Thyssen Mining has completed two 8 m diameter raise bore excavations at BHP’s Jansen potash mine in Saskatchewan, working with TRL Mining Construction LP to construct twin raises for an underground raw ore storage bin. The twin 8 m raises set a new raise bore record for Thyssen Mining and form the core vertical infrastructure for the bin system. The project signals growing confidence in large-diameter raise boring for bulk materials handling in deep potash operations.

Sandvik is investing in a new logistics hub at its Turku, Finland, factory for underground load and haul equipment, relocating key warehousing and materials-handling operations directly adjacent to production lines. The hub will replace parts of the current off-site logistics flow to cut internal transport distances and support shorter factory lead times for loaders and trucks such as the LH and TH series. For mine operators, the move signals a push for faster parts availability and more predictable delivery schedules for new fleets and rebuilds.

Epiroc has signed a global agreement with Ericsson to distribute LTE and 5G private network technology through Epiroc customer centres for both underground and surface mines. The deal packages Ericsson’s industrial-grade radio, core network and edge solutions with Epiroc’s digital and automation portfolio, targeting applications such as real-time fleet monitoring, remote drilling and autonomous haulage. For engineers, the move signals wider availability of carrier-grade wireless backbones to replace or supplement leaky-feeder, Wi-Fi and wired networks in harsh mining environments.