Nordkalk Oy is Northern Europe's leading limestone company, which operates in almost 40 European locations. Nordkalk's head office and the group's product development are located in Parainen, where mining operations have been running for two hundred years. At the Parainen mine, limestone is mainly mined for industrial needs, but products are also supplied for the needs of agriculture, water management, and the chemical industry.
At the mine, with an area of more than 70 hectares, mining is carried out as open-pit mining, but rock crushing is partly done in underground facilities. Since the mine's production expanded to the area of the tunnel that was in use, a new replacement tunnel was needed for the underground facilities. JIITEE Työt was selected to carry out this project. In a contract that lasted about four months, JIITEE Työt excavated and reinforced a 340-meter tunnel for the mine.
Nordkalk Oy
4 months
tunnel excavation, shotcrete drainage systems, bolting, subsurface drainage, constructing a road into a tunnel.
"During the project, a new, replacement route was made for the underground crushing plant because as the excavations progress, the old tunnel will be out of use," says Nordkalk Oy's technical manager, Kristian Nyström. JIITEE Työt was selected as the contractor through a tender. When it became relevant to send requests for tenders, JIITEE entered the competition on the recommendation of a Nordkalk employee:
"JIITEE was a partially familiar operator to us because when we started thinking about a contractor, we got a tip from one of our employees. He recommended JIITEE based on his previous experience."
According to Nyström, the contract progressed from start to finish according to the plan and schedule drawn up in the contract negotiations.
"The cooperation went really well. JIITEE's employees came as agreed, the work progressed well and their communication was good. As the customer, we were always up to date and knew what the situation was at the site. If there were questions one way or the other, the issues were clarified immediately and the project was taken forward together," Nyström describes.
The contract for the Parainen mine was handed over a few weeks ahead of schedule, which also partly explains the stability of the plan. Even though the contract had already been precisely scheduled during the negotiation phase, the ten-member team had the responsibility of staying on schedule.
"The job was being done by expert personnel who not only kept us up to date with the situation but also sent a message if, for example, there was something special in the rock. The tunnel was completed in good time and was not even close to being late. The job worked in every way," says Nyström.
Henri Jokitalo, the Site Supervisor of JIITEE Työt, also thinks that the cooperation with the client was smooth and the work of the multi-talented team was efficient.
"We proceeded according to the plan and in good cooperation with the customer. Thanks to a well-prepared plan, we got peace of mind and were able to give it to the mine workers as well. The breakthrough of the tunnel at the end of the project required them to adapt for the moment, but they managed to cope well with that as well. The team selected for the project had multidisciplinary expertise, and although the project included many work steps, they were all done with solid professionalism by a compact team," Jokitalo describes.
The mining environment requires adaptability and experience from the contractor, and JIITEE's team can find that. In a mining environment, the contractor must adapt the work to the operation of the mine, but also, in the case of the Parainen contract, to the surrounding environment of the mine.
"Occupational safety is essential in this kind of environment. The Parainen mine is located next to a settlement, so the operating hours must be adhered to. JIITEE's team worked within the given time window and timed the blasts correctly.
"Everything worked precisely, and we received notifications about the explosions in advance, which allowed us to prepare to communicate the matter to the neighborhood as well if noise disturbance had raised any questions," Nyström explains.
"According to Nyström and Nordkalk Oy's experience, JIITEE Työt managed the project's progress and excelled in maintaining communication and interaction. Based on this, Nyström gladly recommends JIITEE to others."
"The work went well, and precisely working together and communicating to the customer is important. The active contact left a positive feeling. I actively visited the construction site, and the reception and communication on the part of every employee were at their peak. You always felt welcome there."
We are able to work even in the most demanding conditions and if necessary, innovate completely new solutions to efficiently carry out the work. So don’t hesitate to contact us when you need a professional on site.
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