Bakırhan Madencilik, one of the important coal enterprises of the Thrace Region, preferred Sumitomo for its new machinery investment.
Bakırhan Madencilik, which has been operating in the Thrace Region, one of the important coal basins of Turkey, for more than twenty years, preferred Sumitomo for its excavator investment after Demirhan Madencilik, one of the group companies, and strengthened its machinery park. We visited Bakırhan Madencilik’s quarry in Tekirdağ Malkara, in the open pit area of Evrenbey Village, to discuss the new investment and the company’s activities. During our visit, we had the opportunity to see the activities in the quarry closely and to meet with Yavuz Selim Bakırhan, one of the company’s second generation managers.
Yavuz Selim Bakırhan, who has been in the coal trade and colliery management business since his childhood years, underlined that they are a big family with strong ties and uncles, brothers and cousins working together. Bakırhan said, “Our company is a family company and we have been operating in the mining sector for more than twenty years. Before our mining activities, we were dealing with the buying and selling of coal. Then we came to Tekirdağ region and became a producer here and we have been continuing our production activities for 20 years.”
Providing information about the business, Bakırhan said, “Currently, we are running an open business as a company. Previously, we also operated in closed enterprises until 2008, but due to the nature of the coal seams in the Thrace Region, we turned to open operation and we have been continuing open operation for about 12 years.
Key to Growth Investment
Pointing out that the production capacities are increasing day by day and this is in parallel with the investments made, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan stated that they have a production target of million tons in the next two years. Bakırhan said, “Currently, we have three businesses in the Thrace Region. One in Uzunköprü, one in Çavuşlu and one in Malkara Evrenbey. The annual capacity of our three enterprises is around 500 thousand tons. With an acquisition we made last year, we actually operate with four companies. We estimate that this production will approach million tons in the next two years. With our new investments, we have reduced our excavation depth from 75-80 m to 10-15 m. This, of course, means that we can naturally make more room and we can buy more coal. As a result of the machinery and facility investments we have made, we think that our production capacity will reach million tons in two years.”
“Our Coal Quality Is Within 4%”
Noting that the quality of the coal they produce, as well as the quality, is in a variety to meet the market expectations, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan said, “Since we have three different quarries, we have different coal seams and coal types. This is actually an advantage. We are able to offer products according to the demands of the market”.
“We are able to offer products according to the need. We can produce between 2,000 and 4,000 calories on average. 4,000 calories is a serious value. Only 4.97% of the coal produced in Turkey is 4,000 calories or more. In other words, today we also produce from that 4% segment,” Yavuz Selim Bakırhan said, and underlined that they also have a significant market share for domestic coal demand. Bakırhan said that they have sales in more than 15 different provinces, including Zonguldak, especially in the Thrace Region. Noting that 60-65% of the produced coal is sold to the factories, Bakırhan added that 30-35% of the produced coal is delivered to the end consumer as domestic coal.
“We Are Very Satisfied With Sumitomo”
Underlining that costs per ton are an important factor in competition in mining, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan emphasized that they attach importance to machinery investments. Expressing that they are very meticulous when choosing machines, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan said that they have the opportunity to closely test the power, speed and low fuel consumption of Sumitomo excavators. “We have a total of 16 excavators, 4 in Bakırhan Madencilik and 12 in Demirhan Madencilik. Our acquaintance with Sumitomo started with the 72-ton Sumitomo SH700LHD-5 MASS series machine purchased by Demirhan Madencilik a year and a half ago. We, as Demirhan Madencilik, have been using this 72-ton Sumitomo SH700LHD-5 MASS machine at our site in Cindere for a year and a half. The field in Cindere is a field where the ground is very hard and we blasted with dynamite and we were very pleased with this machine.” he said.
Up to 40% Fuel Savings with Sumitomo Excavator
Stating that they decided to change the machines they were using because of the efficiency they received from Sumitomo, even though they were mostly new, Bakırhan said, “As a result of our satisfaction with this machine, we decided to replace our two machines, which are 2017 models in Bakırhan Mining, with our new machine, Sumitomo.
Finally, we bought two large-tonnage heavy-duty crawler excavators Sumitomo SH490LHD-6 MASS (50 ton class) and SH510LHD-6 MASS (53 ton class) from Sumitomo.
Pointing to fuel savings, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan said, “We are very satisfied with the machines within a month now. To give an example, while the machines we changed had a fuel consumption of more than 60-65 lt/hour in double shifts, we currently have an average fuel consumption of 33-35 lt/hour in double shifts in Sumitomos. This means that the Sumitomos only save a minimum of 400 liters of fuel per day and a minimum of 40% per hour.”
Wide Service Network and Quality After Sales Services
Yavuz Selim Bakırhan, who said that they are satisfied with Sumitomo excavators due to their fuel efficiency, underlined that another factor in their preferences is after-sales services. Emphasizing the importance of service quality, Bakırhan continued as follows; “Other than that, the biggest reason why we prefer Sumitomo is its wide service network. Because service is very important to us. We work 16 hours a day in double shifts and production-sales continues for 24 hours. There’s no stopping. Even if the machine went to bed for an hour, it is a serious loss for us. We are the Sumitomos; We preferred it because the service network is wide, the slightest problem is taken care of, and the slightest malfunction is resolved quickly. We already had previous experience. We bought these machines and we are very happy with these machines.”
Expressing their satisfaction with the performance of Sumitomo excavators, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan also touched upon the issues that need to be considered in order to further reduce operating costs and obtain high performance from the machines, “Two things are very important. The first is that the operator using the machine uses the machine in a nice and clean way and does not abuse it. Second, timely maintenance of the machines. If these two things are respected, the machines will serve the user for many years.”
Environmentally Responsible Mining
Saying that it is useful to divide the environmental policies of the enterprises into two, Yavuz Selim Bakırhan summarized the first of them as legal regulations and the second as the sensitivity of the enterprises to the environment beyond these legal regulations and their efforts for sustainable mining. Yavuz Selim Bakırhan, “First of all, the indispensable practices required by the relevant laws for mining operations. We fulfill these with our related engineers and team. For example, what are they? a mining company must not approach more than 60 m from a road while operating a mine. There are many rules like this and we abide by them. In addition to this, we refill the excavation areas in the agricultural areas where we are working, we lay them with arable soil, which we call vegetable, and make them suitable and suitable for agriculture again. In addition, we are carrying out activities to give our own titled lands to our villagers who work here, free of charge, so that they can cultivate and reap them, and to bring them into the country’s economy and agriculture,” he said.
“Many Series of Machines”
Yasin Tekel, one of the operators of Bakırhan Mining, drew attention to the power and speed of the Sumitomo SH510LHD-6 excavator he is using and said; “The machine sits on the floor very well and is fast. Whether it’s for fuel or for work, it’s very nice. Almost the same series as 30 ton machines. We can commute at the same speed,” he said. Saying that Sumitomo’s breakout strength is also good, Tekel said, “I think the breakout strength is excellent. Because it is very noticeable compared to previous machines,” he said. Saying that the rear and side view cameras in Sumitomos make their job easier, Yasin Tekil said, “The cameras are perfect. They officially thought of the operator. There is no need for people on the right or left, we can work comfortably even in bad conditions thanks to these cameras. The viewing angle of the machine is excellent compared to the machines I have used before. I’m just passing by, they did it perfectly. Sumitomo is an excellent machine, I recommend it.”