Companies like Sandvik, which manufacture high-performance mining and tunneling machines for the global market also require worldwide availability from their suppliers. With subsidiaries in Asia, Europe and America as well as four plants, Semperit scores with local support and a global presence.
The Borer Miner SANDVIK MF420 for underground mining weighs 245 tonnes, is 15 meters long and has a power of 2,000 hp. It was developed by the engineers at the “Cutting Rock Processing” competence center at Sandvik’s Austrian site in Zeltweg to powerfully cut through granite, gypsum, potash salt, metals and more. In this impressive machine, there is a hidden champion called Semperit Flexline Plus – a hydraulic spiral hose that can withstand even the most extreme applications such as mining, as Martin Löbl, Head of Product Management Hydraulics at Semperit Industrial Applications, explains: “The Flexline Plus is ideal for ultra-high-pressure applications and can also be installed in small installation spaces thanks to its exceptionally tight bending radius. This is important because space is still limited inside these huge machines. Sandvik was one of the first customers to use our new spiral hose in 2022.”
„The Flexline Plus is ideal for ultra-high-pressure applications.“
Martin Löbl, Semperit Industrial Applications
How it all began
The cooperation between Sandvik and Semperit has proven its worth for quite some time. Even if it did not start in the very early years, which in both cases were a very long time ago – Sandvik was founded in 1862, Semperit in 1824 – it has certainly been decades. Martin Löbl remembers the beginning: “We had been supplying Sandvik in Finland via a partner for some time when the opportunity arose in 2009 to convince the Sandvik site in Zeltweg of the quality of our hoses. Harsh operating conditions prevail, especially in mining – a hose must not fail immediately during use.” The hose must be robust and ensure reliability during operation, as Reinhold Pogatschnigg, responsible for Hydraulic & Fluid Engineering at Sandvik, emphasizes: “To ensure this, we demand proof in advance at Sandvik. In addition to impulse pressure tests and burst tests, this also includes tests on the abrasion resistance of the hose surface.”
It is also important to Sandvik that Semperit is positioned worldwide, so that good local support can be organized quickly in the event of problems – for example with mining approvals, which pose different challenges in every country. Thomas Paulischin, Product Manager Hydraulic Hoses at Semperit, recalls an example from China: “For the use of Sandvik machines in mining, but also for the hydraulic hose, approval is required from the Chinese mining authorities. We cooperated very closely and coordinated almost daily with our Sandvik and Semperit colleagues on site in China. Our production sites in Wimpassing and Odry were also specially audited for this purpose. We all pulled together and after two years the permit was granted. When international cooperation works so smoothly, it’s really great.” Reinhold Pogatschnigg from Sandvik also appreciates the cooperation with Semperit in approval processes: “A basic requirement for the use of the hoses is proof of fire resistance and electrical conductivity of the hose surface. After all, they are also used in potentially explosive environments. Semperit provides these certificates, has built up special knowledge in recent years and actively supports us in approval processes. This is one of the main reasons why Sandvik has entered into a close partnership with Semperit.”
Power underground
Back to the Borer Miners and their areas of application worldwide. From China, Australia and South Africa to the USA and Canada – they are used in Sandvik projects around the world, including the hydraulic hoses from Semperit. Above all, they are used in underground mining for driving roadways and extracting raw materials. For example, potash salt, a coveted raw material for the fertilizer industry. Sandvik Zeltweg supplies one of the world’s largest potash mines in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan with underground mining systems: “Each of these systems consists of a Sandvik MF460 Borer Miner, which cuts the material and automatically feeds it to a continuous conveyor belt system. For the largest single order in our company’s history to date, we need reliable partners with expertise in mining – like Semperit,” says Reinhold Pogatschnigg from Sandvik.
„We need reliable partners with expertise in mining – like Semperit.“
Reinhold Pogatschnigg, Sandvik Mining and Construction
The global hunger for raw materials will continue to ensure high demand for Sandvik and Semperit products. Because: “Where tonnes of rock have to be moved, power is needed, and hydraulics is and remains the first choice,” says Martin Löbl, taking a look into the future.
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