WORLD PROSPECTS
Overland Conveyor Co goes private
As Overland Conveyor Company( OCC) approaches its 30th anniversary serving the global conveyor industry through industry leading solutions, software and technology, it has shared an important update. Effective February 12, 2026, OCC has returned to private ownership under the leadership of long-term employee now shareholder and President, Paul Ormsbee. The company was formerly owned by FLSmidth.
With more than 20 years at OCC, Ormsbee’ s deep technical expertise, longstanding client relationships, and a strong understanding of the operational challenges facing modern mining operations the company says will ensure continuity for clients, whist his passion for innovation and making customers successful will drive further market leading advancements in the conveyor industry.
The broader OCC leadership team remains unchanged and fully committed to supporting its clients worldwide. For clients, OCC says this means increased agility in decision-making and responsiveness as a private company, plus accelerated development and long-term support of Belt Analyst™, Dynamic Analyst™, Bulk Flow Analyst™, and ConveyorIQ™.
It also translates into ongoing investment in research, engineering innovation, and digital monitoring solutions with the same experienced engineering and software teams OCC customers rely on today; combined with growing capability and investment in R & D.
The statement added:“ For three decades, OCC has partnered with mining companies globally to design, analyse, optimise, and monitor critical conveyor systems. Our focus remains unchanged: helping operations maximise reliability, safety, and performance while minimising total lifecycle cost. Our commitment to technical excellence, client partnership, and long-term support remains stronger than ever. We are grateful for the trust you have placed in us over the past 30 years and look forward to continuing to support your operations for decades to come.”
https:// www. overlandconveyor. com /
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New Epiroc and Master Builders partnership begins
Epiroc Ground Support, a global provider of underground mining ground support solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with Master Builders Solutions, global manufacturer of concrete admixtures and underground construction products, aimed at developing next-generation chemical technologies for the mining industry.
The collaboration brings together Epiroc Ground Support’ s global expertise in mining applications and Master Builders Solutions’ advanced chemical engineering capabilities to jointly develop new solutions designed to improve sustainability, product longevity, and supply reliability for customers operating in demanding environments.
The first outcome of this partnership is the development of a new thixotropic resin, which will be introduced globally as part of Epiroc Ground Support’ s evolving product portfolio. Named BoltX-P, the solution represents an important step in augmenting Epiroc’ s solutions while providing improved operational performance and a more sustainable alternative to existing products, the OEM says.
Kobie Koekemoer, Vice President of Epiroc Ground Support, said:“ One of the key outcomes of our collaboration with Master Builders Solutions has been the ability to enhance the resilience of our global supply capability and the performance characteristics of the solutions we will be introducing to the market.
“ By increasing production capacity and improving supply responsiveness, we are better positioned to support our customers.”
Through the collaboration, an increased production capability will have a positive effect on customers worldwide, by strengthening the overall supply chain and improving responsiveness to customer demands across global markets.
Jan Klügge, Head of UGC Business – Master Builders Solutions, said:“ Our partnership is built on combined expertise and deep understanding of underground mining needs, resulting in a next-generation solution. BoltX-P demonstrates our shared commitment to innovation, providing the underground mining sector with the stability and supply reliability required for modern, high-intensity operations.”
https:// www. epiroc. com; https:// master-builders-solutions. com /
Qiyuan Green Power says OT battery swapping meeting expectations
Since October 2025, Rio Tinto Group has been using a battery swapping system supplied by Shanghai Qiyuan Green Power Technology at its Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold operation in Mongolia to maintain operation of a fleet of eight 91-t Tonly DTE145 battery electric wide body mining trucks. It is used together with 13 800 kWh batteries. Recently, the Chinese technology company, part of SPIC, shared some updates on the project.
It says that from December to February, the temperature in Mongolia is regularly as low as-30 ° C, and that the extreme conditions such as cold, but also fog and dust, are frequent, which has proven to be a great test for the stability of the charging and swapping system.
In order to solve the pain point of battery activity decline in extremely cold environments, Qiyuan customised a thermal management system for batteries, and also monitors the battery status in real time through its cloud platform, while at the same time it says it ensures that the battery can still maintain strong charging and discharging efficiency in the low temperature environments with the help of centralised management and keeping the actual charging in an enclosed environment.
It says the Qiyuan charging and swapping system has been in stable operation at Oyu Tolgoi for months, and that the eight electric mining trucks have completed automatic battery swapping 1,900 times, with the 13 sets of 800 kWh power batteries charged and discharged continuously in cycles, with no major faults and no spare parts replacements throughout the process, which it says confirms the ability of the system to adapt to extreme cold.
The company adds:“ The seven minute fast battery swap mode minimises the downtime of mining trucks, which can save nearly three hours of charging time per day compared with the traditional charging mode, and the transportation efficiency has increased by about 14 %, which strongly supports the orderly progress of the construction of tailings dams and overburden transportation tasks in the mining area.” It also refers to the bigger picture for the technology, with the potential to help address Rio Tinto’ s Scope 1( direct greenhouse gas emissions) carbon footprint. In this case, the electrification transformation of the transportation fleet has reduced fuel consumption by about 240 t so far,
International Mining | APRIL 2026