It was the end of a very important era when Britain’s last remaining deep coal mine closed in North Yorkshire last December, bringing the curtain down on an industry which once dominated great swathes of the country. Where there were once one million coal miners in the UK, that number has been decimated and is now limited to a small number of men working, largely, at open-pit mines.
But despite this, the world’s largest independent lubricant manufacturer, Fuchs, has made the decision to keep its Centre of Excellence for underground mining in England.
Fuchs operates in six continents – every one bar Antarctica – and all overseen from its UK base in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Far from scaling back its mining division, Fuchs has been able to expand and grow in countries like Australia, USA, Russia and – in the last decade China – where both longwall underground and surface mining remain key sectors.
“Fuchs, having its mining headquarters here in Staffordshire, goes back to the days of Century Oils which was a company that grew rapidly by supplying lubricants to the local mining industry in Stoke-on-Trent,” said Martyn Rushton, Head of Global Mining for the Fuchs Group.
“It’s an historic relationship which goes back well over 100 years. To still have the Centre of Excellence held here at Fuchs UK makes us all exceptionally proud.”
Fuchs acquired Century Oils in 1991 and set its sights on new territories.
Rushton explains: “Throughout the 1980s, the UK longwall mining industry was declining rapidly. It was a horrendous period. During the strikes we had to make redundancies and, when the strike was in full flow, we couldn’t even get to the mines.
“We had to make some deliveries because there was equipment which had to be maintained from a safety aspect. I remember crossing the picket lines and that wasn’t pleasant at all.
“But we came through that and when Fuchs took over Century Oils, the focus really switched to overseas, including non English-speaking countries. We went to Poland, Russia and the Ukraine where there was a huge amount of business to be won.”
Today Fuchs’ most significant markets include South America, South Asia and the Nordic countries.
Each of these present their own unique challenges. Ruston said: “Often these mines are in the middle of nowhere, which can be a logistical nightmare.
“And then each country is different. In Ukraine at the moment, for example, there is still conflict. All of the coal which heats the Ukraine comes from the Donets Basin. We are still managing to supply product, manufactured in the UK, to that area every week.
“Some of the coal mines have been critically damaged and may never open again – but even during hard times it’s in everyone’s interests to keep some of the lights on.
“Russia is a huge market for us but we’ve seen the devaluation of the Russian Rouble and Western products can be very difficult to sell – or impossible under an embargo. However, what we do have in Russia, is a newly-commissioned modern manufacturing plant which has meant we’ve been able to maintain our sales. We supply the plant with some very special super concentrates made in the UK.
“The Kuznetsk coal basin is in the middle of the Siberian Plain. The Siberian winter can be quite challenging. The coldest I’ve experienced is minus-38oC. It was certainly a test for our Western clothing.”
Rushton feels that keys to Fuchs’ success lie in respecting different cultures and offering personal service and expertise.
“Our technical people are brought from within the industry – and that’s crucial,” he said.
“We bring in mining engineers and Fuchs can train them in lubrication. Industry knowledge is key when you’re sitting there with a mining engineer. They recognise you know what you’re talking about.
“Deep mining is very dangerous and our customers need to know they can trust us. The products have to stand up to the harsh conditions and they have to do their job.
“We send out our people to countries to provide training seminars and show them how to maintain fluids and so on. We also bring people to the UK and use our fantastic facilities and labs dedicated to mining. We show our customers the benefits of the products and that is key.
“Moreover, the members of our global mining division, from different subsidiaries, meet on a regular basis, particularly at large trade fairs, to exchange ideas.”
Fuchs’ best-known and best-selling underground mining products come under the Solcenic portfolio of low flammability, water-miscible hydraulic fluids which meet the requirements of OEMs building the machines, as well as mine operators.
In many countries fire resistant hydraulic lubricants became a legal requirement after a huge fire at a coal mine in Marcinelle, Belgium, killed 262 people in 1956.
“You take the mine water, you mix it with our Solcenic concentrate and the solution is a controlled emulsion,” he explained.
“It provides corrosion protection for the hydraulic system and some lubrication. It has to resist attack from micro-organisms to produce a filterable, hydraulic medium which can’t be compressed.
“The roof support system is operated using the Solcenic hydraulic fluid. The roof supports are filled with the Solcenic emulsion, and with their unique formulation, this greatly reduces the risk of fire.”
The second important range of products is the Powergear range of high-viscosity lubricants which have been specially developed to meet the requirements of mines.
Each fluid has to pass vigorous testing before it can be used underground – and some are manufactured for a specific mine and its conditions.
Rushton added: “We design our fluids to meet industry standards. For example, they undergo crevice corrosion tests where the seal is put in one position and the hydraulics in another for a number of weeks without moving. Underneath the contact regions, where the elastomer touches the steel, there has to be no serious corrosion occurring. If you get pitting corrosion it can lead to hydraulic leakage and failure. It’s very vigorous, but we are successful in passing.
“Each coal mine has its own approval based on the tests we have done with the mine water from that particular mine. The mine water varies in quality tremendously. You can get very challenging waters with a very large amount of salts dissolved in them. Our challenge is to make a product suitable for the conditions.”
When it comes to surface mining, the focus for Fuchs is reliable engine, gear and transmission oils to stand up to the test of the huge trucks being used. “We have to keep developing our lubricants as the machines develop to meet the OEM specifications. As they get bigger and stronger, of course the demand on lubricants gets more severe.
“These are multi-million pound pieces of kit. With the cost of such equipment, it’s exceptionally important you don’t take shortcuts. To have them lying idle is disastrous. Our customers want reliability. You have to have the confidence with the lubricant. Fuchs has been able to do that – and we’ve proved that we can do this more efficiently than the big oil companies.
“We’ll put specialised guys there on site – and the machines will be serviced by Fuchs technicians.
We are continuing to develop and supply specialised products such as optimised coal froth flotation reagents for recovery of coal. Fuchs has a specialist flotation facility in Poland with a dedicated laboratory, working with raw feed from the mines, formulations comprising frothers and collectors can be optimised. Flotation reduces the % of Ash in the coal making a valuable fuel for energy production which would otherwise be lost as waste”.
“In places like China, coal mining will diminish because it has to reduce its emissions. Going forward our main aim is to grow the surface mining side of the business globally.”
Last but not least, sustainability is a key strategy for the Fuchs Group. In a recent supplier evaluation program published by EcoVadis for GlaxoSmithKline, Fuchs Lubricants UK was awarded a gold recognition level as one of the top 5% performers.
“There is huge potential for growth – worldwide there are still many opportunities for the team to pursue, and we’re delighted to be driving that forward from an area with such a rich mining heritage as Staffordshire.”