Sandvik is celebrating 1,000 deliveries of its 51- and 63-metric-ton underground trucks, the Toro™ TH551 and TH663. The 1,000th truck, a Toro™ TH663i for a mine in Portugal, recently rolled off the production line in Turku, Finland, for a delivery ceremony.
“Sandvik and our Turku factory have achieved this milestone through more than a decade of committed work, customer collaboration and continuous innovation,” said Patricio Apablaza, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions’ Load and Haul division.
The two large trucks were born from a 2011 customer workshop in Perth, Australia. Close collaboration and engagement with customers started in the very early phases of product development to ensure the trucks met customer needs. Sandvik also tapped into its global network of technical expertise to harness real field and user experience.
At the time of their introduction at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2012, the modern, innovative, state-of-the-art underground trucks included new leading technology, such as an integrated jacking system to facilitate tire change underground and integrated weighing system for measuring truck payload. The switch to Volvo engines reduced fuel consumption and emissions and improved reliability and efficiency. The Volvo engine system became available with new options such as a diesel particulate filter. The engine change also contributed to the development of a more efficient driveline.
In addition to improving TCO, productivity and reliability, the trucks were designed with operators in mind. Significant efforts were put into developing the industry’s most ergonomic cabin. The trucks were among underground mining’s first to have front axle suspension for a smoother ride. Smooth gear shifting further improved operator comfort. Safety was naturally a key focus area of the design, and at the time of launch, the trucks included more than 100 safety-enhancing features or functionalities.
In 2017, the TH663i and TH551i models were upgraded to become part of Sandvik’s Intelligent Trucks series for autonomous haulage. In addition to being automation-ready, as i-series equipment, the trucks can utilise OptiMine® Mine Digital Platform (MDP) to optimise fleet operations, and the Knowledge Box™ for efficient data utilisation.
The trucks today belonging to the underground Toro™ family are known as the Toro™ TH551i and TH663i. Through extensive R&D efforts, Sandvik says it keeps driving the industry forward. The company is actively developing diesel-electric technology for underground mining equipment and a fully battery-electric truck, Sandvik TH665B, is currently tracking trial hours in Australia.
“One thousand large trucks is a remarkable achievement,” said Juha Virta, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions’ Load and Haul division. “We are grateful for our customers’ trust and the commitment of our employees in helping Sandvik reach this milestone.”
