen success in India with Komatsu Mining Smart Solutions series. At one of India’s underground mechanised coal mines it says a +187% productivity increase was achieved with Smart Solutions and performance optimisation. This was a greenfield mine, where the mine owner & mine operator were new to mechanised underground coal mining. There were inconsistent coal seams, in what was a challenging, watery mine, with skills gaps and low productivity despite high equipment availability.
Komatsu says it collaborated with the mine owner and mine operator to create a Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) – a holistic roadmap combining application engineering, Smart Solutions, training & upskilling, digitised field service delivery plus life cycle management & performance optimisation. Alongside the 187% increase in productivity there was a cited 25% improvement in machine utilisation, 18% rise in system availability, 98% machine availability plus peak rated capacity was successfully achieved.
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