Sandvik Rock Processing is promoting an engineered-to-order (ETO) model for crushing and screening circuits, with Vice-President Sales Area Africa Tarynn Yatras saying bespoke plant layouts are built around each site’s ore characteristics, throughput targets and footprint constraints. The ETO approach allows integration of complex equipment such as multi-deck screens, cone crushers and surge bins into brownfield comminution lines, rather than relying on catalogue configurations. For engineers, this means earlier geometallurgical input, tighter control of transfer chutes and bin capacities, and fewer bottlenecks at primary and secondary crushing stages.

Solvay has signed a Letter of Intent with Viridis Mining and Minerals to process Brazilian rare earth materials at its La Rochelle plant in France, targeting a strategic supply by 2028 to bolster non-Chinese feedstock. The agreement centres on Viridis’ ionic clay rare earth projects in Brazil, with Solvay providing separation and refining capacity at an established solvent-extraction and roasting facility. For project developers, the move signals continued demand for clay-hosted REE resources and reinforces the importance of downstream-compatible mineralogy and impurity control in new deposits.

Tailings retreatment of legacy tailings storage facilities is emerging as a major opportunity, with SLR Consulting’s Asset Transition and Closure lead Danie Otto pointing to rapid shifts in project scale, processing technology and regulatory expectations. Operators are reassessing old TSFs as potential ore sources, using modern reprocessing circuits and improved metal recovery techniques to extract residual value while reducing long-term geotechnical and water-related liabilities. The approach is reshaping closure planning, with TSF stability, residue re-deposition strategies and progressive rehabilitation now integrated into upfront project design.