Drilling without the use of explosives
Håkan Antonsson, an entrepreneur with a background in electrical engineering, had never operated mining machinery of any kind before he founded Orefields in 2010.
“I was performing electrical maintenance on raise borers and became fascinated with them,” he says. “I wanted to work with the machines in a different way, and I just had a feeling I could do it better and safer than other companies.”
Three years later, Orefields is assembling an impressive resume that includes multiple successes at the world’s largest underground iron ore operation, widely considered the world’s most modern underground mine.
“We’re thinking in a different way, and we’re very glad that LKAB has bought into our philosophy,” says Anders Jonsson, Orefields’ senior supervisor and mechanical superintendent, whose 15 years of raise boring experience span four continents. “Our goal is not to be the biggest raise boring company in the world. Our goal is to have high performance and a high safety standard.”