Views: 3 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-08-13 Origin: Site
In underground mining, underground loaders are critical to maintaining ore production capacity. Aging equipment, shortages of skilled maintenance personnel, reactive repairs, and rising maintenance costs are persistent challenges faced by many underground mines.
Recently, FAMBITION After-Sales Service Department entered into a year-long dedicated technical service partnership with a major domestic underground mine. Two experienced engineers were stationed at the mine on a long-term basis, providing standardized maintenance systems, hands-on training, and one-stop OEM spare parts support. The program addresses key equipment maintenance challenges and builds a solid foundation for equipment reliability and stable production at a mine with an annual underground production capacity of 5 million tonnes.
The mine completed its transition from open-pit to underground mining in 2018 and adopted the sublevel caving method. The underground operation is equipped with 11 diesel underground loaders. With equipment from multiple brands and several machines operating beyond their intended service life, the existing maintenance system faced significant challenges:
Insufficient skilled maintenance personnel and limited experience in handling complex equipment failures;
A reactive maintenance approach, relying primarily on breakdown repairs without standardized preventive maintenance procedures;
Frequent equipment downtime and fluctuating availability, driving up overall mining costs;
Limited systematic technical training, leaving the mine’s own maintenance team unable to independently perform full-cycle equipment servicing.
To ensure continuous underground ore production and build sustainable in-house maintenance capabilities, the mine introduced FAMBITION’s year-round dedicated on-site technical service, restructuring its overall underground equipment maintenance management system.
The cooperation covers one year, with two experienced FAMBITION engineers stationed at the mine full-time to provide timely technical support for underground equipment. Five core services form a complete maintenance support cycle:
When unexpected failures occur in the hydraulic system, drivetrain, engine, or other key components of an underground loader, FAMBITION engineers promptly go underground to inspect and diagnose the issue, develop targeted repair solutions, and provide on-site technical guidance throughout the repair process. This minimizes downtime and helps maintain continuous underground production.
A complete maintenance process was established from the ground up, covering daily inspections, scheduled preventive maintenance, and planned overhauls. Standardized maintenance records are maintained for each machine, creating a traceable lifecycle maintenance history and shifting the operation from a “repair after failure” approach to proactive equipment management.
For FAMBITION’s full range of underground loaders, the service team provides standardized operating procedures, inspection checklists, overhaul and modification solutions, and OEM technical standards for oil and consumable selection, ensuring maintenance work follows original factory specifications and procedures.
A phased training program was developed to build the mine’s own technical capabilities through hands-on instruction:
Six-month stage: Operators master standardized operating procedures, significantly reducing equipment wear and damage caused by improper operation.
One-year stage: The mine’s maintenance team is able to independently perform daily servicing, scheduled maintenance, and troubleshooting of common equipment failures, establishing a self-sufficient maintenance capability.
A dedicated 15–30-minute weekly equipment meeting is held to review failure data, track maintenance progress, and plan the following week’s maintenance activities. Potential major equipment risks and upcoming overhaul requirements are identified in advance, with improvement and corrective actions provided accordingly.
To ensure the long-term stable operation of the 11 underground loaders, all repair parts, lubricants, and consumables under the cooperation are supplied through FAMBITION’s After-Sales Service Department.
All materials strictly comply with OEM technical specifications, helping prevent accelerated equipment wear and repeated repairs caused by substandard or non-conforming parts. This approach helps extend equipment service life while reducing long-term spare parts and maintenance costs.
After three months of on-site service, the preventive maintenance system had been fully implemented, supported by the replacement of key components with OEM parts. The mine achieved significant improvements in equipment maintenance performance:
Machine Availability (MA) increased from 60% to 85%.
Unexpected failures involving hydraulic systems, engines, and drivetrains decreased significantly.
Emergency repair downtime was substantially reduced, while failures caused by improper operation continued to decline.
Underground loader utilization increased steadily, improving production continuity.
Mine maintenance personnel became proficient in equipment inspection and maintenance procedures, while a complete and traceable maintenance record system was established.
These improvements provide a strong foundation for the mine’s long-term independent maintenance capabilities.
1. Maintain Production
Reduce equipment failures, improve underground loader availability, and stabilize annual production capacity.
2. Reduce Costs
Preventive maintenance reduces unexpected major repairs and excessive component wear, lowering equipment lifecycle maintenance costs.
3. Build a System
Establish standardized underground equipment maintenance and management procedures, addressing key gaps in the mine’s existing maintenance system.
4. Develop Talent
Build a professional in-house maintenance team through one-on-one hands-on training, reducing dependence on external technical support within one year.
5. Strengthen Safety
Standardize equipment operation and maintenance procedures, identify potential equipment-related hazards in advance, and help reduce safety risks in underground operations.
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