What is your role at Rampura Agucha mine?
I’ve been proudly associated with Rampura Agucha mine since 1990, and today I work as an associate general manager, making sure that our operation runs smoothly and that the mine reaches its production target. Our journey started with 1 million tonnes of ore treatment in 1990, and now it is at 6 million tonnes, so it’s been quite a journey.

What’s the reason for your success?
To achieve this kind of expansion in production, we have relied on the latest equipment on the market. I’m proud to say that we have adopted every technological development in all areas of mining, including drilling, blasting and, of course, hauling and excavation.

What has been your biggest challenge at the mine?
When we started production at the mine, we were struggling to find equipment with good safety features. The Sandvik DP1524 drill has all the safety features we require. The drill’s built-in water injection system is very efficient and prevents dust shedding during drilling. While drilling we’re also saving fuel in terms of metres, so environmentally it’s very eco-friendly.

What has the Sandvik drill meant in terms of production?
Before putting this equipment into production, we were unsure whether it would get the required results. But after deployment the equipment availability and performance has been better than expected. In fact, its performance is excellent. We have achieved more than 18,000 metres of drilling in a month, which is a landmark achievement by any single drill at Rampura Agucha.