Where the North Sea and Norway meet, the first hydraulic shovel stick produced by employees in Ostrava, Czech Republic is delivering on customer needs. In July, the stick was successfully installed on a 6040 Hydraulic Shovel at a mine in Sokndal, Norway. The hydraulic shovel is currently being used to mine iron-titan at the Titania Mine, one of the most important iron-titan ore mines in Europe.
The stick, or dipper arm, provides the digging force needed to pull the shovel or excavator bucket through the ground and is a critical component of any mining shovel or hydraulic excavator. While visiting the Ostrava facility in January, Integrated Manufacturing Operations Division (IMOD) Vice President Dave Bozeman had the opportunity to see the completed stick before it began its journey to our customer.
"This is a proud moment as the team made this great project happen," said Bozeman. "It is great to actually see the stick at a mine site and working. Congratulations to our Ostrava employees and a job well done."
The Ostrava facility extensively prepared for stick production and ensured quality testing was complete before shipment to our customers. More than a year ago, the Ostrava facility focused on manufacturing longwall components. Since August of last year, the facility has diversified its production to include manufacturing sticks for hydraulic shovels. The hydraulic shovels, built using Ostrava's sticks, are manufactured in Dortmund, Germany.
