In 1924, A.A. Stron discovered a magnetic anomaly containing ten deposits of ferruginous quartzite and high-grade iron ores in the Ukrainian region of Poltava. Poltava mine, the forerunner of the mining industry, was built on the site of the first two deposits and Komsomolsk, one of Ukraine’s most beautiful cities, rose nearby. Construction was completed in 1970 on the Poltava mine. Today, the mine is operated with 100% private capital.

Volnogorsk State Mining and Metallurgical Corporation (GGMK) is located 80 kilometers east of Dnepropetrovsk in Eastern Ukraine. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the state-owned company has been mining since 1956 after the discovery of the Malyshevskoe heavy metal ore deposit. The first zircon, rutile, and ilmenite production line was put into operation in 1961. The zircon-titanium sands of the Malyshevskoe deposit, which resemble snow-white Mexican beaches, consist of a compound mineral complex that includes zircon, rutile, ilmenite, tourmaline, quartz, and other minerals with high commercial value. The deposit is worked by the open-pit method and products are sold to companies in the refractory, foundry, ceramics, pigment, metallurgical, and glass industries both in Ukraine and outside.

In 1996 GGMK acquired its first three Caterpillar® D8R track-type tractors and two16H motor graders. Yury Garkusha, head of GGMK’s equipment department, explains that they choose Caterpillar because “they are economical, durable, and reliable.”

Today, sixteen D8R track-type tractors, two D7H track-type tractors, two 16H motor graders, two 312 excavators, two M318 wheeled excavators, two 928F wheel loaders, and two 432D backhoe loaders operate at the company and there are more to come: “We’ve already signed a contract for delivery of four 328D LCR excavators to work in the pit and to clean wet soil from dump trucks,” said Yu.D. Baranov, the director of Volnogorsk GGMK.

One of the latest purchases also includes a newly introduced Caterpillar 583T pipelayer. The company’s production process includes transporting mine sands in the form of slurry through a bulk pipeline system to the processing facility. The new pipelayer is used to service this ten-kilometer long pipeline and to lay additional lines.

Where the company management is pleased with the Caterpillar equipment, so are the operators: “Everyone likes to operate them,” comment the track-type tractor operators. “The tractor’s cab is comfortable, and the air conditioner offers conditions you don’t get even at home; you work a 12-hour shift and you never get tired,” said Mikhail Chaika, a D8R operator. His colleague Vasily Semecha adds, “With other equipment you’re often idle because of repairs but these machines are real workhorses.” In fact, the new machines are considerably more productive: previously, the company operated 68 track-type tractors – today 22 Caterpillar tractors perform the same amount of work.

Large numbers of Caterpillar machines operate in the mine: five D9R track-type tractors, two D9T track-type tractors, a 988F loader, two 345C excavators, an M322C wheeled excavator, an 824H wheel-type tractor and twelve 777D off-highway trucks.

Cat machines were not selected to the mine accidentally: “They’re good machines; with them we can be sure of fulfilling our intended plans. But when buying, we try to look at all possible options. We set a technical assignment for equipment manufacturers taking part in a tender. Then our technical specialists, who are members of the tender committee, evaluate the bids and decide what to buy. So we keep all suppliers on their toes and don’t let them relax. We want only the best equipment,” explains Poltava mines chief engineer Viktor Lotous.

Caterpillar offers convenient financial plans for purchasing machinery and services are provided to the company by Zeppelin Ukraine, Cat’s Ukrainian dealer.

Despite the open-pit mining, both companies have minimized the impact their operations have on the environment. Before the start of mining operations, the fertile topsoil layer is removed and stored. After the main ore-bearing mass is extracted, the pits are reclaimed with restoration of the fertile layer, which allows using the lands even for agriculture. The tailing piles are used to infill natural gullies and hollows, with subsequent planting of shrubs to prevent soil erosion. The companies use fully closed water circulation cycles, which eliminates pollution of natural water bodies.

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