Engineering the future of mining
When engineer Courtney Doyle accepted an internship at Sandvik, she thought she was simply trying something new. Instead, she discovered a purpose-driven mining industry powered by digital innovation, autonomy and a strong safety mission — far from the stereotypes.
Episode 62
Engineering the future of mining
A modern industry built on innovation, not pickaxes
Like many people outside the industry, Courtney Doyle once pictured mining as manual labor deep underground. Her first impression changed quickly.
“The most valuable thing to come out of the mine is the miner”, she recalls someone telling her early in her career. For her, this single statement captures the core driver behind mining’s digital transformation: protecting people while producing the materials society depends on.
From autonomous loaders and trucks to remote operation centers far from the mine itself, modernization is not a trend, but a necessity. And Sandvik sits at the heart of that development.
“There’s a lot of technology on our equipment, and it’s only going to improve and grow. It’s opening opportunities for new kinds of engineers and new skills we haven’t traditionally associated with mining”, Courtney Doyle explains.
Electrification and the green transition are reshaping the landscape
Mining plays a critical role in the world’s shift toward electrification and is itself undergoing the same transformation. Battery-electric equipment, hybrid power systems and digitally optimized operations are rapidly reducing emissions underground. For Courtney Doyle, this is one of the most exciting changes happening in the field.
“Electrification will be a big part of the future. The whole green transition will be a catalyst for innovation”, she says.
She highlights how surprising it is for many people to realize that today’s climate technologies, from electric cars to mobile phones, simply cannot exist without the metals mined underground. Mining done responsibly is a foundation for a sustainable future.
A message to the next generation
Internships and early exposure are, in Courtney Doyle’s view, the best way to challenge outdated ideas about mining.
“You’ve got to give it a go before you discredit it. There’s such a misconception. It’s not just mining, it’s the entire industry behind it, and the technology is what I find the most exciting.”
Her advice to students and professionals is simple: stay curious. Careers in mining today involve automation, data, electrification, sustainability and global collaboration, fields shaping the world far beyond the mine site.
In each episode of the podcast Meet Sandvik you will meet different persons that give their perspective on Sandvik. Sometimes it´s an employee telling his or her story. Sometimes you will meet experts discussing how a hot topic can affect Sandvik.