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Major customer HZL helps with vaccination drive

Major customer HZL helps with vaccination drive

A fine example of functioning cooperation even in difficult times comes from India. Hindustan Zinc (HZL) is currently generously inoculating not only its own workforce and their families against Covid-19, but also, without further ado, the employees of supplier GHH, which ensures the smooth operation of its machines at the Zawar mine in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

43 heavy duty machines have been supplied to HZL by GHH, the German specialist for mining, tunnelling and special civil engineering equipment. The vehicles were built in Germany, Poland, South Africa and Botswana adapted to local requirements.

“We are extremely pleased and grateful for the generous inoculation offer from our valuable customer HZL, where our employees have been working on site since late 2016,” said Carsten Weiss, managing director of GHH in Gelsenkirchen. “By working closely together, we are jointly ensuring that we can maintain mine operations even under the most severe conditions.”

GHH staff thankfully getting the precious Covid vaccine at a HZL facility in India (Photo: GHH)

HZL started the vaccine drive at the beginning of April, involving around 520 GHH staff members and their families. Most have already received their first dose at the company’s own Zawar HZL Hospital or at the vaccination camps HZL has set up in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand and Udaipur. In total, the company says it has already vaccinated more than 20,000 people. “We reassure our workers on site that we care”, told Arun Misra, CEO of Hindustan Zinc.

As a full-service provider, GHH supports its customers with intensive service and training on site, at any point around the globe. In the case of HZL, user training is conducted not only at the mine itself, but also at the central training center in Mochia. GHH built the site in 2018. It is centrally located in a region characterized by intensive mining. There, HZL in particular mines mineral resources such as zinc and silver. The company is the largest zinc producer in India and ranks second worldwide. Hindustan Zinc is part of the Vedanta Group.

The vehicles used by HZL in Zawar and elsewhere are primarily LF-10 diesel load haul dumpers (LHDs) and MK-A20 dump trucks.