HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY ENHANCES ITS RANGE OF ULTRA-LARGE HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. has announced the development of an enhanced boom and arm for its range of ultra-large hydraulic excavators, the improved durability of which will extend service life by 1.5 times compared to previous models.

The newly designed boom and arm will be applied as standard equipment to the EX5600-7 backhoe excavator (operating weight of 550 tons) from March 2025, before being gradually expanded to other applicable excavator models.

Durability tests will be carried out from August 2023, prior to standard application, under actual operation loads at Brockman 4 iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Australia, operated by mining giant Rio Tinto. As part of the verification tests to be performed in collaboration with Rio Tinto, the accumulated load on the ultra-large hydraulic excavator’s boom and arm will be monitored using Load Index, one of the functions of ConSite Mine, Hitachi Construction Machinery’s service solution for mining sites. In addition, daily visual inspections and ultrasonic measurements will be taken periodically to detect any possible internal damage.

Using knowledge acquired through collaboration with customers such as Rio Tinto, the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is aiming for 1.5 times longer service life of ultra-large hydraulic excavators by strengthening the service system for mining equipment and improving remanufacturing technology, thereby contributing to the realization of a circular economy.

Many of Hitachi Construction Machinery’s major mining customers intend to gradually pursue decarbonization through diverse options, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. More than 400 tons of CO2 is generated each time an ultra-large hydraulic excavator is scrapped, so extending the service life of the machines is an urgent issue for achieving carbon neutrality.