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The XXI Ugol Rossii & Mining fair came to a successful close. The key yearly mining industry event combined the XIII Health & work safety exhibition, the VIII Resources of Russia exhibition, the II Promtechexpo exhibition and the International Mining Forum. The Kuzbass fair has attracted the participation of about 60,000 representatives of mining community from Russia and abroad. TopProm has traditionally taken part in the trade fair. Technical experts and managers from our mine and washeries had a chance to see new products and services. Cutting-edge solutions were introduced by 638 exhibitors from Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey, India, Italy, and representative offices of European and South African companies companies.

"The exhibition displayed that businesses are eager to boost their positions in the Russian market of mining equipment," Alexander Kozlov, chief engineer of the Yubileynaya mine, shares his thoughts. "Among the new solutions, I was impressed by a technology of direct drive with permanent magnets for belt conveyors. This equipment with quite a small footprint can fully replace the conventional power-drive."  

"Our long-standing partners - Ilma and Mining Equipment Plant (Niva-Holding) - were promoting their goods here as well," mentioned Andrey Mednikov, chief mechanical engineer of the Yubileynaya mine."We've collaborated with both companies in order to create technologies making the coal mining process safer. More specifically, these are an automation, machinery control and public address systems, and two-column powered support units with an installation increment of 1.5 m and a maximum extension of 2.1 m.

The agenda of the International Mining Forum included round table discussions, scientific and practical conferences and seminars. The main topics were digital solutions, import substitution issues, as well as measures aimed at improving safety and working environment.

"The workshop “Priorities for sustainable development and regulatory and technical control in the coal industry in a transition phase” was focused on the need to create a technology & test basis. This is one of the major activities to ensure the technological sovereignty, which the government ordered to develop," as Alexander Kozlov says. "In the near future there will be opened a testing center for mining equipment of domestic and foreign brands. It will be based at Vostochniy Research Institute for Mining Safety."

At the mining community meeting “Occupational health and safety in the coal industry: modern approaches” and the round table discussion “Occupational safety education: a new reality. Experience and Mistakes” experts exchanged their best practices, and addresses the transition to a risk-based approach to occupational safety issues.

"Nowadays, in the field of occupational safety, the trend is the digitalization of processes. At the exhibition, we learned how to use cutting-edge solutions in the training of both new experts and active employees," said Evgeny Verin, technical manager for occupational safety at the Yubileynaya mine. "Besides, we can see new manufacturers of personal protective equipment in the market, in particular from the Donbass. We have to test it!"

"Indeed, manufacturers offer lots of novelties here - like automatic dryers, clothes cleaners and other devices," adds Daria Abramenko, head of the supply department in TopProm JSC. "And it's not only China, but also Turkey. For instance, instead of the German suppliers of gear motors for conveyors that exited the market, there is a good offer from Turkish manufacturers."

Occupational health and safety are closely related to the environment, therefore, at workshops and round table discussions, experts and environmental engineers of TopProm addressed the challenges of preserving the region's environment. The leading topics were methane recovery, preparatory measures for the mothballing or abandonment of coal mines, and further development of technologies. The exhibition “Ugol Rossii & Mining“ this year brought together over 550 businesses from Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey, India, as well as dealers of European suppliers. They introduced 5,000 items of industrial machinery, equipment and materials. These figures show that the event remains an attractive and effective platform not only for equipment manufacturers, but also for coal companies, such as TopProm.