LKAB signs agreement with Kiruna Wagon to produce and refurbish ore wagons
Kiruna Wagon has signed a contract with LKAB for the production of 100 new ore wagons and for the refurbishment and restoration of 92 existing wagons. The project involves both an expansion of the mining company's entire wagon fleet and the modernisation of existing wagons for continued use.
Photo: Fredric Alm.
Since the start of construction of the F050 Bottom Dumper wagon for LKAB in 2005, Kiruna Wagon has produced over 1200 wagons. At first in cooperation with the company Kockums Industrier, but since about ten years as a sole operator. LKAB is now adding 100 new wagons to its fleet for the transport of iron ore pellets, and once more, Kiruna Wagon has been entrusted with this task.
In addition to this new production, 92 Uadk and Uadk RF Bottom Dumpers will also undergo refurbishment and restoration for continued operation for many years to come. The 92 wagons are currently in various states of repair, but by the time the project is completed they will all have modern stiffened cargo baskets and bottom hatches fitted with stainless steel sliding doors. This ensures smooth unloading of raw material consisting of moist, fine-grained ore sludge, with stainless steel plate surfaces providing less risk of sludge getting stuck during the discharge.
“The ore wagons that Kiruna Wagon builds for us are of very high quality and reliability. This is essential, because LKAB accounts for around 45 percent of all rail transport in Sweden, measured in tonnes. With this new order, we have ensured sufficient capacity for continued deliveries of our iron ore products,” says Linda Bjurholt, Logistics Manager at LKAB and CEO of LKAB Malmtrafik.
For almost two decades, wagon projects of this scale have made it possible for Kiruna Wagon to develop its products and expertise.
“An order like this, worth several hundred million SEK, is of course significant, not only for Kiruna Wagon, but for the entire private industrial sector in Norrbotten. Thanks to continued trust from our strong base industries, we have built up a product portfolio of globally unique wagons,” says Thomas Persson, Chairman of Kiruna Wagon and of the GMK Group, which owns 50 percent of Kiruna Wagon.
