Deep within the Kittilä mine, steady metallic thuds echo in the rock. Janne Jokelainen, 35, is on shift, securing the rock face with confident precision.
Over the course of his career, Janne has worked at several Tapojärvi mining sites: Kemi, Elijärvi, Sotkamo, and Gällivare. Today, his main responsibilities are rock bolting and meshing in Kittilä.
Bolting is physically demanding work where conditions, rock quality, and machinery all affect the outcome. During one shift, Janne installs more than 100 cement bolts into the rock, even though the set target is a quarter less. His record with Swellex bolts is more than double the required target.
Bolting is one of the most critical tasks in mining. It ensures the safety of the mine for everyone.
– The purpose of ground support is to guarantee a safe working environment. You have to do your job so well that you would trust letting others in the mine, Jokelainen says.
Modern mining increasingly relies on extensive collaboration, where mining companies purchase production services from contractors. Tapojärvi plays a key role in this field: the company provides specialized expertise and a wide range of mining services in Finland, Sweden, and Greece, as well as industrial services in Finland and Italy.
Although Tapojärvi’s position as a specialized service provider is strong, the company’s operating environment is not immune to external challenges. In 2024, geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain delays, and rising energy costs affected production and financial risks at various sites.
Tapojärvi’s mining expertise covers all stages of the mining process. The content and duration of service contracts vary by client.
– Long-term partnerships are becoming more common, especially when cooperation includes development elements and requires significant investments from the service provider, such as purchasing equipment and machinery, says acting CEO Mari Pilventö.
Tapojärvi invests heavily in fleet renewal and technological solutions. The company currently operates more than 500 pieces of mobile equipment. Electric machinery, automation, and remote control are emphasized especially in enclosed and safety-critical environments.
In 2024, Tapojärvi invested in Europe’s first hybrid work machines at Outokumpu’s Kemi mine. These support the client’s goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral mine.
The company’s operations are characterized by reliance on a few major customers, which increases revenue volatility. Long-term contracts bring stability, but the end of a single contract—such as the conclusion of Tapojärvi’s contract at SSAB’s Raahe steel plant in May—requires rapid redeployment of personnel and adjustment to a changing environment.
In Siilinjärvi, Tapojärvi operates with Yara Suomi under an alliance model. This ten-year partnership, launched in 2022, covers loading, hauling, and various aspects of blasting.
– The alliance model is exceptional in Finnish mining services. In it, the mining company and contractor share development, costs, and benefits, Pilventö explains.
In the alliance organization, Tapojärvi and Yara work closely together. Daily cooperation, information sharing, and Big Room practices are central elements of the model. This makes it possible to develop production in terms of efficiency, safety, and environmental performance.
– Supervisors and employees work in the same organization, which improves communication and strengthens safety culture.
Tapojärvi has specialized expertise in large-scale circular economy solutions serving, among others, the mining industry. The company processes industrial side streams into new products.
For example, ferrochrome and steel slag are turned into CE-certified construction materials used in infrastructure and asphalt production. The company also produces shotcrete and geopolymer-based structural solutions from industrial side streams, reducing the use of virgin raw materials and lowering the carbon footprint of mines.
Tapojärvi has also developed solutions for mine water and dust control. Circular economy expertise supports not only environmental goals but also compliance with permitting requirements.
– Although Tapojärvi has made significant investments in circular economy products and low-carbon solutions, commercialization is still at an early stage. Last year, we produced 120,000 tonnes of TapoEko products. We believe these circular economy solutions will play a significant role in reducing the environmental impact of mining in the future, Pilventö says.
Today, more than one thousand professionals work at Tapojärvi. The number of employees has doubled in five years.
Modern mining is technically demanding and requires multidisciplinary expertise. Process operators are expected to have more maintenance skills, while heavy equipment operators need both driving expertise and knowledge of machinery maintenance and safety protocols.
Tapojärvi believes that developing expertise and supporting career paths are key to employee commitment. One third of employees have been with the company for more than five years, and 15 percent for more than ten.
– Continuity, interesting work tasks, and opportunities to broaden skills are the group’s strengths, summarizes Administrative Director Janne Alatalo.
Janne Jokelainen first joined Tapojärvi as a haul truck driver. Motivated, he soon expanded his skills to blasting work.
– I can’t just sit still. If I can’t continue my own work—for example, due to a machine breakdown—I’ll go to the cable bolter during maintenance and learn something new, he says.
Tapojärvi’s workforce structure varies by project. Some employees work on a rotational basis, moving from one site to another, though local labor is used whenever possible.
The company provides site-specific accommodation and support services and places strong emphasis on orientation and safety. Remote locations and the demands of rotational work challenge the industry, and housing shortages are common in mining towns.
Tapojärvi has addressed these challenges by investing in housing near worksites. The goal is to minimize commuting time and support employees’ well-being. Tapojärvi Kiinteistöt has built new row houses in Siilinjärvi and Sodankylä. Next in line is Kittilä, where plans are underway for seven relocatable detached houses, offering a total of 24 rooms.
– With these new homes we can ensure that employees live well and in healthy conditions, says Property Engineer Eveliina Rousu.
