TAIYUAN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A mineral crushing facility that can crush more than 9,000 tonnes of hard minerals per hour has started production in north China's Shanxi Province.

The mineral crushing equipment was installed at the Yuanjiacun Iron Ore Mine owned by Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. last year. It officially started production this week.

The company, which is based in Shanxi's capital of Taiyuan, produced 3.11 million tonnes of stainless steel in 2012, the most of any steel producer that year.

The Yuanjiacun mine is China's largest open pit iron ore mine.

Cao Keshun, a spokesman for Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (TZ), producer of the crushing equipment, said the equipment can break bulk minerals into small rubble ready for pulverization.

It can also be used for open pit mining, he said.