BUCHEN and Sweden proved during a turnaround that they are also “strong locally in Sweden”
REMONDIS Maintenance & Services
Suche
Company locations
The whole picture – with just a single click. Find out here where our branches are located, what services they offer and how to contact them.
REMONDIS Group locations
Discover the world of REMONDIS with its approx. 900 branches and associated companies in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Operation in the high-tech mine
The team at BUCHEN Sweden, a specialist in industrial services, ensures smooth processes and maximum operational safety at the Garpenberg mine in Sweden.
It’s early in the morning in Hedemora, a small town in Sweden’s Dalarna region. Every day, people work deep below the ground here in one of Europe’s most modern mines: the Garpenberg Mine, operated by Boliden AB. Every year, the company processes around 3.5 million tonnes of ore to recover zinc, lead, copper, silver and gold. While temperatures above ground sometimes drop to freezing or below, the temperature in the mine remains at a constant 20°C. Among the people working in the mine are the team from BUCHEN Sweden AB – a firm belonging to the international BUCHEN Group – that specialises in delivering industrial services under extreme conditions. It keeps the heart of this high-tech mine beating…
BUCHEN Sweden: Experts in industrial services
So what exactly does BUCHEN do here, almost 1½ kilometres below the ground? Even if the answer is not short, it is certainly clear: cleaning, servicing, solving problems – often hidden from view but always with a huge impact.
“We carry out all the decontamination work, perform vacuuming tasks using dry and wet systems, deploy high-pressure technology and clean areas using ice blasting – whenever they’re needed,” explained BUCHEN Sweden AB’s Hedemora district manager. “We are called in regularly, especially to handle the sludge or use our dry vacuum systems. The mine operators ring us up – and we solve their problems.”
Jaakko Holstikko
Distriktschef Hedemora, BUCHEN Sweden AB
Extreme conditions: an everyday situation below ground
Working in mines has its own set of rules: constant temperatures, narrow passageways, stringent safety regulations. People working below ground have to complete a special training course first. The shifts are clearly structured – from 6am to 3.30pm or from 6pm to 3.30am. With the mine carrying out its charging and blasting work twice a day, it is strictly forbidden to enter the mine either at 4pm or 4am.
Speed in emergencies – systematic work for everyday tasks
Every minute counts – especially in an emergency: and so BUCHEN has set up an on-call service. It can be on site at the mine within one hour if there is an emergency. Many malfunctions have been quickly fixed and outages prevented thanks to this service.
BUCHEN, however, not only helps to keep the mine safe in emergencies: it also systematically documents incidents, risk monitoring work and risk analyses. Both the GRIA and BIA systems used here provide an important basis for delivering preventative measures and trouble-free operations.
“The mine is a world of its own. You need to be prepared – to have the right technology and the right mindset. Our on-call service: we’re on site at the mine within one hour in the case of an emergency.”
Jaakko Holstikko
Distriktschef Hedemora, BUCHEN Sweden AB
No two days are the same: the staff enjoy the variety
People working in this environment need more than just the required technical expertise – they must also be able to keep their nerve and have a team spirit. “Our team are, first and foremost, common-sense people with great safety awareness. Every new colleague is carefully trained to do their new job,” the Hedemora district manager explained. The employees appreciate their work there despite the challenges: “The tasks are exciting and varied – no two days are the same.”
Cleaning work: safe & responsible
Sustainability also plays a key role alongside operational safety. BUCHEN works in a resource-friendly way, helps to grow efficiency by making suggestions for improvement and offers technical solutions to minimise the environmental footprint.
In step with the future – below ground as well
The Garpenberg mine is highly automated, many processes are digitised. For BUCHEN, this means being flexible and adaptable – even if the majority of their own systems work independently. So what does this mean for the future? A positive outlook. The increasing requirements also mean even greater safety, efficiency and environmental awareness. “We’ve seen the direction the sector is moving in – towards clean technology, better safety measures and responsible processes,” Jaakko Holstikko said. This includes, for example, BUCHEN Sweden AB using Euro 6-compliant vehicles to cut emissions. Or modern personal protective equipment for its staff. So that at the end of the shift, late at night, the team can say: all’s well in Hedemora.
Learn more about the team and projects at BUCHEN Sweden
