Sandvik Secures $29M Kamoa-Kakula Deal as On-Site Fleet Tops 100

Sandvik has won an order worth SEK 275 million (roughly US$29 million) to deliver 19 underground machines to the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a deal that will push the Swedish equipment maker’s fleet on site past 100 units.

Recorded in Sandvik’s books during Q3 2026 and made public on 26 August 2026, the order comprises a fleet of 12 Toro TH663i haul trucks alongside 7 Toro LH621i loaders; two of the loaders are fitted with Sandvik’s AutoMine autonomous operation system. Deliveries begin in Q4 2026 and run through Q3 2027, aligning directly with Kamoa Copper S.A.’s push toward 500,000 tonnes of annual copper production from 2028.

That production target sits at the centre of a multi-year ramp that the joint venture partners, Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining Group, are funding through recent seismic disruptions and tightened 2026 guidance. Here is what the fleet expansion tells you about the operation’s resilience, its automation strategy, and where the real execution risk sits as the delivery window approaches.

Crossing the 100-machine threshold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The headline dollar figure matters, but the physical scale matters more. Nineteen machines, broken across 12 Toro TH663i underground haul trucks and 7 Toro LH621i loaders, represent the kind of fleet commitment that only makes sense when an operator is certain about multi-year production volumes.

Sandvik has been supplying underground trucks, loaders, and drills to Kamoa-Kakula since 2019. This is not a new supplier audition. It is the deepening of a seven-year relationship, and the milestone it creates, a fleet exceeding 100 Sandvik underground units on a single site, speaks to how embedded the equipment maker’s technology has become in the mine’s daily operations.

Sandvik’s underground fleet deals across African copper operations share a structural pattern: multi-year delivery schedules, phased capacity additions, and increasing automation content, with the Khoemacau contract in Botswana offering a direct comparison point for the scale and terms of the Kamoa-Kakula order.

The delivery schedule is structured to match the production ramp. Four trucks arrive first, giving the operation additional hauling capacity before the larger tranche lands in early 2027.

Equipment orders of this scale are not speculative. They are signed commitments that lock in operational infrastructure well ahead of target production dates. For anyone tracking whether Kamoa-Kakula is actually positioned to hit its future output guidance, machines on the ground are the prerequisite for moving rock.

Automating Kamoa-Kakula through a phased pilot strategy

Two of the seven new loaders carry Sandvik’s AutoMine autonomous operation system, a technology that enables remotely supervised underground loading without an operator in the cab. That is a deliberate ratio: two autonomous units alongside five conventional ones.

AutoMine autonomous operation enables remotely supervised loading by combining machine perception, path planning, and traffic management software into a system that can run multiple loaders simultaneously from a surface control room, with the operator monitoring rather than physically controlling each machine.

This is not a wholesale fleet conversion. It is a calculated trial. Kamoa Copper is building a live demonstration environment for autonomy on a small fraction of its loader fleet, preserving production stability while testing the technology under real underground conditions.

The approach builds on earlier steps:

• In May 2026, Kamoa Copper purchased three additional AutoMine Lite systems (a lighter-touch automation package), bringing the total AutoMine Lite units on site to four.
• The two new AutoMine-equipped LH621i loaders are scheduled for the final delivery tranche in Q3 2027, meaning they arrive after the bulk of the conventional fleet is already operational.
• This sequencing allows the mine to establish baseline production rates with standard equipment before layering in autonomous capability.

For mining sector observers, the phased approach tells you something about how tier-one assets are adopting automation. They are not replacing operators overnight. They are de-risking the technology upgrade in stages, limiting short-term execution risk while building the operational data needed to justify broader deployment later.

Capital commitment in the face of seismic disruptions

Zoom out from the equipment spec sheets and the US$29 million cheque lands in a specific context: Kamoa-Kakula’s joint venture partners are spending aggressively through recent operational headwinds.

Seismic-related disruptions earlier in 2026 forced Ivanhoe Mines to tighten copper production guidance for the year. The revised range tells the story of both the short-term challenge and the long-term ambition:

The Kamoa-Kakula 2026 performance context behind this equipment order includes a Q2 production period already shaped by the seismic disruptions that forced Ivanhoe to narrow its annual guidance range, making the forward capital commitment represented by this fleet order a deliberate counter-signal to short-term operational turbulence.

1. 2026: 290,000-310,000 tonnes of copper (tightened from a prior range of 290,000-330,000 tonnes)
2. 2027: 380,000-420,000 tonnes of copper
3. 2028 onwards: Over 500,000 tonnes of copper per year

The 500,000-tonne annual target would position Kamoa-Kakula among the largest copper-producing operations globally, at a time when the market faces widening supply deficits driven by electrification and energy transition demand.

The ownership structure behind these capital decisions reinforces the commitment. Ivanhoe Mines holds 39.6%, Zijin Mining Group holds 39.6%, the DRC Government holds 20%, and Crystal River Global Limited holds 0.8%. Both lead partners are continuing to fund underground fleet expansion despite the seismic disruptions, a signal that they are looking past the 2026 production dip toward the 2028 volume horizon.

Production guidance is a projection. A signed equipment contract for 19 machines with a phased delivery schedule running to Q3 2027 is capital deployed. That distinction matters when assessing whether the infrastructure required for the 2028 expansion is actually being secured.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Investors should conduct their own research and consult with financial professionals before making investment decisions. Production guidance figures are forward-looking and subject to operational, geological, and market risks.

Measuring execution risk as the 2027 delivery window approaches

The relationship between equipment delivery and production scaling is direct: Kamoa-Kakula cannot hit 380,000-420,000 tonnes in 2027 without the hauling and loading capacity this order provides. The Q1 2027 tranche, at 13 units, is the single largest delivery in the schedule and the primary logistical milestone to watch.

If that tranche lands on time and integrates into underground operations without significant delay, the mine’s path to its 2027 guidance range strengthens materially. If it slips, the production ramp compresses into a tighter window.

The next production update from Kamoa Copper will confirm whether these assets are moving dirt on schedule. That is the data point that converts a signed contract into actual copper output.

For readers wanting to understand the regulatory environment surrounding this capital deployment, our full explainer on Congo mining reform covers the 2026 legislative changes, royalty structures, and investor confidence indicators that frame how international partners assess long-term risk in DRC copper operations.