Abstract.A steady increase in coal extraction in Russian Federation and worldwide results from objective causes of natural resources availability and development of advanced coal processing technologies. In the context of the long-standing economic crisis, considerable investments in coal industry are not to be expected. Consequently, the reserve for extraction growth lies in increasing productivity of the key equipment applied in Kuzbass coal pits. The production data analysis revealed that the presented excavators working capacity does not depend on the bucket volume and the cycle time. It is hereby specified that working capacity is primarily dependent on the actual operation cycle time. As it is demonstrated, the key reserve for increasing the working capacity consists in elevating efficiency of actual performance time use.

Abstract. Coal extraction in Russian Federation increases by 3…4 %. This tendency will remain in the nearest 10…15 years. Opencast mining makes (70...72)% from the total extraction in the country. Though analysis shows that investments in coal mining within the last 25 years were insignificant. In these conditions the priority area for coal production cost reduction and increasing productivity of opencast coal mines is optimization of the main technological equipment (excavator park) maintenance system. The article shows that current system of scheduled preventive repair is not efficient and requires to be changed to the system of repair works due to actual state of the equipment.