Metso and Boliden set new production record
Swedish mining company Boliden have set a new production record at their Aitik copper mine.
On 14 July 2013, 144,912 tons of ore passed through the plant, and thanks to a steadily increasing average production, July 2013 ended up being Aitik's most productive month to date with 3.5 million tons of ore. The mine is now operating at an annual rate of 45 million tons. Boliden's official target for 2013 is to produce 38 million tons of ore in Aitik.
The new record marks a milestone in the collaboration between Metso and Boliden. Metso are responsible for all maintenance in the grinding mill circuit in the Aitik concentrator, and have supplied most of the equipment, including two 11.6m x 13.7m AG grinding mills.
In September 2012 the two companies signed a three-year extension of their comprehensive Life Cycle Services contract. The contract is cost-per-ton based, meaning that Metso get paid based on Aitik's production.
The higher-than-expected production rate is a result of the common efforts of both Metso's Life Cycle Services team and Boliden.
The two companies have been working together since the 1930s under various services agreements. This one-of-a-kind history has made Metso an expert in maximizing mill uptime, a key factor in breaking production records at Aitik.
