The Hitachi Construction Machinery ultra-large mining hydraulic excavator EX3600-6 used at the Kumtor Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan has surpassed 100,000 cumulative operating hours.

Group photo at the ceremony 

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (President and Executive Officer: Masafumi Sakazaki, hereinafter "Hitachi Construction Machinery") announced that the EX3600-6 ultra-large mining hydraulic excavator manufactured by Hitachi Construction Machinery, which has been in operation since 2012 at the Kumtor Gold Mine operated by the mining company Kumtor Gold Company (headquartered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; President: Buzurman Sbanov, hereinafter "Kumtor Gold Company"), has surpassed a cumulative operating record of 100,000 hours. 

Eurasian Machinery LLP (headquartered in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan; CEO: M. Kemal Cetinelli, hereinafter "Eurasian Machinery"), a Hitachi Construction Machinery affiliate responsible for sales and after-sales service in Central Asia, held a commemorative ceremony at the Kumtor Gold Mine to celebrate the equipment reaching 100,000 operating hours. Attendees at the ceremony included Bolotbek Idirisov, Chairman of the Board of Kumtor Gold Company; Tynchtyk Mokeev, Deputy Mine Manager of Kumtor Gold Mine; M. Kemal Cetinelli, CEO of Eurasian Machinery; and Eiji Fukunishi, Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Hitachi Construction Machinery, with more than 70 related parties attending the ceremony. 

Kumtor Gold Company currently owns a total of five EX3600-6 ultra-large mining hydraulic excavators manufactured by Hitachi Construction Machinery. The machine that surpassed the 100,000 cumulative operating hours record is one of the units delivered in 2012. The Kumtor Gold Mine is located in a highland area at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, where winter temperatures can drop to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, an extremely harsh natural environment. Achieving 100,000 hours of stable operation under such conditions fully demonstrates the high ruggedness, durability, and reliability of Hitachi Construction Machinery products, and also proves its outstanding advantages in parts quality and after-sales service systems; this achievement is of great significance. Over the 11 years since the equipment was delivered, Eurasian Machinery has stationed service personnel locally, implemented a 24-hour support system, and provided comprehensive maintenance services. Through this long-term service support, Kumtor Gold Company has gradually accumulated its own maintenance technology and experience, and now is able to perform routine equipment maintenance independently. When needed, Eurasian Machinery's service personnel can also respond quickly, continuously ensuring the stable operation of the equipment. 

The Central Asian countries are rich in natural resources such as oil, natural gas, iron ore, copper, uranium, and rare earths, and are regions with highly developed mining industries. Especially in Kyrgyzstan, mining plays a core role in the economy, and there are more than 40 large gold deposits in the country. Among them, the Kumtor Gold Mine, located southeast of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, is a world-class large open-pit gold mine. Against the backdrop of expected continued growth in demand for mining machinery, Hitachi Construction Machinery will continue to provide high-quality products and services.