Segment map
| Segment | German supplier | Base | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large hydraulic mining excavators | Liebherr Mining | Colmar / Kirchdorf | 100 - 800 t class machines |
| Mining haul trucks | Liebherr Mining | Newport News / Germany | 100 - 360 t payload |
| Underground shearers & roadheaders | Eickhoff | Bochum | Longwall and development machines |
| Mining gearboxes | Eickhoff, Flender, ZOLLERN | Bochum, Bocholt, Sigmaringen | Drive trains for mills, conveyors, shearers |
| Crushing & screening | thyssenkrupp, Hazemag, Kleemann | Essen, Dülmen, Göppingen | Gyratory, impact and jaw crushers |
| Conveying & stacking | thyssenkrupp, Beumer | Essen, Beckum | Overland conveyors, stackers, reclaimers |
| Shaft sinking & TBM | Herrenknecht, Bauer | Schwanau, Schrobenhausen | Vertical shaft and tunnelling systems |
| Hydraulic systems | Bosch Rexroth, Hydac, Hawe | Lohr, Sulzbach, Munich | Pumps, motors, filtration, control blocks |
| Dewatering pumps | KSB, Wilo | Frankenthal, Dortmund | Slurry and mine dewatering |
The hydraulics question
A distinct search pattern from mining buyers is not for machines at all but for hydraulic system providers. That reflects how the sector actually operates: mines rarely replace a machine, they rebuild it, and the hydraulic circuit is where availability is won or lost.
| Supplier | Specialisation | Where it matters in mining |
|---|---|---|
| Bosch Rexroth | Axial piston pumps and motors, high-pressure control | Excavator main circuits, drive systems, large press equipment |
| Hydac | Filtration, accumulators, cooling, condition monitoring | Contamination control - the single biggest driver of hydraulic failure in mining |
| Hawe Hydraulik | Compact high-pressure valves and power packs | Underground machines where space and fire load are constrained |
| Bucher Hydraulics | Motors, valves, lifting technology | Auxiliary and lifting circuits |
| Argo-Hytos | Filtration and fluid management | Mobile equipment fleets |
Indicative pricing
| Item | Class | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic mining excavator | 250 t operating weight | €4.5M - €7M |
| Mining haul truck | 240 t payload | €3.5M - €5.5M |
| Roadheader | Mid-size hard rock | €1.8M - €3.5M |
| Gyratory crusher | Primary, large | €3M - €9M |
| Impact crusher | Secondary | €350k - €1.2M |
| Overland conveyor | Per km installed | €2M - €6M |
| Main hydraulic pump (rebuild) | Large excavator | €18k - €55k |
| Filtration & monitoring package | Per machine | €25k - €90k |
How mining buyers should structure the purchase
- Buy availability, not tonnage. Ask every bidder for a guaranteed mechanical availability figure and the contractual consequence of missing it. German OEMs will quote this; many competitors will not.
- Price the 10-year lifecycle. Major-component exchange schedules, not purchase price, decide the winner. Request the exchange interval and cost for pumps, final drives, engines and gearboxes.
- Fix the parts logistics before signing. A German machine at a remote site is only as good as the consignment stock. Negotiate a site spares package and a guaranteed AOG-equivalent response time.
- Confirm the training scope. Availability gaps between well-run and poorly-run identical fleets routinely exceed 10 percentage points, and the difference is operator and maintainer skill.
- Check emissions and fuel compatibility. Stage V after-treatment is intolerant of high-sulphur diesel. Specify the engine variant for the fuel you can actually buy.
Related reading
- German construction machinery manufacturers
- German mining equipment for Australia
- German industrial pump manufacturers
- German conveyor systems manufacturers
Frequently asked questions
Which German companies make mining equipment?
Liebherr Mining supplies large hydraulic excavators and haul trucks from its dedicated mining division. Eickhoff in Bochum builds underground shearers, roadheaders and mining gearboxes. thyssenkrupp supplies crushing, conveying and materials-handling plant. Hazemag in Dulmen makes impact crushers and feeder breakers. Bauer and Herrenknecht cover shaft sinking and underground excavation. Bosch Rexroth and Hydac dominate the hydraulic systems inside most of them.
Who supplies hydraulic systems for German mining machinery?
Bosch Rexroth in Lohr am Main is the principal supplier of high-pressure hydraulic pumps, motors and control blocks for heavy mining equipment. Hydac in Sulzbach covers filtration, accumulators and cooling. Hawe Hydraulik in Munich supplies compact high-pressure valve technology. Argo-Hytos and Bucher Hydraulics also serve the sector. Most German mining OEMs integrate rather than manufacture their own hydraulics.
Is German mining equipment worth the premium over Chinese alternatives?
In continuous heavy duty, usually yes - the gap shows up in availability rather than purchase price. German machines typically deliver 5-15 percentage points higher mechanical availability and longer major-component life, which on a machine generating six-figure daily revenue outweighs a 30-50% purchase premium. For intermittent or low-utilisation work the premium is much harder to recover.
Can I buy German mining equipment directly from the factory?
For large capital equipment, yes - mining is one of the few segments where direct factory sales are normal, because the customer base is small and technically sophisticated. Expect a full lifecycle proposal covering commissioning, condition monitoring and a maintenance and repair contract rather than a simple machine price.