Category: Top Hammer Drilling

Managed rock tools service at the Endeavor mine

Posted on by Jari Silver

Endeavor is an underground silver-zinc-lead mine in central-western New South Wales, about 40 kilometres north of Cobar in the Cobar Basin, one of Australia’s premier polymetallic mineral provinces. At Endeavor, Robit is responsible for a full Managed Service Contract for drilling consumables – one of Robit’s first underground sites to use this model in Australia.

From consignment stock to managed service

Mining companies typically choose between two basic models for their rock tool supply. In a consignment stock arrangement, the supplier holds inventory on-site and the mine draws what it needs, while planning, tracking, and refurbishment largely remain the mine’s responsibility.

In a Managed Service Contract, the supplier takes an active role in forecasting, supplying, tracking, and refurbishing tools on-site. This is the preferred model at bigger operations.

“Most large customers prefer a service contract to consignment stocks, especially when there are five or more rigs on-site,” says Robit’s Peter Healey, Technical Development. “It allows accurate supply to each rig and lets the customer track the performance of the rig and crew. It also enables refurbishment of the drill string components on-site where possible.”

For Robit, this is a relatively new way of working in Australia. Endeavor is one of the early adopters of the model, alongside Gold Fields’ Agnew operation in Western Australia.

Life-cycle responsibility

”At Endeavor, we have assumed full life-cycle responsibility for their rock tools – from forecasting, supply, and on-site logistics to product support, refurbishment, targeted personnel training, and comprehensive performance reporting with data analysis,” Peter explains. “We manage the day-to-day operation of their rock tools and collaborate with them to drive continuous on-site improvements.”

Refurbishment on-site extends bit life where conditions allow, helping to lower drilling costs. “Lower cost-per-meter through managed control of the drill consumables and operator training to get the most out of the product,” is how Peter sums it up.

How it works on-site

On-site, the Robit operative visits all drill rigs on weekdays. Each day begins underground, with drill strings checked, failed components replaced, and blunt bits exchanged for refurbished or new ones. All changes are logged at the rig, which links tools and drilled meters to specific rigs and crews.

The work continues in the surface workshop. The blunt bits are refurbished: a depletion bath exposes the carbides, which are then sharpened on a bit grinding machine. The refurbished bits return to stock, ready for another cycle underground.

Robit’s agreement with Polymetals at Endeavor has been in place since late 2024, with the service component added in March 2025.

Still in its early stages at Robit, the concept of Managed Service Contracts is quickly taking shape and will be offered to any new Australian customer with multi-rig sites.

Veljekset Toivanen extracts precious metals with Robit tools

Posted on by Jari Silver

When drilling through hard Finnish rock, high-quality consumables are essential. Veljekset Toivanen relies on Robit’s expertise and service to keep its drilling equipment performing reliably day after day.

Based in Kemi, Finland, Veljekset Toivanen Oy is a family-owned company established in 1983. Over the decades, it has grown from a local earthmoving business into a versatile expert in infrastructure and mining services. Starting from southwestern Lapland, operations have expanded across Finland and northern Sweden.

“We are a reliable and innovative mining services provider. We support our customers in both underground and open-pit mining. At the moment, we serve as the main contractor at Endomines’ Hosko gold mine in Ilomantsi and at Sotkamo Silver’s silver mine in Sotkamo,” says Mika Hartikainen, Head of Mining Operations at Veljekset Toivanen.

Comprehensive mining operations

Veljekset Toivanen can manage the entire operation of a mine when required – a task that demands a wide range of machinery, transport capacity, and skilled personnel.

“Our services include production drilling, forepoling, face drilling, crushing, loading and hauling of aggregates, underground support operations, as well as renovation, construction, and maintenance of mine infrastructure,” Hartikainen explains.

In rock excavation and forepoling, the company relies on powerful drilling equipment.
“We operate around twenty machines in total – tunnel jumbos, surface drill rigs, underground production drill rigs, as well as cable bolting and rock bolting rigs,” he adds.

Consumables always in stock

When it comes to drilling consumables, Toivanen has trusted Robit for many years.
“Robit supplies all components needed for drilling – bits, shanks, rods, and casings. We work in close collaboration in product development, the products are high quality, and deliveries are always on schedule,” Hartikainen notes.

Robit delivers consumables to consignment warehouses located at the mine sites, ensuring that a two-month supply is always readily available.
“Mining operations cannot afford unplanned downtime, so we make sure to maintain sufficient stock for all critical consumables. We replenish stock once a month and respond quickly to any changes in demand,” says Kimmo Kangas, Sales Director at Robit Finland Oy.

Products tailored to customer needs

Robit designs and manufactures all drill bits for underground drilling at its Lempäälä factory, enabling close cooperation with Finnish customers.
“We can tailor products to specific customer requirements quickly and cost-effectively, even for smaller production batches. We stay active in the field, discuss evolving needs, and develop better solutions together to improve drilling efficiency and reduce costs,” Kangas says.

Drilling solutions for every rock type

Finnish rock is famously hard – and no two sites are exactly alike.
“At the Sotkamo mine, in addition to the rock’s hardness, the layered structure creates challenges. Drilling tends to drift in the slate zones, causing rods to bend and making it difficult to achieve perfectly straight holes for blasting. Together with Robit, we have tackled this by optimising the placement of carbide buttons, redesigning flushing grooves and the bit body, and selecting the optimal rods and casings. As a result, drilling control has improved, and the consumables now reach more drill meters,” Hartikainen explains.

“We have made other improvements, too. For example, in cable-bolting rigs, making small changes to the thread profile of the rods has increased reliability. In addition, we have achieved excellent results with Robit’s Extreme Carbide bits designed for the hardest rock,” he concludes.

Picture: Mika Hartikainen (left), Head of Mining Operations at Toivanen, and Robit’s Sales Director Kimmo Kangas at the Endomines’ Hosko gold mine in Ilomantsi, Finland, where Toivanen serves as the main contractor.

Robit RG drill rods gain ground in Swedish quarries

Posted on by Jari Silver

In 2024, we introduced the RG51 shoulder-driven drill rod – a Top Hammer design where the shoulder, rather than the thread, takes the impact. This results in higher stiffness, straighter holes, and a longer service life than conventional C(T)-series rods.  Today, the RG rod family is well on its way into the Nordic market.

With RG45 now joining RG51 and RG60, Robit can offer a complete range of shoulder-driven rods for bench drilling and quarrying. Sweden, through long-time distributor Eurodrilling, is among the first countries where the RG45 and RG51 systems are being actively used and tested.

Field trials have been carried out at several sites, with two experienced blasting contractors standing out as early adopters: Bohus Bergsprängning and Alingsås Sprängtjänst. Both operate demanding rock-drilling jobs where tool life, hole straightness, and reliability are closely monitored.

At Bohus Bergsprängning’s quarries, RG45 rods (3,660 and 4,265 mm) and RG45 bits (76, 83, and 89 mm) have been running in daily production since spring 2025. In midsummer, Robit’s Sales Manager Santeri Sillanaukee and Drillmaster Harri Piispanen, together with Eurodrilling’s Bosse Bäckgren, followed performance on site. Bohus Bergsprängning has already noticed the difference in performance and moved from trials to regular RG45 usage.

In October 2025, Alingsås Sprängtjänst hosted a demo day at its premises in Alingsås. After a short introduction to Robit and the RG concept, the team mounted RG45 rods and bits on the customer’s rig and drilled test holes in a nearby rock. The results were so convincing that Alingsås Sprängtjänst decided to start using RG45 right away.

The Swedish experiences so far mirror Robit’s earlier field data from Finland, where RG45 rods have regularly achieved service lives of over 50% and, in some cases, more than 70%, longer than those of standard C45 tools. Users also report straighter holes thanks to the stiffer shoulder-driven connections, better penetration when combining RG rods and RG bits, and noticeably easier uncoupling, all of which translates directly into less downtime and more drill metres per shift.

“We see Sweden following the same trend as Finland, where the Robit RG45 and RG51 systems are becoming the new standard in bench drilling and quarrying. These products truly speak for themselves and help our customers drill better. Day in and day out”, says Sales Manager Santeri Sillanaukee.

To support growing demand, Eurodrilling has begun stocking RG rods and RG bits in Sweden and expects volumes to increase further as the RG concept continues to win new users, carving out a stronger position for Robit in the Swedish Top Hammer market.

RG45 & RG51 rods set new standards for Top Hammer

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit’s product development has long focused on the final part of the drill string: the drill bit. Recent years have seen major innovations in hammers as well. The latest breakthrough is for the middle of the drill string: the RG45 and RG51 drill rod for Top Hammer applications.

The part of the rod most susceptible to impact wear is the thread. The RG45 & RG51 rod threads feature shoulders that take the impact energy; the threading only transmits rotation, making the rod significantly stiffer and more durable than standard ones. This improves wear resistance, penetration rate, and even hole straightness, says Robit’s Sales Manager Santeri Sillanaukee.

“A shoulder-driven rod is not a new invention in itself; it has primarily been used in underground drilling and larger equipment before, but in open pits in the Nordics, the method is new,” Santeri explains.

“Compared to the competition, the RG45 & RG51 are much easier to use. They are fully compatible with standard C45/T45 or C51/T51 shank adapters and drill rods. This means that installing the RG45 & RG51 are extremely straightforward and does not require any modifications to the drill rig,” Santeri says.

PEAB, the largest Nordic construction company, runs several open-pit quarries in Finland as part of its aggregate business. PEAB has tested the RG51 rod at its quarries for several years, and the results are compelling. Drill strings equipped with the RG51 rod have significantly better durability than the competition. The penetration rate and hole straightness have also clearly improved. PEAB has almost entirely switched to RG51 rods for Top Hammer drilling in Finland.

Since the early test phases, PEAB driller Tapani Kalmukoski has gained firsthand experience with the RG51 rod in extraction blasting at various crushing sites.

“Rod breakages have decreased a lot. The RG51 is much more durable than a standard rod. Breakage at the thread is very rare. Wear resistance is also excellent. We achieve at least one-third more drill meters than a standard rod and even up to 50% more in difficult conditions. Everyone at PEAB is satisfied with the RG51,” Tapani says.

The RG45 and RG51 rods were developed in Finland under the leadership of R&D & Top Hammer Specialist Daniel Kujanen. The rods are manufactured at the South Korean factory, and demand is growing steadily. “Currently, the next batch is already pre-sold,” says Santeri Sillanaukee.

DWARSRIVIER CHROMIUM MINE IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY WITH ROBIT’S TOOLS

Posted on by Jari Silver

BIC is an acronym most geologists are familiar with. It stands for Bushveld Igneous Complex, situated in South Africa. It’s one of the world’s most significant geological features due to its size, age – and mineral wealth.

BIC is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the Earth’s crust. Put simply, a layered intrusion is an underground formation of rock formed from magma that cooled down and solidified in layers, much like a layered cake. Each layer can have different types and concentrations of minerals, making these formations especially interesting for geologists and mining companies.

The Bushveld Complex contains the world’s largest known resources of platinum group metals, chromium, and vanadium. Most of the chromium resources are concentrated on the eastern limb of the Complex, which runs across Limpopo, the northernmost province of South Africa. One of the major producers of chromium ore in Limpopo is the Dwarsrivier mine, located some 130 km southeast of Polokwane, the provincial capital.

The Dwarsrivier mine has been in operation since 1999. Since 2015, it has been run by Assore South Africa. The mine produces more than a million tonnes of chromium ore yearly.

Mining is a competitive industry, and cost control plays an important part – and this applies to drilling tools as well. Recently, the Dwarsrivier mine began to use Robit’s Top Hammer drilling consumables.

“Drilling requirements are essential to ensure that face holes for blasting are drilled fast, efficiently, and within budget. Quality and cost are the top priorities”, says Dewet Pretorius, Mining Manager at Dwarsrivier.

In addition to cost and quality, Dwarsrivier were on the lookout for a supplier with effective after-sales service – something that had been lacking up until then.

“With Robit, our overall costs have decreased, production has improved, and the Robit team is providing us with good after-sales service as well”, Mr Pretorius says.

South Africa holds about 70% of the world’s chrome reserves and is the largest producer of ferrochrome in the world. Dwarsrivier will continue to contribute to this effort for a long time: the current plan extends the mine life well into the 2040s.

In the picture from left: Babra Shai, Site supervisor, Robit – Dewet Pretorius, Mine Manager, Dwarsrivier – Trevor Van Biljon, Area Sales Manager, Robit

WESTAUZ CHOSE ROBIT FOR THE NORSEMAN GOLD PROJECT

Posted on by Jari Silver

In the late 19th century, gold fever was running high in certain southern parts of Western Australia. Among the prospectors were two brothers from the Shetland Isles, Lawrence and George Sinclair. They finally struck gold some 20 km north of Dundas, an already established find, and quickly realized the gold deposit was very prosperous. The Sinclair brothers founded a town on the site and named it Norseman – after their horse.

Today, that corner of Western Australia is known as the Goldfields region. The Central Norseman Gold Mine was founded there in 1935 and ran until 2014, making it Australia’s longest continuously-running gold mining operation. During that time, it produced over 5.5 million ounces, or more than 150 tonnes, of gold.

The gold reserves in the area were far from depleted, though. A few years later, Australian gold producer Pantoro Limited acquired 50% ownership of the Norseman Gold Project and, in 2022, brought back online three mines: the OK underground mine, the Scotia open pit and the Green Lantern open pit.

Underground operation at the Norseman OK mine is contracted by Westauz Mining, headquartered in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. At the proposal of Robit’s Sales Manager Steve Tedge, Westauz agreed to run a development bit trial at Norseman OK in December 2022. Since Robit’s bits outperformed the competition by far in terms of cost-per-meter, Westauz awarded the drilling consumables business to Robit in early 2023.

“Throughout 2023, volumes have only grown at the OK mine site as the decline has been rehabilitated and access gained to the gold ore. Westauz is now using our Top Hammer underground bits, rods, shanks, and couplings”, says Steve Landreth, Robit’s Vice President Australasia.

Westauz have expressed their satisfaction with Robit’s can-do attitude and willingness to work with their customer. “In the early stages of the agreement, Westauz requested Robit make a design change to the development bits. Our engineering team was happy to oblige, and the bit now provides productivity gains in the drilling process. We are receiving very positive feedback, ranging from the Managing Director, General Manager, Project Manager, Mine foreman and operators”, Steve Landreth says.

For Westauz, the Norseman project has marked a significant growth in business. Plenty of excavating remains to be done at the site for years to come: according to current estimates, the remaining mineral resource in the area is around 4.8 million ounces, or some 136 tonnes, of gold.

Picture: Westauz jumbo at work & Norseman the horse has a statue in the town that was named after him.

GIANT PROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA TAKING FIRST STEPS

Posted on by Jari Silver

One of the world’s largest construction projects is currently underway in Saudi Arabia near the northern end of the Red Sea. It is the future site of Neom, an ambitiously futuristic city planned to cover a total area of 26,500 km2 – more than twice the New York metropolitan area.

Still mostly on the drawing board, Neom is planned to comprise various high-profile regions, each catering to different needs. By late 2022, the plans for four regions have been publicized. Sindalah, a luxury island resort on the Red Sea, is expected to be the first physical showcase of Neom, scheduled to open in early 2024. Trojena will be a mountain destination for year-round skiing, while Oxagon is going to be a coastal clean industry hub.

The region that has attracted the most press coverage and provoked discussion worldwide, is called The Line. It is planned to consist of a single structure that is 500 m tall, 200 m wide – and no less than 170 km long, stretching from the Red Sea coast deep into the desert.

The Line is planned to house nine million residents, all with access to their basic services within a five-minute walking distance. Eliminating the need for cars, it is planned to use high-speed trains for transport within the city.

The transport system of The Line will consist of two separate railroads: one for the high-speed passenger trains and the other for freight services. The rail system will require the excavation of some 28 km of tunnels.

The tunnel construction bid was won by the Korean consortium of Hyundai E&C and Samsung C&T. The value of the order is estimated at no less than US$1 billion.

In the summer of 2022, the bidding for jumbo drilling and rock tools in the tunnel project was won by Jinyang R&S, one of the largest jumbo drill rental companies in Korea. Jinyang manages some 35 jumbo drill units, renting them with operators to tunneling and mining sites, mostly within South Korea.

Rock tools for the tunnel jumbos will be supplied by Robit. Since their distribution deal struck in 2017, Robit has supplied Jinyang with rock tools for several domestic job sites in Korea; the Neom deal, however, is unprecedented in scope.

“This is a huge project and a major deal for Robit for the coming years”, says Sales Manager Sunyong Choi of Robit.

At the future tunneling job site, the first test drillings using Robit’s tools started in November 2022. Still in its infancy, the entire Neom project is guaranteed to keep drawing widespread attention.

Read more about the project here: NEOM

PROBLEM-SOLVING IN THE DEPTHS OF A GOLD MINE

Posted on by Jari Silver

In the winter of 1986, a road construction job was underway in Kittilä, Finnish Lapland. Some rock was blasted, and out of curiosity, a geologist working nearby decided to examine the boulders – and found something. Today it is the site of the largest gold mine in Europe.

Gold was found in several boulders, and the Geological Survey of Finland began prospecting the site. The deposits turned out to be quite rich. More than twenty years passed until gold mining finally began in the Kittilä mine; first in an open pit in 2008, and underground a couple of years later.

Since 2012, mining in Kittilä has been exclusively underground. Today, Agnico Eagle Finland extracts some two million tonnes of ore each year, with annual gold production of around 7,000 kilograms.

Since May 2021, Robit has been supplying drilling tools to the Kittilä mine under a long-term contract. This includes, among other things, a turnkey drillmaster service, including a sharpening service. Robit supplies the products from their consignment stock, located 350 metres underground in the mine.

In Kittilä, Robit is dedicated to finding ways to cut costs per drill meter in cooperation with the customer. When the need arises, tailor-made products can be developed to meet the customer’s needs. A case in point is cable bolting, a common method used in underground mining to reinforce the rock before extraction.

“Cable bolting posed some problems. The drilling gear did not work properly in broken rock; the flushings escaped into the rock fractures and the drill bit would get stuck,” says Kimmo Kangas, Sales Manager at Robit.

“We suspected that the problem was caused by the side flushing of the bit. Our customer tried what would happen if you welded the side flushing shut – and it helped. We then made a series of bits at the Lempäälä factory that were modified in the same way,” says Kimmo.

Robit’s R&D Engineer Mika Koskinen was closely involved in the development work. “The results improved, but not quite enough. We discussed this with the bolting rig operators, trying to figure out what to do next. Based on the mining company’s views and our own design ideas, we developed the second iteration of the bit, which was substantially different. It finally solved the flushing problems, and drill meters began to reach excellent levels,” says Mika.

The new high-performance drill bit has been in use at the Kittilä mine since early 2022. Plenty remains to be drilled, as the mine is expected to operate until 2034 with the current ore reserves and production volumes. By then, new deposits may well be discovered in the course of prospecting.

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

DISTRIBUTION DEAL CREATING SYNERGIES IN CENTRAL ASIA

Posted on by Jari Silver

As far as mineral reserves go, Kazakhstan is in the top twenty in the world, and mining comprises almost one-third of the country’s export earnings. No wonder then that the competition in the sales of all mining-related goods, including drilling tools, is very tough. Robit secured a distribution deal with a key player in the region.

As a major global exporter of minerals, Kazakhstan benefits from its central geographical location between Europe and Asia. This is also reflected in the name of the largest company supplying machinery and equipment for mining and construction in the area: Eurasian Machinery LLP.

With more than 600 employees, Eurasian Machinery provides customers with high-quality technical services through ten centers in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Besides being the official distributor of Hitachi Construction Machinery – their spearhead product line – they also supply the industry with machinery and equipment from a host of other high prestige global brands. As of August 2021, these include Robit.

George Apostolopoulos, Robit’s VP, Global Sales, is thoroughly familiar with the Central Asian market and sees great synergies for Robit in the exclusive distributor agreement with Eurasian Machinery.

“Eurasian Machinery have a strong reputation in the Kazakh market. They have done an excellent job with the Hitachi Construction Machinery brand and have placed themselves among the preferred suppliers for the country’s mining industry. They are present with equipment and service contracts in most of the mines in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”, George says.

“Customer satisfaction is driving their efforts and they are providing high-quality services to the industry. A high-tech Component Repair Center in Karaganda serves the purpose very well.”

“This is a very significant deal for Robit as the Kazakh mining market is among the biggest in the world. It’s the 2nd largest within our East sales area after Russia. It could provide significant leverage for our sales; big opportunities exist for our Top Hammer products both underground and surface, as well as our Down the Hole offering.”

“There is some tough competition in this market not only from the traditional players but also from low-cost suppliers. This makes it particularly important for us to have a renowned and well-represented distributor in this market”, George concludes.

Picture: A view over the steppes from a chalk mountain in northern Kazakhstan.

NEW AFTON SWITCHED BACK TO ROBIT TOP HAMMER TOOLS

Posted on by Jari Silver

Two branches of the Thompson River run through the ruggedly picturesque landscapes of south-central British Columbia, to meet at the eastern end of Kamloops Lake. The town of Kamloops was founded there as a fur trading post 200 years ago. Today, Kamloops is a thriving city with rich copper and gold deposits nearby.

Afton mine, situated 10 km west of Kamloops, was originally an open-pit gold and copper mine, in operation throughout the 1980s and 90s. New Gold,a Canadian mining company, acquired the mine and restarted production in 2012, now as an underground mine called New Afton. Last year, New Afton produced 64,000 ounces (some 1,800 kg) of gold and about
33,000 tons of copper.

New Gold had been using Robit’s Top Hammer (TH) tools in New Afton for years. However, in early 2019, through ownership changes at the supplier, New Afton switched to another brand of TH consumables. Over the course of the year, it became evident that the performance of the TH Tools did not meet the Mines expectations. In 2020, Ryley Renneberg and Cody
MacLeod from the Sales Division of Pinnacle Drilling Products (Pinnacle), Robit’s Canadian distributor, decided it was an opportune time to reach out to New Gold.

“We arranged an in-person meeting with New Gold’s production mine manager. We listened to their problems with their new brand of TH tooling and discussed how we might be able to help out. New Gold had been happy with Robit before and they knew the production performance well, so this really helped progress things forward. It turned out to be the start of a great relationship between Pinnacle and New Gold”, Ryley reminisces.

“We reassured we could have a seamless transition and were able to support New Gold through the ramp-up period, not to mention this pandemic situation and the global supply chain crisis.”

For Robit, the first purchase order in the spring of 2021 meant a need for a serious production ramp-up of TH tools.

Says Mikko Vuojolainen, Robit’s Vice President, North America: “It’s always a critical period when a customer switches supplier. The new supplier must be able to deliver 100% availability. In this case, our TH production lines were already fully booked so we needed to get creative. We divided the products into two groups: those we can start delivering two months post order, and those we can start delivering four months post order. It worked out perfectly.”

Since August 2021, New Afton is back to using Robit’s TH tools in their underground operations. The New Afton deal can also help propel the Pinnacle-Robit business partnership forward.

“It brings us leverage into the mining industry within North America. I believe it’s going to open many other opportunities for us to challenge the ‘big three’ in the market”, says Ryley Renneberg.

Picture: Kamloops Lake on a frosty winter day.

SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT PERFORMANCE AND SEAMLESS COOPERATION AS A BASIS FOR FURTHER BUSINESS COLLABORATION IN OMAN

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit is supplying consumables for development of two gabbro quarries in Khatmat Malaha, Sultanate of Oman. The tools are being supplied by Robit’s distributor, Pioneers For Mining Trading. The customer is Oman-based Al Sarh JV Int LLC.

The customer is using two drill rigs in the gabbro quarries and has just changed over to Robit drilling consumables. According to the customer, Robit consumables are performing well in the very hard and abrasive rock formation as the products are clearly cost effective in the comparison of different suppliers. The drilling consumables in use are 89 mm button bits with a thread of C51. The gabbro quarries of Khatmat Malaha are one of those toughest and challenging areas among Oman rock formation.

In addition to the good performance, Al Sarh JV Int LLC is happy with the delivery times as well as all the technical support regarding Robit drilling consumables. Pioneers For Mining Trading is maintaining a good inventory and technical engineer to meet the customer’s demands.

Al Sarh JV Int LLC has confirmed that they are pleased with the performance of Robit drilling consumables as well as the support received from Robit’s distributor, Pioneers For Mining Trading, and thus they will continue business cooperation with Robit and Pioneers For Mining Trading.

Despite the current travel restrictions due to COVID-19, the seamless cooperation between Robit, Pioneers For Mining Trading as well as the customer including continuous follow-up on Robit product quality and support, enables a strong sales development in Sohar region. Pioneers For Mining Trading has been awarded as a New Distributor of the year 2020 in Robit’s annual Distributor Days.

Dhofar Mining Company LLC. – the new satisfied user of Robit’s rock drilling consumables

Posted on by Jari Silver

Dhofar Mining Company LLC. is the manufacturers of high quality natural gypsum at present Dhofar Mining Co having a production of 1,200,000 MT per annum. Company operates including Thumrait near Salalah in southern Oman.

“We are really excited about Robit’s C45-76mm Drop Center button bit performance and penetration rate. Average life for the button bit is around 19,000 m in this Gypsum quarry, which is much more better than we have seen earlier.” says Mr. Hari Kumar, Quarry Manager.

Mr. Akhil Muralidharan, Sales Manager from Pioneers for Mining Trading company (Robit’s distributor in the Middle East) is convinced of successful cooperation with Dhofar Mining Company LLC.

In the picture from left: Mr. Kabeer, Drill Rig Operator and  Mr. Hari Kumar, Quarry Manager from Dhofar Mining Company LLC. and Mr. Akhil Muralidharan, Sales Manager from Pioneers for Mining Trading.

World’s #1 copper producer chooses Robit

Posted on by Jari Silver

Copper mining has been a key driver of Chile’s economy for centuries. Among the country’s mining companies, the state-owned Codelco is the crown jewel. It’s the world’s leading copper producer with immense mineral reserves, and a driving force for the entire country’s development.

Codelco’s major mining sites include El Teniente, “the Lieutenant”, the world’s largest underground copper mine which has been in operation for 200 years and currently has a capacity of 400,000 tonnes.

The second largest mine is the century-old Chuquicamata, or “Chuqui”, as the locals call it. Since its open pit operations had grown increasingly uneconomic over the last years, Codelco made a huge investment switching to underground cave mining in 2019. Chuqui’s current capacity is 377,000 tonnes. Andina, the third largest mine nested at the dizzying height of 3,700–4,200 metres on the Andes, consists of the Rio Blanco underground mine and the Sur Sur open pit.

As of late 2020, Robit will be the main supplier of Top Hammer and Down-the-Hole drilling tools for Codelco’s three largest mines. This is a result of decisive cooperation between Robit and their Chilean distributor Full Safety.

Founded in 2010, Full Safety had focused on dealing in clothes and footwear for special target groups such as armed forces, law enforcement, health professionals – and the mining industry. The last-mentioned seemed like a promising sector for new business opportunities, and in 2015 they contacted Robit.

“We were looking for new strategies, and we met Robit at the right time. After consulting with them we restructured our business model over the next few years by opening a new office and recruiting sales personnel as well as drillmasters for field support. In turn, Robit offered us training and technical-commercial support on client visits, and participated in mining fairs with us”, recounts Cesar Cornejo, General Manager of Full Safety.

Getting a foot in the door of a global giant like Codelco is not a simple thing. Despite persistent efforts, discussions on arranging a comparison test to prove the quality of Robit’s consumables led nowhere. As a change of plan, Full Safety approached Astaldi, the main contractor at El Teniente – and they agreed to a head-to-head test between Robit and their then-current brands.

The February 2020 tests, involving bits, drifter rods and couplings, did not disappoint: Robit outperformed the competition by some 30% in terms of lifetime and penetration rate. A letter of certification by Astaldi opened the door to participate in a tender for Codelco. Full Safety and José Antonio Rodríguez, Sales Manager for Robit SAC, then carefully fine-tuned an offer that proved the most competitive.

This major achievement, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. The Chilean mining sector has vast growth potential for the Robit-Full Safety partnership, and several other tenders and product tests are already underway across the country.

Picture from left: Alberto Castillo (Sales Manager, Full Safety),Rafael Rojas (Drillmaster, Full Safety), José Antonio Rodríguez (Sales Manager, Robit), and Cesar Cornejo (General Manager, Full Safety).

Louhintaliike Ylimäki Oy – A specialist in large blasting operations

Posted on by Jari Silver

Louhintaliike Ylimäki Oy, headquartered in Lapua, is a family business that specialises in large-scale blasting and quarrying operations covering the areas of Pirkanmaa, Western and Central Finland and North Ostrobothnia. With more than 40 years of experience in the industry, the company guarantees its customers efficient and flexible service, helping it become one of the biggest quarrying operators in Finland.

Aatos Ylimäki founded Louhintaliike Ylimäki Oy in 1983. The company started out with rented equipment, but soon acquired its own manual drill and tractor-mounted air compressor. The company’s first contract was foundation work for a vocational school (Hervannan ammattiopilaitos) in Tampere. Over the years, the company’s fleet of equipment and number of personnel has grown. In 2012, the family company was transferred to the next generation, and since 2015 it has been headed by Matti Ylimäki.

Picture: Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s fleet includes six Sandvik open-pit drill rigs. According to Managing Director Matti Ylimäki (centre), head charger Matti Pitkäjärvi and driller Markku Viitanen, Louhintaliike Ylimäki has relied on the quality of Robit’s consumables, such as drill bits, rods and shanks, in its drilling operations for more than 20 years.

Quarrying with a large capacity
Today, Louhintaliike Ylimäki is known for carrying out large-scale blasting operations. With a staff of 20 and a fleet of 18 machines, the company performs rock extractions amounting to 7 million tonnes a year in a range of sites.
“Among our customers are aggregate suppliers, crushing companies and earthworks companies. We blast rock in open-pit mines in roughly 70 different sites every year; in recent years, we have also carried out a number of contracts for wind farms. We have numerous long-term customer relationships, which helps us in planning our operations in advance. Our services include crushing extractions and other large-scale quarrying, excavation of building foundations and road alignments, rock-breaking using a hydraulic rock hammer, per-metre drilling, rock slope scanning and hole straightness measuring,” lists Managing Director and head charger Matti Ylimäki.

Top-notch machine performance
Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s fleet of drilling equipment consists of six mid-range Sandvik drill rigs for open-pit mining and two Doosan excavators equipped with an ExcaDrill rock drilling attachment. The company also extensively uses rock-breaking equipment: 14 primarily Atlas Copco rock hammers mounted on ten 30–35-tonne excavators, most of which are from Doosan’s range. A wide array of other equipment used in quarrying contracts, from dumpers to vibration meters, is also in the company’s fleet.
Drill rigs are replaced after roughly 5 to 6 years of use; in one year, a single rig drills around 60 to 70 kilometres of holes in rock. The equipment is maintained at our own workshop in Lapua and of course we also use the equipment supplier’s maintenance services,” says Ylimäki.

Decades of co-operation with Robit Louhintaliike Ylimäki has relied on the quality of Robit’s consumables, such as drill bits, rods and shanks, in its drilling operations for more than 20 years. “Robit is a very important partner to us. As a Finnish operator, their service and products are always nearby, they listen closely to customer feedback, and perhaps most importantly for an operator of our size, their service is flexible – Sales Manager Esa-Matti Polvi is very pro-active, always on the lookout for new solutions to further enhance our operations. And of course the products are in top condition, which enables efficient drilling and well as a good price/quality ratio. Robit’s continuous product development brings better solutions to market and if we need, say, a few dozen special bits, they will be produced in Lempäälä just the way we want them and on a tight schedule,” praises Ylimäki.

A container with drilling products on site
A year ago, Robit set up a consignment stock at Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s location in Lapua.
“The products stocked in the container include all the drilling consumables we need, meaning bits, rods and shanks, as well as coupling sleeves and bit adapters, to name a few. Robit invoices us for the products we use, and we place orders to ensure the shelves are always stocked with what we need. The container itself was made to be user-friendly, so picking products and, for instance, using a forklift to lift drill rods onto the rack is easy. Drillers bring the products to the worksite with them in their vehicles, and they always have enough for one or two weeks’ worth of work on the rig,” says infrastructure engineer and head charger Matti Pitkäjärvi.
Robit’s consignment stock has significantly improved Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s logistics:
“It makes things easier for drillers when they can pick up the consumables they need from a single location straight off the shelf, without having to order them separately,” says Pitkäjärvi.

Picture: A year ago, Robit set up a consignment stock at Louhintaliike Ylimäki’s location in Lapua. The products stocked in the container include all the required drilling consumables, i.e. bits, rods and shanks, as well as coupling sleeves and bit adapters, among other things. Robit invoices for the products used, and orders are placed to ensure the shelves are always stocked as needed.

Strong Co-Operation with Amak, the Pioneer Mining Company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Jari Silver

Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co (AMAK) is the pioneer private mining company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing copper, zinc in concentrate as well as gold and silver in doré since 2012.

Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co (AMAK) is the pioneer private mining company of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing copper, zinc in concentrate as well as gold and silver in doré since 2012.

The main mining camp (Al Masane) is in the southwest region (Najran) of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1620 mRL and approximately 640 km southeast to Jeddah. AMAK is committed to establish and sustain the highest safety standards with a zero-harm target and international best practice environmental standards with zero discharge to ambient environment. AMAK’s motto is “Every Incident Is Preventable”.

AMAK is continuously seeking investing in mining opportunities in the KSA and the region, including East African countries. Exploration continues at its nearby concessions as well as deeper levels of Al Masane and Guyan orebodies, which are still wide open at depth and extensions, with additional satellite pit development opportunities at Al Masane, Guyan and Al Aqiq mineralization zones.

AMAK is using Robit’s drilling consumables for face development, ground support and DTH drilling for underground operations. Robit consumables are performing well and thus, getting positive feedback from AMAK: “We are satisfied and happy for working with Robit. We appreciate the full support during the contract meaning quick responses for deliveries and shipping as well as providing technical services support in case of any problem”.

Case report by: Kadir Uslu, Drill & Blast Engineer, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co and James Keenan, Distributor Business Manager, Middle East and Turkey, Robit Group

Photo: Jumbo Operators, Mr. Mustafa Tufekci and Mr. Roger Junas

ROBIT SUPPLYING DRILLING CONSUMABLES FOR THE BIGGEST COPPER MINING COMPANY IN TURKEY, ETI BAKIR A.S.

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit is supplying rock drilling consumables for face drilling, long hole drilling, ground supporting operations for underground mines as well as surface drilling for open pit mines for ETI Bakir A.S. in Turkey. The consumables are being supplied by Robit’s distributor, Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S.

Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S. and ETI Bakir A.S. made a contract for supplying Top Hammer drilling tools and as a result, the first shipment was MADE during the first quarter of 2020. Guris Is Makinalari Endustri A.S. supplements Robit quality and good performance by giving the best after-sales, shipping, and technical services support for the valued customer.

ETI Bakir A.S., which was operated by state from 1930’s to 2004, is the biggest copper mining company in Turkey. ETI Bakir A.S. was incorporated into Cengiz Holding in 2004 and the company carries on production activities by growing up day by day within the structure of Cengiz Holding.

ETI Bakir A.S. is operating both on several Turkish mine sites as well as abroad. In addition to this, the biggest smelter and electrolysis plant in Turkey is being operated by ETI Bakir A.S. in Samsun City. The company is known for nature conservation while operating on the mine sites. – These mines are operating fully mechanized with the newest technologies.

 

Case report by:

Ahmet Oğuz Dikmen, Mining Equipments Service Engineer, Guris Construction Machineries Industry Co Inc

James Keenan, Distributor Business Manager, Middle East and Turkey, Robit Group

 

Photo:

Caner Topal, Drilling & Blasting Engineer, ETI Bakir A.S.

Ahmet Oğuz Dikmen, Mining Equipments Service Engineer, Guris Construction Machineries Industry Co Inc

Tayfun Kabaloglu, Mine Captain, ETI Bakir A.S.

 

ROBIT PERFORMING WELL IN HARD ROCK FORMATION IN SOHAR, OMAN

Posted on by Jari Silver

Robit is supplying consumables for gabbro quarrying in Sohar, Oman. The tools are being supplied by Robit’s distributor, Pioneers For Mining.

Robit consumables are performing well in the hard rock formation, in the North Oman, and thus, getting positive feedback from the customer. The gabbro quarries are one of the toughest and challenging areas among Oman rock formation.

Despite the current travel restrictions, the seamless cooperation between Robit, Pioneers For Mining and the customer including continuous follow-up on Robit product quality and support, enables a strong sales development in Sohar region. 

Facts – Gabbro Quarry in Sohar, Oman 

Machine: Furukawa HCR 1200

Rock Formation: Hard and Abrasive

Button Bit Size: C45–89mm

Excellent performance with Robit button bit in Turkey

Posted on by Jari Silver

On July 2020, Robit’s Turkish distributor Guris Is Makinaları Endustri A.S. organized a drilling test at Ozkoyuncu open pit iron mine. The head-to-head test between Robit and globally well-known brand.

The test was conducted on a Sandvik DX800 Ranger with an HL700 drifter. The testing conditions were identical for each brand. The procedure was a simple wear test: To measure how deep each tool will be able to drill without sharpening or replacing. The ground condition is quite difficult and abrasive. It contains high quartzite and silica rate is around 90%. There is fragmented rock, water and spacing in ground.

We are happy to report the results. Robit C51-102 mm drop center spherical bit completed the service life at 1269 meters and this result is 300 meters better than competitor’s same design bit. Given the rock quality at mine site this is an excellent result. Customer confirmed that Robit bit were superior to the other well-known brands’ consumables.

Test Location: Ozkoyuncu Open Pit Iron Mine, Kayseri/TURKEY
Test Dates: Jul 09-14, 2020
Test Objective: Measuring performance of Robit C51-102 mm bit vs. other well known drilling consumable brand.
Reported by: Ahmet Oguz Dikmen, Mining Equipments Service Engineer at Güriş İş Makinaları Endüstri A.Ş.

 

SUCCESSFUL TESTS CONDUCTED WITH ROBIT CONSUMABLES IN CHILE

Posted on by Jari Silver

Full Safety, the distributor of Robit Group, carried out a successful test with Robit consumables at El Teniente copper mine in Machalí, Chile. 

​The test was conducted for Jumbo drilling on a Tamrock Axera Jumbo with HLX5 drifter by using the following Robit consumables: R32x45S1 bits, HEX35 C38-R32 14′ drifter rod and coupling C38-C38.

The bits averaged out 315 meters without grinding. As for the drifter rod and couplings averaged out 1 724 meters. The meterage is always relative to the rock, the conditions of machinery and operator skills including pressure management.

Robit Part Numb​​er Description Meters
04-132-045-3805 HTG 32R45S 315
06D-07-0891 M/M Drifter Rod C38-HEX35-R32 4305 1 724
06E-07-0497 Coupling C38 D55 SB 1 724

 

As a result of the successful tests, Robit received a confirmation from the site contractor, Astaldi, that Robit consumables were superior compared to the other well-known brands’ consumables.

El Teniente is an underground copper mine in the Chilean commune of Machalí in Cachapoal Province, Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins Region, near the town of Sewell, 2 300 meters above mean sea level in the Andes.

Mining at El Teniente is reported to have started as early as 1819. Today, El Teniente is operated by the state-owned copper mining company CODELCO. With over 3 000 kilometers of underground drifts, El Teniente is reported as the world’s largest underground copper mine. ​

Excellent job from our Robit SAC colleagues, and our distributor in Chile!

Top Hammer theoretical and practical training in Ecuador

Posted on by Jari Silver

Training organized by: Maqoperador S.A. (Ecuador) and Robit PLC
Objective: To give Top Hammer drilling tool customers theoretical knowhow and practical training to ensure maximum drilling performance
Location: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Date: November 22, 2019
Drill bits used: Robit HTG bit 45C76 DSR vs. a bit from another brand
Reported by: José Rodríguez, Sales Manager, Robit

Summary:

In ensuring maximum performance in Top Hammer drilling, one key element is selecting the optimal drill bit. To this end, a series of training sessions for our customers in Ecuador were organized jointly by Maqoperador, the distributor of Robit’s tools in Ecuador, and Robit.

In the theoretical part of the training we covered a wide range of topics such as drill string elements, energy flow through the drill string, correct drilling parameters, selection criteria for button bits, and total drilling costs.

For the practical training, Maqoperador arranged a visit to a quarry where the performance of two T45x76 mm bit designs was measured: a Robit Drop Centre Retrac bit vs. a bit from another brand. The other brand had overlarge 13 mm buttons whereas our bit was 11 mm. Typically customers see oversized carbides as a good feature, but our tests proved otherwise.

The difference in penetration rate was significantly in favour of Robit: 1,8 m/min vs. competitor at 1,06 m/min. In other words, Robit was faster by more than 70%.

Being able to drill faster with less effort also means a better energy flow from the drill string to the rock. This is why differences in overheating were also expected between the bits. If percussion energy is not correctly transmitted from the drill string to the rock, it will dissipate into heat, creating additional problems. Due to the overlarge buttons, the energy was not efficiently transmitted to the rock, so the competitor’s bit was overheating the shank adapter at 150 °C, while with the Robit bit, the shank adapter kept a much cooler temperature at 98 °C.

To ensure the reliability of the results, the testing was performed with the same drill rig, the same operator in the same quarry, using the same drilling parameters at a distance of 1 metre between the holes of each bit.

What was particularly rewarding for us to see was how actively the attendees participated in the training. Events like this are very rarely, if ever, arranged by other brands or distributors, so they truly add great value for our customers and help enhance the Robit brand. We will soon be organizing the same training in other parts of the world. Stay tuned!