Tag Archives: Victor Tapia

Sandvik to build largest US mining facility to date in Elko, Nevada

To better serve its mining customers in the United States, Sandvik is investing more than $50 million in the company’s largest US facility to date, in Elko, Nevada.

Construction will begin before the end of this year and the new facility is expected to open in the March quarter of 2025. It will cover 14 acres (5.67 ha) and replace the company’s existing Elko office and separate warehouse.

The $51.4 million investment includes larger warehouse and workshop facilities. The new 31,250-sq.ft (2,900-sq.m) warehouse will nearly triple the size of the existing Elko warehouse, while the workshop will grow from 17,800 sq.ft (1,650 sq.m) to 25,000 sq.ft (2,325 sq.m). The two-story facility will also include 13,800 sq.ft (1,280 sq.m) of office and training space.

Designed with circularity, waste reduction and carbon footprint top of mind, the completely new facility will include dedicated infrastructure to support battery-electric vehicles, a training centre, welding areas, a painting booth and a simulator area. The facility will accommodate the current 85 employees with additional capacity for training and growth.

Victor Tapia, Vice President, Sales Area USA, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said: “This facility will be our largest of several branches serving the US mining market. We are creating a new, modern work environment for our people and, in turn, for our customers, who operate in rapidly changing market conditions with fast-evolving technology. The new building will facilitate increased collaboration opportunities and enable us to better serve our customers for years to come.”

Stephan Kirsch gets top mining job at Metso

Stephan Kirsch, as of August 1, will become President of Metso’s Mining Equipment business area, replacing Victor Tapia in the process.

Kirsch, who joined Metso in 2018, and currently works as Senior Vice President, Business and Product Management in the Mining Equipment business area, will also become a member of Metso’s Executive Team from August.

The current President of Metso’s Mining Equipment business area, Victor Tapia, will take on another internal assignment before leaving the company, Metso said.

Metso President and CEO, Pekka Vauramo, said: “I want to express my warmest thanks to Victor for his contribution in developing Metso’s Mining Equipment business and wish him the best of success. At the same time, I wish Stephan most welcome in his new role and to the Executive Team.”

Metso launches VPX filter as part of new tailings management approach

Metso says its new approach to tailings management is aimed at addressing the water conservation and responsible mine reclamation requirements that are becoming increasingly important for mines to ensure they can retain their social license to operate.

Its new approach is spearheaded by the launch of the new Metso VPX™ filter for tailings dewatering, which, with an operating pressure of up to 25 bars, can deal with difficult-to-dewater tailings.

The company’s broader tailings management concept is geared towards enabling and supporting environmentally and economically sustainable mining, it said.

Victor Tapia, President, Mining Equipment business area at Metso, said: “Our ambition is to challenge the conventional way of looking at tailings management in mining.

“In practice, this means that besides environmental and regulatory concerns related to tailings, we need to improve the conservation of water, chemicals and ore, as well as looking for opportunities to reprocess tailings and generate value by extracting any remaining minerals. Ultimately, it allows transforming legacy practices in tailings management into a new, positive value creation model.”

Metso is driving this change by introducing a new concept for the dewatering, handling and reprocessing of tailings. It said: “Designed to maximise water recovery and reduce the footprint of tailings dams or eliminate them completely, Metso Tailings Management Solutions provide a long-term solution for mining companies looking for a viable approach to their tailings management and end-of-mine strategies.”

There are a huge amount of tailings discharged and lying in legacy dams, according to Metso. “Today, only about 5% of tailings are dewatered, while roughly 70% of the mines are located in countries where water scarcity is considered as an issue. The way tailings are handled can have a long-term impact on the mines’ economic efficiency as well as on the well-being of the surrounding environment and communities,” the company said.

Niclas Hällevall, VP of Beneficiation Solutions, Mining Equipment business area, said: “Metso views dry filtered tailings as the most viable and long-term solution for tailings management: it helps in recycling significantly more water to the concentrator, while enabling mines to reduce their freshwater footprint when compared to traditional tailings impoundments. Furthermore, the risk of tailings dam failure could be completely avoided by dewatering and dry stacking the tailings.”

He added: “Contrary to conventional belief, dry tailings are also much more capex (capital expenses) and opex (operating expenses) efficient compared to wet or thickened tailings.”

Metso Tailings Management Solutions bundle Metso’s beneficiation technologies into a “full, customisable and future-ready suite of solutions”, it says. Metso, with its core component, is taking filtration technology “to the next level” by introducing the Metso VPX filter, a new generation filtration solution for maximum water recovery and reuse, it said.

The company said: “The Metso VPX filter can handle difficult-to-dewater tailings, because it has up to 25 bars operating pressure, the highest pressure in its category. This enables up to 90% water recovery. The Metso VPX is also equipped with a fully electromechanical drive system and no hydraulics, making it the safest solution on the market. With its modular design, the Metso VPX filter is scalable as well as easily transportable to the site in standard containers.”

The VPX filter is available for mining customers globally and an ideal solution for a range of dewatering applications, Metso said, adding that the filter press will be on show at the Exposibram trade fair to be held in Brazil, in September.

Metso books comminution equipment order from Codelco at El Teniente

Metso says it has been awarded a contract to supply crushing and material handling equipment for the first stage of Codelco’s El Teniente copper mine expansion project in central Chile.

The order was booked in Metso’s March quarter 2019 orders and will see the company deliver, among other elements, primary gyratory crushing equipment with apron feeders and conveyer belts as well as related services.

El Teniente is the world’s largest underground copper mine as well as the largest operation of the Chile state-owned copper mining company Codelco. The expansion project, called El Teniente New Mine Level, is expected to add 50 years to the life of the mine, with the first stage expected to start up in 2023.

Once completed, the full expansion will allow El Teniente to maintain its current output of around 450,000 t/y of refined copper, Metso said.

Victor Tapia, President, Mining Equipment Business Area at Metso, said: “We are proud of being part of this landmark project in which we will utilise our process and product knowledge gathered over 150 years of experience.

“In a landscape where challenges are continuously evolving, we are fully committed to keep developing solutions that help our customers to secure sustainable productivity and long-term success.”

Most of the equipment deliveries to El Teniente are scheduled for 2021, while services will be carried out between 2022 and 2023, according to Metso.

“Metso in Chile and Codelco have a long history of cooperation. This order confirms once again our expertise and our position as a leading equipment supplier for underground mining and as a key equipment a supplier for Codelco,” Tapia said.

“Going forward, we’ll focus on providing El Teniente with a high level of performance, reliability and best-in-class support service throughout the project life cycle,” he added.

Metso cements Tata Steel relationship with iron ore pellet plant order

Metso has won a “significant order” to deliver a large-scale iron ore pellet plant and related engineering services to Tata Steel for the expansion of the Kalinganagar operation (pictured), in Odisha state, India.

The order was booked in Metso’s December quarter orders received, the mining OEM said.

The new pellet plant will be equipped with capability to use a dual fuel burner and a burner management system to enable the use of iron ore feed from different sources. This will optimise the overall cost of production, including the fuel type and consumption, according to Metso.

Victor Tapia, President, Metso’s Mining Equipment business area, said: “Metso and Tata Steel have a history of more than 25 years of successful cooperation. We take this much-valued partnership and the confidence in our knowhow as clear indicators that we have been able to meet their business needs in a fast-changing business environment. In line with our value proposition, we will assist Tata Steel in minimising fuel consumption and reducing their carbon footprint in pellet production.”

Tata is among the largest steel-producing companies globally, with manufacturing operations in 26 countries and crude deliveries of about 28 Mt in 2017. Operational since 2015, the Kalinganagar plant is one of Tata Steel’s key manufacturing locations in India, Metso says.

Kamal Pahuja, SVP Indian market area at Metso, said: “Working together with Tata Steel over the years, we have developed a strong understanding of their business and of what adds value to their operation; this understanding helps us to deliver the required performance. On that account, we were able to design a pelletising solution that enables the lowest cost per tonne of pellet produced while providing flexibility for varying qualities of feed to optimise the production quality and rate.”

Metso says it is the leading player in pelletising in India. This order is the company’s first iron ore pellet plant solution for Tata Steel.

Last year, Metso reported its largest-ever pellet plant delivery to JSW Steel.