Tag Archives: Drill and blast

Barrick Hemlo boosts productivity with Orica wireless blast initiation solution

Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica says testing of its WebGen™ 100 solution at Barrick Gold’s Hemlo mine in Ontario, Canada, has shown wireless blast initiation can improve the economics of its Alimak stoping.

In early 2019, Hemlo’s management team approached Orica and Manroc to explore opportunities for improvement via the application of wireless blast initiation. Through a series of workshops, Orica and Barrick Hemlo worked together to identify opportunities to use WebGen 100 wireless through the earth initiation technology in its Blind Alimak Mining application.

This Blind Alimak Retreat (BAR) concept was aimed at improving both safety and productivity, and included:

  • Reduced exposure time related to Alimak entries;
  • Improved ore recovery from 70% to over 90%;
  • Increased recovery by maximising blast design, sequence, and available void;
  • Increased mucking rates while decreasing cycle time; and
  • Optimised crew logistics by using single pass loading.

To expand operations and aid in the longevity of mine life, both efficiency and recovery were top priorities for the Hemlo team, Orica said.

Alimak Mining is normally done either in small repetitive blasts cycles, from the bottom of the raise up to an upper sill, or, in the case of blind Alimaks, as a mass blast into the void that exists in the raise and undercut below.

Given that access is lost after the mass blast, the size of the blast (Alimak height) and recovery is often restricted by “free face” and available void. At Hemlo, the Blind Alimak blast performance was limited by underbreak in the top third of the Alimak (footwall break) due to the available void becoming choked off during blast progression. Using wireless blasting technology, the team was able to eliminate all void limitation, Orica said.

The solution was to develop a blast design with optimised burden and spacing as well as timing and blast sequencing, allowing well-defined portions of the Alimak stope to be taken at the appropriate time. Single-pass loading was used to achieve the safety and productivity benefits.

Breaking the Alimak stope into five pre-loaded portions (each increasing in size to capitalise on void created during the excavation process) allowed for flexible blast management throughout the mining process, Orica said.

“With the ability to merge and increase blast sizes based on in-field results, the operation had unprecedented control and was able to operate outside of the traditional constraints of mining cycles,” it added.

With three days of continuous loading, Hemlo was able to achieve a month-and-a-half worth of blasting while freeing up the Alimak crews to move on to the next stope, according to Orica. To maximise the blasting sequence, the first blast (wall slash and five rings) was blasted with Orica’s i-kon™ III Electronic Blasting System. The next three blasts (two merged) were fired with WebGen 100 units when ready, with performance verified with bucket counts and CMS.

The results of the project stope were extremely positive and proved that wireless blast initiation can improve the economics of the Alimak stoping, according to Orica. Key benefits included significantly reduced personal exposure (reduced by over 50%), increased stope recovery and cycle time. The success of the Alimak has also led to the introduction of wireless blasting into large blind up-hole patterns at Barrick Hemlo, solving similar issues to that of the Alimaks, Orica said.

The outcomes of this project delivered a 40% improvement in productivity through decreased cycle time, faster mucking rates, improved ore recovery from 70% to over 90%, and increased safety by eliminating countless re-entries and hookups, while stripping rail and logistically simplifying the operations process.

Recovery improvement and productivity gains delivered significant value and increased revenue for the customer, Orica added.

“The project has also shown the ability to increase the height of blind Alimak stopes without concern for available void, thereby eliminating the need of top sill development moving forward,” it said.

This successful trial has led to full-time technical collaboration with Barrick Hemlo mine since the end of 2019. Including this evaluation at Hemlo, Orica has successfully fired more than 50 wireless initiating system blasts loaded with over 2,700 WebGen 100 units.

SRG Global to help Red 5 blast off at Great Western gold mine

Explosives and blasting, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

SRG Global has been awarded a term contract with Pit N Portal Mining Services to provide specialist production drill and blast services and explosives supply at Red 5 Ltd’s Great Western gold mine in Western Australia.

The term contract is expected to start immediately for an initial 12-month term.

Pit N Portal, a division of Emeco, was awarded the contract mining gig at Great Western back in October.

A satellite deposit located around 55 km from Red 5’s Darlot gold mine and processing facility, Great Western comes with a measured, indicated and inferred resource of 870,000 t grading 2.5 g/t Au for 70,300 oz of contained gold. The maiden proven and probable reserve totalled 437,500 t at 2.5g/t Au for 35,424 oz of contained gold.

Based on a proposed mining rate of between 30,000-40,000 t/mth of ore, the open pit is expected to be completed over a period of around 13 months, with plans to then access the underground orebody via a portal at the base of the pit, Red 5 said at the time.

In addition to the work on Great Western, SRG Global was also awarded a new three-year contract (with option for a further two years) with GFG Liberty OneSteel to provide engineered access solutions at the Liberty Steelworks site in Whyalla, South Australia.

David Macgeorge, Managing Director of SRG Global, said: “We are very pleased to have secured these two term contracts, adding to our recurring annuity earnings.

“The Pit N Portal contract was specifically targeted as it builds upon our mining services portfolio of high-quality growth commodities whilst diversifying SRG Global’s customer base.”

Thiess cuts probe drilling costs by leveraging advanced void management system

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Thiess says its mine planning team is pioneering the development and use of an advanced void management system that is informing probing, drill pattern and blasting design.

The holistic system gives the contractor’s office and field-based teams immediate access to a central database of void information to support better, faster decision making and task optimisation.

Thiess General Manager WA/SA (Acting), Matt Henderson, said the system focuses on capturing, monitoring and understanding existing voids to help the project team manage and backfill where required.

“It gives us and our client a clear understanding of the geological and geotechnical risks associated with the project and how to best address them,” Henderson said. “This flows from mine design into operations, enabling our project team to manage and mitigate risk to our people and delivery.”

Thiess Mine Planning Manager, Ravi Achari, said the system, designed to enable verticle mining through extensive networks of underground voids (drives, development workings, workings, vertical rises and large slopes), was developed to improve safety and provide greater certainty in the company’s delivery.

“The system was developed using insights and learnings from a number of technologies currently available on the market, but without integration were unable to provide the required outcome,” Achari said. “We also leveraged insight from our void officers and surveyors, and drill and blast, geotechnical and mine planning engineers.”

Achari confirmed the new system enables his team to determine the right solution specific to each void.

“The system uses historical plans, probing and drilling data to survey the position and size of the old workings,” he said. “This includes checking the location and attributes of the voids we find against the recorded data to verify any changes in size or shape.

“Our findings will then inform our safety zone and backfilling requirements.”

Incorporating over five-years of proven void management processes and procedures, the system delivers client benefits by enabling Thiess’ team to mine additional tonnes.

“The system gives a precise delineation of the voids informing a more tailored drill and blast design that allows additional recovery of the commodity,” Achari said. “It has also enabled a reduction of probe drilling costs by up to 25%, representing a substantial cost saving.”

To date the system has helped manage and treat over 25 km of underground voids and stopes in Western Australia, and is currently being leveraged to develop an integrated drill and blast reporting system for Thiess globally.

Hexagon adds colour to drill and blast process with HxGN Split HSL

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Hexagon has, once again, looked to improve fragmentation analysis within the drill and blast process by adding split colour features to its offering.

HxGN Split provides technologically advanced image-analysis techniques to help mines optimise fragmentation, saving significant costs while improving drill and blast processes, the company says.

New to Split’s solution suite is HSL (Hue, Saturation and Luminance), a colour analysis feature that empowers mine operators with real-time detection of ore types.

“Real-time tracking of product types allows for immediate decision making to optimise rock-size reduction and product-type treatments,” Hexagon says. “The new feature further supports operational efforts to improve product throughput and ore recovery.”

This is important when mining operations are continuing to maximise existing resources, using value-added technologies.

HSL’s key benefits include:

  • The ability to monitor product type blending for optimum processing;
  • Reduce ore dilution by tracking product source mining;
  • Maximise throughput with consistent product delivery to the plant; and
  • Immediately adjust ore recovery treatments based upon product type.

“Hue, Saturation and Luminance values are measured during live plant production and provide a statistically relevant sample required to aid decision making,” Hexagon says. “A colour wheel is applied to the images to provide calculated HSL values for every processed iteration. Evaluation of the Split HSL values are correlated to the mine geologic product types to find the unique image property signatures.”

The HSL values are measured for the image samples to be trended on live operator screens. Step changes in the Split results provide immediate indicators for product type changes that signal the need for operational responses, Hexagon says.

Timely decisions surrounding the operating conditions lead to improved plant throughput and product recovery, while additional detailed measurements for individual rock particles can be measured using the same Split HSL measurements to find the ratios of the product type blends.

The company concluded: “Drill and blast is a notoriously complex, multi-layered process. HxGN Split’s image processing technology delivers high-quality information, ensuring the key step of fragmentation analysis is managed from drill to mill, thus improving mine profits.”

Orica leverages MWD data, AI to create new blast loading design benchmark

Automation, Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica is looking to set a new benchmark for blast loading designs in Latin America after deploying its Design for Outcome solution in the region.

The company, focused on integrating its digital blasting tools to improve outcomes, is leveraging its BlastIQ digital blast optimisation platform within this new solution, Angus Melbourne, Chief Commercial and Technology Officer of Orica, told delegates at Massmin 2020 last week.

In a presentation titled, ‘Blasting’s Critical Role in Extracting Ore’, Melbourne mentioned Design for Outcome as an example of where the company was delivering integrated digital solutions in Latin America.

“Design for Outcome is an automated continual optimisation solution that sets a new benchmark for blast loading designs,” he said. “It utilises data science to process both upstream and downstream data to automate blast designs. This produces tailored and optimised blast designs by reducing blast variability and explosive consumption while increasing productivity.”

Using machine-learning algorithms, Design for Outcome processes measured-while-drilling data to classify ground hardness throughout each blast hole and then match explosives energy to hardness domains to automatically generate tailored blast loading designs, Melbourne explained.

Through artificial intelligence, these algorithms are trained with the data received from the fleet control systems (FMS) and previous blast results. This enables final automation of the blasting design process and its execution in the field with Orica’s smart control systems and programming interfaces, loading the blast accurately according to the generated design. These elements combine to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved, Melbourne said.

“Digitally-enabled blasting solutions such as Design for Outcome are allowing us to work with customers in different ways, to think and act differently and expand our role in the mining value chain,” he said.

Such a solution is part of the company’s plans to automate its segment of the mining process. This goal was strengthened last month with the launch of the Orica and Epiroc jointly developed Avatel™ semi-automated explosives delivery system.

A key enabling technology of Avatel, which is built on the foundation of Epiroc’s Boomer M2 carrier, and Orica’s automation vision is WebGen™, the company’s fully wireless initiation system. When combined with Orica’s LOADPlus™ smart control system, specifically designed on-board storage, assembly, digital encoding capability and Subtek™ Control bulk emulsion, Avatel provides customers with complete and repeatable control over blast energy from design through to execution, Orica says.

While referencing the second key pillar in Orica’s digital strategy, Melbourne highlighted the use of the company’s Bulkmaster™ 7 smart, connected explosives delivery system in Latin America during the virtual event.

The new delivery systems not only improve productivity but begin to digitise critical workflows between design and execution in drill and blast operations, according to Melbourne.

The Antamina copper mine in Peru, a joint venture between BHP, Glencore, Teck and Mitsubishi, will soon be leveraging such a system, with Melbourne confirming seven Bulkmaster 7 units had been shipped to the mine and were undergoing commissioning.

Orica’s third digitalisation pillar is the measurement of downstream impacts of the drill and blast process, which is where FRAGTrack™, the company’s automated rock fragmentation measurement device comes into play.

This device captures, analyses and reports real-time data for optimising blast operations, improving downstream productivity and tracking overall operational performance in mining and quarrying, Melbourne explained.

This system is active across several key customer sites in Latin America, with Teck’s Carmen de Andacollo operation in Chile being one of the first to adopt the technology in the world, according to Melbourne. He said the copper operation is using the insights to deliver efficiencies across the value chain through digitally enabled optimised blasting.

AngloGold Ashanti confirms caving plans in Colombia

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Massmin 2020 crowd got a glimpse of just what will be required to build Colombia’s first underground caving mine during a presentation from AngloGold Ashanti’s Lammie Nienaber this week.

Nienaber, Manager of Geotechnical Engineering for the miner and the presenter of the ‘Building Colombia’s first caving mine’ paper authored by himself, AngloGold Ashanti Australia’s A McCaule and Caveman Consulting’s G Dunstan, went into some detail about how the company would extract the circa-8.7 Moz of gold equivalent from the deposit.

The Nuevo Chaquiro deposit is part of the Minera de Cobre Quebradona (MCQ) project, which is in the southwest of Antioquia, Colombia, around 104 km southwest of Medellin.

A feasibility study on MCQ is expected soon, but the 2019 prefeasibility study outlined a circa-$1 billion sublevel caving (SLC) project able to generate an internal rate of return of 15%. Using the SLC mining method, a production rate of 6.2 Mt/y was estimated, with a forecast life of mine of 23 years.

The MCQ deposit is a large, blind copper-gold-silver porphyry-style deposit with a ground surface elevation of 2,200 metres above sea level (masl, on mountain) and around 400 m of caprock above the economic mineralisation.

Due to the caving constraints of the deposit, the first production level to initiate caving (undercut) is expected to be located around 100 m below the top of the mineralisation at 1,675 masl (circa-525 m below the top of the mountain), with the mining block extended around 550 m in depth (20 production levels at 27.5 m interlevel spacings).

The main ore transfer horizon is located 75 m higher in elevation than the mine access portals at 1,080 masl and the proposed valley infrastructure. The initial mining block will be accessed by twin tunnels developed in parallel for 2 km at which point a single access ramp will branch up towards the undercut; the twin tunnels will continue another 3.7 km to the base of the SLC where the crushing and conveying facilities will be located.

The company is currently weighing up whether to use tunnel boring machines or drill and blast to establish these tunnels.

Nienaber confirmed the 20 level SLC panel cave layout would involve 161 km of lateral development and 14 km of vertical development. There would be six ore pass connections on each level, four of these being ‘primary’ and two acting as backups. The crusher would be located on the 1155 bottom production level.

Due to the ventilation requirements in Colombia the mining fleet selected for Quebradona is predominantly electric, Nienaber said, adding that the units will initially be electric cable loaders powered by 1,000 v infrastructure.

Fourteen tonne LHDs were selected for the production levels based on their speed, bucket size (enables side-to-side loading in the crosscut and identification of oversize material) and cable length, the authors said. On the transfer level, 25 t loaders were specified to accommodate the shorter tramming lengths and limited operating areas (there are a maximum of two loaders per side of the crusher due to the layout).

As battery technology improves in the coming years, the selection of loader sizes may change as additional options become available, according to the authors.

The selection of the present Sandvik fleet was predominantly based on the electric loaders and the OEM’s ability to provide other front-line development and production machines required to undertake SLC mining, the authors said.

This decision also accounted for the use of automation for the majority of production activities, with the use of a common platform seen as the most pragmatic option at this stage.

It has also been proposed that the maintenance of the machines be carried out by Sandvik under a maintenance and repair style contract since there is a heavy reliance on the OEM’s equipment and systems.

An integrated materials handling system for the SLC was designed from the ore pass grizzlies, located on the production levels, to the process plant.

Due to the length of the ore passes (up to 500 m), and the predicted comminution expected by the time the rock appears on the transfer level, larger than industry standard grizzly apertures of 1,500 mm have been selected.

The design criteria for the underground crusher was that it needed to reduce the ore to a size suitable for placement on the conveyor belt and delivery to the surface coarse ore stockpile, after which secondary crushing prior to delivery at the process plant will be undertaken.

Assuming the maximum size reduction ratio for the crusher of circa-6:1 at a throughput rate of 6.2 Mt/y, a 51 in (1,295 mm) gyratory crusher was selected. This crusher is also suitable to support block cave mining should the conversion of mining method occur, according to the authors.

The process plant will include high pressure grinding rolls as the main crushing unit on the surface, supported by a secondary crusher to deal with oversize material. The ore then feeds to a ball mill before being discharged to the flotation circuit.

The gold-enriched copper concentrate will be piped to the filter plant for drying and the removal of water down to a moisture content of 10%, according to the company, while the tailings will be segregated to pyrite and non-pyrite streams before being distributed to one of two filter presses.

Dry stacking of the tailings will be used, with the pyrite-bearing tailings being encapsulated within the larger inert tailings footprint.

With the feasibility study due before the end of the year – and, pending a successful outcome – the proposed site execution works could start in the September quarter of 2021, Nienaber said.

Mining Plus adds Minnovare’s Production Optimiser to ‘Mining Rocks’ strategy

Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , ,

Minnovare and Mining Plus have entered into a collaboration that will enable Mining Plus to offer Minnovare’s Production Optimiser technology to its global client base.

The collaboration is part of the Mining Plus ‘Mining Rocks’ strategic pillar, which is designed to highlight and promote the latest value-add mining technology to Mining Plus clients at a time when the industry is experiencing advances in areas such as automation, digitisation and process QA/QC.

Mining Plus Managing Director, Ben Auld (pictured on the left), said: “We’re always looking for ways to add value to our clients. In line with this, one of our strategies is to actively seek out technology with the potential to provide material productivity improvements or cost reductions to the mining industry.”

The Production Optimiser is a system that delivers better production blasting outcomes in underground hard-rock mines by increasing blasthole drilling accuracy and consistency. The value that mines achieve varies depending on the commodity and mining method, however bottom-line improvements include reductions in dilution and/or improvements in recovery, Minnovare says.

Mines have also seen improvements in drilling productivity and stope cycle time, as well as greater QA/QC and command of their drill data, the company added.

Northern Star Resources, for instance, increased drilled metres by 17% at one of its Kalgoorlie gold operations by using the Production Optimiser.

Minnovare Managing Director, Callum McCracken (pictured on the right), said: “Minnovare’s Production Optimiser technology has been widely adopted already in the APAC (Asia Pacific) underground hard-rock mining market. We (Minnovare and Mining Plus) see its application globally.

“The collaboration enables Minnovare to leverage Mining Plus’s global network of highly skilled mining professionals to assist in the delivery and support of the Production Optimiser. This enables us to deliver our technology and the step change benefits it delivers in new markets, while ensuring we maintain the high level of service and ongoing support that our customers have become accustomed to.”

Mining Plus can work with mining companies and contractors to understand the applicability and value that may be achieved from implementing Minnovare technology, the companies said.

Auld added: “Our clients frequently approach us for guidance on their technology strategy. Many clients simply do not have the time or resources to conduct the required analysis or due diligence for a thorough valuation and implementation. This collaboration goes some way to helping to resolve this ‘pain point’ for our clients.”

NRW Holdings to keep mining Gascoyne’s Dalgaranga gold project

Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining finance, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

NRW Holdings says it has reached agreements with Gascoyne Resources to keep providing services at the Dalgaranga gold mine, in Western Australia, following the ASX-listed miner’s successful A$125 million ($89 million) recapitalisation process.

NRW has agreed binding terms with Gascoyne for an extension of both mining and drill & blast services for the full life of mine at Dalgaranga, which increases the overall contract value by circa-A$180 million.

In terms of the recovery of all pre-administration debts owed to NRW, it has received A$7 million in cash, as foreshadowed in Gascoyne’s recapitalisation agreement, and received 24 million Gascoyne shares (post-consolidation) valued at A$12 million at the issue price of Gascoyne’s A$85.2 million equity raising. NRW will also receive a further A$13.7 million linked to ounces produced at Dalgaranga and the gold price.

In addition to this, NRW also exercised its rights as part of the Gascoyne Entitlement Offer and now holds, in total, 36.9 million shares in the gold miner (post-consolidation).

Commenting on the work undertaken with Gascoyne and FTI as administrators, Andrew Walsh, NRW’s CFO, noted: “We have worked closely with the teams in both Gascoyne and FTI to support the recapitalisation plan recognising that a viable Dalgaranga project was critical to the success of that process. Output from the project has been consistently above 6,000 oz/mth for most of this year which has provided the basis for a great solution for both Gascoyne and NRW.

“Recent announcements on potential additional resources will provide opportunities for NRW to provide additional services beyond the current life of mine plan.”

Orica and FRAGTrack recognised for innovative streak in AFR list

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Orica’s fragmentation measurement technology, FRAGTrack™, has again gained recognition in the innovation community after being named in the Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Companies List 2020.

FRAGTrack and Orica’s entrenched culture of innovation were behind the company’s second place ranking in the list under the Agriculture, Mining & Utilities Service sector.

The annual list, published by The Australian Financial Review (AFR) and Boss Magazine, is based on a rigorous assessment process, led by a panel of industry experts and innovation consultancy Inventium. From a pool of over 600 nominated organisations across Australia and New Zealand, Orica’s FRAGTrack was recognised as a pioneering technology in the Agriculture, Mining & Utilities Service industry, delivering significant value for customers, Orica said.

FRAGTrack, Orica’s automated fragmentation measurement device, accurately and reliably measures rock size and fragmentation following the blasting stage in mining and quarrying. While traditional methods are prone to operator bias and cannot generally operate in harsher mining environments, FRAGTrack captures, analyses and reports real-time data digitally, according to the company. Designed in collaboration with Design Anthology, Newie Ventures and Your Engineer Mechanical Engineering, the technology can be installed and upgraded remotely – creating safer, more accurate mining outcomes.

The latest award follows FRAGTrack receiving a Good Design Award accolade in the Engineering Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation earlier this year.

When judging the innovation, the AFR industry panel considered three key elements – how valuable the problem is that the innovation is solving, the quality and uniqueness of the solution, and the level of impact that the innovation has had. However, the organisation must also be able to demonstrate a truly innovative culture and a sustainable and repeatable approach to innovation across the business.

Orica’s Chief Commercial and Technology Officer, Angus Melbourne, said: “Innovation underpins everything we do at Orica, and it’s our pioneering spirit, amazing people and commitment to working collaboratively with our customers that allows us to continue to deliver products and technologies that are shaping the future of mining.

“Customer collaboration is key to our innovation process. By understanding our customer’s challenges and sharing their goals and aspirations, we can deliver better outcomes on site today, and use these insights to create new technologies that will deliver value tomorrow.

“FRAGTrack is an excellent example of this innovative spirit on show. This technology has evolved through collaborative innovation between our experts, customers, technology partners and the industry.”

He concluded: “At Orica, we’re proud to be leading the change in digital, automated blasting. The convergence of these technologies is allowing us to think differently, mine differently, operate more precisely and most importantly, remove people from harm’s way. FRAGTrack exemplifies all of this, while ultimately delivering significant value for the industry.”

Sandvik to accelerate rock drill developments with new innovation centre

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, in an effort to speed up rock drill innovations, has opened a new Rock Drills Innovation Center in Tampere, Finland.

Announced during day one of its Innovation in Mining event this week, the centre will introduce state-of-the-art production and testing facilities for this core Sandvik technology. It will be home to extensive rock knowledge and drilling technology expertise, creating a hub for innovation, the company says. The centre will also complement Sandvik’s existing leading drilling technology competence centre, consisting of an R&D centre, an underground test mine with laboratories, a modern factory environment and university cooperation.

IM put some questions to Timo Laitinen, Vice President of the Rock Drills business unit, to find out more about the €18 million ($21 million) investment.

IM: How will the new innovation centre help the Rock Drills business unit more rapidly develop new products?

TL: We wanted to bring all key functions needed in the development and production of rock drills under one roof. This makes communication between different functions more effective and enhances cross-functional work when developing new products.

Also, as reliability is the most important characteristic in rock drills – and the key feature of Sandvik rock drills – based on our recent customer survey, we increased our durability testing capacity. Now we can do even more endurance testing in a shorter calendar time.

Thirdly, our factory investments speed up prototype production, minimising waiting times between the iteration rounds. All these speed up time to market.

IM: What new technology, expertise, innovation, etc will you be leveraging to speed up the R&D and product development pipeline?

TL: In addition to what I mentioned above, we utilise a Lean & Agile methodology in our R&D with increased customer involvement, transparency and cross-functional cooperation. As Sandvik’s drilling equipment development, as well as digital technology development, happens for the most part here in Tampere at the same site, we can leverage that work for rock drill development too. Digital technology helps read data from Sandvik drilling equipment and service operations around the world, which we utilise to create even better rock drills. Sandvik’s expertise in machining solutions has helped us to integrate advanced quality assurance solutions in our production system. This generates valuable information for rock drill research and development.

IM: Will the Rock Drills business unit have a designated area of the Tampere Test Mine to test prototypes? Was the division previously using the existing test mine facilities?

TL: We have always had a certain designated area in our test mine for rock drill testing. With this investment program for the Rock Drills Innovation Center, we did build a new area in the test mine for this purpose with increased safety and functionality, more capacity and more space.

IM: In terms of R&D, what areas will the innovation centre focus on? What problems/challenges are your customers continuously talking about that you hope to address with this new facility?

TL: Drilling the holes for explosives comes first in the drill & blast production cycle, followed by the other phases of the cycle. Therefore, it was not a surprise to us when the customer survey result was that ‘reliability’ was the most important feature of a rock drill; followed by productivity and operating cost per metre. In addition to further developing these features in Sandvik rock drills, digital technology is sneaking into our rock drills. Our Rock Pulse technology is a prime example of new technology, which helps our customers drill more, better and at lower cost.