Dematek replaces crane at Swedish copper factory

Boliden is one of largest production units and private employers in the region.

Its plant receives deliveries of copper and lead concentrates from its own mines, as well as from external suppliers and today, the smelter is a world leader in electronics recycling. Copper, gold and silver are the main materials extracted. 

In 2023, Boliden decided to replace an old traverse that had become difficult to service, and there was no longer any supply of spare parts.

“With a new crane, we get a more service-friendly crane that is modern and adapted to our current production,’ said Hans Lundström, maintenance technician, Boliden.

The traverse is a process crane with a span of 16 metres and double lifting on the trolley. One lifts 22 tons and the other 8 tons. The overhead travelling crane also has a hook with an electric swivel and an electronic hook lock. It is a customised traverse based on the customer's needs and wishes, and service-friendly.

Boliden chose a Dematek traverse because it best met all the requirements that Boliden set out before purchasing a new traverse. 

The installation of the overhead travelling crane and the dismantling of the old one posed a number of challenges. The plant where the overhead travelling crane was in operation is old, so it was difficult to get the old crane down and the new one up.

“There were a lot of different solutions to get the different lifts. One solution was to do the lifting with a crane via a roof hatch,” added Lundström. “We had good co-operation with Dematek in jointly producing risk assessments for all stages. This was a contributing factor to the success of the project.”

The technicians on site from Dematek were installation manager David Hellgren and service technicians Tim Luttinen, Fredrik Öberg and Kristoffer Bjursell.