Tapojärvi Sverige Ab recently began a new contract mining gig at the Kaunis Iron mine in Pajala, Sweden, at the same time as the temperatures in that region plummeted to around -40°C.

The service contract with Kaunis Iron covers machine work in ore production as well as production support work, which includes all open-pit production activities other than rock transportation, drilling and charging.

Miika Miettinen, Production Manager at Tapojärvi, said the contract began as agreed on January 1, with the company compiling a service package in only six weeks.

The start of a new service contract requires new personnel and equipment to carry out production in line with the contract. Additionally, production control systems, infrastructure, offices and production facilities, as well as maintenance services, are needed. A mining contractor must also consider safety at every step of production.

Approximately 60 new employees were recruited, and additional personnel were borrowed from other Tapojärvi sites, to bring this contract in within the six-week timeframe.

Miettinen highlights the professional mindset of his employer, skilled and committed personnel and new equipment as Tapojärvi’s strengths. These factors enable Tapojärvi to respond quickly to the client’s needs.

“We were forced to let the production stand idle when the temperature dropped low in early January,” Miettinen said. “There were also some struggles involving the machinery. Despite everything, our operations have been launched successfully and the client has been happy with our performance.”

To support its operations, Tapojärvi has developed processes and systems that are constantly collecting online production data. Data and analytics help enhance Tapojärvi’s performance, safety and maintenance processes.

“We are able to provide the client with comprehensive and complex production data, which allows us to influence the mine’s operations and performance together with the client,” Miettinen said. “I am glad that our cooperation with Kaunis Iron has gone smoothly from the very beginning and that we are already involved in developing the operations.”

The service contract with Kaunis Iron is Tapojärvi Sverige’s first major open-pit mine contract in Sweden. The company has previously worked in underground mines on the sites of LKAB and Zinkgruvan, for example.