Joy said the 7LS7 shearer meets the demands of ever-increasing mining heights and longwall face widths worldwide, with seams exceeding 6m (20ft) and faces up to 400m (1312ft) and 450m (1476ft) a distinct possibility in the very near future.

The 7LS7 has a 6.5m (21.3ft) cutting height, chassis height of 2.8m (9.2ft) and weighs 138 tonnes (152 tons). It has 860kW (1153hp) ranging arms, two 150kW (201hp) motors and a 270kW (362hp) lump breaker, far surpassing the previously largest 110kW (148hp), and theoretical hourly production capacity exceeding 4500 tonnes per hour (5000 tons per hour).

Complementing the 7LS7's size and power is the JOY FACEBOSS, the company's fully integrated, logistical control link that monitors and controls every aspect of the longwall mining cycle, from shearer guidance to advancing of the shields, from cut sequence to power distribution and control.

Joy said one of the key benefits of the system is its large, full-colour graphic display that can be toggled back and forth between English and the local language. Prior to this, the only language that could be displayed was English.