Tag Archives: Markku Teräsvasara

Swiss Tower Mills and its vertical grinding mills to come into the Metso fold

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Metso says it is investing in the development of energy-saving comminution technology and has signed an agreement to acquire the outstanding shares of its long-term partner Swiss Tower Mills Minerals AG (STM).

Previously, Metso had a 15% minority ownership in the company. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value.

Metso decided to exercise its right of first refusal following the divestment decision of STM’s other shareholders. As a result of the transaction, Metso’s ownership will increase to 100%. Metso has reported its previous 15% shareholding as a non-current financial asset.

Swiss Tower Mills Minerals, based in Baden, Switzerland, specialises in vertical grinding mill solutions. It is best known for the HIGmill™ grinding mill, which has been exclusively sold and serviced by Metso. This technology is crucial in modern grinding circuits and integral to the development of energy-efficient comminution processes, for example, in combination with Metso HRC™e high-pressure grinding rolls, Metso says. Over the years of cooperation, the use of vertical grinding mill technology has seen significant growth, and the trend is expected to continue.

Markku Teräsvasara, President, Minerals business area and Deputy CEO at Metso, said: “We are excited to have the Swiss Tower Mills Minerals team as part of Metso. For many years, we have collaborated in serving customers in the mining industry. Going forward, our customers will continue to benefit from an unrivalled comminution solutions offering, which we will develop further.”

Fritz Moser, Chairman of the Board of Swiss Tower Mills Minerals, said: “Being fully convinced that Metso is highly committed to further develop Swiss Tower Mills Minerals as the benchmark of the art of grinding, together with my private shareholder colleagues, we have decided to divest our ownership in the company. Hence, we are pleased to know that the technology we have established together with Metso for the mining industry will remain an essential part of Metso’s flowsheet capability.”

The acquisition, which is subject to the approvals of anti-trust authorities, is expected to be closed in early 2025.

In 2022, the Weir Group announced an alliance with STM in which Weir would market STM’s vertical stirred grinding mills for coarse grinding applications worldwide.

Last year, Weir announced the completion of the STM Minerals AG vertical stirred mill commissioning at the Weir Technology Hub in the Netherlands, as part of its energy-efficient comminution and classification solutions for customers.

Metso plays software hand in face of mining market competition, industry challenges

Automation, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the mining industry’s growing understanding and openness to the benefits of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI), it was only a matter of time before some of the big OEMs ventured further into the software development space. That time is now with Metso having, today, opened a Digital Design and Development Studio in Krakow, Poland, to complement its already wide digitalisation offering.

Many mining companies around the world regularly interact with software carrying the Metso name: think of the ACT/OCS-4D™ platforms for advanced process control, the Geminex™ digital twin and HSC Chemistry for minerals and metals process simulation and optimisation, or the Metrics monitoring service.

The company’s latest software developments will go beyond these legacy solutions, leveraging what it refers to as “leading-edge digital capabilities” to solve some of the industry’s major issues.

Olivier Guyot, Senior Vice President for Minerals Digital at Metso, admits the minerals industry might have “missed the first train” when it comes to developing software that leverages AI and machine learning, but he still sees a major market opportunity for Metso, with customers more prepared to embrace digitalisation.

“We have recently had many customer meetings where we have shared our digital strategy,” he told IM. “It has been clear from these interactions that there is an opportunity for us to make inroads into this market.”

Metso doesn’t have an intention to compete with pure software players in this space. It is also cognisant its customers will not be open to adding another vendor to their already extensive list of digital suppliers without a proven value proposition.

“As a result, what we are focused on when it comes to software development, user experience design, data and AI is related to our expertise – equipment, services, process and materials technology, etc – and how to embed and integrate it seamlessly into an already mature plant ecosystem,” Guyot added.

“We really see digital as a complement to our core competencies, rather than something separate.”

When broken down, the rationale for Metso dipping its toe into the software development space now makes sense.

Guyot explains: “I feel we also need to go back to basics: start off with the right level of automation, sensors and analysers at site – these are the data generators. Without the optimisation of these hardware elements, the data coming back will not be accurate enough to produce valuable digital insights and analytics. This is the information that AI and machine-learning algorithms require.

“Without the right quality of data and the right domain knowledge, the outcome of these AI solutions might not be directly usable. We feel we have that domain knowledge, providing a legitimate claim to come and deploy our expertise digitally in many forms for our customers.”

The growing number of digital experts working in the Krakow office – currently estimated to be around 50 – can build these software solutions with knowledge of the underlying hardware in mind. This knowledge will come from interactions and collaborations with product and service experts, personnel at Metso Performance Centers across the globe, and more.

Geminex
Metso’s Geminex uses “first-principle” dynamic process and equipment models for calibrated performance to help provide an ‘accurate’ digital twin for existing operations

The brief for these digital designers is to focus on three key areas:

  • Equipment performance to provide digitally-enhanced Life Cycle Services (LCS), remote condition monitoring and prescriptive maintenance;
  • The process performance digital portfolio to optimise customers’ ore-to-metal operations for efficiency and sustainability; and
  • Business enablement to enhance customer experience and improve employees’ productivity within a data-driven, AI-augmented environment.

“To support these three priorities, we need to continuously develop our digital capabilities and that is what we are doing in Krakow to complement our existing capabilities,” Markku Teräsvasara, President Minerals & Deputy CEO at Metso, told IM.

Of course, the investment in this studio also reflects the industry’s continued requirement to address a growing labour and skills shortage, as well as the expected need to produce more metals for the electrification transition.

“If the industry is to produce more metals in a more sustainable and safe manner, digital solutions will be needed,” Teräsvasara added.

There is clearly an opportunity for Metso to leverage software as a market differentiator, but the move also reflects a growing sense of responsibility to in-source more of the digital supply chain.

Guyot explained: “Cyber security is not something we can delegate to anyone when it comes to servicing customers – especially with more of the information being on cloud-based platforms now.

“The Krakow Studio will allow us to responsibly develop this software hand in hand with cyber security in mind.”

And Guyot and Teräsvasara say this software development responsibility goes beyond just the Metso equipment portfolio, with customers able to also use this new software on all their equipment, irrespective of the supplier.

“Our software will be available to ourselves and our customers,” Teräsvasara said. “We will help our customers with all their equipment and performance issues, as we do with some existing LCS contracts.”

With the investment in this new Digital Design and Development studio, Metso is putting another marker down that could have positive ramifications for its customers and the wider mineral processing sector.

Metso Outotec wins major equipment order for Almalyk MOF-3 copper concentrator

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it has signed a contract to deliver key process technology to Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Company’s MOF3 copper-gold-molybdenum concentrator complex in Almalyk, in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan.

The planned capacity of the plant, which is situated next to the Yoshlik-1 deposit, is 60 Mt/y, with the contract value exceeding €100 million ($107 million).

Metso Outotec’s scope of delivery consists of the basic engineering, manufacturing, and supply of the HIGMill® regrinding mills, TankCell® flotation equipment and high-rate thickeners, FrothSense+™ froth cameras, Larox® PF filters, slurry pumps and MHC™ Series hydrocyclones, as well as samplers, Courier™ 6X SL elemental on-line analysers and PSI500i particle size analysers, a state-of-the-art process control system, and installation and commissioning advisory services and spare parts.

Markku Teräsvasara, President of the Minerals business area at Metso Outotec, said: “We are very happy for being trusted with this landmark order.

“Special emphasis has been put on optimising metallurgical performance and energy efficiency of the concentrator plant. Our delivery will feature several Planet Positive technologies contributing to sustainable operations,” says .

Metso Outotec wins major IPCC order from Codelco’s Radomiro Tomic mine

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it has signed an agreement with Codelco in Chile to design and supply a Foresight™ semi-mobile primary gyratory (SMPG) crushing plant for Codelco’s Radomiro Tomic operation.

Equipped with a Superior™ MKIII 60-110 primary gyratory crusher, apron feeder discharge and dust collection, the Foresight™ SMPG meets the highest demands in productivity and sustainability, the company says. It is part of Metso Outotec’s in-pit crush and convey solutions (IPCC) portfolio.

Metso Outotec launched the SMPG in June alongside this IPCC offering and the announcement of a plan to cooperate with FAM on end-to-end solutions for IPCC and tailings management plants to the mining industry.

Back in March, Codelco was granted permission to prolong the life of the existing Phase I hydrometallurgical plant and sulphide mining operations at Radomiro Tomic until 2030. The original project considered the end of the operations associated with this stage of the project in 2022, however, thanks to the incorporation of new mining resources, it will be possible to extend it for another seven years from 2023.

Codelco said at this point that the exploitation of these resources requires the relocation of the current primary crushing of oxides and sulphides, which will require additional investments.

Metso Outotec said the value of the recent order is not disclosed, but it has been booked in the Minerals business September quarter orders received.

Markku Teräsvasara, President, Minerals, said: “We have extended our Planet Positive offering in June of this year, launching our IPCC solutions, combining the right team, technology and services to redefine productivity in this space. We highly appreciate Codelco’s continued trust in us to deliver significant crush and convey infrastructure to meet Codelco’s demanding operational and sustainability goals.”

Eduardo Nilo, President, South America Market Area, added: “We are honoured Codelco has chosen us to deliver this significant project in Radomiro Tomic and extend the fleet of Superior primary gyratory crushers at that site. With more than 1,300 employees and integrated fabrication of wear materials in Chile, we service our fleet of crushers holistically
and look forward to supporting this plant as well.”

Metso Outotec’s integrated modular in-pit crush and convey solutions consist of crushing, conveying and stacking equipment combined with IPCC planning and life cycle services. The offering is designed to ensure the highest productivity, energy efficiency, and maintainability, it says.

Metso Outotec IPCC solutions, with their improved energy efficiency, are part of the company’s Planet Positive portfolio. IPCC operations also reduce haulage related energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Metso Outotec grinding, flotation and separation equipment destined for Russian Platinum project

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec has signed what it says is a landmark contract to deliver all key technology for a new concentrator plant in Norilsk, Russia.

The concentrator is operated by Chernogorskaya mining company, part of the Russian Platinum group.

The delivery is based on Metso Outotec’s proprietary technology and includes key equipment for grinding, flotation and separation. Metso Outotec will also deliver electrification, instrumentation and automation for the concentrator, it says. The contract, which exceeds €100 million ($116 million) in value, has been booked into the Minerals business’ September quarter orders received.

The new concentrator plant is expected to start production in 2023. It will process nickel-copper ore with high palladium and platinum content from the Chernogorsky deposit with an annual capacity of 7 Mt, according to the OEM. Metso Outotec has carried out the basic engineering for the concentrator plant in the earlier stages of the project, it says.

Evgeny Vorobeichik, Managing Director at Russian Platinum, says: “Russian Platinum is aiming for a highly efficient and environmentally friendly production process in the industrial region of Norilsk. The construction of the Chernogorsk GOK is the first stage of this large-scale project, the implementation of which will make our company one of the leaders in the production of palladium and platinum. Use of advanced technical solutions and reliable equipment is an absolute priority. The partnership with Metso Outotec and continuous support from its local operations in Russia are important components to ensuring the success of the project.”

Markku Teräsvasara, President of the Minerals business area at Metso Outotec, added: “Metso Outotec has ample experience with the arctic environment in the Norilsk region as well as with its uniquely rich and demanding ore types. We are delighted to be able to support Chernogorskaya in this greenfield project, where we will be delivering the whole concentrator with the latest technology.”

Metso Outotec invests in Lappeenranta filtration technology centre

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec is opening a new laser welding unit, customised for demanding production conditions, at its filtration technology centre in Lappeenranta, Finland.

The new laser welding unit will add to the centre’s manufacturing capacity and enable the production of higher-quality welded structures in a safer and more environmentally friendly manner, the company says. The value of the investment is approximately €1 million ($1.2 million).

Markku Teräsvasara, President of Metso Outotec’s Minerals business, says: “Investing in an efficient laser welding unit is one example of our desire to focus on being an industry leader also in filtration technology.

“In Lappeenranta, we produce several types of filters used in demanding industrial applications. We have systematically developed our capabilities in Lappeenranta over the years. Today, the technology centre for solid-liquid separation, which we opened in 2015, serves customers around the world.”

In addition to Lappeenranta, Metso Outotec provides filtration technology to customers worldwide from its Turku and Suzhou facilities in China, Jussi Venäläinen, Vice President of Metso Outotec’s Filtration Business Line says.

“Our filtration equipment is used, for example, in the mining, chemical and food industries,” he says. “All of them require reliable filtration to ensure high quality of their end products.”

Metso Outotec says its filtration technology centre in Lappeenranta plays an important role in the development of industry innovations. In addition to manufacturing, the centre operates a Dewatering Technology Center, which is focused on solid-liquid separation. It also has continuous cooperation with the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, among others.

Venäläinen added: “We have a long legacy of filtration expertise – our first filters were made as early as the 1930s in Sala, Sweden. Our selection of filtration technologies is the largest in the field, and their energy, emission and water efficiency is in a league of its own.

“Most of the filtration solutions are part of our Planet Positive range of products. Our filters are safe, easy to use, and quick to maintain, and their high level of automation enables continuous optimisation and remote support. We also provide comprehensive filter maintenance, including lifecycle services.”

Metso Outotec has carried out more than 14,000 filtration tests and delivered more than 5,000 filters for various applications worldwide. Most of the filters are sold under the Larox® product name along with Metso Outotec corporate branding.

In Finland, industrial filter production began in 1977 in Lappeenranta under Larox Oy. In 2009, it continued under Outotec (Filters) Oy, and, after the Metso Minerals and Outotec merger, the filtration technology centre became a part of Metso Outotec. The Lappeenranta site employs around 200 people.

Metso Outotec and FAM to collaborate on IPCC, tailings projects

Bulk handling, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining techniques, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , ,

Metso Outotec and FAM GmbH have signed a global non-exclusive co-operation agreement on the delivery of integrated end-to-end solutions for in-pit crush and convey (IPCC) and tailings management plants to the mining industry.

The combination of the companies’ leading expertise in their respective fields will allow the parties to form the market’s strongest offering for IPCC and tailings management plants, they said.

“Mine electrification, reduction in power and water consumption, as well as de-risking tailings disposal, are common goals for the mining industry and Metso Outotec to improve sustainability,” Metso Outotec said. “State-of-the-art IPCC and tailings management plants cater for these requirements.”

Markku Teräsvasara, President of the Minerals business area at Metso Outotec, said sustainability is a top priority for Metso Outotec.

“In addition to our investments to develop our IPCC and tailings management plant offering, we are pleased to be able to announce our cooperation with FAM,” he said. “This will allow us to meet our customers’ growing demand in such plants, where spreaders or conveyor bridges are required.”

Torsten Gerlach, CEO of FAM, added: “FAM’s leading technology in dry tail stacking systems and spreaders ties well in with Metso Outotec’s hard-rock crushing and minerals processing portfolio. Where end-to-end systems are required, we are glad teaming up with a strong partner.”

Metso Outotec establishes new training program for field service technicians

Careers in mining, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , ,

Metso Outotec has started an integrated competence development platform, the Services Certification Program, looking to standardise the competency of the company’s service employees working on site.

The OEM has an extensive footprint of over 3,000 field services professionals and additional support resources close to customer operations. The certification training program has been designed to validate and develop their employees’ knowledge and skills at servicing their respective products and technologies, it said.

Markku Teräsvasara, President, Services business area, Metso Outotec, said: “Our customers are already expressing strong confidence towards our service experts’ knowledge and technology competences. With the development program, the expertise is officially validated and standardised across the world.

“We have a unique opportunity from being able to combine strong maintenance support with process knowledge. To achieve our ambition of being the preferred services provider in our industry requires us to strive for unified development of industry leading competences based on high performance and safety standards, and resulting in exceptional customer experience.”

The Services Certification Program consists of three distinct and progressive training levels that allow personnel to develop their skills and apply them in on-the-job situations as well as validating existing work experience. All service personnel must achieve a “License to Service” certificate before starting the certification program to ensure a shared understanding of what service means within Metso Outotec and to clarify the standards including safety all are expected to hold themselves to in their work.

The Services Certification Program is designed and managed by the Metso Outotec Training Academy organisation which manages all technical and product trainings globally in the company.

First Ore Mining and Metso Outotec strike thickening plant deal for Pavlovskoye

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The First Ore Mining Company (FOMC), part of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co, says it has signed a cooperation agreement with Metso Outotec “underlining the parties’ interest in continuing their strategic partnership in the design, supply, installation, control and commissioning of the thickening plant for the Pavlovskoye field”.

The agreement waas signed by Igor Semenov (right), Executive Director, FOMC JSC, and Markku Teräsvasara (left), Vice President, Metso Outotec.

The Pavlovskoye polymetallic deposit on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is the largest such deposit in Russia with 47.7 Mt of ore reserves (2.49 Mt f zinc, 549,000 t of lead and 1,194 t of silver), according to First Ore Mining.

The cooperation with Finland’s Outotec (since merged with Metso to make Metso Outotec) emerged more than a year ago on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which gave rise to an initial pact. Since that time, the company’s experts, together with Aker Arctic Technology, have elaborated a detailed draft design for the floating concentrator and set out a preliminary thickening flow chart and main equipment layout, First Ore Mining said.

In September, representatives from Metso Outotec visited the Pavlovskoye field. In the course of the field activities, the company examined the site for the planned thickening plant, tailings pond and infrastructure facilities, First Ore Mining said. It also acknowledged the ore samples were representative and could be used in testing.

The next stage within the partnership will include tests to be carried out at Metso Outotec Research Center in Pori, Finland. Once the work is completed and the final thickening flow chart is developed, Metso Outotec will present the guaranteed performance indicators and design values to ensure the plant’s productivity and the high quality of the concentrates and metal extraction for the ore types studied, FOMC said.

Semenov said: “I am confident that working together with Metso Outotec will significantly improve the thickening indicators for Pavlovskoye ores, which were obtained during the studies in the previous years. As a result, we will produce premium concentrates that are in demand in the global lead and zinc markets.”

Teräsvasara added: “Indeed, it is quite interesting to participate in the development of this unique project for processing minerals in the Russian Arctic. In addition to standard technological and economic matters, harsh weather conditions, lack of infrastructure, and high requirements to environmental safety in the vulnerable Arctic wildlife have made us search for the best available technologies to cover all these points.”

The Pavlovskoye project includes plans to build the northern-most mining and processing plant to produce lead and zinc concentrates, with First Ore Mining as the project operator.

Metso and Outotec establish business areas and leaders ahead of merger completion

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With Metso and Outotec having recently cleared one of the final remaining hurdles towards merging the two companies, the future Metso Outotec Board of Directors has laid out the planned company structure and related executive team appointments.

The nominations will become effective after the closing of the partial demerger of Metso and the combination of Metso’s Minerals business and Outotec, which is currently expected to take place on June 30, 2020, subject to receipt of all required regulatory and other approvals, including competition clearances – which the companies made significant headway on recently.

The companies said: “Combined, the future Metso Outotec will be a forerunner in sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions and services for the minerals processing, aggregates, metals refining and recycling industries globally. The new organisation is designed to leverage the strengths and expertise of both companies.”

Metso Outotec will consist of the following six business areas:

  • Aggregates, providing crushing and screening equipment for the production of aggregates;
  • Minerals, providing equipment and full plant solutions for minerals processing, covering comminution, separation and pumps;
  • Metals, providing processing solutions and equipment for metals refining and chemical processing;
  • Recycling, providing equipment and services for metal and waste recycling;
  • Services, providing spare parts, refurbishments and professional services for mining, metals and aggregates customers; and
  • Consumables, providing a comprehensive offering of wear parts for mining, metals and aggregates processes.

The boards have also made some significant decisions on the key personnel that will lead these business units.

Markku Simula will become President of the Aggregates business unit. Simula currently serves as President, Aggregates Equipment at Metso.

Recently appointed Metso Mining Equipment President, Stephan Kirsch, will become President of the combined Minerals business area.

Jari Ålgars, currently CFO at Outotec, will become President of Metals.

Uffe Hansen, who is currently President of Recycling at Metso, will become President of Recycling at Metso Outotec.

Metso’s Sami Takaluoma will retain his President of the Consumables business area post at the new merged entity.

Markku Teräsvasara, who currently serves as the President and CEO at Outotec, will take on the President, Services and Deputy CEO role at Metso Outotec.

In addition to the business area president appointments, the following function heads and executive team members have been appointed:

  • Eeva Sipilä, CFO and Deputy CEO. Her appointment was announced on July 4, 2019. She currently serves as the CFO and Deputy CEO at Metso;
  • Nina Kiviranta, General Counsel. She currently serves as General Counsel at Outotec;
  • Piia Karhu, Senior Vice President, Business Development. She currently serves as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Finnair. She will join the company on July 1, 2020; and
  • Hannele Järvistö, Senior Vice President, Human Resources (interim). She currently serves as Senior Vice President, Human Resources (interim) at Metso. “This appointment is valid until a new position-holder has been selected and will start in this role,” the company said.

All the function heads and executive team members will report to Metso Outotec’s future President and CEO, Pekka Vauramo (pictured), the company said.

Reflecting on these changes, Vauramo said: “Above all, Metso Outotec will be strong in sustainability. Our extensive combined offering for minerals processing, from equipment to a broad range of services, will help our customers improve their profitability and lower their operating costs and risks, while at the same time reduce the consumption of energy and water.

“We at Metso Outotec understand our customer’s world and the daily challenges they face. Together, we will partner for positive change.”