By Steve Fiscor, editor-in-chief
More details were released this week about Hauhinco’s acquisition of Caterpillar’s longwall mining equipment business. The new name of the business will be Hauhinco Bergbau Technik (HBT) Group or Hauhinco coal mining technology in English. The new name resembles a predecessor original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Deutsche Bergbau Technik (DBT), which was acquired by Bucyrus before it was acquired by Cat.
Based in Sprockhövel, Germany, Hauhinco Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG is a long-time coal industry supplier that is recognized for its high-pressure pumps used in longwall mining and other industries. When Cat announced its plans to exit the underground coal mining space, Hauhinco acquired its longwall product line, which includes powered roof supports, shearers and armored face conveyors and their respective controls and drive systems. Much of Cat’s longwall business was based at the old DBT headquarters in Lünen, Germany.
For more than a year, the two companies have been quietly engineering the transition. HBT Group formally named former Cat executive Jay D. Armburger as CEO of HBT Americas LLC as well as chief technical officer (CTO) for the HBT Group. Armburger has more than 30 years of experience in the mining equipment industry with extensive global leadership experience primarily focused on underground mining.
Former president of Hauhinco’s American division, Ron Osselborn has been promoted to COO and president of HBT Americas. Osselborn has been with the Hauhinco organization for more than 30 years providing support and solutions for the longwall mining and industrial hydraulic industries.
Dayven Johnston, a 20-year Cat veteran, has been named general manager for HBT Americas’ Sales, Support, Automation and Engineering organization. HBT said Johnston brings an acute understanding of customer challenges and a passion for optimizing customer value.
