Thank You for visiting us at Underground Operators Conference!

Thank You for visiting us at Underground Operators Conference 2021, Perth, Australia!

It was our pleasure to meet our old and upcoming customers.

Highlights of the event:

  • Underground Operators Conference is held every 2 years (2020 was postponed to 2021 due to COVID)
  • Over 1200 physical attendees, about 150 virtual delegates
  • A selection of physical and virtual presentations from around Australia and Overseas
  • Robit booth was very well attended with a lot of interest in the Robit products
  • Robit raised funds for a not for profit charity, Miners’ Promise totalling $1,200

Stay safe!

Robit Team from left: Steve Tedge, Business Development Manager – Steve Landreth, VP Australasia – Annemaree Holman, Business Development Manager

ROBIT BELIEVES THAT APPROPRIATE PRODUCT AND USER TRAINING FOR ITS DISTRIBUTORS IS ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF THE SUCCESSFUL CO-OPERATION

Robit collaborates very closely with its distributors to meet every end-user’s demands and expectations. Thus, continuous and up-to-date product and after sales trainings are essential parts of the co-operation between Robit and its distributors.

During COVID-19 pandemic, Robit has further intensified communication with its distributors by using a variety of modern communication tools. In this context, Robit has developed completely new and permanent operating methods that allow to communicate more closely with the distributors. As an example to this, Robit distributors were provided with a Top Hammer training instructed by Jorge Leal, VP Top Hammer. The remote training session took place last week and was held in three consecutive days for different time zones and language groups. The intensive training sessions featuring presentations and dialogue were successful and fruitful both for Robit and its valued distributors.

Robit ProTALK – Adam Baker, VP, Down the Hole

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

My position within Robit is as the VP for Down the Hole products (DTH). My role is to manage the strategic business area (SBA), which is focused on the Drill & Blast DTH Hammers and Bits in our offering with responsibility also for Drill Pipe, Rotary Bits along with other accessories. I am responsible for global sales growth within the SBA, focusing on key target regions, driving the ambitious growth plans for this specific business unit.

Robit has long been regarded as a supplier of quality drilling equipment, my role is to ensure Robit establishes it’s self as a truly recognized global supplier for DTH products, providing market leading products, support and drilling solutions for our customers.                  

I am based in the UK, but I work closely with the group head office in Tampere Region, Finland and the Perth, Australia production facility, which specializes in the manufacture of the mining Drill & Blast range of DTH equipment.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

I have been involved with DTH products for the last 10 years. My educational background was in Engineering and remains a key passion of mine.  This is where I began my career in the DTH industry before moving onto other roles overseeing manufacturing operations and providing technical sales support. My experience has been hands-on in many global regions and I have been involved in applications from Drill & Blast, Geotechnical, Water Well, Construction, Oil & Gas and Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling.  In more recent times, I have been responsible for the sales development of the DTH products within Robit before undertaking the new role as VP for Down the Hole products.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Over the next few years, reduced operational costs, improved efficiency and availability remain key for our customers and drill contractors. Robit’s commitment to continuous improvement and product development ensures we provide our customers with tools in line with their requirements.  Robit’s commitment to providing the “best in class” DTH Bit will continue to reduce overall drilling costs by ensuring a longer product life. A renewed Drill Bit offering is to be released imminently, which includes additional bit sizes, face designs and bit shank choices.

New DTH Hammer product releases throughout 2021 and beyond will also improve operational efficiencies for our customers.  These product releases kick-off later this year with the full release of the tubeless (footvalve-less) range, targeted at customers drilling in the most demanding applications.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

All product development initiatives are led by market trends or customer requirements.  Furthermore, product testing and validations are carried out in conjunction with the support from our customers of which the product has been designed for. Many ongoing actions are carried out in order to support our customers with ensuring the correct availability of products globally and to ensure a consistent quality of Robit’s tools.  Our complete product offering ensures we have the availability to deliver a full scope of quality drilling consumables to our customers from DTH, Top Hammer, Rotary and Drill Pipe.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and visit restrictions have resulted in difficulties with providing face-to-face support in some regions.  This has not just been limited to international travel, regional travel and visits have also been impacted. For this reason, we were quick to roll out a process of providing remote technical support in 2020 and we are extending this support offer throughout 2021 and the coming years.  This has had a benefit of directly connecting end-users with the Robit technical support staff.  The level of communication has been of true benefit, particularly when carrying out field trials or troubleshooting.

Further to this we have an ongoing commitment to provide DTH training and support for our distributor partners and customers. This is in the form of training modules, troubleshooting guides and service videos for the Robit DTH Equipment.  Later this year we will also provide face-to-face training sessions focusing on region specific applications and equipment, all dates are yet to be confirmed due to the current travel restrictions.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

This year is an exciting time for Robit and the Down the Hole SBA in particular.  The product development work that has been carried out over the last 12 months is starting to show extremely good results, increased manufacturing capacity and improved product availability actions have been put in place and we are seeing the benefits of this work already.  We have many tender and testing opportunities already planned for 2021 and I am expecting a positive outcome based on our performance and success over the past six months.  In recent times, our equipment has been out-performing our competition – offering increases over 30% of operational life when using Robit tools. This allows our customers and drill contractors to have a competitive cost per meter whilst receiving the quality service, support, and availability from Robit sales regions and partners.  As COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions relax, we are excited to once again meet face-to-face with our distributor partners, drill contractors and mining customers ensuring we drive the growth.

For more information: Adam Baker, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

Read more Robit ProTALK interviews:

Welcome to the Underground Operators Conference

AusIMM’s Underground Operators Conference 2021 will set the benchmark for sharing underground operational experiences and industry best practice.

Delivered both in person and online, the outstanding technical conference will feature three internationally recognised keynotes and over 45 technical presentations. The program will cover key discussion topics on process transformation, innovative mining methods and practices, health and safety, revolutionising the traditional mine and much more.

This is an incredible opportunity to join the conversation with international industry professionals to discuss important changes and solutions for the future of underground mining.

AusIMM and the Conference Committee look forward to welcoming you to AusIMM’s flagship conference in March 2021.

You will find us at our booth #72 on 15-17 March 2021, Perth, Australia.

Warmly welcome, Robit Team

ROBIT PLC’S ANNUAL REPORT, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT AND REMUNERATION REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2020 HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED

Robit Plc’s Annual Report, Corporate Governance Statement and Remuneration Report for the year 2020 have today been published in Finnish and English in PDF format on the company’s website at https://www.robitgroup.com/investor/financial-information/.

The Annual Report contains the Board of Directors’ Review and the Financial Statements 2020. The Financial Statements includes Consolidated Financial Statements, Robit Plc’s Parent Company Statements and the Auditor’s Report.

Please read the report: Robit Plc Annual Report 2020

Robit ProTALK – Jorge Leal, VP, Top Hammer

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

My position in Robit is VP Top Hammer. This is a role focusing on the Top Hammer business globally in the company. The concentration is in driving growth and profitability across the regions to achieve the target levels in accordance with company’s growth strategy.

Offering, stocks and service level are day to day topics, which are in a central role in working towards the targets. The ambition is high for Top Hammer, and we have a solid base to become a key player worldwide with our excellent products.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

I started my Robit career in 2011, and I have always been involved in sales. Throughout the years there have been rather enriching phases. As an example, back in 2011 we only had our Finnish premises and our recently acquired South Korean factory. All other markets and distribution management was taken care from Finland and South Korea. A key milestone in my Robit career was the opening and ramp-up of our Robit SAC company in Peru, which was very rewarding personal experience. Throughout this timeline, perhaps due to the markets, I have been mainly concentrated in developing the Top Hammer know-how much more than other product lines, which made it very natural for me to take the SBA Top Hammer role.

Visiting the customer operation is the key to develop know-how skills. I would like to encourage everybody – of course safety first and hopefully this would be soon again possible to do so – to travel to support the distributors and customers on the jobsite.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Top Hammer SBA has a great possibility to grow significantly in the next few years. When speaking to our customers, productivity is the main key market trend that I would like to highlight in our business area. More than ever, customers are interested on this topic and how we can help them to improve this. By listening to our customers, and always thinking how we can generate value to them, I am confident that our offering will develop even further to address those needs.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

We are committed to deliver the “best in class” button bits to our customers. The RbitTM is one of the many ongoing actions that we are taking forward to address our customer needs. We will continue to focus on the development of our offering, but at the same time we will emphasize our distribution strategy so that we can secure reliable and solid position for the coming growing time. Our new sales areas are more focused than ever, so this means that our connection with our distributors and customers will be strengthened and developed. Training of our own personnel, distributors and customers is the key element of the ongoing actions.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

I see a great opportunity for Robit, to consolidate and take a step forward in the Top Hammer segment. Our company has been gradually gaining market share into the mining segment. We are stepping into the bigger leagues as we are having top customers such as Norilsk Nickel, CODELCO, Agnico Eagle Finland to mention some. Other key areas as Australia, West and Central Africa are also ramping up also into the mining segments, which will surely deliver excellent results for this 2021.

For more information: Jorge Leal, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

Read more Robit ProTALK interviews:

Robit ProTALK – George Apostolopoulos, VP, Global Sales

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

My role is VP Global Sales & Marketing and as implied I am responsible for growing the Robit Group sales across the world. We have recently re-organized our company structure to have stronger focus on driving our growth in selected key areas. In parallel, three (3) distinct Strategic Business Areas have been created to develop each product line’s competitiveness, growth, and profitability; these are Top Hammer, Down the Hole and Geotechnical.

We also need to make sure that we do portray a solid, consistent, and professional image to the outside world therefore our marketing activities are coordinated accordingly.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

My experience on the field spans some 20 years. Started working with Atlas Copco in Greece as a Business Manager for the Construction & Mining Technique business area back in 2001. Moved to Ghana, West Africa in 2006 at the General Manager of the operation. A very interesting and minerals rich region where mining is the focus. We expanded the business well as we started companies and subsidiaries in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Cameroun. In 2014, the Central Asian challenge was next. Based in Kazakhstan with a six (6) countries responsibility, we managed to ‘weather’ the recession at the time and started growing the business significantly again by gaining market share.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

The ongoing pandemic has developed the markets to be more volatile than usual and I believe this will be the new norm. This means we should as a Group be extremely pro-active and agile. The mining business is more stable and resilient as we seem to be in another metals prices super-cycle however construction looks ‘slow’ now. There are opportunities in both sectors, and we must be close to benefit the most we could.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

Robit tries to stay as close as possible to our distributors and eventually the end users of our products. We support with product and application training, we conduct product trials and prove our worth on the field, respond quickly to filed issues and ensure that our products do get the deserved recognition in the market.

Our distributors across the world are the key for us and we want to have the best distributor management concept in the market; this would ensure continuous support for them and their customers.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

We take advantage of the current, limited travel opportunity and fine tune our re-organized sales structure. In other words, we are getting ready for the time that the pandemic eases or is over so that we can again travel and be close to our distributors, partners, and end users for the necessary support.

Our strategy is based on growth, we are a growth company, and this is our main expectation. We want to grow our dealer network and together with them gain market share account by account, a simple and proven method. 

For more information: George Apostolopoulos, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

Read more Robit ProTALK interviews:

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

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.

ROBIT AND AGNICO EAGLE HAVE SIGNED A LONG-TERM COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Robit and Agnico Eagle have signed a long-term cooperation agreement of drilling consumables supply to Kittilä mine. The deliveries start on 1 May 2021. Robit has previously supplied diamond button bits to Kittilä mine for production drilling. Thus, the mine and conditions are familiar to Robit.

Tommi Lehtonen, CEO of Robit Group: ”We are happy to start this cooperation, which is a result of a long-time work and is an important reference to the company. It is also an investment to domestic market. We are excited of this collaboration, which in addition to product supply offers an opportunity to develop our products together with one of the leading mining companies.”

Jari Kolehmainen, Production Manager at Kittilä mine, Agnico Eagle Finland Oy: “We are delighted with this agreement and expecting a long-term and close collaboration. Together we have an opportunity to develop drilling consumables e.g. diamond button bits and Sense Systems products to serve customer needs even better.”

On the photo from left to right: Jari Kolehmainen (Production Manager at Kittilä mine, Agnico Eagle Finland), Kimmo Kangas (Sales Manager Finland, Robit), Janne Saukko (General Supervisor at Kittilä mine, Agnico Eagle Finland), Kari Alenius (VP Finland, Robit).

Kittilä mine is the largest gold mine in Europe. The mine extracts annually about 1.6 million tonnes of ore, yielding about 7 000 kg of gold. At current production volumes, the mine’s known ore reserves are expected to produce gold until 2034. The mine life could be extended, depending on the results of exploration. Kittilä mine provides jobs for about 500 employees and about 800 contractor personnel. Further information: www.agnicoeagle.fi.

Robit is a strongly internationalized growth company servicing global customers and selling drilling consumables for applications in underground and surface mining, construction, geotechnical and well drilling. The company’s offering is divided into two product and application groups: Top Hammer, Down the Hole and Geotechnical. Robit has own sales and service points in 8 countries as well as an active sales network in over 100 countries. Robit’s manufacturing units are located in Finland, South Korea, Australia and the UK. Robit’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Further information is available at: www.robitgroup.com.

Further information:

Tommi Lehtonen
CEO of Robit Group, tommi.lehtonen@robitgroup.com

Jari Kolehmainen
Production Manager at Kittilä mine, Agnico Eagle Finland Oy, jari.kolehmainen@agnicoeagle.com

ROBIT® RBIT™ AUGMENTED REALITY “AR” APPLICATION AVAILABLE

Robit® Rbit™ AR Application

Please download Robit® Rbit™ AR Application for your smartphone to present new series for your customer. You can demonstrate new features without carrying bits in your pockets. Applications will be found with “Robit Rbit” title:

After installing the software in your smart phone you have two options to use it:

With Physical (needs marker print and real button bit) or Virtual mode.

Virtual mode:

Scan flat surface and point the grid to place virtual Rbits in to scanned surface.

On the top menu you can rotate Rbits and make flow of flushing and cuttings visible.

Link for robitgroup.com media bank to get the latest brocures, e.g. Robit® Rbit™ Series.

From the “Feature” menu you can visualize Rbits’ new innovations:

New transition face ensuring better energy transfer

  • Transition face with rounded edges enables better flushing design and optimized button layout
    ⇒ New functionality of the bit

Optimized button layout maximizing rock contact

  • Smart button configuration
    ⇒ Optimized rock breaking dynamics

Wider flushing grooves allowing better flow of cuttings

  • Improved flushing
    ⇒ Maximized flushing efficiency

Physical mode:

Place a specific marker image A (printed on the paper) on to a flat surface and place the physical Rbits on the marker B with help of virtual alignment bits. Use menu to hide the adjustment bits.

A.

B.

On the top menu you can make flow of flushing and cuttings visible.

For more information, please contact Mr. Jorge Leal, VP Top Hammer, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

New Robit Superior Rbit™ Button Bit Series – Functional Design for Professionals

Our customers already know the great quality of our Top Hammer Button Bits. However, we took up the challenge of making our bits even better. All our button bits have been manufactured with recyclable 100% Green Steel. Consistent top quality is guaranteed by fully automated production lines. Rbit™ are finalized with eco-friendly water-based paint. As a result, we have created the Rbit™.

With the Rbit, our commitment is to help our customers to reduce the total drilling costs by achieving faster rate of penetration and the lowest cost-per-meter. The Rbit features:

  • An optimized button layout configuration of the Flat Face, to ensure maximized rock contact and energy transmission.
  • A new transition face was developed in both Flat Face and Drop Center to improve the transfer of percussion energy into the rock.
  • Enhanced flushing design, now available in our Flat Face and Drop Center models, delivering even faster rate of penetration.
  • Redesigned wider retrac grooves, that allow more space delivering a better flow for the cuttings.
  • Heavy Duty models are now available in both Flat Face and Drop Center.

All of our new high quality Rbit™ drill bits, have been designed with state of the art Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. Moreover, field tests globally have demonstrated clear evidence of a superior drilling performance which our technical simulation had already guaranteed (refer chart below). Our partner drillers were happy with the excellent performance and noted better flushing and longer grinding intervals with the new Rbit™ drill bits. Robit products are developed in the challenging rock conditions of Scandinavia and have a proven record globally. With Robit’s new Rbit™, we have found yet another way to deliver excellence to our customers worldwide.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation images show the efficient flushing properties of new Rbit series.

Robit® Rbit™ Series – New Innovations

1. New transition face ensuring better energy transfer

  • Transition face with rounded edges enables better flushing design and optimized button layout → New functionality of the bit

2. Optimized button layout maximizing rock contact

  • Smart button configuration → Optimized rock breaking dynamics

3. Wider flushing grooves allowing better flow of cuttings

  • Improved flushing → Maximized flushing efficiency

You can watch the video at our Youtube channel: Robit Rbit Series

Please download the catalogue: Robit Rbit Series catalogue

Pioneers for Mining Trading, Oman, has signed the distributor contract with Robit

Pioneers for Mining Trading, Oman, has signed a distributor contract with Robit in December 2020. Company operates from Ajman, UAE and is the sister company of Robit’s current distributor, Pioneers for Mining Trading, Jordan. This new distributor contract with Pioneers for Mining Trading, Oman, will cover Oman, Kuwait and Qatar while parent company Pioneers for Mining Trading, Jordan, continues to distribute to Jordan and Iraq.

In the picture: Mr. Zaid Fakhouri, Deputy Executive Chairman, Pioneers for Mining Trading

Record-breaking piling project in Helsinki

In the late 19th century, Helsinki was growing and industrialising rapidly. This was particularly evident in the seaside district of Sörnäinen, which became the largest industrial area in the city after the construction of a cargo port and a railroad track. Now the port and factories are history, but the neighbourhood – now called Kalasatama or “Fish Port” – will remain an integral part of the Helsinki maritime cityscape in the future. That future is now being built in Verkkosaari, at the northern end of Kalasatama.

While the southern Kalasatama has been under reconstruction for years, Verkkosaari was sitting idly for a long time. Its 13 hectares are now zoned for a residential area for 3,600 people, a large daycare centre, and a marina. To start with, more than 200,000 tonnes of contaminated soil had to be removed. Before construction work can begin, the soil needs to be reinforced. New land is also being built on top of the sea, where some of the buildings will arise.

At this moment, work at Verkkosaari is in full swing with excavations, earthfilling, pile drilling, and other groundwork. Drilling contractor Fingeo is drilling micropiles for road base support, in cooperation with the main contractor GRK Infra. The jobsite is demanding.

”Most of the challenges are caused by the old structures, concrete piles, wooden piles and other materials buried in the soil. It’s former seabed that had been gradually filled since the early 1900s”, says Tuomas Perkiö, supervisor for Fingeo.

The jobsite is also exceptional in scope. “This is the largest micropiling project ever in Finland. We have a drilling contract for 6,000 piles, 110 km altogether”, Tuomas recounts.

Fingeo started the pile drilling work at the beginning of 2020 with one drill rig. By November they were operating five drill units and had laid down some 3,800 piles, which equals to 63 kilometres. The remaining 2,200 piles will be drilled by autumn 2021.

Fingeo uses Robit’s pilot bits and reamers in the drilling work, which has progressed without a hitch. ”Robit’s pilots and reamers are doing a great job. At best, we have drilled more than 8 kilometers with a single bit. Cooperation with our Robit contact Sami Paavola has also been excellent: deliveries run smoothly, and Robit reacts quickly to our requests and provides support whenever needed”, says Tuomas Perkiö.

From left: Matti Tikkanen (Fingeo), pilot bit after drilling 8 km, a brand new pilot bit, Sami Paavola (Robit). Photo: Tuomas Perkiö

The remaining infrastructure works in Verkkosaari are scheduled to be completed in 2022, allowing the actual construction phase to begin. Kalasatama as a whole is one of the largest construction areas in Helsinki, and it will keep taking shape well into the 2030s.

The piling project in Verkkosaari continues into the second half of 2021. Photo on the top: Matti Tikkanen, Fingeo

World’s #1 copper producer chooses Robit

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).

ROBIT AND BIA HAVE SIGNED AN EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT

Robit Group and BIA Group have signed an exclusive distributor agreement. Based on the agreement, BIA will represent Robit and distribute all Robit products in 17 countries across West and Central Africa (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Mauritania, Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Republic of Congo).

Robit’s partnership with BIA is developed to ensure highest possible services levels for drillers in West and Middle African countries.

Tommi Lehtonen, CEO of Robit Group: “We are excited to start this partnership to serve our African drilling consumables customers. Combination of BIA’s strong presence and experienced team together with Robit’s high performance drilling consumables and technical support will offer African customers a strong solution for their drilling consumables needs.”

Vincent Bia, CEO of BIA Group: “Through this new partnership BIA will strengthen its presence in the mining, quarry and construction sectors. BIA’s exposure and knowledge in African market as well as Robit’s wide offering and quality products create an excellent opportunity for both companies to strive for being a major player in the market. With trust, shared values, and common success stories, we are delighted to start our long-lasting partnership with Robit.”

Robit is a strongly internationalized growth company servicing global customers and selling drilling consumables for applications in mining, construction and contracting, tunneling and well drilling. The company’s offering is divided into two product and service ranges: Top Hammer and Down-the-Hole. Robit has 9 of its own sales and service points throughout the world as well as an active sales network in 100 countries. Robit’s manufacturing units are located in Finland, South Korea, Australia and the UK. Robit’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Further information is available at robitgroup.com.  

Since over a century, BIA is recognized by its customers for its expertise in the mining, construction, transport and energy sectors. With a direct presence in more than 20 countries across Europe and Africa and thanks to its 1000 employees, driven by passion, BIA delivers the best equipment, services & technologies to increase customers‘ productivity, improve safety and reduce environmental impact (BIA mission). Further information is available at biagroup.com.

For more information, contact:

Tommi Lehtonen, Group CEO, Robit Group, tommi.lehtonen@robitgroup.com
Aymeric Manteca, Group Marketing Manager, BIA Group, aymeric.manteca@biagroup.com

ROBIT PLC
Tommi Lehtonen

Further information:
Robit Plc
Tommi Lehtonen, Group CEO
+358 40 724 9143
tommi.lehtonen@robitgroup.com

Picture, from left: Tommi Lehtonen (CEO, Robit Group), Kari Alenius (VP EMEA, Robit Group), Vincent Bia (CEO, BIA Group), Alain Vandenplas (General Manager ESB and ACCB, BIA Africa), Eric Perben (General Manager, BIA Africa), Jorge Leal (Director of Global Sales, Robit Group) and Rasmus Sokura (Sales & Distributor Business Manager, Robit Group).

Louhintaliike Ylimäki Oy – A specialist in large blasting operations

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.

Effective results in Aggregate Andesite & Cement Quarry

As Indonesia continues to see a rising trend in the number of COVID-19 infected cases, the country especially Jakarta as the capital city where infections are the highest, continues to face a challenge to balance between containing the pandemic while maintaining the economy’s sustainability.

PT. Marton Tekindo Abadi as Robit’s distributor in Indonesia continues to show its highest level of professionalism and support for its clients across Indonesia amidst the pandemic. By complying with the protocols and regulations issued by the government and obtaining the necessary permits to continue business operations, Marton is able to continue supporting customers’ consumables needs across Indonesia.

Together with the support of Robit, Marton is able to maintain its supply and technical support to the customers. During these times, we believe that it is even more important to show our commitment and ability to support our customers to fortify the customers’ trust towards Marton and Robit. With a good teamwork between Marton and Robit, we are able to seize this moment as an opportunity to strengthen our presence in the market.

*Note: We highlight 2 customers here that are still operating during this pandemic one from aggregate quarry and another from cement quarry.


PT SUMBER TIGA PERMATA

PT Sumber Tiga Permata (PT STP), a long-standing and loyal customer of Marton, got acquainted with Robit drilling consumables when Marton and Robit started a distributor partnership. Being satisfied with Robit product performance, the co-operation continues with Robit drilling consumbales.

  • 2 pneumatic drills of Furukawa PCR200 are in use in three of PT STP’s quarry locations
  • In total, 6 units are in operation
  • As PT STP puts after-sales service in high regards, it is satisfied with the quality of Robit rock tools’ performance as well as the after-sales support receiving from Marton and Robit.

Segmentation: Aggregate Andesite Quarry
Location: Plered, Purwakata

Please find the picture above.


PT CEMINDO GEMILANG

PT Cemindo Gemilang is one of the major cement producers in Indonesia, known for its brand “Semen Merah Putih”

  • 5 hydraulic drills: 3 units Soosan CSM (ex Junjin CSM) supplied by Marton, 2 units Epiroc hydraulic drills and 2 pneumatic drills from Furukawa PCR200
    • – 4” bits are used at site
  • Cement plant capacity in Bayah is able to produce up to 4 million tons of cement per year
  • Marton supplied 3 units of Soosan CSM Top Hammer hydraulic drills, and Cemindo uses also Robit rock tools across its multi-brand drill rigs
  • Cemindo continues to be a committed customer of Robit, as our distributor partnership ensures a sufficient stock for the customer’s production and also provides excellent after-sales technical support.

Segmentation: Cement Quarry
Location: Bayah

Robit’s Successful Test Results in Vietnam

In June 2020, the distributor of Robit in Viet Nam – Dong Loi Equipment & Services Corporation organized a drilling test at Dak Mi 2 hydroelectric tunnel in Quang Nam Province.

Robit and other well-known brands from China and Japan were tested in this site. The test was conducted on a Sandvik DT821 drilling machine with both sides of drill hammer, left and right. The drilling parameters were identical for each brand. The test was conducted to determine the highest working life each tool could reach in the same testing conditions. The structure of tunnel is concrete on the hard rock formation. After a few days, the results of all brands were published. Robit Drifter Rod R32/T38, L=4.9 m completed the service life at 2,300 meters in the left and 3,200 meters in the right of drill hammer. With these results Robit reached from 500 meters to 700 meters better performance than rods by other well-known brands. The customer was very satisfied with the performance of Robit Drifter Rod. They appreciated its quality and will give the priority for using Robit Rod in the future.

Test Location: Dak Mi 2, Hydroelectric Tunnel, Quang Nam Province, Jun 2020
Test Objective: Measuring performance of Robit Drifter Rod R32/T38, L=4.9m vs. other well known drilling consumable brands.
Reported by: Pham Quoc Binh, Sale Manager at Dong Loi Corp.

Drilling Anseong~Guri #7 Tunnel within ab. 24 Months

“Dajoo Industry” (called Dajoo) is suppling Robit Top Hammer drilling tools in highway tunnel called Anseong~Guri #7.

Currently, Anseong~Guri highway is one of the biggest SOC projects in South Korea. Anseong~Guri highway is part of the Pocheon~Sejong project, which connects administrative city, Sejong with capital city, Seoul and northern industrial city, Pocheon. #7 is a 2-way highway of 1.7 km. Client organization is EX (Korea Expressway Corporation) and constructor is Samwhan. Drilling period is approx. 24 months. Robit distributor Dajoo has wide experience in rock tools business. Dajoo supplies to around 70 sites, which contain tunneling, quarrying and surface drilling. Robit and Dajoo have been working together since 2015. Dajoo has constantly increased sales volume year by year. In 2020, Dajoo has become one of the main distributors in South Korea and will increase Robit share consistently. Rock condition is granite and medium hard rock. Drilling machine is Epiroc XE3C (COP1838). Dajoo expects the site to consume 1,200 pcs of 45 mm bits, and 150 sets of drill string.

Distributor: Dajoo Industry
Robit consumables: Button bit – HTG 34RR045 S2,Ball,
Rod – T38*RR34*5525 (HEX35), Shank – COP1838 C38*435,
Coupling – C38 SB