Boliden will be able to streamline its materials handling with automated transports inside the zinc smelter, resulting in greater efficiency. This is an important step in efforts to increase production while reducing the company's environmental footprint. Semcon has extensive experience of working with autonomous vehicles (https://semcon.com/offerings/applied-autonomy/) in various industries, such as road construction and airports. 

"We are working as an independent advisor for this groundbreaking project. We are contributing all our collective experience and expertise in the field and supporting Boliden in its construction of sustainable autonomous operations and logistic chains," says Baard Røsvik, Business Development Manager at Semcon.

The first step has been to identify the necessary system requirements and the safety implications of switching to autonomous transport in a mixed traffic environment. Going forward, Semcon will be assisting with safe integration of the new solution at the upgraded Boliden plant in Odda. 

Boliden and Semcon began their partnership in 2021, and this latest phase of the project involving a team of multidisciplinary Semcon experts will be continuing until 2025. 

A sustainable process industry
Boliden's zinc smelter in Odda (https://www.boliden.com/sustainability/case-studies/fjord-clean-up-at-the-odda-smelter) dates back a century. Sørfjorden, adjacent to the smelter, used to be one of the world's most heavily polluted marine environments, but it has now been returned to almost pre-industrial conditions thanks to the company's long-term commitment to environmental protection.

Boliden is a Swedish mining and metals company specialising in exploration, mining, smelting and metal recycling. The company operates in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Ireland. Zinc is one of the most widely consumed metals in the world and is important for sustainable development in the automotive and infrastructure sectors, for example. Read more about Boliden. (https://www.boliden.com/)