Coalfield Times Magazine

Mining & Equipment Sector Magazine SINCE 1978

January 2020 Rs. 50

R.R. MISHRA CMD, WCL

WESTERN COALFIELDS

GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

EDITOR’S DESK Managing Director Krishna Sarkar Executive Editor Saibal Sarkar Financial Advisor Jishnudeb Mukherjee Equipment Technology Advisor Rajesh Bhattacharjee Graphic Designer Sheikh A Murad Marketing & Communications Pulak Chatterjee Cover Photograph R.R.Mishra, Chirman & Managing Director of WCL. Photo Pixabay Copyright Coalfield Times Media House. All rights reserved throught the world. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited.

Printed and published by Sounak Sarkar from 1st floor, 4/106A, Nelinagar Colony, Kolkata - 700 078 & Printed at Adillusion, 1st floor, 4/106A, Nelinagar Colony, Kolkata - 700 078 Editorial Section EE174A/7, Sector II, Salt Lake City, Kolkata - 700 091, Mobile : 8584921108 8910763022 e-mail: coalfieldtimes@yahoo.com coalfieldtimes Coalfield Times does not take responsibolity for returning unsolicited publication material.

Solving India’s coal conundrum Coalfield Times has always been keeping a close watch on the developments that have been taking place in the mining sector, specially in coal mining. The demand supply situation of coal in the country has been an interesting watch and it was more so when the demands came from the power sector and Coal India Ltd had to be on a war foot to despatch coal to the thermal power plants. It was at that time when the coal ministry thought of giving a target to Coal India of producing 1 billion tonne but eyebrows were raised about its doability and viability. The Central government might have at a later stage thought of pushing back the date line for achieving the production target considering the sudden fall in demand from the power sector. Given the demand situation this fiscal, CIL might have come at an ease of supplying to the non power sector and have been able to walk a long rope in clearing the pending rakes. But the matter of fact remains that the country still has to import thermal coal to the tune of 200 mt (ICRA report) to meet the domestic demand and so there is no denying that the country has to produce more coal.

But what does producing more coal mean? Does it mean to blacken our skies more or does it create an opportunity to give more green cover to our Mother Earth? How far will our government be able to cut down import bills? Whether coal can really substitute oil in the near future? At what limit we should put a halt to mining? Is there any alternative of coal? How long are we going to continue with this dirty fuel when the advanced nations have already put a ban on its use? Such questions have been haunting our minds while we have been persuading the 1 billion tonne production target in perspective of such diverse issues.

While technology comes to play critically in such situations one has to also look at the bottlenecks in evacuating the coal produced. 1 billion tonne of coal production sounds easy and at the same time weird when looked from a demand -supply perspective but it’s a matter to dig deep when it comes to the question of clearing the stock piles.

So extracting more coal is not a mere target but a challenge which at the same time enables more growth in infrastructure and put the wheels of development on a faster track. It’s not only a challenge for the miners but also for the technology providers who has to make mining eco friendly and shape its future for a sustainable growth.

RNI No. 34772/79

Editor-in-Chief, Sounak Sarkar Email: sounaksarkar2009@gmail.com

CONTENTS

Mining & Equipment Sector Magazine

On the cover photo by WCL

SINCE 1978

January 2020 Rs. 50

R.R. MISHRA CMD, WCL

WESTERN COALFIELDS

JANUARY 2020

GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Going from strength to strength

12

FOCUS

The road to One BT of coal production

06 Shaping up the future of mining

20

17

NCL: What Next After Joining 100 Million Tone Club

The road to One BT of coal production

Coal India Ltd, the mining behemoth, has targeted 1 billion tonne of production by 2024.

While this target has been mainly kept keeping in mind the growing domestic demand for coal, some raise questions on Coal India’s business metrics in increasing production and more so after reaching the 1 billion tonne mark. Given the capital and resources available with Coal India, how far will the company go with sustainable mining and what impact will it create on the environment and economy Coal India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Shri A.K Jha discusses with Coalfield Times.

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Sir, the Centre has target of achieving 1 Billion Tonne of coal production. Do you think the target is achievable? What would be the key factors in achieving this target?

in its opencast mines. This would significantly help increase our production.CIL is leveraging ERP for different business processes to improve efficiency in a big way.

If you look at our production during 2018-19 we have produced 607 Million Tonnes (MTs) and despatched 608 MTs achieving 99.5% and 99.7% of the respective targets. We were able to achieve that because of timely green clearances and possession of land for our mining operations which also helped us in expansion of existing projects leading to higher output. Law and order issues are also being pursued vigorously. In short, the key factorsfavourable for coal production were in place. The 1 Billion Tonne production is achievable provided the key factors I mentioned are made conducive to our efforts. Ministry of Coal is lending its active support and help to coal companies in easing the constraints. We have dedicated team of professionals and skilled manpower to achieve the targets.

The government has allowed 100% FDI in coal mining and at the same time has started identifying blocks for commercial mining. What would be the impact of such move?

When you increase production your cost also goes up. Do you think CIL will be able to keep healthy margins in future if it has to ramp up production?

As a corporate citizen the company is conscious of its commitment to environment protection and minimizing adverse effects to the extent possible. Eco restoration and water conservation is a conscious effort in Coal India. Mine planning is carried out integrating environmental concerns by using MINEX software. All our operations, systems and processes are meticulously planned and designed with due regard to safety, conservation, sustainable development and environment.CIL has reclaimed 957 Hectares of land with plantation of 2.17 million saplings during 2018-19.

We are committed to increase our production to higher levels in the ensuing years. If we have to retain healthy profit margins we have to increase production and supply higher quantities of qualitative coal to consumers. Cost control measures and greater operational efficiency which we are pursuing will help reduce the production costs. Coal India is pursuing these measures with all the seriousness it deserves to keep its bottom line strong.

Every move to increase domestic coal production is a welcome step. The point is to become self-reliant in meeting the demand internally and reduce the imports.

We see private sector participation in Indian coal market as complementing Coal India’s efforts rather than competing with our position. Given its experience and core competence Coal India is confident of staying ahead.

Please tell us your initiatives towards environment friendly sustainable mining?

How do you plan to evacuate coal when you reach 1 Billion Tonne production?

How is technology crucial to CIL’s growth?

Adoption of newer technologies and mechanization in operations is certainly crucial to our mining operations.

CIL’s mechanization of Open Cast mines is comparable with the best in the world. We have draglines of 24/96 capacity, Dumpers upto 240 Tonnes and Shovels of 42Cu,Metre which could be considered standard combination in OCPs. We have Continuous Miners as well. Technological adoption and upgrading to modern methods is a constant endeavor in CIL. The company has fast tracked the process of procuring various types and sizes of high capacity Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM) that would be pressed into operation

When you look at 1 Billion Tonne coal production, around 61% is expected to be contributed bySECL, MCL and CCL combined. So, it is important to have matching support logistics for evacuation of coal from these coalfields. The three important rail lines under these companies which Coal India has been pursuing for long have materialized, the latest being Kharsia-Korichapar line. Coal evacuation has already begun and these lines will help move increased quantities of coal. Additional new lines are also on pipeline.

Coal India has initiated the process to purchase its own rail wagons for improved loading of coal from areas where production is expected to expand rapidly. Having its own 7|

| January 2020

rakes assures the company to push increased quantities of coal especially to power plants in desired routes.

The company is also planning to switch over to mechanized coal transportation through piped conveyor belts in its large mines by 2023-24 and has already started the process for the same. 35 coal projects each having production capacity of 4 Million Tonnes per annum and above have been identified for the purpose. The move leads to mechanized loading of coal which will have benefits like crushing, sizing of coal, quicker and quality pre weighed coal loading.

With the government banking more on renewables, how do you foresee the usage of coal in the next 10-15 years?

For an economy like India coal is an affordable and low cost fuel. Plus, the country has coal reserves of around 319 Billion Tonnes. So, coal continues to be dominant energy fuel in India for the next 10-15 years and even beyond. At some point of time in future renewables may challenge coal’s supremacy in India’s energy basket, but till such time coal continues to play a pivotal role as prime energy provider. Looking ahead into the future, say by 2040, coal’s share may come down in percentage terms but even then will account for half of India’s energy mix.

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Pramod Agarwal to succeed Coal India chairman AK Jha

Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Pramod Agarwal, a 1991 batch IAS from Madhya Pradesh cadre as the next chairman of Coal India. He will take over after the present chairman A K Jha retires in January 2020. Agarwal is currently principal secretary for urban development and housing department in Madhya Pradesh Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Pramod Agarwal, a 1991 batch IAS from Madhya Pradesh cadre as the next chairman of Coal India. He will take over after the present chairman A K Jha retires in January 2020. Agarwal is currently principal secretary for urban development and housing department in Madhya Pradesh

01. Hon’ble Union Minister of Coal, Shri Pralhad Joshi and Coal India Chairman and MGMI President Shri Anil Kumar Jha in the inauguration ceremony of The 8th Asian Mining Congress.

02. The MGMI Vice President and the CMD of Northern Coalfields Shri P.K.Sinha addressing the audience 03. The Executive Editor of Coalfield Times Shri Saibal Sarkar is shaking hands with the Hon’ble Union Minister of Coal Shri Pralhad Joshi on the Foundation Day of Coal India . The Chairman of Coal India, Shri A.K.Jha is standing beside.

04. The Executive Editor of Coalfield Times Media House Mr.Saibal Sarkar handing over the copy to the Hon’ble Union Minister of Coal, Shri Pralhad Joshi in an exclusive interview 9|

| January 2020

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WCL: Going strength to s Western Coalfields Ltd, one of Coal India Ltd’s subsidiary, has always been playing a very special role in helping Coal India reaching its target. In persuading the 1 billion tonne production mark, WCL’s support to CIL is not only important in quantitative terms but there has to be changes in the dynamics of mining for the sake of making mining sustainable both environmentally and economically. To this end WCL has set its own goals. WCL Chairman and Managing Director R.R.Mishra tells to Coalfield Times about his plans in moving forward.

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from trength

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How much of production do you aim to achieve in FY 20 and where do you want to take it to in the next five years.

FY 2019-20 is very special to us as we reiterate our commitment of producing 60 MT and by achieving this we shall be the only Company in CIL to achieve the assigned target under 1 Billion Tonne Coal Production programme of Ministry of Coal. My team has been consistently persuasive since last 5 years in drawing up the Action Plan and had explored all possible alternatives to realize the dream conceived in early 2015. Our out of box approach steered turnaround of 5 consecutive year of negative growth in Coal Production culminating into 39.73 MT (2013-14) to 5 consecutive year of positive growth and attainment of ever highest level of 53.18 MT in 14 |

| January 2020

2018-19 surpassing our own records of 46.22 in the year 2017-18. Our MoU target demands for producing 56 MT in the current fiscal but I am confident that my Team is geared up and will achieve 60 MT. Firstly, I would like to clarify that my vision is not limited to 5 years horizon.

I intend that my Customer from West, Central India and southern part do not have to cross my command Area for sourcing of Coal for their requirement.

At this juncture, I would ideally intend for reaching 100 MT in next 5 years but this is highly optimistic but even with conservative estimate we plan to achieve 75 MT in 2025.

Please tell us something about your expansion plans, How much of investment will be made for the Expansion.

As stated above, I aim to see WCL as a sustainable, well positioned Company capable of meeting to the requirements of the Customer base in Central and Western part of the Company. This can be realized only if, the production levels commensurate the demand. We plan to join the elite club of 100 MT through opening of New Projects and enhancement from Existing Project.

Perspective Plan have been made for two distinctive time frames. In first phase i.e. in next 5 years we shall be opening 20 New Green/ Brown field Project with total outlay of 5459 Crore.

The second phase shall include 11 New Projects with an investment of over 11,000 Crores. The second phase shall include relatively bigger Projects. With this expansion plan we shall attain the level of 100 MT productions by 2028.

Will commercial mining trigger any changes in WCL? What sort of an impact it will have on pricing?

Right now, I think that it is premature to comment on outcome. However, I am optimistic that there shall be no change in survival and existence of Western coalfields Limited. With the existing expertise and strengths WCL has come a long way in Coal Mining. Further, WCL has also taken steps to diversify its portfolio through venturing in business of Sand Segregation from Overburden and few other proposals are in pipeline.

Furthermore, there is enough space for other players also to co-exist.

I do not think that there shall be any impact on pricing.

Please tell us something about your Environment Protection Initiatives.

How far WCL dependent on technology? Will 100% FDI help in getting you improved technology.

Plant. 2 Projects viz one at Nagpur Area and other at Chandrapur Area are under implementation.

The future of industry factually depends upon how far and how effectively we can adopt the technology suiting to our requirement. WCL has formulated concrete Action Plan for introduction of technology with timeline. We have already introduced Surface Miners in two of our Opencast Mines and shall be introducing 9 Continuous Miners in Underground Mines by 2025. Beside introduction of technology in coal winning, we also plan to improvise our Coal transportation circuits through introduction of pipe conveyors for coal transportation from Siding to Power

Coal India has been gradually scaling up the production but the growth rate of demand has outpaced the growth in production. With one- fifth of total coal demand for thermal power generation being met through import, the country is constrained to spend Rs. 1.5 lakh crore in foreign currency to meet the coal demand for the power houses.

Adding of capacity through FDI in mining sector will help reducing the trade deficit for the country. We are always open to any betterment and would be happy to introduce new technology suiting our requirements.

WCL has always played a proactive role towards safeguard and protection of environment. In addition to the compliance to the stipulation of environmental laws, we always strive to walk an extra mile for betterment of societal living. Though in-exhaustive list of initiatives have been taken, but I would like to mention few of them which are aligned towards national priorities and have received national accolade and mention on Pan India platform: • Gainful Utilization of Mine water: In sync to Jal Shakti Program of GoI, WCL has implemented 16 scheme benefitting over 1.1 lakh populace • Sand Recovery from Over Burden (Reducing height of external OB & Preventing additional sand mining from water courses/ river banks) 15 |

| January 2020

The VP of India M. Venkaiah Naidu presented “National Safety Awards (Mines)” to WCL at the National Safety Awards (Mines) held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

WCL got seven awards in variours categories in 2015 & 2016. The award was received by Rajiv R. Mishra, CMD,WCL

• Eco-Park & Eco Mine Tourism: First of its kind in the country • Eco-friendly mode of coal transportation Being a pioneer for the initiatives, it gives me immense satisfaction on noting the replication of the same in other companies. To sum up, I proudly say that WCL is gaining

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| January 2020

recognition in National perspective as “The Innovative Coal Company with Out of Box Approach” Please throw us some light on your CSR activities.

I do not perceive CSR as an obligation, to me it is a long term social investment . It is a key business process

for sustainable development for the Society by supplementing the role of the Government in enhancing welfare measures based on the immediate and long term social and environmental consequences of their activities. The Primary beneficiaries of the CSR activities are land oustees, project affected persons (PAPs) and those staying within the radius of 25 Kms. of the WCL project areas. Poor and needy sections of the society living in different parts of India are secondary beneficiaries. Numerous activities have been taken under the aegis of CSR ranging from financial assistance for implementation of Program to distribution of artificial limbs to physically challenged, betterment of health facility in hospitals, installation of Sanitary vending machine at girl school, providing access to potable drinking water and many more.

Primarily the activities can be broadly grouped under theme of health, sanitation and living condition of the beneficiaries with an objective of providing the benefit of development to even the marginalized section of the society.

NCL: What next after joining

100 million tone club

Northern Coalfields Ltd, a Coal India Ltd subsidiary has already reached the 100 million tonne club and is now in its journey beyond. NCL Chairman and Managing Director PK Sinha tells Coalfield Times about his plans ahead and where does he see mining going in the next 3-4 years.

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| January 2020

(BHU), Varanasi. SARAS, setup in 2018, is the outcome of vision and mission of NCL.The core research areas of SARAS lies in advancement of mining technologies, clean coal technologies, climate change, waste management, carbon capture utilization, new & renewable energy, efficiency improvement and cost reduction besides providing scientific support to NCL units for improving availability, reliability and efficiency.

You have entered the 100 million tonne club. Please throw us some light on your future road map.

The coal consumption of the country in last fiscal year was about 968 MT with a growth of 8% over last year.

The domestic production of the country was about 730.25 MT. In order to meet the demand supply gap, the country imported about 235.24 MT coal. As CIL is committed to secure availability of Coal to meet the demand of various sectors and to reduce import to minimal, therefore NCL is also planning to increase its coal production in upcoming years.

The production target of NCL is 106.25 MT for FY 2019-20 and 110.50 MT for FY 2020-21.

How much has technology come to play in increasing your production?

NCL uses state of art technology for coal and OB production. NCL has the world’s best over burden removal system. It has 23 numbers of Draglines.

Coal India’s biggest Dragline, Somnath (33/72) having bucket size of 33 CuM is also in NCL. Commissioning of Khadia Incremental CHP (6 Mty) and diversion of Khadia-Bina- Jayant 18 |

| January 2020

(KBJ) Rail line were among the major development works carried out to augment coal despatch. Beside this 1st Indigenous BEML made BH 205E Dumper was commissioned in Amlohri Project. Similarly 24/88R Agni Dragline was commissioned at Amlohri Project.Presently NCL has deployed 4 nos. of Surface Miners for coal production of -100 mm size crushed coal and is in the process to deploy more nos. of surface miners in next 2-3 years. NCL is the leading mining company of the nation having simulators for training of Dragline, Dumper and Dozer operators.

Thus modern infrastructure and technology has played a key role in achieving production target of NCL and company is striving hard to continuously upgrade itself in view of technology and infrastructure. To meet the increasing demand of coal, NCL is fully aligned to the needs of adapting to advanced mining technologies and continuously upgrading itself through research and development. In view of the importance of R&D centre and the paradigm shift it can make, NCL has established a R&D centre i.e. Science and Applied Research Alliance & Support (SARAS) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology

How do you propose to help CIL in achieving the 1000mt mark by 202425?

Considerable rise in domestic production has helped in sustaining imports at an average of 23% of the overall demand over the last 5 years.

The share of coal in primary energy in India is 56% and in electricity generation the share is 72%. In last fiscal year, the domestic coal production of the country was 730.25 MT with 8.1% growth rate against net consumption of 968.10 MT with 8.0 growth rate.

The coal import of the country was 235.24 MT including import of 51.84 MT coking coal. Beside the increase in domestic coal production, there was growth of 8.8% in coal import. In view of this, it is of paramount importance for CIL to increase its coal production and CIL is planning to achieve its target of 1 BT coal Production by 202425. Being a mining leader, the CIL has a strategy to focus on 4 areas for ensuring achievement of continuously increasing coal production target in a sustainable manner. These areas are: Please tell us about your present production and off take situation.

The company has a target of 106.25 MT for both coal production and

taken in the Projects. In order to ensure continuous monitoring of ambient air quality, 9 nos. of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems (CAAQMS) have been procured and being installed at different Projects.

Please throw us some light on your CSR activities.

offtake in FY 2019-20. Presently NCL has achieved 102% of assigned target till 27th October, 2019 both in coal production and offtake.

What are the actions taken to ensure environmental safety in your mining area?

Environment protection measures are taken concurrently with mining operations for maintaining acceptable levels of major physical attributes of environment namely air and water quality, hydrogeology, noise level and land resources for the compliance of Environment Norms. Suitable water spraying systems for arresting fugitive dust on roads, CHPs, Feeder Breakers, Crushers, Coal Transfer Points and Coal Stock Areas have been installed.

52 numbers of Mobile Water Sprinklers are deployed in the Projects for dust suppression on haul roads. Massive tree plantation in and around the mining area, controlled blasting, use of modern techniques to reduce air and noise pollution are ensured. Mobile road sweepers are being provided to the Projects for cleaning the coal dust from coal transportation roads.

Effluent treatment facilities for mine effluent, workshop effluent and CHP effluent, oil and grease traps, sedimentation ponds and facilities for

storage of treated water and its reuse have been provided in Projects. 10 numbers of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) are presently working in 8 Projects of NCL.8 numbers of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have also been provided to deal with the domestic effluents. Recharging of ground water is taken up within the mine premises as well as in residential Colonies by way of rainwater harvesting, digging of ponds/ development of lagoons, and de-silting of existing ponds/ tanks. In addition to dug wells, 48 nos. Piezometers have been installed in and around all mines of NCL to monitor the ground water level. The level of pollutants is being monitored on a routine basis, as per the statutory guidelines to ascertain the efficacy of the pollution control measures being

The company serves the indigent society in and around its operational area, through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to fulfill the dreams of inclusive and sustainable development. The CSR expense of the company in last fiscal remained at more than 700 million. In FY 2018-19, NCL carried out CSR works of Rs. 73.57 Crore through different CSR activities and is on its way to spend about Rs. 92.27 Crore in FY 2019-20. The main CSR Projects under which different activities are being planned and executed

by NCL are: GaonJodoAbhiyan (Road Construction), AADHAR (Infrastructure-Community Halls, Toilets, Rural Haat, Houses, Skill Development Centre etc.), SwachhJal (Water supply to remote areas), Kaushal (Skill Development), Sab Swasth (Health Care), KhelTarang (Sports), Sab Sakshar (Education) and Sanitation.

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Shaping up the

future of mining

Anuj Keoliya Chief Operating Officer SBU - Coal India Business GMMCo Ltd. At a time when mining behemoths are targeting to enhance production and supplies, technology plays a most crucial part. The mining industry is constantly undergoing changes and new introductions has enabling changing the future. Safety at workplace has to become a primary consideration of the miners and so equipment suppliers, the makers of the mining future, has to be very careful of what they are offering. GMMCO talks about their way forward in the mining industry and shaping it the near future.

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| January 2020

conscious. An outlook that lowers the significance attached to differentiation based on build quality even when product features are compared. Project tenures are very small say 2-3 years.

Deployment of advanced machinery is costly, so small private contractors usually deploy lower capacity equipments. In India mining is done mostly by construction equipments.

Here the mining contractors carry out jobs like water well drills, excavator drills and we don’t see the scope of high end machinery equipments entering Indian mining markets.

GMMCO with its creative wisdom, positive thinking and unwavering drive aims to be the market leader in Mining Equipment in India in terms of Customer Delight and Market Share, how and in what way?

What the long term advantages of going forward have been deduced for end-users of yours keeping interest cost in mind? Your end-users get topquality equipment and maintenance how you ensure that?

Gmmco very strongly believes and lives up the value of enduring partnership with its customers.We are very particular about the experience that we provide to our customers. We take efforts to understand what our customer wants and make sure that we deliver as committed. We have noticed that our customers do value us for all the efforts we take and the services we offer.We have a highly motivated and experienced team. Our highly skilled and committed leadership team too worksvery closely with our customers on day today basis.

The trend right now in the mining industry is that most of the miners engage subcontractors for the projects to be executed. The profit margins are quite thin and any unforeseen cost will dent the profit/margin drastically. In order to support our customers we have moved towards providing solutions to them on cost per ton. This model works well as the customers find this more reliable. Caterpillar equipment’s match with the global standards and have a proven track record. We at Gmmco have a highly motivated team and world class facilities to compliment technologically superior and advanced cat products.

The Mining industry in India is a major economic activity which contributes significantly to the economy of India.

The GDP contribution of the mining industry varies from 2.2% to 2.5% only. The total industrial sector it contributes around 10%-11% as to the country’s GDP.With barely 20% of reserves mined, India presents a major opportunity for investors.

How do you look at the availability of advanced mining equipment in the current scenario?

Indian Coal and Metal mining is largely dominated by small private contractors and government companies. The Buyer segment is extremely price

Government owned companies have to mandatorily follow government’s public procurement policy (Reverse auction/ lowest bidder) and it becomes really difficult to invest in high end mining machineries. Specifications and technologies remain secondary as far as the minimum criteria’s are met.

Everyone looks for a good price with the best solution.

In the coming years with commercial coal mining plansand introducing MDO (Mines Development and Operators) contracts will help bring the latest technologies and mines management practices, as would be in collaboration with global mining companies, equipment manufacturers, technical experts and scientific and regulatory institution.

What is the feasibility of using advanced mining equipment for faster execution of projects?

Coal India plans to ramp up its production of coal significantly (700 MTPA by 2020). In order to achieve such significant increase in production, Coal India is banking heavily on new technologies and machineries. Along with achieving the production target but the focus is also on creating safe 21 |

| January 2020

mining environment. To achieve desired level of output, availability of machineries are also important.

Modern and smart technologies will helps to reduce MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and will help in faster execution of projects.

What are the major changes you experience with respect to the features and technologies of mining equipment available in the market in past two years?

Now a day’s customers are more focused on reducing maintenance cost, predict the availability and have higher production. In surface mining segment Caterpillar has introduced Product Link, which enables customers to do preventive maintenance, reduce the chances of failures and help achieve higher productivity. Caterpillar has Driver safety systems which help to reduce the chances of accidents. We at Gmmco have dedicated SOS labs in Nagpur where we receiveoil samples from different caterpillar machines across India.Here oil samples are analysed to determine the health of the engines and aggregates. With the help of these analysis we help the customers avoid any breakdowns. CAT 426F2, 424B2 Backhoe loader, 2021 D2 Hindustan wheel loader, 336D2 and 349D2 excavators are newly introduced by caterpillar which has been designed especially for Indian mining segment.

What business opportunities do you see in coal India’s decision to acquire mining equipment in the coming years?

If you analyse the recent equipment tenders of Coal India you will notice a sharp shift towards procurement of higher capacity equipments, be it dumpers ranging from 150Ton class to 240Ton Class or procuring shovels / 22 |

| January 2020

draglines by replacing multiple dozers.

It will definitely enable the customers to move more tons of materials over a specified time period.

What are the new products and technologies offered in mining sector?

For Caterpillarsafety at work place is of utmost importance and we are always aiming at reducing human interface in operations to avoid accidents and near misses. We have advanced system like advanced control joystick, Automatic articulation, cycle segmentation, truck payload measurement systems, vital information measurement systems, Asset IQ, fuel consumption systems and telematics. Caterpillar machines have Fatigue & distraction monitoring systems, machine security systems, object detections, operator identifications, operator and trainer seat belt reminder systems. .

Do you feel that you can excel by producing products of improved quality and continuous innovation how?

In recent purchases by miners across the country we can notice that customers are procuring equipments of higher capacity. In the long run for any business to be profitable

and sustainable, productivity and efficiency are the key areas of focus.

Globally Caterpillar is renowned for manufacturing robust and high quality reliable equipments. Being apioneer in the field of mining equipments Caterpillar has extensive ongoing research and development programs with innovation at its core. With the introduction of VIMS, Product Link, Fleet management system we help customer understand their current operations, and analyse the inputs to move towards optimisation. This kind of solution including product & services will help the customers to reduce cost, predictable availability and have higher productivity. We at Gmmco are involved with the customer’s right from the inception stage of a new projects/ new procurement planning, commissioning and day to day operations of the customers. With this high level of engagement with the customer and state-of-the-art facilities for maintenance and repair, highly engaged and committed work force, we believe we are in the right direction and ready to cater to the upcoming needs of the market. And with the partnership with the global leader like Caterpillar we will continue to have a strong hold for the mining equipment business in India.