Our engineers lifted a sunken excavator

Sev.en group press release

Most, 1 April 2014

KU300/K82 Coal Excavator, whose steerable undercarriages fell by approx. 5 meters in the geologically tricky terrain of the ČSA mine mid January has finally been lifted and rolled out on a hardened platform, prepared in advance, today in the morning.

'In order to make sure the excavator rolls smoothly out, the platform surrounding the giant machine was gradually adjusted, with hardening material brought in and the terrain levelled,' said Lubomír Donát, Chief Mechanical Engineer to Severní energetická.

'We promised to Severní energetická we would pick up the giant machine, of which we are the manufacturer, and that the machine would be able to reach the assembly spot where was going to be serviced, all by itself. I am pleased to announce today that thanks to the hard work, skills and expertise of our fitters, we have lived up to the task,' said Jiří Mašek, Vice President for Machinery, UNEX a.s.

'The most difficult thing about the lifting operation was actually the very first part when we had to strengthen the soft subsoil during about two weeks so as to ensure our hydraulic lifts do not sink into it. As soon as the subsoil settled, however, it all went more or less to plan', said Oldřich Vojtek, UNEX a.s. Installation Specialist.

After rolling out to the platform, the giant machine was stabilised. Now, it is going to be examined for its technical condition with a view to defining the scope of the damage, with the results of the examination to be used as the background data in a tender to be launched for the contractor of the repair work on the excavator.

'The repair will take place at the roll-out site, which has been adjusted to serve as an assembly site. The repair is scheduled to be completed in August this year", added L. Donát, who further reinforced how important it was that the incident, which took place in January, did not result in any injuries and that the respect for occupational safety principles helped to sustain the status quo even during the lifting procedure.

A big thank-you is due to all those who worked on the lifting of the excavator', said the Chief Mechanical Engineer.