Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology says its Rebuild and Upgrade programs are helping customers achieve their ‘circularity’ goals.

Designed to extend the equipment’s life cycle by refurbishing the entire unit at optimal intervals, the program lowers a customer’s total cost of ownership, according to Erik Lundén, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Parts and Services division.

Lundén’s division provides customers with products and solutions that drive their businesses towards a more sustainable model.

“One of Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology’s sustainability targets for 2030 is to become more than 90% circular, halving waste from its production,” the company says. “One way the company helps its customers accomplish similar results is through its Rebuild and Upgrade programs, which extend the equipment’s life cycle by refurbishing the entire unit at optimal intervals.”

Lundén said: “We want our customers to be able to get the highest rate of usage out of their assets. Our Rebuild and Upgrade programs do this by helping them avoid unnecessary capital expenditure investments through an optimised maintenance strategy, which lowers the total cost of ownership. This has the benefit of minimising material and scrap rates as well as downtime, extending operational life and reducing running cost.”

During the refurbishment, customers can also opt to upgrade components to help the equipment operate more sustainably, from the latest engine emission technologies to increased safety features. These changes can drive sustainability efforts, such as reducing fuel use, emissions and ventilation power requirements, the company says.

On loading and hauling equipment, for example, a major intervention at the optimum rebuild interval between 12,000 and 16,000 engine hours can extend the reliable life of the equipment to longer than 30,000 hours – at a fraction of the price of a new unit, Sandvik says.

Similar to the Rebuild program, another option available to customers looking to improve their sustainability profile are the Sandvik Component Repair, Replace and Exchange solutions.

“Our component offerings, which break down into Component Exchange, Component Repair and Return, and Fixed Price Repair and Return, minimise environmental impact by reusing components,” Lundén says. “This regenerates the life of the component and avoids the creation of scrap. Additionally, repairs don’t have to be carried out on site, which limits the interactions of workers with high-risk load equipment scheduled for repairs.”

For Component Repair and Return, a Sandvik engineer inspects and repairs the original components; with Component Exchange, the component is remanufactured according to stringent standards and equipped using the latest product improvements, the company explains.

Digitalisation has shown to be a vital tool for mining and construction companies seeking to modernise their operations while driving towards a more sustainable model, according to Sandvik.

My Sandvik Digital Service solutions transfer data into easy-to-use knowledge about fleet performance, maximising productivity, operational efficiency and safety, it says. Connected machines offer close to real-time data all year round and insights into how to get the most out of the equipment, the company added.

“From a sustainability standpoint, digital services provide clear insights into fuel consumption and excessive idling time, which can drastically reduce emissions underground,” Lundén says. “Equipment alerts on speeding, brake violations and freewheeling in neutral, for example, can also improve safety for operators and other staff in the mine.”

According to the company, up to a 5% emission reduction can be achieved by applying My Sandvik Productivity, while an up to 10% emission reduction can be had with long-term remote monitoring services, as well as a substantial component life increase.

Another aftermarket offering that is a crucial component to safety management and comes with sustainability in mind is the Eclipse Sustain fire suppression system. Eclipse Sustain is the world’s first 100% fluorine-free fire suppression for mobile equipment, Sandvik says. Fluorine-based foams can persist as a hazardous substance in the ground for thousands of years after use. “With Eclipse Sustain, it can be simply rinsed off with no detrimental effect to the surrounding environment,” the company says.

Finally, the way parts are shipped to customers can have a significant effect on a company’s carbon footprint. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology considers logistics as an influential way to make its processes more sustainable.

“If you ship a drill bit on a boat, it will generate around 100 times less CO2 than if you fly it to the customer on an airplane,” Henrik Ager, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, says. “That approach reduces our generated CO2 by 10,000 t, which in comparison with the total emissions for the division is significant.”

This is an edited extract of a Solid Ground article by Sandvik