Swedish Russian Mining Initiative

• World-wide concept of Swedish Mining Initiative first time in Russia
• A cluster of the strongest and most innovative Swedish mining suppliers share their mining experiences
• Two ministries represented giving their views on regulations and industry development

On November 14, 2013, in the main conference hall of the hotel Radisson Royal (Hotel Ukraine) in Moscow, the first Swedish Russian Mining Initiative was held for leaders of Russian mining industry. H.E. Ambassador of Sweden to Russia opened the forum which was arranged by the Embassy of Sweden in Russia and the Swedish Trade and Invest Council.

Nearly 200 years ago Alfred Nobel came from Stockholm to Saint Petersburg and introduced the dynamite to the Russian mining industry. The dynamite set whole new standards in efficiency and safety within the industry and completely changed the way of working in mining operations. Today Swedish mining suppliers are well represented among all Russian mining companies and with the first Swedish Russian Mining Initiative we again aim to write history and set the ground for yet a better understanding and collaboration between two leading mining nations.

The overall topic of the Swedish Russian Mining Initiative was High-Tech, Sustainable and Profitable Mining – improving efficiency and profitability of the mining industry by introduction of new technologies and solutions.

After the opening of the forum, Yuri Malyshev, president of the NP Russian Mining Operators, gave his view on how the mineral resources sector is the base of economic growth in Russia, followed by a report of Russian industry development, given by Stanislav Gerasimchuk from Vnesheconombank. Ilya Kokukhin from Severstal Resources concluded the first presentation block with Severstal Resources and Russian mining companies’ view on implementation of new technologies and solutions.

Swedish companies present at the forum were the three strategic partners; Sandvik, Volvo Construction Equipment / Ferronordic Machines and Scania Mining together with the following Swedish exhibitors and speakers: ABB / Ventyx, SKF, EKN, Xylem, Malmfälten, SSAB and Oryx Simulations. Strategic partners and exhibitors showcased their products outside the conference hall during the whole day.

The Swedish mining suppliers gave the audience interesting success cases and discussed topics such as Automation, Efficiency, Simulations and Skills, Safety and Usability, Transport of Minerals, Minimizing Financial Risks and Operational Costs and Increasing Sustainability and Availability as well as Mobility and Performance.

Key note speaker Anton Löf from Raw Materials Group and Luleå Technical University finished the presentation session by giving the audience a brief history of mining in Sweden and the Nordics followed by a summary of future trends in the mining sector, considering operations and outlooks of the leading Swedish mining companies, LKAB, Boliden and Lundin Mining.

At the end of the official part of the forum, a panel discussion was held with representatives from the Swedish mining suppliers, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as the Russian mining industry. The panel concluded the topics of the forum and discussed how suppliers to mining can continue to meet the needs of the Russian mining industry in the best possible way.

The forum finished with a cocktail function where representatives from the Russian and Swedish mining industry openly discussed the topics of the day and better got acquainted with the Swedish mining suppliers.