The continuous mining systems as used in surface mining operations consist of four main components: the bucket wheel excavators (BWE) to dig the material, conveyors to transport the material from the excavator to the spreader, trippers for the transport of the material from conveyor to the spreader, and spreaders to dump the material. The production rate of a BWE depends on several factors: the design and operating parameters of a BWE; the geomechanical properties of materials to be mined; the design of cuts and the geometry of the mining face; the performance and reliability of other components of the mining system; and the organization of work. The estimated yearly BWE system productivity should be verified against the performance of similar existing BWE operations.