Finland


	The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS FINLAND

©THE JAPAN TIMES	Sunday, March 10, 2002

Blasting through the market with sophisticated tools

"The basic concepts in mining have not changed much over the years. You drill a hole, fill it with explosives, and detonate," commented Anders Ilstam, president of both Sandvik Mining and Construction Business and Sandvik Tamrock -- the largest company in the Sandvik Group's mining and construction business area. "However, we are constantly pursuing technologies that will continue to provide value to the customer throughout the life-cycle of a mine."

Finland-based Sandvik Tamrock is a leading supplier of equipment, tools and services for rock excavation and demolition to the global mining and construction industry. In this niche sector, the company produces nearly $650 million in yearly turnover. It has production units located in Finland and France, while its rock-cutting tools are manufactured in Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, Zimbabwe and India.
Sandvik Tamrock President Anders Ilstam predicts explosive growth in the wake of the recent merger.

One of the world's leading suppliers of mining and civil engineering equipment, the company has always quick to adopt new technology. A market leader in the automation of underground mines, its designs now allow up to three 25-ton loaders to be supervised by a single operator located on the surface. In addition, advances in drilling technology are reducing delays inherent in drill and blast mining.

Marketed under the brands Sandvik, Tamrock, Toro, Rammer and EJC, some of the most advanced mining and tunneling equipment in the world is produced and sold by Sandvik Tamrock. Its president, however, sees the key to its future in continuing to provide value to the customer after the initial sale of equipment. "After-market services is also a very important sector for us and one in which we see a bright future," he remarked. "A mine is generally in use for at least 20 to 30 years, and we aim to provide service and ensure operation from beginning to end."

This commitment to service has involved closer contact with customers than ever before. "We now produce equipment for every step of the mining process, from breaking the rock to transporting it," Ilstam said. "The only sector in which we are not active is in the processing of ore." This level of involvement is a recent development in the industry, but Sandvik Tamrock has adapted easily.

Another segment of the company that has been gaining influence recently has been the civil engineering sector, providing tunneling and drilling equipment to Japan and Korea among many other countries. Using the Sandvik Group's extensive expertise in materials technology, new cemented carbide rock-drilling tools have entered the market and introduced a new generation of drilling technology.

This is just one of many areas where the core expertise from both companies combined to create a superior product. "Tamrock was a Finnish company specializing in rock excavation, and Sandvik had a business area specializing in tools for these machines," he explained. "This was fortunate, because even though both companies had been cooperating in the development of these tools for years, the merger opened up many new opportunities for us.

"We are currently the best in the world when it comes to rock drilling equipment," Ilstam concluded. "In underground loaders and breakers we are either the leader or sharing the top position. And as our markets grow, we will continue to grow with them. We feel that our logistics chain and diversification of production will make us globally competitive in new areas."

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