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Sandvik partners with Vale Base Metals for autonomous surface drill fleet expansions

Sandvik will supply 16 surface drills with AutoMine® readiness for Vale Base Metals’ copper operations in Brazil. The orders, which were mostly booked in Q2 and Q3 2025, with the remainder in 2026, include nine Sandvik DR416i rotary blasthole drill rigs and seven Leopard™ DI650i down-the-hole (DTH) drill rigs, as well as multi-year service and rock tools supply. The rigs will be equipped for fully autonomous drilling with Sandvik’s industry-leading AutoMine® system.

Deliveries to site of the Sandvik DR416i rotary rigs began in Q4 2025 and will continue into Q2 2027. Four DI650i rigs will be delivered in 2026 and the final three in 2029.

The Sandvik DR416i is a powerful and technologically advanced drill rig, designed for drilling rotary from 269,9 to 406,4 millimeters (10 5/8” to 16 inches). The Leopard™ DI650i is a self-contained, crawler-mounted, intelligent DTH drill rig for demanding high-capacity production drilling and pre-split, covering hole diameters from 115 to 203 millimeters (4 ½” to 9 inches).

AutoMine® Autonomous package is the most advanced level of automation and includes the AutoCycle capabilities. The AutoCycle enables fully autonomous operation of the surface drilling fleet, allowing multiple drill rigs to be operated from a remote-control room. This enhances operational safety, increases productivity and improves fleet utilization.

Sandvik will supply equipment for the Salobo and Sossego operations. Located in Canaã dos Carajás, southeastern Pará, the Sossego Mining Complex was inaugurated in 2004 as Vale's first copper operation. The Salobo Mining Complex is located in Marabá, southeastern Pará. It holds the largest copper mineral reserve in Brazil.

“We’re excited to grow our surface partnership with Vale Base Metals, where we will provide our latest technologies and collaborate to optimize productivity and cost efficiencies,” said Mats Eriksson, President of Mining at Sandvik.

“This achievement also marks a significant milestone for Sandvik, Business Area Mining, demonstrating our ability to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of surface solutions across all divisions. Our journey with Vale Base Metals began in 2021 with the initial DR416i trial at the Sossego mine.”

For further information, please contact:
Victor Becattini, Vice President, Sales Area Brazil, Sandvik
Email: victor.becattini@sandvik.com

Sandvik Group
Sandvik is a global, high-tech engineering group providing solutions that enhance productivity, profitability and sustainability for the manufacturing, mining and infrastructure industries. We are at the forefront of digitalization and focus on optimizing our customers’ processes. Our world-leading offering includes equipment, tools, services and digital solutions for machining, mining, rock excavation and rock processing. In 2024 the Group had approximately 41​,000 employees and revenues of about 123 billion SEK in more than 150 countries.

Business area Mining
Mining is a business area within the Sandvik Group and a global leading supplier of equipment and tools, parts, service, digital solutions and sustainability-driving technologies for the mining and construction industries. Application areas include rock drilling, rock cutting, loading and hauling, tunneling, ground support and quarrying. In 2024, sales were approximately 64 billion SEK with about 17,000 employees. For further information, visit mining.sandvik.