Case Study: Roy Hill achieves high excavator availability and rapid production ramp-up with Cummins-powered Hitachi excavators

Roy Hill - Customer Case Study

Roy Hill, a major iron ore mining operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, needed a highly reliable excavator fleet to support rapid ramp-up to its target production of 55 million tonnes per annum. The mine’s challenge was sustaining high-volume material movement in extreme conditions while maintaining strong equipment availability across multiple pits.

Cummins supplied engines for Roy Hill’s Hitachi excavators, including QSK60, QSK50, and QSK23 units with MCRS fuel system technology. The fleet achieved average availability above 90%, and Roy Hill reported minimal engine issues, with one EX5600 engine lasting 18,092 hours before change-out. The Cummins-powered fleet is helping Roy Hill move toward a target of one million tonnes of material a day.

Roy Hill

Wayne Borrett

Loading and Drilling Superintendent