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.

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