Leaders

SAVA KOVAČEV, THE GENERAL MANAGER OF “KOLUBARA METAL”,
ABOUT ONE HALF A CENTURY OF WORKING
Finishing the Race and Being the Winner
Adapting to business trends, the younger team of experts of this eminent company is designing, producing, installing, maintaining and revitalizing the devices in the mining industry upon the “turn-key” system

After the separating of the Mining Basin “Kolubara”, “Kolubara Metal” became the leader in the production of heavy machinery on the Balkans in this part of the world. This company, even though it stayed in the complete ownership of the state, makes business successfully.
– The period of transition was painful in all countries, through which Serbian machinery is going now – says Sava Kovačev, the General Manager of “Kolubara Metal” for the National Review. – We still did not finish our work; we are expecting the period of privatization. This jubilee, 55 years of working, we are celebrating in a rather delicate moment, which is marked by the expansion of the energetic sector, long periods of delivery of raw material and half-manufactured products, as well as the constant growth of prices. However, we insist on the development business politics and looking in the future.
With about 2 700 employees, among which 160 engineers, “Kolubara Metal” is one of the sparse producers of equipment for the mining industry in Europe which can offer their project realization upon the “turn-key” system. Their partners are eminent companies, among which “TyssenKrupp”, “Takraf”, FAM, SKF, “Voiht”, which make business on all continents.
– In order to preserve and strengthen our leadership in the Balkans, our goals is to make equal with companies of similar production possibilities, in all elements of business, very quickly – says Sava Kovačev. – The open and active business politics of the company can be seen in the collaboration and close partnership with the strongest and best world companies from the field of production of heavy machinery. It is undoubtedly advancing our knowledge and possibilities, opening the door for not only transferring the most modern and most sophisticated technologies in Serbia but for the constant presence of “Kolubara Metal” on the world market.
Besides the realization of individual projects in the processing and mining industry, “Kolubara Metal” is producing transport idlers and walkways for the domestic and foreign market. Following the trends in the production they deal with, the people of “Kolubara Metal” are considering the business with restorable sources of energy.
In order to preserve the trends of successful leadership among the competition which is getting stronger, “Kolubara Metal” is planning to broad its production, says the General Manager Kovačev. They are qualified for the work of building and maintaining long-distance power lines and transmission systems of electric energy on various voltage levels, for the assembly of electronic equipment and the equipment for telecommunications and telephony, but also for the revitalization of the electro-motors of 1,5 KW to 1,5 MW. An agreement was signed with the SKF Company from Gothenburg for obtaining the certificate. That is how “Kolubara Metal” became the first authorized service of this eminent company in Europe for the service and maintenance of electro-motors.

A TEAM FOR THE WORLD

“Kolubara Metal” practically has not relevant concurrence in this part of Europe, which is confirmed by many great deals this firm made or is making during the last three years. After the damage of the Bucket Wheel Escavator SchRs 1760, engineers and mechanics of “Kolubara Metal” have took apart the device and they are now working on fixing it and making it a part of the production, which is very important for Serbian energetics.
“Kolubara Metal” moved and revitalized the Bucket Wheel Escavator SRs 1300 from Germany, a middle-class device (1600 tons), which is a substitute for missing capacities on the open pit “Field D” of the mines of Kolubara.
“Kolubara Metal” is also the leading domestic partner for realization of the overburden system for the open pit mine “Tamnava – West field”.
In four from five packages for the new overburden transport system on the open pit of coal “Tamnava West”, “Kolubara Metal” is the main domestic subsuply company to companies which won an international tender: “TyssenKrupp”, FAM, ABB, “Takraf”. This work, which is very important for the functioning of EPS, is worth more than 70 million Euros. “Kolubara Metal” is taking part with 25 million Euros, delivering more than 9000 tons of equipment, says Kovačev.
For the production of coal on open pit mines of the Mining Basin “Kolubara”, this company does the maintaining work on special machines, beltwagons, besides bucket wheel escavators and spreaders. Four machine and in the on going process of revitalization right now (two bucket wheel escavators and two beltwagons) in the “Kostolac” open pit mine.
Along with several well-known expert companies, “Kolubara Metal” is developing the project of monitoring of complete machines for exploitation, which is considered the newest technical trend in the world. Kovačev emphasizes that their goal is to reduce or eliminate the unplanned downtimes. Much work has been done in project capacities as well in modernizing the complete system of making business.
– The basis software progress, the modernization of working capabilities, and the organization of business system are among our priorities. For example, the most modern software system SAP for running business processes, was purchased and implemented, and it is making possible for us not to fall behind our competition. That is how we became, along with our German partners, the competitors for getting important projects in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Australia, Indochina, Iran, Iraq, South Africa and South America.. From “Krupp Canada” we got a certificate for the participation in the project of obtaining oil from shale oil – says Kovačev.
The management plan of “Kolubara Metal” is to make 50 percent of the company’s income out of the Mining Basin “Kolubara” and EPS in the next three years. Adapting to business trends, the younger team of experts of this eminent company is designing, producing, assembling, maintaining and revitalizing its devices in the mining industry.

FROM DESIGN TO INSTALLATION

One of the main activities of “Kolubara Metal” is engineering. It is done by the highest standards, by own, or projects of other companies. After a long period of experience in installing and maintaining, they started working on complete conveyorbelt systems for transportation of overburden or coal, with pouring sites and sites for storage, projecting halls and steel constructions, mechanical structures and installations on open pit mines (bucket wheel escavators, spreaders and other kinds of open pit mine devices...), processing machines (coal processing, stone processing...) They have developed managing of the revitalization process according to their own methodology, as a system of calculation of individual elements of steel constructions or mechanical parts (low-range gear lever...)
Engineering and projecting is followed by production and a Profit Center for the Production and Regeneration with production workshops was developed.
However, the installation works contributed the most to the reputation of “Kolubara Metal”. It Assembly department started working in 1974. As a part of “Kolubara Metal”, the Profit Center “Montaža” is working since 1978. This PC made installments and put into operation many objects of the mining, process and other industry in the country and abroad. The assemblers of this section assembled about 85 percent of the entire equipment of the Mining Basin “Kolubara” (on all open pit mines), the new drying place and the new heating plant “Vreoci”, three phases of the separation “Vreoci”, coal delivery, the dump and the crusher site “Tamnava”, the complete equipment of the open pit mine “Oslomej” in Kičevo, the first and the second phase of the open pit mine “Suvodol” in Bitolj (Macedonia), several bucket wheel escavators in Kostolac, the equipment of open pit mine “Stanari” in Doboj and “Omarska” in Prijedor (Srpska)... And many more!
The assemblers of this company proved themselves on big buildings sites abroad. They installed complete blocks of the power plant “Daura” in Iraq, of 2x110 MW (in cooperation with “Termoelektro”), then the machines for reloading and transport of aluminum mine from ships in Abu Dhabi and the Emirates. The made the machine for crushing and separation of stone in Iraq (in cooperation with “Granit-Peščara” from Ljig), they took part in installing the nuclear power plant “Krško” (cooperating with “Hidromontaža” from Maribor). They also made the machine for processing ore “Rudni Dvor” in “Feronikl” from Glogovac, in the Serbian province Kosovo and Metohia (in cooperation with “Hidromontaža” from Maribor)... And many more!
“Kolubara Metal” does many repairs every year, as well as maintaining work and the revitalization in the Mining Basin “Kolubara”, EPS and wider (Mining Basin “Kostolac”, Power Plant “Kolubara”, TENT in Obrenovac and in plants “Pljevlja”, “Ugljevik” and “Gacko”). The capacities of “Kolubara Metal” are hired in the Mining Basin “Kolubara” on: electro mechanic repairs of mining equipment and towing devices, maintaining of thermo-technical installations, maintaining of telecommunicating and electro-energetic connections, systems and trafostations.
“Kolubara Metal” is the only one in the Balkans with a specialized team which deals with measuring the weight and defining the location of the center of gravity of the upper building of bucket wheel escavators, spreaders, self-propelled beltwagons, dump and other mining machines. The goal is to control the projected center of gravity in the function of checking the stability of the machine. The accreditation of the Laboratory for Measuring and Research, which is made by the Serbian Accreditation Organ, is now in progress, after which the measuring methods will be accepted from all relevant institutions.

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Starting in a small workshop
The company “Kolubara Metal” was established in 1953, in a small workshop of the mining basin “Kolubara”. With the spreading of the coalmine, the work of maintaining machines and equipment became more demanding. That is how grew and strengthened “Kolubara Metal” along with open pit mining sites.

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Competition
The modern Design and Construction Bureau, with specialized computer network, people trained for designing with calculations based on final element method, and the experience acquired on many business projects in the country and abroad, all made possible for “Kolubara Metal” to prosper as a modern company, capable of accomplishing the most difficult demands of its clients and to survive the never-ending game on the market.

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“Elmont”
“Kolubara Metal” is especially proud of its “Elmont” department in Lajkovac, established in 1969. The small electro-engine, installing, and production company, which had only eight employees after its foundation, is working as an independent company since 1983. It became a part of “Kolubara” in Lazarevac, that is of “Kolubara Metal”, and a part of EPS since 1990.
Today, “Elmont” is organized in four working units: “Energetika”, “Telekomunikacije”, “Metalni pogon” and “Održavanje”.