Sandvik supports safe salt mining
Salt mining is an ancient process; the deposits themselves can be several hundred million years old. Such is the case at the Bernburg mine in Germany, where esco (european salt company) extracts rock salt from a 250-million-year-old underground deposit.
![One of the vast chambers in the Bernburg salt mine.](/contentassets/3d9f0f621edb4914ad80dab8e8ca4158/web_salt_mining_880x480.jpg?width=420&height=240&rmode=crop&rsampler=bicubic&compand=true&quality=90&v=1684825176&hmac=8e785186a5d05866d1bbc345824e611d78a96626298acee523d7319ed9a47a24)
Salt production here dates back to the Middle Ages, when brine was evaporated from open pans. Today esco relies on modern mining equipment to produce roughly 2 million tons of salt each year, offering its customers a wide range of high-quality salt products, including salt for chemical and industrial use as well as pharma and food-grade salts and de-icing salt.
Bernburg recently bought two new Sandvik LH621 underground loaders, which have a high power-to-weight ratio that ensures faster cycle times. An efficient Tier 4 diesel engine helps to minimize emissions underground.