Building on an already strong partnership, Epiroc and Aramine have signed a distribution contract that will see the France-based company become Epiroc’s official distributor of underground mining and tunnelling equipment in France and several Central and West African countries.

Aramine, which is already the official distributor of Epiroc drilling, loading and rock transport products, said: “The Epiroc product range for mines and tunnels perfectly completes the portfolio of machines dedicated to galleries of small and medium sections designed by Aramine.”

The African countries that Aramine will service include the Central African Republic, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, according to the company.

Marc Melkonian, President of Aramine, said: “Epiroc’s trust is a mark of recognition of our long-standing partnership, and this obvious collaboration between our two companies allows us to offer a wide and complete solutions range for mines and tunnels to our customers.”

Aramine is strengthening its presence in certain countries in line with the Epiroc distribution deal.

For France, Pierre Donnadieu, a specialise in underground mining and tunnelling will join as the new Regional Sales Manager, while, on the African continent, the distribution of Epiroc products is ensured by Aramine Burkina, located in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou.

Jean-Baptiste Corona, Director Epiroc France, said: “The long-term link between Aramine and Epiroc is historic regarding both our collaboration and the distribution of the products of our respective brands. It is therefore an important evolution of these relations since we work hand in hand in very active and demanding markets such as France and West Africa. We are developing a new local offer with this partnership, combining expertise, services and quality products.”