EANS-News: SMT Scharf AG presents future-proof new drive technology
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Hamm, May 29, 2009 - SMT Scharf AG (German Securities Code (WKN) 575198, ISIN DE0005751986), technology and world market leader for rail-bound railway systems for the mining sector, will present its latest solution for demanding underground transport tasks for the first time early June at the mining technology trade fair Ugol Rossii & Mining. This innovative monorail hanging railway has a rack-and-pinion drive that can be switched in. It is thus excellently suited for use in particularly difficult mining conditions, such as steep inclines on individual track sections or very damp conditions.
This new railway's most striking feature is its flexibility: The drive has been designed so that the driver can switch between the friction and rack-and-pinion drive en route without having to stop. The racks, which are used for the rack-and-pinion drive, thus only have to be laid in track sections with particularly steep inclines or particularly damp conditions. Both the rack-and-pinion drive and also the racks can be added to existing installations.
"We are very pleased to be able to present this future-proof railway to an international audience right in time for the exhibition in Russia," commented Dr. Friedrich Trautwein, SMT Scharf AG's CEO. "We believe that there will be strong interest in this type of drive on the Russian and Polish markets in particular, as mining conditions in these countries are becoming increasingly difficult as underground mining progresses." Trautwein added: "We expect that investment activities will normalize as soon as the sales situation for Russian mines stabilizes. There are initial cautious signs of this happening, for example we have received an order for a DZ 1800 monorail hanging railway from Russia this month."
Ugol Rossii & Mining 2009 runs from June 2 - 5, 2009, and is the most important trade fair for mining technology and equipment in the Russian Federation. It is held once a year in Novokuznetsk (West Siberia). The organizers are expecting around 600 exhibitors and 20,000 trade visitors. Novokuznetsk is in the middle of the Kuzbass basin, the center of Russian coal production. More than half of the 326 million tons of coal that are mined in Russia each year come from this region.
Company profile
The SMT Scharf Group develops, builds and maintains rail-bound railway systems for mining and use in tunnels. The trains are used all over the world, primarily in hard coal mines, gold mines and in underground mining for platinum, diamonds, copper and nickel. They are used to transport material and personnel with working loads of up to 35t. Rail-bound trains are the only means of transport that can be used underground on branching lines to cope with inclines of more than 13 degrees. The SMT Scharf Group has subsidiaries in Germany, Poland, South Africa, China and Russia, as well as agencies around the world. The railways developed by SMT Scharf are characterized, above all, by high-performance engines, high working loads, high speed and low operating and maintenance costs. SMT Scharf records more than 70% of its revenues on high-growth foreign markets, such as Russia, China and South Africa. The replacement parts and repairs business constitutes around 50% of revenues. The advances in exploitation of resources make underground conditions increasingly difficult which in turn requires more high technology transport solutions in mining. The total market for underground transport technology comprises around EUR 5 billion to EUR 7 billion per year according to company estimates. SMT Scharf AG has been listed in the Prime Standard (regulated market) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since April 11, 2007.
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Contact
Investor relations
cometis AG
Susanne Gremmler
Phone: +49(0)611 - 205855-23
Fax: +49(0)611 - 205855-66
E-mail: gremmler@cometis.de
Branche: Machine Manufacturing
ISIN: DE0005751986
WKN: 575198
Börsen: Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Berlin / free trade
München / free trade