OREANDA-NEWS. METALLOINVEST (the “Company”) and Management Company Techstroycontract Ltd., the official distributor of products by Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd, have signed contracts for the supply of two Hitachi EX 5600E – 6 LD electrohydraulic excavators with a 23 cubic metre bucket to be used at the production sites of METALLOINVEST’s mining businesses. The contracts are part of METALLOINVEST’s programme to acquire a set of high-performance machinery for its mining and transportation operations. The contracts stipulate that the excavators will be delivered to the Company at the beginning of 2014.

This is the first time that METALLOINVEST has purchased electrohydraulic excavators with such bucket capacity. The largest machinery used at the Company’s mining sites at present have a 12 cubic metre bucket. The upgrade to machinery with larger carrying capacity aims to primarily achieve a reduction in the operating costs of excavation and make production more environmentally friendly. The operating costs of Hitachi’s excavators are amongst the lowest in its class.

Dmitry Babkin, Chief Investment and Strategy Officer of METALLOINVEST, commented: “Increasing production efficiency and improving the working conditions at the Company’s businesses are priorities for METALLOINVEST. We are confident that the acquisition of Hitachi excavators will enable us to increase productivity, to optimise mining processes, the excavation fleet and the cost of excavation.”