Normet: An All-Round Player bringing innovation and expertise to EFNARC

In the ever-evolving landscape of underground operations, Finnish company Normet leads in sprayed concrete equipment and field service. With decades of experience, Normet consistently pushes technology and training solutions in mining, tunnelling, and civil engineering projects.

In an interview with Harri Sonninen, Global Product Manager of New Technologies & Training Solutions at Normet, we gained valuable insights into the company's approach and vision, and its role in EFNARC.

Sonninen, a professional with 16 years of experience at Normet, oversees all training solutions globally and implements new technologies into customer operations, such as scanning devices and VR/XR technologies. Normet has offered technical and operator training since the production of sprayers started in the 1970s, "we've come a long way from yelling training instructions over the roar of compressors to embracing the latest VR technology in our training programs, which we greatly prefer." says Sonninen.

In recent decades, Normet evolved to offer an extensive portfolio of mining and tunnelling solutions, covering the process chain of their clients to “combine service and training agreements, along with data analytic packages and Battery electric Vehicles,” says Sonninen.

A lifelong relationship

Normet has been part of EFNARC for decades and developed nozzle operator certification schemes to meet industry standards and safety requirements worldwide, contributing to industry advancements.

Harri Sonninen

Global Product Manager of New Technologies & Training Solutions at Normet

Sonninen believes Normet’s involvement in developing a simulator training solution –with EFNARC– was a turning point. “We did have some sprayed concrete simulators more than 10 years ago, and meeting the standards around simulator training was a big question mark for us. When EFNARC started to develop this VR simulator training program, it was a valuable moment for Normet to step in and give our own expertise,” he says.

According to Sonninen, Normet's collaboration with EFNARC not only ensures they participate in defining the highest industry standards but also contributes to “the sustainable and safe development of the mining and tunnelling industry”.

VR as a game-changer

Sonninen highlighted Normet's commitment to innovation, bringing forward its virtual reality spraying training simulator, which provides diverse training environments and digital twins of its equipment and underground conditions.

"VR training allows us to leverage our global expertise, combining these forces and providing standardized training programs worldwide while offering valuable data insights and promoting sustainability and safety," said the Normet manager. “Our customers are saving money; we are making the projects more profitable by increasing people’s competence, reducing material waste, lowering operational emissions and saving operational time. They get benefits if they save emissions during our trainings too,” he added.

Chuquicamata iconic project

One of the key projects discussed was the Chuquicamata Underground copper mining project in Chile, where Normet provided concrete transportation, equipment (concrete sprayers, mixers), training (including virtual reality simulators), chemical support, and other services.

“We were part of the project from its inception, working closely with our local subsidiary to ensure a flawless execution. It is a good example of how we implement our complete solutions”

— Harri Sonninen

Addressing challenges faced in such projects, the Finnish highlighted the importance of environmental and location factors, due to the challenges the arid climate posed for concrete mixing and the difficulty to bring competent workforce to remote areas.

"Our global understanding combined with local expertise enables us to meet unique project requirements effectively," he explained, noting how Normet’s presence in 30 countries and 50 locations allows for truly tailored solutions, especially in entire sprayed concrete operation, operator training, and the concrete mix design expertise.

Green Innovation

When it comes to sustainability, Sonninen outlined Normet's focus on implementing new technologies, such as battery-operated equipment and VR simulators, to reduce emissions and promote sustainable practices that align with global Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Normet's simulators contribute to environmental conservation by saving fuel, materials, and time during training, with historical data showing a 23% improvement in operational efficiency. "By optimizing processes, improving energy efficiency, reducing the amount of cement in production by correct mix design and avoiding extra usage and waste of concrete, we strive to minimize environmental impact," Sonninen explained.

Looking ahead, Sonninen identified digitalization as a key trend shaping the industry. "Digitalization, including data handling, simulator solutions, automated spraying units, scanning and mapping technologies to monitor the sprayed concrete thickness layers and capture its profile information, is revolutionizing in underground operations, and Normet is at the forefront," he stated, and added, “we are the industry role model in sprayed concrete technology, and it is one of our main focuses”.

Normet's dedication to innovation, sustainability, and excellence continues to redefine the landscape of mining and tunnelling operations globally. With a strong commitment to meeting customer needs and embracing industry trends, Normet remains a pioneer in our field.

EDVIRT - 10 years of creating new standards using virtual reality

Simulators and virtual training are now an industry standard in the sprayed concrete industry, and it’s largely thanks to EDVIRT’s determination to improve nozzlemen training.

EDVIRT is an edtech company working with simulator development and virtual training in the mining and tunnelling industries. What started as a research project conducted at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has now evolved into an international brand changing the landscape for sprayed concrete Nozzle Operator training.

An academia success story: working with the tunnelling and mining industry to make commercially viable innovations

As a part of their master’s thesis, Eric Odkrans and Petter Börjesson were introduced to the idea of developing a shotcrete simulator. Tunnelling contractor BESAB presented this idea to Chalmers University of Technology. Petter got to work on developing the software prototype, while Eric focused on the commercial potential of the simulator. 

After completing their individual research projects in 2012, they found that they could in fact simulate sprayed concrete and that there was a need for it in the industry. In February 2013, Petter and Eric founded EDVIRT after getting their first customer—LKAB, a prominent iron ore mining company in Sweden. Already from the beginning, their aim was to standardise virtual training of nozzlemen.

In many cases, the academic space can develop great research, which sadly ends up in the desk drawer. The industry also often sits on great commercial ideas that never are challenged at a research stage. But, when academia and industry collaborate, and especially when there are motivated entrepreneurs involved, remarkable innovations can be realized. EDVIRT is a good example of that.

Experts at analysing real-life processes and how they can be improved with virtual training

Over the past ten years, the EDVIRT team has grown their list of products and services, focusing primarily on safety features, training courses and virtual training for tunnels and mines.

According to Eric, their strength lies in analysing processes and identifying whether they can benefit from virtual training. While many processes are suitable for on-the-job training or theory, others benefit from virtual training. However, a mix is often most efficient—and that’s where

EDVIRT comes in to develop training courses that heavily involve virtual training but also incorporates real-life scenarios or theory aspects. 

An essential part of their process when developing training courses and software applications is involving industry experts every step of the way. As Eric says:

“Whatever we develop, we do it with people in the industry. All our products have been jointly developed with personnel from machine manufacturers or tunnelling and mining companies. Real operators regularly give us feedback on the product throughout the development process.”

The EDVIRT team are also regularly out in the field, including visiting mines and underground tunnelling projects, to talk to industry experts and shotcrete operators in real-life scenarios.

“We’re experts at training and software, but not necessarily at all mining processes. Hence, we always include industry experts from the field or research.” - Eric Odkrans, Head of Business Development at EDVIRT

With their main business being developing training courses for global mining and tunnelling companies, the most important thing for them is to provide a good teaching tool. According to Eric, their tool needs to be able to take the operator to the next level, and that doesn’t necessarily mean simulating reality.

“The important thing is that we speed up the learning process and can safely teach people. Simulating a machine to be 100% like reality is often not what our trainees want. They rather want to train on the essentials and the application and practice things they might not be able to do in real life. We also need to use a strong teaching methodology that incorporates different training scenarios so that operators can learn the entire process—from A to Z.” - Eric Odkrans, Head of Business Development at EDVIRT

10 Years of EDVIRT

Over the past 10 years, EDVIRT has collaborated and partnered with many key industry organisations, including EFNARC, Master Builders, Freeport, LKAB and Sandvik to name a few.

The team has also grown to 12 employees, with Eric as the Head of Business Development, Petter as the Technical Manager and Tomislav Rogan as the CEO.

According to Eric:

“We’re a fun, multicultural team working in an exciting international industry.” 

While a significant focus of their projects has been in Sweden, stemming from their base in Göteborg, they’ve responded to the international demand for their product and established a global footprint. EDVIRT’s first client was the Swedish mining company LKAB, and their second was the London Underground with the Crossrail project. Other key projects include WestConnex in Sydney. 

EDVIRT has partnered with EFNARC to share their ideas and thoughts on Nozzle Operator training. They’re proud to say that EFNARC’s prestigious certification now require virtual training and testing.

What’s next for EDVIRT?

In February 2021, EDVIRT was acquired by DSI Underground, part of the Sandvik Group. While EDVIRT remains a standalone company in the group, they now also internally develop innovations with a sales network spread globally.

According to Eric, EDVIRT is focused on spreading simulator training to more applications and is committed to developing more innovations in the space.

EFNARC is the Authoritative Voice of Contractors, Manufacturers, Raw Material Suppliers and Consultants in the Specialised Construction and Concrete Systems Industry. As a member of the organisation, EDVIRT works with EFNARC to improve Nozzle Operator training and safety standards.