Sandvik in Australia and New Zealand: fleet uptime and automation notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Sandvik has appointed Craig Johnston as VP Sales Area Australia & New Zealand, drawing on his experience in Parts & Service and Ground Support to tailor its global underground and surface mining portfolio to local conditions. Johnston is focusing on matching Australian Tier-1 miners’ demand for high-availability fleets with Sandvik’s automation-ready loaders and trucks, battery-electric equipment, and digital solutions such as OptiMine and AutoMine. The strategy centres on lifecycle support, with local rebuild capability and parts logistics aimed at reducing unplanned downtime in remote hard-rock operations.
Technical Brief
- For other OEMs, the model underlines the value of sales leads with deep lifecycle and ground support exposure.
Our Take
Sandvik’s recent deliveries of DR413i and DR410i rotary drill rigs to copper operations in Argentina and Utah suggest that any Australia–New Zealand offering will likely emphasise the same automation-ready surface drilling platforms, which are already proven in large open-pit environments.
Our database shows multiple 2026 product launches from Sandvik – from the DD423i development drill to new resin bolting systems – indicating that the company is building a coherent, end-to-end underground portfolio that Australian and New Zealand contractors can plug into rather than buying standalone machines.
The order for Sandvik’s first MC431 continuous miner in Australia signals that the region is being used as an early adopter market for its mechanical cutting line, so local mines in Australia and New Zealand may see faster access to new hard-rock cutting and support technologies than many other jurisdictions.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
Construction
Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.
CMRR-io
Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.
HYDROGEO-io
Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.
GEODB-io
Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.
