Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/122153
miningspecial Unearthing opportunity Mark Clifford, Sandvik Mining's vice president of underground hard rock and surface mining for Australia, New Zealand and Freeport, talks industry innovation and safety with OUTthere. Tell us a bit about the Sandvik Group and Sandvik Mining in Australia. The Sandvik Group is a high-technology engineering group with advanced products and world-leading positions covering five business areas: Sandvik Mining, Sandvik Machining Solutions, Sandvik Materials Technology and Sandvik Construction. We have been represented in Australia for many years – since the 1920s – and we established our own subsidiary in 1961. Our growth has really accelerated over the past 10 to 15 years, with our focus on the mining and construction industries being our primary growth engine. In Australia, Sandvik Mining employs more than 1,750 people through 51 branches and service facilities, turning over nearly $800 million in 2012. Well-known mining brand names that are now part of Sandvik Mining include Tamrock, Rammer, Toro, Ausminco and SDS. Since 2005 all these products have been sold under the Sandvik brand. What sorts of products do you offer? We see ourselves as a leading global supplier of not only equipment and tools, but also service and technical solutions to the mining industry. The sectors we service include underground and surface coalmining, underground and surface hard rock and surface mining, bulk handling systems for ports and terminals, and mining exploration. Our product offerings include rock drilling, cutting and crushing, loading and hauling, and materials handling, and we have a strong focus on delivering innovative products and services to the mining industry. What are the major trends you see in the mining industry? The big developing trend is the move towards automation and autonomous operation – and that's where we believe we are exceptionally well positioned with our product offerings. Particularly in underground mining in Australia, most of the easy ore bodies have been found and developed, whereas most of the new ones are much deeper and harder to get to. Miners are looking for ways to develop them quickly and safely and then extract the ore. Miners want to get workers out of potentially unsafe areas, and this ties in well with our approach to our business and our products. Safety is our 63