Metso rubber liners keep Boliden trucking at Swedish mine

Gällivare, Sweden – Boliden’s Aitik mine in northern Sweden has signed a three-year contract with Metso to deliver truck bed linings for a total of 15 haul trucks in its existing fleet of 30 trucks. This order represents the largest single order for truck bed linings ever for Metso.

Truck bed linings are used in the haul truck box to protect it and the entire truck structure from wear and damage while transporting rock from the mining pit.

The Metso linings are specifically designed to absorb stress at every point of the truck work cycle, from loading to transport and on to dumping.

This is said to increase service-life four-fold and lower maintenance costs compared with traditional steel linings.

Over the past two years, Boliden evaluated Metso’s truck bed lining through an existing life-cycle services contract for its truck models CAT 793 Flat, CAT 793 DS and CAT 795 Flat, said Magnus Fjellström, maintenance superintendent at Boliden Aitik.

“We have appreciated the increased availability of our trucks,” said Fjellström. “We also value the benefits from a health and safety perspective as our truck drivers prefer to drive the trucks equipped with Metso’s lining due to their reduced noise and vibration levels during operation.”

The modular panel liner is said to be easier to handle than steel: panels can be replaced individually, resulting in reduced downtime for maintenance. They can also reduce noise by 10-15 decibels and vibration for people sitting in the truck.