INNOVATION and teamwork are key ingredients to achieving the lowest unit cost in underground diamond drilling; something that Swick Mining Services and Sandfire Resources have proven at the De Grussa copper mine project.
As a recognised leader in mineral drilling, WA-based Swick provides underground diamond, reverse circulation and underground production drilling to leading mining companies.
The company specialises in underground diamond drilling in hard-rock, brownfield operations in Australia, the Americas, Asia and Europe, producing high quality geological core samples for its clients, at the lowest unit cost, while maintaining high safety standards.
Innovation is a key ingredient to Swick’s success. A fully mobile and integrated rig unit, the Swick Mobile Underground Diamond Rig is easy to pack and move.
It offers a 360 degree working envelope and performs both grade control and deep exploration drilling.
Swick chief executive officer Vahid Haydari said the ultimate benefit of the Swick Mobile Rig was the demonstrated lowest cost per metre in producing core samples.
“The Swick Mobile Rig has been designed to drill more metres in a shorter timeframe and with safety as a key objective,” he said.
“Projects are completed ahead of time. A shorter production time means savings in a number of other areas, even down to travel and accommodation.
“In this testing economic climate, the Swick Mobile Rig can be viewed as a viable budget-optimising tool.”
Mr Haydari also acknowledged the support of clients as another strong contributor to Swick’s success. As a key client partner, Sandfire Resources has been introduced to Swick’s newest suite of innovations in underground diamond drilling.
“It’s important for us to get feedback from our clients on future innovations, and Sandfire has been very strong in assisting us with trials and providing valuable feedback,” said Mr Haydari.
“We continue to invest in R&D as a means of further developing the productivity and safety of our people, which ultimately adds further value to our clients.”

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