Paakkola to supply conveyor system for Boliden’s Garpenberg mine

Boliden and Paakkola have signed a contract concerning the delivery of a conveyor system for metal concentrate processing as part of the Garpenberg Mine expansion investment. Paakkola’s delivery entity covers design, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning of the conveyor systems. The delivery comprises Belt conveyors (total length 750meters) and feeders.

The Garpenberg mine is located about 200 km northwest of Stockholm in central Sweden. Garpenberg is one of the Boliden Group's four mining areas. The production of metals in concentrates was 86,000 tons of zinc, 30,000 tons of lead and 140 tons of silver in 2010. 

The Garpenberg mine currently produces 1.4 million tons of ore annually. On January 17, 2011, a decision was made to expand the mine. Investments will include a new concentrator, new shafts and underground facilities as well as infrastructure. When the new facilities become operational in January 2014, ore production will gradually increase from 2 million to 2.5 million tons by the end of 2015.

“Design and manufacturing for the delivery will take place at the Tervola units and will have an employment impact of some 20 person work years. The conveyor systems will be designed and manufactured according to the Paakkola Design principles and deliveries will be made in 2013-2014. This order is an important continuation of our cooperation with Boliden. Earlier, Paakkola supplied Boliden with conveyor systems for the Aitik copper mine in Gällivare, Sweden,” says Tommi Juntikka, CEO of Paakkola Conveyors Ltd.

Since being established in 1978, Paakkola has delivered and maintained conveyor systems and components for various applications in the mining and process industry. Paakkola Design takes the lifecycle of conveyors and the requirements of HSEQ into consideration during preliminary design. This is evident in its innovative, intelligent solutions, component and service development, and selection of new technologies.

Boliden AB is a Swedish joint stock company. Boliden is one of the leading mining and metal companies in Europe with operations in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Ireland. Boliden's main products are copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver. Boliden has approximately 4,400 employees and the turnover amounts to approximately SEK 37 billion annually.