Epiroc, an equipment supplier for the mining and infrastructure industries, has won an automated underground mining drill rig order from Swedish iron ore producer LKAB.
The order includes Boomer face drilling rigs, Boltec rock reinforcement rigs and a Simba production drilling rig, according to Epiroc.
The company said the equipment would be deployed at the Malmberget and Kiruna underground iron ore mines in northern Sweden; the order was worth $12.2 million (SK 105 million).
The Simba production drill rig will be operated remotely from a control room in the Kiruna mine, the latest in LKAB's fleet of six remotely controlled rigs.
One of the Boltec machines will also be equipped with a new automated pumpable resin system, which Epiroc described as a "key component" in its automated bolting development.
All the machines will be fitted with Epiroc's telematics system Certiq, which allows for intelligent monitoring of machine performance and productivity in real-time.
Epiroc's president and chief executive officer, Helena Hedblom, said: "Epiroc and LKAB have a long history together as partners around innovative technologies, always aimed at optimizing operations in the most productive and sustainable way."
