Tag Archives: Volvo CE

Volvo CE introduces first electric machines to Indonesian market

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Volvo Construction Equipment is continuing its rollout of lower emissions construction equipment across Asia, with the introduction of the first electric machines in Indonesia.

Two models are now available in the country after being presented to customers at Indotruck Utama’s Inspire 2023 event in September. The launch follows the introduction of other electric machines in China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore, and bodes well for mining-class electric machines arriving in the next decade.

The first two electric construction machine models from Volvo CE in Indonesia are now available for purchase, with the company noting there is already strong interest in the ECR25 Electric compact excavator and the L25 Compact wheel loader, particularly from customers in the general construction, agriculture, material handling and livestock industries.

The ECR25 Electric compact excavator is a 2.6-2.8 t capacity machine with a 22.3 kN breakout force. It has an onboard charger for general charging, an external quick charger (optional for indoor/outdoor specifications), and a 20 kWh battery array, allowing for 3-4 hours of work per charge.

The L25 Electric compact wheel loader features a 2.1-t payload and a maximum speed of 20 km/h. The machine comes with a 40 kWh battery pack and is expected to deliver 6-8 hours of work per charge. Both machines offer near-silent operations and zero emissions while enhancing operator comfort thanks to a working environment that removes the vibrations and noise associated with diesel machines.

To complement the existing models, in 2024 Volvo CE is planning on expanding its electric portfolio with the launch of the L120H loader, which is built with state-of-the-art technology to increase productivity and profitability. This commitment from Volvo CE to extend its electric machine range will open new opportunities for customers in the mining and aggregates sectors to reduce their carbon footprint, it says.

Volvo CE understands that customers are setting their own environmental targets to reduce carbon footprints to accelerate the green transition. With this in mind, it is working in partnership with customers, creating bespoke step-by-step programs to help organisations achieve their unique climate goals.

“We’ve seen a significant amount of interest, excitement, and anticipation from our customers in Indonesia, so bringing the first electric machines to market is a major milestone for us,” Gerrit Lambert, Head of Market Indonesia, Volvo CE Asia, said. “Already we’re seeing high interest from customers thanks to the machines’ key benefits, such as the fact that they are CO2 free and offer a lower cost of ownership than traditional machines.”

Volvo CE says it is committed to ensuring its clients are fully prepared for the introduction of electric machines in Indonesia. To facilitate this, it conducted several intense safety and service training sessions with dealer partner, PT Indotruck Utama. This training not only surpasses all regulations required by the Indonesian government, but also adheres to European standards. The company is now embarking on a series of demonstrations nationwide with the new machines, so customers get a detailed look at the features and benefits they deliver.

Volvo CE’s ITU dealer delivers another 21 excavators to PT Bukit Asam

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Volvo CE says its dealer in Indonesia, PT Indotruck Utama (ITU), continues to grow its partnership with PT Bukit Asam (PTBA), with ITU set to deliver another large order of 21 excavators to the state-owned company.

The OEM puts this blossoming relationship down to, in part, the quality and durability of the EC480DL and EC210D excavators the company has relied on over the past five years.

PTBA, a state-owned company in the mining, energy and renewables sectors, celebrated the arrival of 21 new machines with a special ceremony this August at its West Banko site in Tanjung Enim District, Muara Enim Regency in South Sumatra.

The order includes 19 crawler excavators (13 EC480DLs and six EC210Ds) plus two wheeled excavators (EW205D). PTBA decided to place the large order after incredibly positive experiences with the seven EC480DLs and one EC210D machine the company acquired from ITU over the past five years. Separately to the agreement for Volvo CE machines, PTBA will also receive 32 FMX440 trucks from Volvo Trucks, which join the 19 FMX400 construction trucks the company already owns.

“In a relatively short time, PTBA has become one of our most important customers,” Novandy Lantang, Volvo CE National Sales Manager at ITU, says. “Since the first order in 2019, the company has never regretted choosing Volvo. The machine quality, and premium aftermarket support have impressed everyone.”

The PTBA order is just the latest in a string of significant deals being sealed by ITU across Indonesia. It follows the delivery of 10 EC480Ds and 12 EC210Ds excavators to a mineral mine project in North Maluku.

Volvo Construction Equipment leveraging AI to optimise fluid conditions

Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Volvo Construction Equipment has unveiled its new Fluid Analysis program, tapping into the artificial intelligence realm to identify wear metals and contaminants on equipment or changes in fluid conditions.

The solution expands on its existing Oil Analysis program and encompasses lubricants, diesel fuels, AdBlue and coolants, and comes alongside a 250% increase in global testing capacity, which is equal to 20 labs globally.

The new digitised process – including a cloud-hosted customer portal and Fluid Analysis mobile app – uses AI data analysis to provide customers with easy-to-understand reports and insights with the highest levels of accuracy which can help them make better informed decisions, it says. This allows customers to take preventive actions against contamination and wear, leading to improved uptime and contributing to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Volvo CE says: “AI accelerates the testing process, making analysis quicker and easier. This allows lab technicians to focus on more sensitive testing issues – such as analysing abnormal or critical samples, those of greatest concern to clients – and, thereby, offer more useful insights and recommendations.”

Alongside the expansion of the program, Volvo is partnering with an industry-leading testing provider to, it says, ensure consistency and efficiency on a global level. Besides leading to a significant increase in testing capacity, this partnership will also reduce lead time and simplify the sampling and analysis process.

With 75% of repair costs and equipment downtime traceable to the use of contaminated lubricants and fuels, and up to 65-75% of all bearing failures traced back to to lubrication issues, the importance of effective fluid analysis cannot be overstated, the company says. Through early identification of possible contamination or wear, customers can take proactive action before any unplanned downtime occurs, helping them to maintain productivity and avoid any potential repair costs.

Volvo CE says the expanded program has taken the potential of fluid analysis to the next level, providing customers with efficient and easy-to-understand reporting. The digitised process is quick, straightforward and provides reports to the highest levels of accuracy.

Once a sample is taken from the machine it is sent to Volvo’s newly expanded global laboratory network. Here it is analysed with a diagnosis performed as required based on any trace elements found.

Once testing is complete, reports – along with recommended actions – are made immediately available via the Volvo Fluid Analysis customer portal. This cloud-based platform features a user-friendly interface which presents reports in a highly visual and easy-to-analyse format, the company claims. It is also the first fluid analysis solution on the market which uses AI data analysis, providing an intuitive solution to deliver consistent and easy to understand recommendations.

The process is made easier still with the Fluid Analysis mobile app. This enables users to register their samples from anywhere in the world, quickly and easily access sample reports, and receive notifications should anything require urgent attention.

Routine fluid analysis is proven to reduce downtime by 15%, Volvo CE says.

“Through a more efficient testing process, increased testing capacity and intuitive reporting, Fluid Analysis from Volvo has made it significantly easier for customers to gain the insight needed to take corrective actions which can help avoid expensive repairs and unexpected downtime.”

Volvo CE welcomes Indonesia delegation to Motherwell rigid hauler facility

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The Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) factory in Motherwell, UK, recently hosted a group of visitors from Indonesia who toured the facilities and the R60 rigid dump truck (RDT) on show.

The event, led by Volvo CE’s Erwin Budi, Head of Key Accounts for Indonesia, and Luciano Suetugo, Head of Product Marketing for Haulers and Loaders in Region Asia, saw a delegation of Volvo CE representatives, dealers, and customers from Indonesia travel to Scotland to visit the Volvo CE rigid hauler factory and get some personalised experience of the new R60.

Hendro Sugito, Aftermarket Director at Indotruck Utama, the Volvo CE dealer for Indonesia, joined them. Two customers were also in attendance, both of whom already operate a fleet of Volvo RDT machines: M Yunus Anis, Operational Director at Hasnur Riung Sinergi, and Edi Suryadi, COO at Prima Sarana Gemilang, which currently operates 35 units of R60D machines and is in search of replacement units to upgrade its non-Volvo fleet, according to the OEM.

The trip started with a manufacturing plant tour and inspected the R60 on the test pad. On day two, there was a visit to a nearby job site to see an R60 in action, and had a chance to enjoy the smooth ride of the R60. Following this, both dealer and customer representatives traveled back to Indonesia, while Budi and Suetugo enjoyed two days of intensive product training on the R60. For this, they were joined by Volvo CE colleagues from Region Europe, Region North America and Region Latin America.

Budi said: “Our customers and dealers found the trip highly valuable. There have been many updates and investments at our rigid hauler factory and it was good for everyone to see those. We strengthened our relationships and boosted our knowledge of the R60, so it was a very worthwhile trip. The R60 has great potential in Indonesia and offers many advances over the previous R60D, including a new engine, transmission, and suspension.

“We can’t wait to welcome the first units into our country.”

The R60E, the successor of the R60D, introduces a range of new features and design improvements, setting a new standard of reliable and high-performing rigid haulers, according to Volvo CE. The model boasts a more powerful engine, delivering increased power and torque for tackling demanding tasks. The new generation transmission shift control ensures smoother and more precise shifting, while the updated adaptive control of the retarder system enhances braking efficiency, the company says. The operator environment has also been upgraded with a modern control panel, offering intuitive access to functions along with overall improved ride comfort.

(Pictured left to right: M Yunus Anis, Paul Douglas, Hendro Sugito, Drew Watson, Johncraig Savage, Craig Shaw, James Gibson, Edi Suryadi, Nick Love and Luciano Suetugo in front of the new R60)

Volvo CE makes electric wheel loader investment in Arvika plant

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , ,

As part of its ambition towards industry transformation through sustainable solutions, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has announced an investment into the production of electric wheel loaders from its plant in Arvika, Sweden.

The SEK65 million (circa-$6.3 million) investment from Volvo Group will allow the Arvika factory in Sweden – which specialises in the production of medium and large wheel loaders – to expand its facilities with a new building and allow for the phased introduction of new electric wheel loaders.

It is not only a milestone in the plant’s almost 140-year history, but a significant moment for Volvo CE and its determination to be completely fossil free by 2040, the company said. This is in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement and as laid out in the manufacturer’s industry leading Science-Based Target goals. It is also a step forward in its ambition for 35% of its machines sold to be electric by 2030.

Coming soon after an announcement to invest in electric haulers from the company’s production facility in Braås, Sweden, the announcement shows Volvo CE is committed to achieving more sustainable solutions for customers across all its product lines. These announcements are part of an investment strategy that allows Volvo CE to advance electric solutions across its production facilities, including also the Konz facility in Germany, Belley in France and Changwon in South Korea, where other electric machines are made.

Site Manager, Mikael Liljestrand, says: “This is a clear signal of our commitment to building the world we want to live in. It is more than 40 years since we last invested in a new building and what better reason now than to invest in our future, our planet and the next generation. We know that this is not only important to our customers and stakeholders, who rightly have high expectations on us, but it is also close to our hearts to be part of something bigger in building our future.”

Volvo CE has already introduced compact electric wheel loaders to the global market with the L20 Electric and L25 Electric wheel loaders proving to be efficient, zero-exhaust emission solutions capable of driving down carbon emissions while maintaining high productivity across a variety of customer applications. Together with the ECR25 Electric, ECR18 Electric and EC18 Electric compact excavators and the mid-size EC230 Electric excavator, Volvo CE has one of the largest electric ranges on the market.

Thanks to the investment, Arvika will erect a new building, approximately 1,500 sq m, which will allow the facility to free up areas inside its assembly factory to be able to build electric wheel loaders. While it has not yet been announced which models will begin their electric transformation and exactly when, production of both electric wheel loaders and more traditional wheel loaders fitted with combustion engines will continue for now on the same production line.

Volvo CE will ensure a phased introduction model by model, taking into account all aspects of the electric ecosystem as it does so, including infrastructure requirements, charging solutions, battery handling and business models. The result will be reliable mid-size and larger electric wheel loaders that can easily be integrated into customers’ business, it said.

It is not the first sustainability initiative from the Arvika facility. Despite increasing production last year, the factory managed to reduce its internal climate footprint by 350 t of CO2 thanks to a variety of emission reduction efforts.

“Our goal at the factory in Arvika, as well as Volvo CE and the entire Volvo Group is to be climate-smart and to produce fossil-free machines,” Liljestrand said. “Together, we are quite clear that we want to lead this transformation and be the driving force of more sustainable ways of working for the benefit of our planet. This investment is Arvika’s exciting first step towards electrification.”

Building work is set to begin later this year, with further announcements on when production will begin to come.

Volvo Construction Equipment hands over A30G made of fossil-free steel to NCC

Environmental, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

In the latest step on its path toward carbon neutrality, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has become the first manufacturer to deliver a construction machine – a A30G articulated hauler – built using fossil-free steel to a customer.

The move, the company says, demonstrates the fast-tracking of innovation to real-world solutions as companies across the value chain come together to drive change.

The A30G articulated hauler built using fossil-free steel was handed over by President of Volvo CE, Melker Jernberg, to long-standing construction customer NCC on June 1, 2022, at a ceremony hosted by LeadIt – the Leadership Group for Industry Transition – in conjunction with the United Nations environmental meeting Stockholm +50.

The move comes just nine months after the company unveiled the world’s first vehicle concept using fossil-free steel, as part of the testing of the implementation in an ordinary production setup.

That machine, the latest concept unit produced of its TA15 battery electric, cabless and autonomous hauler for use in mining and quarrying, was unveiled at a green steel collaboration event on October 13, 2021, in Gothenburg, hosted by Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO Volvo Group.

While commercial introduction is expected to be gradual with selected customers, this first handover is an important milestone in the group’s ambition to drive industry transformation towards global climate goals, Volvo CE says. The A30G is produced at Volvo CE’s Braås facility in Sweden, using the existing manufacturing process, with fossil-free steel from Swedish steel company SSAB.

While the A30G is a 29 t payload articulated hauler more suited to the construction industry, the fossil-free move to bigger vehicles used in mining is also expected in the future.

Jernberg says: “We are sure that to succeed in decarbonising the construction industry, actors in the value chain will need to collaborate and act. Thanks to our strong partnerships with other driven and forward-thinking companies, we are now able to lead the change towards fossil-free construction and be the first to deliver a machine built using fossil-free steel to a customer. Turning commitments into actions is key to building the world we want to live in.”

Tomas Carlsson, CEO and President of NCC, says: “NCC has a firm commitment to contribute to sustainable development. We are working determinedly and systematically to reach that target, which includes selecting machines that live up to our high demands. As demonstrated in this great example, it takes strong and proactive partnerships between several players to make the sustainable shift possible.”

As part of its Science-Based Targets commitment, Volvo CE plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Alongside the electrification of its machines, the company recognises the importance of reducing its carbon footprint across its entire value chain. This includes the raw materials used in its products, of which steel is a major component. The production using fossil-free steel in Volvo CE’s machines and components will be gradual and depend on aspects such as steel availability.

Volvo expands R100 rigid hauler market reach with Stage V/Tier 4 Final engine

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Volvo CE says it has expanded the distribution of its 95 t (105 ton) R100 rigid hauler with the addition of an EU Stage V/US Tier 4 Final certified engine.

The Volvo R100 was originally launched in 2018 under the brand name R100E, but the new engine addition allows the truck to enter the strictest emissions regulated markets, opening up worldwide distribution, the company says.

“With a size and capacity that makes it the largest hauler in the company’s line-up, the R100 rigid hauler promises to drive down operating costs for customers by boosting productivity, fuel efficiency, operator comfort and uptime,” it added.

Power comes courtesy of a premium 783 kW Stage V/Tier 4 Final engine, with a combined drivetrain that provides high torque capabilities, unparalleled pulling functionality and class-leading rim pull for optimum performance, Volvo CE says. Drivetrain performance is supplied by the Volvo Dynamic Shift Control, which automatically installs optimum gear selection, speed and torque for improved fuel efficiency.

The truck features a 60.4 cu.m capacity dual-sloped body for improved load retention and minimal load shift, with the load profile policy enabling the operator to meet a consistent average target payload. The body-tipping fast cycle time, meanwhile, ensures all-round efficiency, the company says.

The Stage V/Tier 4 Final R100 includes a selectable Economy shifting mode for lighter working applications or high-speed applications and an auto-idle engine shutdown feature with adaptable timing that cuts unnecessary engine idling to reduce engine wear and operating costs.

Volvo says it has built on the high capacity and hauling performance of its rigid hauler with intelligent monitoring systems, with the On-Board Weighing option ensuring the machine moves the maximum safe payload, for cost-effective production.

The R100 is available with CareTrack – Volvo’s telematics system – to remotely monitor operational data, including fuel consumption, machine use, idling reports and GPS position.

Additionall, Volvo Site Simulation helps to define the most profitable fleet of equipment, site configuration and project results based on customer needs.

“By using the simulation, customers and dealers can work together to put an equipment plan in place before a project begins,” the company explains.

Terex Trucks signs up Headwater Equipment as Alberta dealer

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Terex Trucks has announced Headwater Equipment Sales Ltd as its new dealer in Alberta, Canada, bringing its articulated haulers to even more customers in the province’s construction, mining, agriculture and oil and gas sectors.

Terex Trucks articulated haulers can handle rough terrain and tough conditions and perform reliably during Canada’s coldest months of the year, according to the company.

In Alberta, a variety of tasks await Terex Trucks’ TA300 and TA400 articulated haulers. The company’s new dealer, Headwater Equipment, will sell and rent the TA300 and TA400, as well as provide aftermarket support, to its customers in the prairie province in the west of Canada.

“Customers in Alberta require tough construction equipment that performs reliably during the coldest months of the year, when temperatures can drop as low as -30 to -40°C,” the company said. “That’s one of the reasons why Terex Trucks’ durable and robust articulated haulers have a history of strong sales in the area.”

Matt Stringer, President at Headwater Equipment, said: “Terex Trucks is well known in Alberta; the haulers perform well in cold conditions. Under the ownership of Volvo CE, they’ve made substantial investments and improvements to the quality and performance of the TA400 and TA300, so we’re looking forward to introducing our customers to the upgraded trucks.”

Headquartered in Coalhurst, near Lethbridge in Alberta, Headwater Equipment operates from three locations in Alberta and one in British Columbia. The dealership was founded in 1997 and, today, 65 employees and 20 service trucks provide customers with quality equipment and support.

Greg Gerbus, Regional Sales Manager Terex Trucks, said: “Headwater Equipment is a growing dealership with a strong focus on superior customer service. Our customers will benefit from the complementary product lines Headwater Equipment provides, such as excavators, as well as their high standards and business model of creative solutions to customer needs.”

The TA300 has recently been upgraded and now comes with a new transmission, leading to improvements in fuel efficiency, performance, productivity and operator comfort, when compared with the previous model. The 28 t machine delivers a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency, a 5 km/h increase in speed to 55 km/h and an increase in the length of time between oil maintenance intervals from 1,000-4,000 hours. In addition, the truck now comes with eight forward gears as well as four reverse gears, to help ensure smoother gear shifting and, thereby, higher levels of operator comfort. All of this means that customers can be more productive, achieving faster cycle times, lower cost per tonne and reduced carbon emissions.

The TA400, the largest articulated hauler on offer from Terex Trucks, has a maximum payload of 38 t and a heaped capacity of 23.3 cu.m. Powered by a high performance, fuel efficient engine that develops a gross power of 331 kW, the TA400 is designed to meet the demands of the most extreme operations such as quarries, mines and large-scale construction projects.

The Electric Mine charges on to Sweden

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Following the success of the inaugural Electric Mine event in Toronto, Canada, in April, International Mining Events has wasted no time in confirming the 2020 follow up; this time in Stockholm, Sweden.

Taking place at the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel on March 19-20, 2020, The Electric Mine 2020 will be even bigger, featuring new case studies from miners implementing electrification projects and presentations from the key OEMs and service suppliers shaping these solutions.

A leading hub in Europe for mining equipment and innovation, Sweden was the obvious choice for the 2020 edition of the event. Miners including Boliden and LKAB have already made electric moves above and below ground, and the north of the country is set to host Europe’s first home-grown gigafactory, the Northvolt Ett lithium-ion battery cell facility.

Sweden and Finland also play host to Europe’s major mining OEMs such as Epiroc, Sandvik, Metso and Outotec (soon to possibly be Metso Outotec Corp), and the Nordic region has a rich mining innovation legacy.

Capacity crowd

The announcement of the 2020 Electric Mine edition comes hot on the heels of a hugely successful debut in Toronto.

With the Radisson Admiral, on Toronto Harbourfront, filled out to capacity, the circa-150 attendees were treated to more than 20 world-class papers from miners Vale, Goldcorp (now Newmont Goldcorp), Kirkland Lake Gold, Boliden and Nouveau Monde Graphite; OEMs Epiroc, Sandvik, Caterpillar, Volvo CE and BELAZ; and equipment and service specialists Siemens, ABB, GE Transportation (a Wabtec company). Presentations from Doug Morrison (CEMI), Marcus Thomson (Norcat), David Sanguinetti (Global Mining Guidelines Group), Erik Isokangas (Mining3) and Ali Madiseh (University of British Columbia), meanwhile, provided the R&D angle delegates were after.

The event was a truly global affair, attracting delegates and exhibitors from Africa, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America, all eager to hear about developments across the sector.

Bigger and better

International Mining Events is upping the ante for 2020, increasing the event capacity to 200 delegates and making plans for a possible site visit to witness electric equipment in action.

Talks from several miners, as well as global international companies, will again underpin the 1.5-day conference program, which will also expand to cover the use of renewable/alternative energy within the field.

There will, again, be opportunities for sponsorship and exhibiting, with several companies already in discussions about booking the prime opportunities for the event.

If you would like to know more about The Electric Mine 2020, please feel free to contact Editorial Director, Paul Moore ([email protected]) or Editor, Dan Gleeson ([email protected]).

In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you in Stockholm!

Volvo CE staying connected to automation trend with 5G collaboration

Automation, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As the application of automation in underground mines accelerates, several companies have started exploring 5G communications developments in order to handle the massive amounts of data that is being generated from autonomous equipment.

One company interested in exactly this is Volvo CE, which earlier this year, in co-operation with Telia and Ericsson, launched Sweden’s first 5G network for industrial use at its facility in Eskilstuna. The partnership could see the mining and construction equipment company become one of the first in the world to use 5G technology to test remote-controlled machines and autonomous solutions.

IM, as part of its annual focus on Nordic Suppliers (to be published in the June print issue), put some questions to Calle Skillsäter (pictured below), Volvo CE’s technical specialist for ‘Connected Machines’, to find out more about this collaboration and understand what hurdles companies are facing when trying to implement such communications solutions.

IM: What is the justification for investing in 5G technologies with Telia and Ericsson? How much of your equipment is currently controlled remotely or autonomously?

CS: Connectivity is a crucial enabler for automation, which is why this 5G project is so significant for us at Volvo CE and for the construction industry as a whole. We also believe that automation technology is at its most efficient when it is run hand in hand with electromobility – as we demonstrated through the Electric Site quarry project.

Thanks to a prior research collaboration with Telia and Ericsson, in the Pilot for Industrial Mobile Communication in Mining (PIMM) project, and now this established Telia Journey to 5G Partnership Program, we have the possibility to test future connectivity solutions for our machines in mining applications, as well as other potential applications.

Currently we are focusing on our L180H wheel loader remote-controlled prototype, but will soon test 5G on the HX2 concept (pictured above) autonomous hauler as well. There are no autonomous or tele-operated machines from Volvo CE available on the market today.

IM: Most of the 5G investment in mining has, so far, come from the Nordic region; why is this?

CS: That’s right, we do have a rather unique setup in that many Nordic companies are at the absolute forefront of their industries with this technology. Mining companies like Boliden and LKAB are driving the business to be more intelligent and automated, Ericsson & Telia bring the connectivity perspective, ABB bring their experience of automation into the process industry, and Volvo CE and Epiroc bring the machine perspective. It’s certainly the case that the Swedish engineering mindset is very open and collaborative, which is what you need to be if you are to explore the potential of new technologies and new ways of working. We are a small country and we need to collaborate and be on the edge of technology to stay competitive.

IM: Do you expect this region, in addition to Canada, to offer the most immediate potential for 5G automated and remote-controlled technologies in mining?

CS: As I’ve mentioned earlier, we have all ingredients available in the Nordics to succeed in this transformation towards more connected and automated mining solutions. Another strong reason is that we have high demands on health and safety for the people working in the mines. Automation is a key way to improve site safety and reduce the dangers and accidents associated with mining. In addition, automation is our key to staying ahead of our competitors.

IM: What testing have you so far been able to carry out at Eskilstuna? What results have been achieved?

CS: We quite recently inaugurated the new test area for automation and tele-operations, so we are still in the early phase. The initial focus is on the tele-operation of the remote-controlled wheel loader L180H, but we will very soon start testing 5G for the HX2 autonomous hauler concept machine. At the moment, it is too early to reveal any results.

IM: When do you expect to be able to test this out in a real-life underground mining environment?

CS: Tests have very recently been performed within the PIMM Digitalized Mining Arena (DMA) project in one of Boliden’s mines, using LTE wireless 4G communications, the results of which will be announced next month. Testing on a customer site with 5G is not planned yet.

IM: When comparing 5G to 4G technologies, what are the main benefits for mining companies when it comes to using this newer communication infrastructure (aside from lower latency, bandwidth, quality of service, positioning, etc)? What sort of impact could it have on operating costs considering the improved accuracy/responsiveness it brings to automated and remote-controlled operations?

CS: The main benefits are, as you say, lower latency, bandwidth and the quality of connection. But lower latency will also mean that tele-operated machines are more responsive, therefore resulting in much higher productivity. Higher bandwidth also means better video quality, which means a better work environment for the operator. Better video quality also creates a better feeling of presence, which helps to improve productivity. Quality of Service will mean machines are up and running for longer.

IM: How far is the industry away from employing these 5G solutions commercially? What are the three biggest hurdles to achieving this milestone?

CS: It’s too early to say when we think customers will be ready to see 5G solutions available commercially. But the biggest hurdles are:

  • Legislation related to the radio frequencies. There are still a number of open questions here; for example, will there be space for local industrial solutions, or will everything be dedicated to the mobile network operators?
  • Hardware availability. For example, there are not many 5G devices designed for demanding mining environments available right now on the market.
  • Business models. The new technologies will push us to review our business models. Should we continue to sell machines like we are used to?

IM: Do you expect underground mines of the future to be run solely off 5G networks? Or, do you expect a combination of 5G/Wi-Fi?

CS: There is a potential for mines to be run only on 5G in the future. But this is one of the questions that we hope to be able to answer in our coming tests and collaboration with our partners.