Geomechanics.io

FLSmidth has appointed Toni Laaksonen as CEO with immediate effect, elevating him from his role as Service Business Line President, which he assumed in June 2025. He replaces Mikko Keto, who notified the Board in November 2025 of his decision to leave for an external opportunity. The move places a service-focused leader in charge of the OEM at a time when miners are prioritising brownfield optimisation, aftermarket support and performance-based service contracts for grinding, flotation and digital process equipment.

Hägglunds, part of Bosch Rexroth, has opened a new hydraulics laboratory in Mellansel, Sweden to develop and test its hydraulic direct drive systems used on large apron feeders, bucketwheel reclaimers and conveyors. The lab focuses on integrated systems comprising a hydraulic motor, flexibly placed drive unit and dedicated control and monitoring system, allowing optimisation of torque control and start-up behaviour under high-load, low-speed conditions typical in bulk materials handling. For mine operators and designers, the facility should accelerate validation of drive configurations for retrofit and greenfield projects, particularly where variable-speed, stall-resistant drives are critical.

ABB has released ABB Ability System 800xA 7.0, a new generation DCS aimed at “modernisation without disruption” for continuous-process sites such as concentrators, refineries and smelters. The platform is designed to let operators retain existing controllers and I/O while upgrading servers, clients and networking, supporting mixed-version architectures so brownfield plants can phase in new functionality. For mining engineers, the key gains are tighter integration of process control, electrical and safety systems and a clearer migration path for ageing 800xA installations without extended shutdowns.

Bosch Rexroth has signed a joint venture agreement with Xi'an IF Intelligent Equipment to develop and sell electromechanical actuators (EMA) for off‑highway vehicles in global mining and construction markets. The partnership combines Bosch Rexroth’s automation and drive technology portfolio, including high‑power linear and rotary actuators, with Xi'an IF’s local manufacturing base as a 100% subsidiary of Xi'an Huaou in China, where Bosch Rexroth has operated since 1978. For mine operators, the move signals wider availability of electric actuation options for haul trucks and loaders, supporting hydraulic‑to‑electromechanical retrofits and new OEM platforms.

Upgrades are progressing on the Dairy Supply Chain Road in south‑west Victoria, with federal and state funding targeting six kilometres of priority links on Cobden–Stonyford Road, Bullaharre and Princes Highway West in Australia’s largest dairy production area. Works are expected to focus on pavement strengthening, resurfacing and localised geometry improvements to better handle heavy milk tanker traffic and reduce rutting and edge break on these rural freight routes. For civil and pavement engineers, the programme signals continued demand for heavy‑duty flexible pavements and robust drainage detailing on high-axle-load agricultural corridors.

Road upgrades at the Northern Highway (High Street) and Watson Street intersection in Wallan will add extra lanes on the Northern Highway in both directions to cut congestion and improve safety on this key north Melbourne arterial. The jointly funded Federal–Victorian project targets a known bottleneck on the Hume Freeway approach, where turning movements and short stacking lengths currently constrain peak-hour flow. Designers and contractors can expect works focused on widening, new lane markings and signal phasing changes, with implications for pavement design, drainage adjustments and traffic management staging.

Growing demand, complex geology and shifting rare earth supply chains are driving miners to adopt MMD Group’s semi-mobile sizer stations at the pit rim instead of conventional truck-and-shovel haulage to fixed crushers. The sizers’ low roll speed and self-cleaning tooth design handle wet, sticky and variable ore, reducing fines and blockages while maintaining consistent product size for downstream flotation or leaching circuits. Relocatable units on crawlers or skids allow progressive pit advance, cutting haul distances, trimming energy use and limiting the footprint of permanent crushing infrastructure.

Glencore Coal has launched a First Nations pathway programme across its Australian coal operations, targeting roles in underground and open-cut mines, CHPPs and rail logistics. The initiative is focused on structured traineeships and apprenticeships in trades such as diesel fitting, electrical maintenance and plant operations, supported by on-site mentoring and culturally safe recruitment processes. For mine operators and contractors in Glencore’s supply chain, the programme signals stronger expectations around Indigenous participation in technical roles and long-term workforce planning.

Drilling at Larvotto Resources’ Freehold prospect within the Hillgrove antimony–gold project in New South Wales has intersected additional mineralisation, signalling potential to expand existing underground resources. The brownfield Hillgrove operation already hosts multiple high-grade antimony–gold lodes accessed via established declines and historical stopes, giving any new Freehold tonnes a relatively short path to development. For geotechnical and mine planners, the focus will be on integrating new ore zones into the current underground layout and assessing ground conditions around legacy workings.

McCrometer’s Wafer Cone flow meter is being promoted as a low-cost, no-maintenance solution for gas and liquid measurement, designed as a fast-change replacement for traditional differential-pressure meters in mining plants. The wafer-style cone element fits between standard flanges, eliminating long upstream and downstream straight runs typically required for orifice plates and Venturi tubes, which is useful in congested pipe racks and brownfield process lines. For plant engineers, the compact geometry and drop-in installation can simplify retrofits on slurry services, reagent dosing lines, and compressed air circuits while limiting shutdown time.

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has ruled out any changes to Australia’s Diesel Fuel Tax Credit scheme, rejecting calls from climate and budget advocates to wind back the rebate on off-road diesel use by miners and other heavy industries. Speaking from Washington, King framed the credit as critical to the cost base of remote operations that rely on high-horsepower diesel fleets, haul trucks and fixed plant, particularly where grid power or gas is unavailable. The decision preserves a major operating-cost lever for open-pit and underground mines while potentially slowing any near-term shift away from diesel-powered equipment.

Industrial relations in UK construction are under scrutiny as Bishop & Taylor examine current disputes, bargaining structures and how site-level behaviour is shaped by national agreements. The podcast also questions the consistency of health and safety sentencing, comparing penalties for similar breaches under the Sentencing Council’s guidelines and their impact on contractor risk management. A detailed discussion of what constitutes a “Tier One contractor” explores turnover thresholds, direct delivery capability and how these definitions affect framework eligibility and supply chain structuring.

Ivanhoe Mines is in advanced talks with Gecamines and Mercuria to route zinc-rich concentrate from the Kipushi polymetallic mine in the DRC to the United States under Project Vault, a $12 billion US strategic stockpiling scheme backed by a $10 billion Export-Import Bank loan facility. Under the proposed structure, Mercuria would transfer its existing offtake to Gecamines’ trading arm, which could ultimately handle up to 50% of Kipushi’s output as production ramps to 240,000–290,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate this year. Gecamines aims to leverage the deal to expand processing of zinc, copper, germanium and gallium, while parallel Glencore–Orion arrangements for DRC cobalt and copper signal intensifying competition with Chinese buyers for African feedstock.

Fitch Solutions’ BMI has lifted industrial metals price forecasts after a late‑2025 rally and subsequent crash, citing tight physical markets, bullish speculative positioning and macro bets on a weaker dollar. Copper is now forecast to average US$11,900/t in 2026 after briefly touching US$14,500/t on the LME, aluminium US$2,900/t at its highest levels since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and tin US$45,000/t amid Indonesian permitting issues and Myanmar supply constraints. Nickel is projected at US$15,800/t and lithium carbonates/hydroxides at US$13,500/t and US$13,000/t, with BMI expecting a corrective phase rather than another sustained rally.

Sprott Physical Uranium Trust has bought 250,000 lb of U3O8 this week, lifting first-quarter purchases to 3.65 million lb and total holdings to 78.4 million lb valued within Sprott’s US$7.28 billion energy metals portfolio, even as the spot price slipped nearly 10% from US$101.55 to US$91.80/lb. The pullback follows Kazatomprom’s guidance for a 9% production increase in 2026 to 71.5–75.4 million lb, driven mainly by ramp-up at the Budenovskoye JV in southern Kazakhstan. On the demand side, SaskPower and Saskatchewan’s government are assessing large nuclear reactors alongside a planned SMR project in the Athabasca-linked province.

Gold rebounded above $5,000/oz on Wednesday, touching $5,091.89 after last week’s 12% crash, while silver briefly jumped 9% to $92/oz before both metals pared gains. The move follows “buy the dip” flows after bullion had already recovered nearly half of Friday’s losses, with dealers shifting from buying into strength to selling into weakness and stop‑outs cascading through the system, according to Goldman Sachs. Major banks including JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank still project year-end gold prices of $6,000–$6,300/oz, but warn volatility in precious metals will stay elevated.

Alamos Gold plans to lift annual production to 1 million oz. by 2030, driven by a $542 million expansion of the Island Gold District in Ontario to a 20,000‑tonne‑per‑day mill and the Lynn Lake open‑pit project in Manitoba. A new study increases Island Gold reserves by 30% to 8.3 million oz., targeting 419,000 oz. per year over a 19‑year mine life, while Lynn Lake is expected to average 186,000 oz. annually over its first decade from 2029. Company guidance projects total cash costs falling from $1,020–1,120/oz. in 2026 to $775–875/oz. by 2028, with AISC dropping to $1,200–1,300/oz.

Canadian Energy Metals’ preliminary economic assessment for the Thor project in Saskatchewan outlines a measured and indicated resource of 49.5 billion tonnes containing 6.8 billion tonnes of alumina, plus 86.6 billion tonnes inferred, across 600 km² (23% of the property). The PEA models a surface mine and processing complex treating 16.5 million tonnes of ore per year to produce 1.8 million tonnes per year of alumina over 25 years, with capex of US$6.3 billion, opex of US$1.6 billion per year, and an after-tax IRR of 72% and NPV10 of US$72.3 billion. Piloting has already produced 3N chemical grade and 4N high-purity alumina, with further testwork under way on smelter-grade alumina plus scandium and vanadium by-products ahead of a 2026 prefeasibility study.

US, EU, Japan and Mexico will develop coordinated critical minerals action plans featuring border‑adjusted price floors and a prospective binding plurilateral trade agreement, following a Washington DC ministerial hosted by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio with officials from over 50 countries. A US‑EU‑Japan memorandum of understanding is due within 30 days, while a separate US‑Mexico 60‑day plan will identify specific mining, processing and manufacturing projects and explore price floors. The push coincides with President Donald Trump’s proposed nearly $12 billion US critical minerals stockpile and precedes the US‑Mexico‑Canada trade agreement review.

A 21,000 m² reactivated landslide threatening the settlement of Köprülü in northeastern Turkey forced engineers to combine InSAR, GNSS, inclinometers, piezometers and detailed geomorphological mapping to understand rapidly accelerating ground deformation and building cracking. The team distinguished an active deep-seated slide from adjacent dormant and secondary movements, using displacement rates and groundwater data to refine the failure surface geometry and kinematics. This combined analysis directly informed whether to pursue large-scale stabilisation works or managed relocation, illustrating how multi-sensor monitoring can de-risk high-consequence decisions on inhabited slopes.

John F Hunt Regeneration has appointed Sam Peck as managing director of its industrial dismantling division, bringing demolition, groundworks, piling and structural interface experience from a decade as director of operations at Deconstruct (UK). The company has also hired Garrett Priestley as infrastructure & civils director, adding delivery experience from the M20 smart motorway upgrade, Beckton DLR depot extension, London City Airport and Peninsula Quays. Chief executive Ben Williams signals these hires are geared to scaling major national regeneration, infrastructure and enabling works schemes.

Durham County Council is weighing whether to scrap the Toft Hill–High Etherley bypass after projected costs jumped from just under £12m in 2021 to £31.6m–£36.4m, driven by inflation and unpriced items such as land compensation, mining remediation and ground treatment. The scheme, tied to a £20m Levelling Up Fund package that also covers Whorlton Bridge restoration, would now leave a funding gap of at least £18.8m even if the council retains £8.9m for other use. All route options require significant remedial works over historic coal mine workings, prompting a reassessment of value for money and alternative road safety measures within the villages.

Travis Perkins has opened its TP Hire fleet of tools, machinery, plant and site equipment to non‑account customers nationwide via a new pay‑as‑you‑go model. More than 300 TP Hire branches embedded in Travis Perkins stores will now rent out over 70,000 products to any customer presenting a photo ID plus a recent utility bill or bank statement, with kit hireable at one branch and returnable to another. The move broadens access to professional‑grade equipment for small contractors, self‑builders and domestic projects without trade accounts.

McLaren Construction has passed £1bn turnover for the first time, reporting £1.12bn revenue and £21m pre-tax profit for the year to 31 July 2025, with turnover forecast to reach £1.25bn in 2026. Public sector work contributed £250m, supported by places on 24 frameworks including the University of Greenwich Major Works and London Construction Programme Housing frameworks, alongside strong demand for data centres and warehouses. The contractor ran 81 projects across the UK and UAE, with contract values from £10m to £350m, and new wins such as 10 King William Street and Cardiff Arena.