Gainwell Engineering has entered the Australian market by supplying a Highwall Miner to support a coal mine complex.
Since 2022, Gainwell Engineering has worked to establish itself as a leading mining equipment supplier in Australia and the Pacific region, and the company’s partnership with Vitrinite has been a key factor in that process.
In fact, that partnership led to Gainwell Engineering’s first sale into Australia with its Highwall Miner, a safe and innovative method for extracting coal from exposed seams.
“The two companies started to work together in 2020,” Gainwell Engineering Pacific managing director Paul Mulley told Australian Mining. “The relationship developed from there, which led to the signing of the contract for the Highwall Miner in March 2021.
“Since signing the contract with Vitrinite, we have moved on to open up a workshop in Gateshead, New South Wales, and consequently we now assemble, repair and provide parts for equipment in the Australian underground coal market.
“We will develop the Highwall product in Australia with Vitrinite and provide quality training for operators and maintenance staff at the project, as it is so critical for both parties given its uniqueness and future potential.”
The Gainwell Highwall Miner is considered safer, in some respects, than traditional underground mining as it only sends equipment underground not people. It also works very economically with a small crew and minimal support equipment.
“It uses the latest technology available to cut highwall coal down to 750mm and up to 10m that would be otherwise left in-site due to extraction economics,” Mulley said. “We have a very unique coal conveyance system that is second to none and more robust than anything else on the market for mining in this way.
“The cost per tonne is low (varying from site to site) and the number of personnel required to operate this product is at an absolute minimum to maintain a safe and productive operation.
“The Highwall Miner uses touchscreen technology to operate from a remote cab and it provides cameras and steering systems to ensure the coal extraction is maximised and the cutting technology is maintained in the coal seam.
“The key applications of the Highwall Miner in terms of coal extraction include final highwall mining, contour mining and trench mining.
“The key benefit for a highwall mining machine of this type is that it will recover reserves that would typically be left in the ground and ultimately wasted.”
The Gainwell Highwall Miner is currently best suited for coal extraction but there are plans to expand to other markets and resources.
“We have focused mainly on coal in the past but would welcome the opportunity to extend our expertise with this product to other applications where we believe the product could add value to an operation,” Mulley said.
The Highwall Miner has not always been part of the Gainwell stable. Formerly known as the Caterpillar Highwall Miner, it was the first product Caterpillar offered Gainwell to manufacture in India under a technology licensing agreement the two companies signed in 2017.
Gainwell Engineering has made the Highwall Miner its own, adding several changes and innovations to the machine’s design.
These upgrades include a new lighting design; a new retrofitable rear conveyor design with motor conveyor mounting changes; new software to simplify operations; a cutter module to cut down to a minimum height of 900mm – requiring much less maintenance; a compliance review for the Australian market; all motors being approved for use in Australia; more robust communication cables from the coal face to the operator; and a new water circuit design.
“We have sold one Highwall Miner every year since signing the agreement with Caterpillar,” Mulley said.
“Gainwell Engineering have really started to make a mark on innovation for the product.”
This feature appeared in the November 2023 issue of Australian Mining.