Sandvik Expands Kamoa-Kakula Fleet with 19 New Underground Machines
Sandvik Wins New Kamoa-Kakula Order for 19 Underground Mining Machines in DRC
Swedish engineering group Sandvik has secured a new order from Kamoa Copper to supply 19 underground mining machines to the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), further expanding one of the world’s largest Sandvik underground equipment fleets.
The order, valued at approximately SEK275 million ($29 million), comprises 12 Toro TH663i underground trucks and seven Toro LH621i loaders.
Two of the loaders will be equipped with Sandvik’s AutoMine technology, enabling remote or autonomous operation. The order was booked in the third quarter of 2026.
The first four trucks are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by eight trucks and five loaders in the first quarter of 2027. The remaining two loaders are expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2027.
The latest order will take Sandvik’s fleet at Kamoa-Kakula to more than 100 underground trucks, loaders and drills.
Sandvik has supplied equipment to the operation since 2019, when it established a presence in the DRC to support Kamoa-Kakula.
The company maintains a dedicated technical support team at the mine, as well as a vendor-managed inventory facility designed to improve equipment availability and productivity.
Kamoa Copper Managing Director Annebel Oosthuizen said the decision to continue investing in Sandvik equipment reflects years of operational performance at the mine, with the machines providing the availability, productivity and reliability required for the complex’s underground operations.
Supporting Kamoa-Kakula’s Growth
Kamoa-Kakula is a high-grade, long-life underground copper operation operated by Kamoa Copper, a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining.
The mine expects to produce between 290,000 and 310,000 tonnes of copper in 2026, with plans to increase annual production to approximately 500,000 tonnes from 2028.
The additional Sandvik equipment will support the complex as it expands its underground mining activities and works towards higher production levels.
The inclusion of AutoMine-equipped loaders also highlights the growing role of automation at Kamoa-Kakula.
The operation already has an AutoMine Lite system and has separately ordered three additional systems.
For Sandvik, the latest order strengthens its position at one of the DRC’s most important copper operations and demonstrates the growing demand for high-capacity underground equipment as Kamoa-Kakula continues to expand.
For Kamoa Copper, the investment provides additional hauling and loading capacity while supporting its longer-term objective of establishing Kamoa-Kakula as a major global source of copper.
