Companies
China plays key role in Chile rescue
By Liu Yiyu and Zhou Siyu (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-18 10:21
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Crawler Crane on standby as miners brought to safely after 69-day ordeal
BEIJING - "Made in China" has won a reputation for quality in the international arena after a Chinese-made machine was involved in rehearsals for the dramatic rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile.
The Chinese crawler crane attracted worldwide attention in the successful recovery of the men stuck 700 meters underground for more than two months in a copper mine in the north of the country.
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A SCC4000 Sany crawler crane was on standby at the rescue site where 33 miners were trapped for 69 days in the San Jose Mine, Chile. [Photo / China Daily] |
The device, known as "the No 1 crane in China", produced by Sany Group, one of the largest construction machinery producers in China, was chosen over other world-renowned brands to participate in the rescue rehearsals.
"The fact that we have been chosen over other big names in the industry highlights the recognition of the performance of our products. We had 100 percent confidence in the success of this task," Zhou Fugui, senior vice-president of Sany Heavy Industry Co, said.
Sany's SCC4000 crawler crane participated in several rounds of rescue rehearsal. Although it was not used in the actual rescue because of the geological conditions at the site and a change of plan, industry experts, who had received an emergency summons, praised its stable and reliable performance throughout the rehearsal, Zhang Zhongke, overseas manager of Sany Group, said.
The red-painted independently-designed and manufactured machine was ready at the site throughout the whole rescue process in case of any contingency, Zhang added.
"Local people were encouraged by the presence of our machine, saying 'Chinese machines are very strong'," said Zhang.
Chile bought the crane from Sany in 2008 and it was selected by the Chilean government for the rescue operation on Oct 3 after reviewing its operational record over two years, said Zhou.
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That the SCC4000 was chosen by the Chile government as a candidate among other international competitors for rescuing the miners showed their trust in China's heavy machinery industry, Sany said on its website.
The same type of machine has been used in several rescue operations in the United Kingdom.
About half of SCC4000 cranes are now sold abroad, with foreign sales expected to grow within the near future, Zhou predicted.
Sany Group produces a variety of heavy cranes ranging up to 1,600 tons in tensile force. The one used in Chile was only 400 tons.
Crawler cranes over 1,000 tons in tensile force are quite popular both at home and abroad.