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Polish mining machinery, equipment and technology
Poland is rich in mineral resources and ranks with the leading world producers and exporters of coal, sulfur, copper and silver.
Other resources include substantial deposits of zinc, lead, natural gas, salt and other minerals. Exploitation of coal deposits is the main source of the country's energy supply and an important source of foreign-exchange income.
In Europe, Poland is the leading producer and exporter of hard coal and also an important producer of brown coal (lignite). Polish coal, though of high quality, has various geological features that make it extremely difficult to mine. Hard coal (mostly bituminous) provides about 65 percent of electricity generation, with brown coal (lignite) providing nearly all of the rest of the fuel consumed in Poland's power plants (many of which provide heat and hot water as well as electricity).
Poland is also one of the major producers of copper. The entire excavation of copper ore in the country concentrates in one region in the western part of Poland, where five deep mines are located. All the mines are using the room-and-pillar mining system. In the year 2004 the mines excavated almost 32 million tons of copper ore, which was then turned into 600 thousand tons of refined copper. Half of this tonnage was exported.
The mineral resources described above set the basis for the intensive development of an industry producing mining machines and equipment, for searching, access, exploration and enrichment of different minerals.
This strong sector of mining machinery, technology and equipment offers a wide range of efficient high quality underground and open-pit solutions.
Based on over 50 years of experience in planning, designing and the production of various machinery and equipment, Polish producers can meet every requirement for a range of mining and geological conditions. Their production processes are in conformity with International Quality Standards, which are under constant supervision by an internal audit system.
In terms of quality and efficiency Polish products can easily compete on international markets enjoying the advantage of competitive prices, prompt delivery times and efficient after-sales service. Among foreign customers using Polish products there are various companies from China, India, Germany, Canada, United States and the former Soviet Union.
The services of Polish producers include all the necessary activities starting from mapping, minerals' reserve estimation, geological reports, through to the planning of surface and underground mining, machinery construction and up to civil engineering.
Mining machinery
In the field of underground mining Polish companies are specialized in deliveries of the following equipment:
Mechanized roof supports -- equipped with modern control and steering systems covering the height range from 0.6 up to 4.7 meters.
Coal shearers -- haulage drive: hydraulic or electrical, cutting height from 1.1 to 4.7 meters, total installed power up to 1,200 kW, armored face conveyors - length up to 450 meters, max. capacity up to 1,750 t/h, power of driving units up to 3x750 kW.
Additionally, the Polish mining machinery industry produces all other equipment necessary for underground mines: different types of conveyors, power packs for roof supports, transformers, mining switches, which together create complete systems for coal exploitation.
It also produces various kind of equipment for controlling safety conditions underground, as well as protection equipment for individual miners such as oxygen breathing apparatus, masks, gas filters and individual methane detectors. The introduction of this equipment and constant control of work safety have resulted in increased safety in Polish mines.
Exports to Indonesia
Poland offers various kinds of mining equipment to Indonesian mining companies including;
* Complete deliveries of longwall systems for underground mines (more than 500 hundred longwall systems were delivered to customers around the world, including PT. Bukit Asam mine in Indonesia).
* Turn key projects -- design and deliveries of machinery and equipment; construction and maintaining of underground mines under weak and waterlogged sediments,
* Underground excavations of any size and appropriation,
* Drifting underground headings and chambers for mines and other works operating in such an environment.
* Drifting of opening-out and primary excavations protected by various types of supports.
* Completion of accompanying bulky chambers: shaft stations, workshop chambers, pumping stations and settling pond chambers, skip filling pockets, underground store chambers, tanks, etc.
* Replacement of supports; changes in size, equipment, appropriation or geometry of any underground excavations.
* Professional supervision and maintenance of the underground mining exploration.
In the open-pit mining, providing mainly lignite, completely different technology and machinery is applied. Poland has also a long tradition in the manufacturing of different types of bucket- wheel excavators, stackers, stacker-reclaimers, belt conveyors and other machines in construction of complete systems for production, transportation and storage of lignite and various materials. Furthermore Polish factories construct a variety of cranes and wagon tipplers for stockyards of coal or ports.
Polish export offers for Indonesian open-pit mining include deliveries of the following machinery and systems: Bucket wheel excavators, spreaders, stacker-cum-reclaimers, scraper and portal reclaimers, conveyors and conveyor belts, coal-handling systems based on the aforementioned equipment for stockpiles, power plants, mines and loading terminals.
Poland is also a major producer of a wide range of logistics equipment including crawler and wheel tractors, loaders, haulage trucks, crushers and auxiliary trucks. Polish crawler tractors are built with the power and control to give the user optimum performance.
The reason for their excellent up-time record is their strong modular power train system, two-speed steering and a wide range of blade and ripper attachments. The unique three-point suspension protects the power train and transmits shock loads directly back to the ground. Most Polish crawler dozers are of fully modular construction with rigid one-piece frame to which all power components are attached. The modular design incorporates conventional components, but arranges them in a way that makes removal and replacement fast and relatively easy, sharply reducing machine downtime for customer profitability.
Wheel loaders
Articulated wheeled loaders offered by Polish producers are designed for loading and transporting mine runs from mining faces in underground mines of metal ores and mineral raw materials.
They can be used as an autonomic haulage systems in mines or can co-operate with other transport machines, e.g. haulage trucks. They offer modern, unique technical solutions on a worldwide scale, ensure failure-free operation and a high level of safety for both the servicing personnel and the environment. The wide range of offered loaders enables them to be applied in mines with various operating conditions.
Haulage trucks
Haulage trucks offered by Polish companies are designed for transport of winning in methane-free ore mines and those where the risk of methane explosion is minimal. In some haulage trucks produced by Polish companies, a special drawer-type unloading system is applied, where the transported winning is pushed out by a moving wall in the open load-carrying body. It guarantees complete unloading as even small amounts of winning are discharged and the body is eventually completely empty.
Drilling trucks
Self-propelled drilling trucks - designed for drilling blast- holes in methane-free environments in the mine headings of metal ore mines. The operating system consists of a jib mounted on the drilling frame platform with a telescopic slide-out drill support for long hole drilling and a hydraulically-driven hammer drill.
Self-propelled bolting trucks are designed for fitting of inserted and expanding anchors in methane-free mining headings of metal ore and mineral mines.
Polish companies also produce the following crushing sets: crushing sets with jaw crushers, jaw crushers for preliminary crushing, crushing sets with impact crushers, container crushers, compact impact crushers, stationary jaw crushers.
Polish mining industry manufactures both for domestic customers and foreign investors. A substantial part of the production goes for export to many countries all over the world.
Polish industry exports not only individual machines, but also whole systems and complete structures like coal handling systems for automatic rail-car discharge supplied to the Chvaletice power plant in the Czech Republic and delivery of the complete longwall system for the Tabas mine in Iran. Polish companies design, construct and finally supply all machinery for complete plants like the coal washing plant constructed at Qian Jia Ying coal mine in China.
Another Polish export speciality is the drilling of mining headings, horizontal as well as vertical, and installation of all necessary equipment. As an example, the present construction works at the Cayeli zinc mine in Turkey can be mentioned.
For more than 40 years Polish companies have provided a wide range of machinery, equipment and contracting services to China, India, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Nigeria, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, United States of America and Indonesia.
From 1962 to 1965, Polish company KOPEX was involved in the development of state-owned PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam, covering the following activities: Feasibility studies, technical design execution of turn-key mining project, development and reconstruction of Ombilin underground mine, development and construction of Tanah Chitan open-cast mines in PT Tambang Batu Bara Bukit Asam's coal industrial complex and their infrastructure, conveyor system for overloading in Padang port, store bunkers, delivery of mining machinery and equipment and electrical parts of the project such as electric traction and electric locomotives.
For more than 40 following years Indonesian - Polish bilateral relations in the field of mining and logistics cooperation have practically ceased. Rare business contacts took place during the 1990s but were later stopped following the Asian crisis. The business contacts started again with greater intensity at the end of the year 2002, when a Polish trade mission from the mining sector paid a visit to Indonesia.
At the moment Polish mining machinery, equipment and technology are slowly coming back to Indonesia. A wide range of tractors and loaders are being delivered to various operators in Indonesia.
Polish made conveyor belts and belt conveyors are used in Indonesian mines and cement factories. Polish mining rescue equipment is also being used in Indonesian underground mines.
In order to explore new areas of bilateral trade and to strengthen economic cooperation between Poland and Indonesia in the field of mining, Polish companies have demonstrated flawless execution of contracts and will in the future continue their excellent after-sales service, dedication to full training of Indonesian personnel, reliable spare-parts delivery and continued assistance to end-users.
Industrial cooperation will strengthen, forming ties that will last for many years to come.