by Nick Drew | Fri 22 Apr 2022
Finnish Firm Love a Big Hitachi
The machine on display had already been sold to, E. Hartikainen Oy, one of Finland’s largest privately owned mining and heavy earthmoving contractors, by the Finnish dealers and our friends at Rotator Oy. The machine was lifted from the Bauma showground and transported to Finland, before heading to its first project working on the Port of Helsinki.
From that job the big 120-tonne class EX1200-7 moved to the Terraframe mine at Sotkamo, in the Kainuu region of Finland further North East, where as I understand it, the machine continues to work to this day.
Terrafame Ltd is a multi-metal company producing nickel, zinc, cobalt and copper at this mine and metals production plant also located there. The Hitachi has played a crucial role in the mine.
E. Hartikainen has a long-established history with running Hitachi excavators, having previously ran at least five 120-tonners in the past. Upgrading to the latest Stage V emissions compliant model was natural progression for the company.
The firm has been successful in winning the contract for the removal of the waste rock from the mine and disposing of it in this new waste rock area. The plan is to move an average of approximately 20 million tonnes of waste rock per annum over the next five years.
The machine features in this cracking video from Hitachi via Rotator Oy’s You Tube channel.