Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia : Mining / Quarry : Orion adds another Hitachi EX1200-6 to FLEET

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Orion adds another Hitachi EX1200-6 to FLEET

Overview

Orion’s new EX1200-6

Western Australia based mining equipment hire company Orion has commissioned one of the new Hitachi 120-tonne class EX1200-6 mining excavators into its fleet.

A long-term customer for Hitachi mining excavators, Orion was established in Kalgoorlie in 1992 and expanded its operations to Perth in 2002 as demand for its services throughout the WA mining industry grew. The commissioning of the new EX1200-6 digger means there are now five of the bright orange excavators Orion can provide its mining clients.

‘Our focus is on dry hire and to build that type of business successfully we need machines that keep performing,’ said Managing Director Richard Harding.

— “Reliability is paramount when hiring mining equipment and our experience has shown us that Hitachi excavators give us, and our clients, the productivity and reliability we, and they, require. So we keep buying Hitachi diggers.” —

The Orion digger fleet includes a 180-tonne EX1800-5, two 120-tonne EX1200-5s and a 100-tonne EX1100-3 ‘which we bought brand new in 2000 and has now logged more than 22,000 trouble-free hours’ and the new EX1200-6, the first of its model to be commissioned in WA.

Powered by a Cummins QSK23-C Tier II US emission compliant diesel developing 567 kW at 1800rpm the EX1200-6 is fitted with a 6.7m³ bucket.

Engineered and built to the same specifications found in the company’s larger -6 series mining excavators, the small (by comparison) Hitachi incorporates many of the operating features fitted to the larger machines.

With a goal of saving downtime and increasing productivity, the new -6 excavators are equipped with an onboard monitoring system - connected to some 50 sensors strategically installed throughout the machine - which means the operator can monitor operating status and locate and diagnose faults.

In practice this means that information detailing a fault, along with a recommended repair process, is displayed on the monitor and the operator could fix some faults before contacting service personnel.

Orion get to know their excavators inside and out and prefer to assemble new machines themselves in their own workshop.

Richard Harding, Orion Managing Director, with Hitachi Regional Mining Manager Tony Pilbrow.

“Along with a final visual check of the components as they are bolted together, we also get the satisfaction of assembling the machine and then turning the key to fire it up,’ Richard Harding said. ‘Everyone on the team has had an input and a better understanding of the way the equipment operates.”

This practice also means Orion can fit any unique modifications required before the new machine goes to work.

According to Richard Harding, the nature of the mining industry in WA and its leaning toward smaller mines has meant relatively smaller excavators for Orion, but those smaller excavators have brought with them greater flexibility.

“The mining industry is dynamic and, as a specialist mining equipment hire company, we have to be ready to meet any change,“he said. ”The technology in this new digger is going a long way toward keeping us in a position to provide the necessary flexibility and machine reliability.”

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