Sandvik has received a SEK275 million order from Kamoa Copper for 19 underground trucks and loaders at the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including two loaders equipped for AutoMine operation.
The order comprises 12 Toro TH663i underground trucks and seven Toro LH621i loaders. Four trucks are scheduled for delivery during the fourth quarter of 2026, another 13 machines are due in the first quarter of 2027 and the final two loaders are expected during the third quarter of 2027.
Sandvik will book the order in the third quarter of 2026. The latest package continues an equipment relationship at Kamoa-Kakula dating from 2019 and will take the active Sandvik fleet at the operation to more than 100 underground trucks, loaders and drills.
The automation element is significant but should not be confused with the entire equipment package. Only two of the seven new loaders are explicitly specified for AutoMine in this order; the remaining vehicles form part of a broader conventional and digitally enabled load-and-haul fleet.
Kamoa Copper separately ordered three additional AutoMine Lite systems in May. Together with the system already operating at the complex, the additions are expected to increase the site to four AutoMine Lite systems as the operator extends remote and autonomous working across selected underground areas.
AutoMine is Sandvik’s platform for autonomous and tele-remote operation of underground loading and haulage equipment. Depending on configuration, operators can control individual machines remotely or use supervisory software to assign tasks and manage traffic across an automated production zone.
Underground loading provides a relatively structured application for automation because machines repeatedly travel between drawpoints and discharge locations. Removing the operator from the cab can reduce exposure to active mining areas, while repeatable speed and route control can improve consistency across shifts.
The surrounding mine still has to be designed and operated around the automated system. Wireless communications must cover the production area, personnel access has to be controlled, routes must be mapped and equipment availability has to remain high enough for automated cycles to translate into actual tonnes moved.
A faster loader provides limited benefit if an ore pass is blocked, a haul route is unavailable or maintenance delays keep the machine out of service. Mine planning, traffic management and workshop capacity therefore remain part of the automation case even when the equipment itself can operate without a driver in the cab.
Patrick Murphy, president of Sandvik’s Mining business area, said the company’s equipment has operated at Kamoa-Kakula since 2019 and that the latest order will support more productive, efficient and safer mining operations. Repeat purchasing gives the technology a stronger commercial test than a short demonstration because equipment performance has already been observed under site conditions.
The Toro TH663i is a 63-tonne underground truck designed for high-capacity haulage, while the LH621i loader is a 21-tonne machine used to move broken rock from production areas. Building a fleet around common machine families can simplify parts inventories, maintenance procedures and operator training, although actual configurations still vary with mine layout and production requirements.
Sandvik has secured several previous Kamoa-Kakula orders. A separate SEK200 million package announced in 2023 covered TH663i trucks, LH621i loaders and DL432i production drills, providing another stage in the installed base rather than forming part of the new SEK275 million contract.
The continuing equipment spend reflects the scale of Kamoa-Kakula’s production ambitions. Sandvik’s current announcement cites 2026 copper production guidance of between 290,000 and 310,000 metric tonnes, with the operation targeting approximately 500,000 tonnes annually from 2028.
Higher mine output requires more than purchasing additional vehicles. Development headings have to advance, processing capacity must be available and underground logistics have to move growing quantities of ore and waste without congestion. Load-and-haul equipment is one of the points where those constraints become visible because mine production cannot exceed what the underground transport system can sustain for long.
Copper demand from power networks, renewable energy, vehicles and industrial electrification provides the wider commercial backdrop, but a strong commodity market does not make every tonne economical. Ore grade, recovery, power, capital expenditure and underground productivity still determine whether expansion translates into acceptable costs.
Automation is one route to improving that productivity, particularly where an operator can supervise equipment from a safer location or keep machines working through periods when an underground area would otherwise be unavailable to personnel. The benefit has to be measured against communications infrastructure, controls, additional technical support and the discipline required to maintain an automated operating zone.
The latest order puts 19 more physical machines into that production system, with automation attached to a defined minority rather than used as a label for the whole fleet. That distinction makes the industrial development more useful: Kamoa-Kakula is continuing to invest heavily in conventional underground capacity while adding autonomous operation where it has a practical role. Automation is becoming part of mining equipment procurement rather than needing a separate experiment every time another loader goes underground.
