It is little secret in the mining world that Finland is one of the superpowers when it comes to making mining technology.
Companies such as Outotec – once was Outokumpu – and Metso spring to mind. Not to forget Tamrock, the great underground equipment maker, before a raider came over the border from Sweden to seize it and it became part of Sandvik.
All three are well known to Australian miners.
Theirs is the technology they regularly turn to.
In the midst of the local content debate both Fortescue Metals Group and Rio Tinto were strongly making their cases that they used Australian-sourced technology and materials wherever possible.
FMG chief executive officer Nev Power did make the proviso though that there were some pieces of technology that it was difficult to obtain in Australia.
Car dumpers are a case in point. Both FMG and Rio Tinto have turned to Metso for their car dumpers.
Indeed, Metso recently announced that it would be supplying another rotary rail car dumper for Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert Port B iron ore operation.
Like their neighbouring Swedes the Finns have a long history of mining and metallurgy. It is a history that stretches back centuries.
So what is a delegation of top academics and, indeed, representatives from some of these major technology providers, doing in Australia? They have a handle on what it takes to develop mining technology, right?
Well, mining in Finland almost became history itself. The country’s rulers believed that it would be better off seeking enriched grade ore from other sources and further processing it.
It is only in the past few years that mining became cool again in Finland.
Australia already has gone through this sort of rollercoaster ride. Back in 1997 the Reserve Bank decided to dump its gold reserve and effectively nuked the local mining industry back to the stone age. Then the tech boom rolled in and mining was suddenly so “old economy”
Funnily enough the tech bubble burst. Many of the old mining company shells that had become dot.coms became dot.gones.
Within a couple of years mining started to come roaring back. The old mining companies that had become dot.coms became miners once more.
Which is part of the reason why the delegation has come to Australia.
It wants to learn, among other things, how Australian mining companies and universities foster innovation.
It also wants to learn how to better develop a small to medium-sized enterprise sector in the Finnish mining industry.
According to delegation leader Harry Sandstrom, this SME sector is something that Finland would like to make for itself.
Another area the Finns are interested in is sustainable mining. What technologies are available? What can they do to help their miners and technology companies become greener?
If nothing else it shows that even the biggest players can realise they have something to learn and be prepared to take those steps to do it. A key lesson for mining services suppliers everywhere.
